Why we built this.

I played semi-professional football in the Southern Football League for eight years — central midfield, the position that lives and dies by reading the game. A knee injury at 28 finished my career as a player. It did not finish my obsession with understanding football.

I moved into coaching. Four years as assistant manager at Banbury United FC, working with players who were technically decent but tactically raw. I spent most of that time doing one thing: translating the language coaches use into something players could act on immediately. No jargon. Concrete pictures. Specific moments from last week's match.

When I started watching football as a supporter — not a coach — I realised the same translation problem existed for fans. The tactical conversation happening on TV, on podcasts, in analysis threads was either impenetrable or condescending. Nothing in between.

Gaffer FC is that in-between. Coaching-level explanation, fan-level language.

Every article starts from a real tactical question — one I have heard from players, supporters, or people watching their first match with a football-obsessed partner. The answers use the same frameworks I used in team meetings: formations as spatial problems, pressing as coordinated aggression, roles as responsibilities within a system.

I hold a UEFA B Licence. I have watched thousands of hours of footage at technical level. But the test I use for every article is simpler than any credential: could a smart person who has never coached understand this in one read? If not, it goes back for another draft.

Articles are researched from primary sources — match footage, coaching literature, UEFA and FIFA technical reports — and written by James. AI tools are used to assist with drafting and structure, with every article reviewed and edited by James for tactical accuracy before publication.

Tactical claims are checked against multiple matches, not single examples. Where numbers are used (possession percentages, distances, squad stats), sources are cited. We do not publish speculation as fact or retroactively change dates to make content appear fresher than it is.

If you spot a factual error, contact us at james@gafferfoot.com. We correct errors with a note at the top of the affected article.