Chris Merriman

07/06/2026

⚽️ WE HAD A BRILLIANT TIME at the Hough End Griffins JFC presentation day and got to show off some of our football experiences. Thankfully, despite the downpour in the morning the rain stayed away for a majority of the time!

I got to show my community and grassroots family what FFF in South Manchester is all about. Hundreds of children got to try out footdarts and play 5v5 in our inflatable pitch and see first hand what we will have at our upcoming summer camp!

I got to see my team crowned League Champions. It was however a bittersweet day as it’s the last time we’d be together as a group!

They’ve been more that just my team a players, they’re like a part of my family! I loved every minute of being their coach and watching them develop and grow over the years!

Today I feel overwhelmed and a little sad. I’ll miss the training more that anything, they always worked hard but we always had a laugh.

The players and parents have shown us so much warmth and gratitude which has made it all worth it!
I’m so proud of them and can’t wait to see what they do in the next chapter of their life ❤️

The BBDFL Football Fun Factory

05/06/2026

⚽🔵🟡 OUR SUPERSTARS SMASHED IT! Tonight we combined games like quick maths and technical development with the football, to really push our superstars.

Annabel is our Blue Card winner this evening! She’s a brilliant character and we really challenged her with the games and she met it head on and came through with flying colours!

Well done Annabel and a great start to a busy weekend!

05/06/2026

🏆⚽️ THE WORLD CUP starts next week! Growing up I loved the World Cup, watching it and then playing football thinking I was Pat Bonner or Peter Shilton!

It’s only every 4 years which I think adds to the glamour of it, but seeing all the different nations playing, celebrations, flags, singing in the streets or the national anthem (especially Scotlands) adds to the spectacle! At FFF, we bring that same energy but on a weekly basis.

Our Football Fun & Development sessions are packed with fun, action and encouragement where every child gets their moment to shine. They can be scoring goals, celebrating with friends or simply loving being part of it all, they’ll leave every session smiling.

So why not kick off your 3-week FREE trial today?

We currently have sessions running in:
📍 Wythenshawe
📍 Withington
📍 Chorlton
📍 Sale
📍Ashton on Mersey

Find out all the information or to secure your 3 free weeks visit our page:
👉 https://thefootballfunfactory.co.uk/locations/south-manchester/

04/06/2026

⚽🟦 SO WHAT'S A BLUE CARD? You will see that after every session I’ll share a picture of our blue card winner, but what’s the blue card for?

In football, receiving a card is never a good thing, it’s either a yellow and walking a tightrope or even worse, a red one and you’re off! At the FFF, it’s very different, we flip it on its head, even the colour of the card!

At the end of every Football Fun Factory session, I present a blue card, not for what a child has done wrong but for what they have done right! Our blue cards are presented to the child or children who have shown fantastic qualities throughout the sessions and link in to our values.

So how do you get a blue card? This could be several different things, helping another child up if they’ve fallen, making friends with another child attending for the first time, listening to the coaches and even helping the coach collect the equipment.

It could be anything, but always positive! Each month we have a value we focus on, this month it’s development, and we use these to encourage our superstars to develop and grow at more that just football.

And we don't stop there, at the end of each month, we have our new shiny blue card too for someone showing these qualities on a regular basis. The power of football is huge and when used in the correct way, can help children develop positive life skills that can last a lifetime.

We use football to promote this even more so than football skills because it’s these qualities that can shape a child’s life.

So next time you see me share our blue card winner you’ll know they’ve been a real superstar at the session!

https://thefootballfunfactory.co.uk/locations/south-manchester/

02/06/2026

🔵🟡 DEVELOPMENT IS OUR FOCUS for June but it’s not just football! Our sessions will be about developing at football, but also how they can develop in other areas too.

Whilst we will always focus on things like using both feet to kick the ball, passing and shooting. We’ll use our games to encourage improvement, build confidence,communication and teamwork.

There’s so much that me and the coaches will be encouraging throughout the month. I’m looking forward to seeing how our superstars continue to learn and grow throughout June.

30/05/2026

📆 FREE WEEKLY FOOTBALL for children of any age and ability right on your doorstep! At the FFF, we are on a mission to make football fun, for everyone.

I will be delivering programmes for boys and girls aged between 18 months - 12 years old of all abilities. My aim as Head Coach of the Football Fun Factory in South Manchester is to remove barriers to playing football and help children fall in love with the game.

You can register your child's interest and sign up for a three week free trial via the following link - https://thefootballfunfactory.co.uk/locations/south-manchester/

29/05/2026

☀️⚽ THE FOOTBALL HOLIDAY CAMPS, always sound like so much fun, so today I headed off to meet Dan and see for myself.

I got to see first hand the set up and planning followed by the delivery of games. Every child was playing different types of games with a smile on their face!

I came away thinking how brilliant they are! If only we had something like this when I was a child!

We’ve secured a venue so that I can offer sessions like this our community, across South Manchester during August! Check out the video for a small snippet of what I saw today.

24/05/2026

👋 YOUR NEW LOCAL FOOTBALL COACH! Hi, I’m Chris and I’m the Head Coach for the Football Fun Factory in South Manchester.

It’s been incredible to launch and provide new football opportunities for children aged 18 months-12 in our local area in recent weeks!

Our priorities at the Football Fun Factory are safety, fun and development, in that order! Our sessions provide children with the perfect environment to fall in love with football and play the beautiful game with a smile on their face.

Join us in Sale, Wythenshawe, Ashton on Mersey, Withington or Chorlton. You can register your child for a three-week free trial via the following link – https://thefootballfunfactory.co.uk/locations/south-manchester/

23/05/2026

23/05/2026

⚽⚽ HAVING THE RIGHT VALUES is important to me. I have spoken about the values of FFF and how they aligned to my own when I chose to start on my own, and that's also true about my grassroots club, Hough End Griffins!

The values of the club resonate with me and there are so many similarities with FFF. It's because of this that I will continue to be part of the club even when I stop coaching my team.

To mark the clubs 20th anniversary they have made and a video showing you what they are all about. It makes me proud just watching this and knowing that's my club - its well worth a watch!
https://vimeo.com/1190398243/b4fc98697f
Football Fun Factory Hough End Griffins JFC