Helping young footballers express their emotions through inclusive, accessible design.
Communication is an essential part of creating a positive football environment, particularly when working with children with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
For some young players, explaining how they feel can be difficult. They may struggle to find the right words, recognise their emotions or communicate when something is upsetting or overwhelming them.
Bollabo designed and produced a bespoke feelings board for Burscough Rockets, an inclusive football programme supporting children with additional needs.
Featuring 12 individually designed illustrated characters wearing the club's football kit, the board gives players a simple, visual way to communicate their emotions before each training session.
The Challenge
Every child arrives at football training feeling differently. Some are excited and ready to play, while others may be anxious, tired, upset or struggling with something that happened earlier in the day.
For children with SEN, communicating these feelings isn't always straightforward.
Some children may have speech and language difficulties, find it challenging to identify or describe emotions, or feel uncomfortable explaining how they feel directly to an adult.
Others may experience sensory overload, anxiety around transitions or difficulty adjusting to a busy environment.
Without an accessible way to communicate, coaches may not immediately recognise when a player needs reassurance, additional support or a different approach.
Burscough Rockets needed a simple, welcoming communication tool that could become part of its regular pre-session routine.
Our Solution
Bespoke Illustrated Characters
We designed a collection of 12 original illustrated football characters, each representing a different feeling or emotional state.
Rather than using generic emotion symbols, the characters were created specifically for Burscough Rockets, wearing the team's green football kit and reflecting a diverse range of young players.
Each illustration uses recognisable facial expressions, body language and visual cues to help children identify with the emotion being represented.
Making Emotions Easier to Communicate
The board presents 12 feelings in a clear, colourful and approachable format:
Good, Bad, Happy, Sad, Nervous, Don't Understand, Upset, Loved, Angry, Tired, Excited and Calm.
Players can point to the character that best represents how they're feeling, without needing to explain themselves verbally.
This can be particularly valuable for children who find spoken communication difficult, need additional processing time or are more comfortable communicating visually.
Including options such as "Don't Understand" also gives children a way to indicate confusion, helping coaches recognise when instructions or activities may need further explanation.
Supporting Coaches Before Training Begins
The feelings board is used as part of the pre-session routine, giving players an opportunity to communicate their emotional state before football activities begin.
This helps coaches understand how individual players are arriving at training and consider whether they may benefit from additional reassurance, clearer instructions or a little more time to settle.
It also creates opportunities for positive conversations, helping children build confidence in recognising and communicating their emotions.
Designed for the Football Environment
The finished board combines the Burscough FC and Rockets branding with bright, engaging illustrations and clear typography.
Produced as a large, durable physical board, it can be brought onto the football pitch and used directly with players during training sessions.
The design is intentionally straightforward, allowing children to focus on the characters and their feelings rather than navigating complicated instructions.
The Result
Burscough Rockets now has a practical, purpose-designed communication tool that helps make its football sessions more inclusive and responsive to individual needs.
By giving children a visual way to express how they're feeling, the board helps coaches start conversations, recognise potential difficulties and better understand the players they're supporting.
The bespoke characters and club-specific design also make the resource feel like a natural part of the Rockets programme rather than a generic educational aid.
It's a simple example of how thoughtful design can make a meaningful difference to everyday experiences.
Because sometimes the most important thing a player needs to communicate before training isn't about football at all.
