Kids Industries develops app for new kids’ football training brand Aniballers

Family agency Kids Industries is the creative and technical brains behind the app development for a new kids’ brand called Aniballers. The beta version of the app, which teaches kids aged 3-6 how to master football skills, is now available to play for free on Apple and Android devices. 

Aniballers is a real family affair, conceived during lockdown by dad Matt Wilson and his (now 6-year-old) daughter Veda, who used their valuable playtime outdoors to learn football skills. Veda’s mum is the voice on the app.  

“I found it tough,” said Matt, “not just the fact we were in lockdown, but the art of teaching, full stop. Teaching kids anything is hard, but teaching sport is on another level because of the position language gap. What does ‘kicking with the inside of the foot’ mean to a 4- or 5-year-old? 

“Using animals as a reference point, I made up little games that made learning fun for Veda and the idea grew into an app (Aniballers) to help other parents teach their kids to learn football drills and skills, and just generally be more active in a way that’s fun for them. It’s the only app of its kind.” 

Dubbed ‘the football training adventure for kids,’ Aniballers features six animated characters in a colourful world that take kids along a gamified training journey. The animation is interspersed with video clips of real 3–6-year-olds in a 3D rendered brand world setting presenting drills, and AR-filters so kids can feel immersed in the game.” 

With 50 unique challenges suitable for indoor and outdoor play, Aniballers has been developed by UEFA approved coaches and follows EYFS key developmental learning areas so kids (and parents) can feel like they have a football coach in their pocket. 

Parents learn how to:  

·        Teach kids football using storytelling 

·        Have more structured and rewarding play 

·        Get kids ready for coaching and to excel 

Kids learn: 

·        Balance, co-ordination, speed & strength 

·        How to dribble 

·        Skills like drag backs 

·        How to use both feet 

·        The foundations of football while having fun 

Matt and Veda are keen to extend Aniballers into brand licensing, believing it has potential for football kit and training aids, collectible toys, books, animation, and much more. Before that, they are iterating the app in time for the Women’s World Cup this summer.  

The brand is made by a 6-year-old girl and has many female role models in the app so is providing early age female role models to boys and girls. This has led to a partnership between Aniballers and #HerGameToo, the Premier League club backed campaign to champion women in sport.  

In addition to developing the Aniballers app, family experts Kids Industries shared valuable insight into children and families throughout the entire creative process.  

Gary Pope, CEO and Co-Founder of Kids Industries: “The potential of Aniballers is inspiring. Using some pretty nifty tech to really put the kids in the game will engage and delight and give families lots of lovely shared active moments together. Franchises emerge from any touch point these days so, working with Matt, Veda and his team, we’ve thought long and hard about where the brand might go in the very near future.”