I was asked by one of the parents why I did it because, as he saw it “you're wasting good training time – if the kids see something that shouldn't be on the pitch they'll just shout one of us over and we can clear it up”. I explained that it wasn't wasting time because I did it before training began, and anyway, it only took five minutes.

I could see he wasn't really interested. It is, however, very important that you or someone you can trust makes sure the children are not going to fall on glass or dog muck. The safety and wellbeing of the children in your charge is one of the most important parts of your coaching sessions.

Last week I removed three bottles and four clumps of fox droppings – not pleasant, but I get a big pack of disposable plastic gloves to use and can quickly get rid of these things before the players arrive. I have always done this, dating right back to my second season in coaching.

But there are lots of other things less noticeable that can be significantly more hazardous to your players. So my advice is, whether home or away, first on or last, it's always worth having a quick look to see if there's anything on the pitch. You owe that to your team.