On Tuesday, I will meet my new U14 team for the first time. I've been used to coaching the same group for the past few years so I have to get a sense of the whole team rather quickly this year. My plan for day #1 is to chat with them and their parents about my expectations and get a sense of their goals for the year, then on to business. I should have at least an hour available. I am planning to warm them up with some 3v1 possession. That will help me begin to see who touches/passes the ball well, who is putting out 100%, and who looks like smart defenders. After stretching, I may run a few sprints, with and without the ball, to see what I have for speed. Most importantly, I want to let them play for as long as possible - at least 1/2 hour - which will give me a good overall sense of the skill we've got. Any comments/suggestions?
Sounds like you have a good plan. One other thing you might consider trying: Before you run any of the drills, toss a ball out and tell them to play a game for a few minutes. You can do this while you are finishing up with the parents--the kids can be sorting things out while you are covering fundraising responsibilities or whatever. The fellow(s) who organize (forming teams, etc.) the other guys are showing captain skills. You will also see players gravitating to their natural or preferred positions. Then move to the more structured stuff you have planned.
I highly recommend 4v4 short sided games. The players can't hide and with only three teams you can see everyone. You get to see their idea of shape, off ball movement, handling in tight space and combo passsing/ability. I actually build up from 1v1(10x10 grids with one goal and goal scoring ability from either side of goal) to 4v4 to 7v7 to 10v10(providing the numbers are there). It is a good progression and they work extremely hard if you set up your expectations so the lads know that you expect as high work rate and a competitive atmosphere.
Somewhere early in the year you might want to test them with a one-mile run to see how their aerobic fitness is.
I'm more interested in who can run 80 or 90 minutes than who can run a mile for speed. I usually save running without the ball as a group reward for inattention or goofing off.
I hope you have a development plan, i.e. how you will develop their skills for the remainder of the season. I would emphasize the Coerver Method.