flight 1 for 8 or 9 year olds...awesome.
first need to get the whole flight level stuff out of your head. kid needs to be placed, by a coach who hopefully you trust to make the decision, into the appropriate flight. most clubs stick kids wherever you want as long as you pay the $$$$. so need to find a coach who will be honest with evaluations - that doesnt include your evaluation. sometimes Ill take the 8 year old sunday league kid over the "flight 1" club player - at that age flight isnt all that important.
whether its flight 1, 2, 3, Signature, Rec the kid should be working on technical training. sometimes its done through the club but Im an advocate of training outside the club - coaches without club ties tend to be more straight shooters. Also no bias involved and not just looking to keep you attending their training.
At age 8 or 9 kids most kids dont have enough understanding of the game to be told what to do. Obviously you dont want a puppet master but the kids will need to be told where to be and who needs to "check" or make runs or whatever...since they arent pros. You wont get kids really "getting IT" until they are at least around 12 years old - most wont even have it click (if it ever does) until they are in their teens. Eventually it sinks in with enough consistent input. Cant always be positive since kids also need a kick in the arse at times...at all ages. Also all kids react differently to various styles of coaching - some kids like ridged coaches and others do well with super positive coaches. Sometimes you need both styles at once from different coaches working with your child. Have to figure out what is best for your kid. I think coaches should have a good general temperament but not realistic not to yell...sometimes more when the team is not having a good day.