Match
3v3 Four-Goal Game
3v3 with two mini goals at each end. With two goals to attack, players learn to look up, spot the undefended goal and switch the play.
- Age
- U7–U14
- Players
- 6–8
- Duration
- 16 min
BeginnerGlobalSmall-Sided Games
Small-Sided Games exercises
Small-sided games give players more touches, more decisions and more goals than big games. They are the backbone of youth football sessions.
Use conditions (extra goals, zones, touch limits) to steer the game towards the topic of your session.
13 exercises
Match
4v4 Shoot on Sight
4v4 with goalkeepers in a short pitch where players are encouraged to shoot early. Goals from their own half count double; every shot must be followed up.
- Age
- U9–Senior
- Players
- 10
- Duration
- 20 min
BeginnerGlobalSmall-Sided Games
Match
6v6 Match with Wide Neutrals
6v6 with goalkeepers and a neutral in each wide lane who always plays with the team in possession. Only the neutrals can use the lanes; goals from their crosses count double.
- Age
- U11–Senior
- Players
- 14–16
- Duration
- 20 min
IntermediateGlobalSmall-Sided Games
Match
Three-Zone Match with Touch Limits
7v7 with goalkeepers on a pitch split into thirds: maximum two touches in your defensive third, three in the middle third and free touches in the final third.
- Age
- U11–Senior
- Players
- 14–16
- Duration
- 24 min
IntermediateGlobalSmall-Sided Games
Match
Match: Goals Only from Outside the Box
5v5 with goalkeepers where only shots from outside the marked box count. Only the goalkeeper may stay in the box, except to follow up a saved shot.
- Age
- U11–Senior
- Players
- 10–14
- Duration
- 20 min
BeginnerGlobalSmall-Sided Games
Match
Match: Goals Only from Crosses
Match with goalkeepers where a goal only counts if it comes from a cross played from one of the two wide crossing zones. Headers and volleys count double.
- Age
- U13–Senior
- Players
- 12–16
- Duration
- 20 min
IntermediateGlobalSmall-Sided Games
Match
Match with No Pressing on the Wings
7v7 match with goalkeepers where defenders may not press inside the two wide channels. Attackers get time out wide; defenders must protect the box and defend the cross.
- Age
- U13–Senior
- Players
- 12–16
- Duration
- 20 min
IntermediateGlobalSmall-Sided Games
Positional game
4v4+3 Possession Game
Two teams of four keep the ball with the help of three neutral players — one at each end and one inside — creating a 7v4 for the team in possession.
- Age
- U11–Senior
- Players
- 11–14
- Duration
- 16 min
IntermediateGlobalPossession
Match
Win It and Counter: 4v4 Transition Game
4v4 to mini goals where a goal scored within six seconds of winning the ball counts triple, and winning the ball back within five seconds of losing it earns a point.
- Age
- U11–Senior
- Players
- 8–10
- Duration
- 16 min
IntermediateGlobalTransition
Positional game
Possession Game to End Zones
5v5 where a team scores by receiving a pass inside the opponents' end zone. Players learn to combine possession with well-timed forward runs.
- Age
- U11–Senior
- Players
- 10–14
- Duration
- 18 min
IntermediateGlobalPossession
Match
7v7 Build-Up Game with a Target Zone
Goalkeeper plus six against six on a 60 × 40 m pitch. The build-up team earns a point when a midfielder receives facing forward in the middle zone, then attacks the goal.
- Age
- U13–Senior
- Players
- 14–16
- Duration
- 25 min
AdvancedGlobalTactical
Possession game
Three-Team Possession: Lose It, Defend
Three teams of four in one square: two keep the ball (8v4) and the team whose player loses it becomes the defending team at once. Fewest turns defending wins.
- Age
- U11–Senior
- Players
- 12–15
- Duration
- 15 min
AdvancedGlobalPossession
Possession game
7v7+1 Possession with Team Shape
7v7 keep-ball with a central neutral in a big area. To score, the team must string eight passes that use both halves; without the ball the team defends as a compact block.
- Age
- U13–Senior
- Players
- 15–17
- Duration
- 20 min
AdvancedGlobalPossession