Warm-up: 4v4 on four goals
Organisation
- Try to have a maximum of four players on each team
- After each goal, the other team starts with the ball
- Rotate teams so that they play against different opponents
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Players can score in any of the four goals
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Players have to complete a minimum number of passes before they can score
- A team has to score in all four goals to win one point
Great questions to ask the children
- How do you play as a team?
- What do we need to do to make successful passes?
Safety tips
- Create a safe zone between each mini‑pitch
- Keep each match to a short time limit and provide rest breaks between matches
Skill development: Pass with accuracy
Organisation
- Try to have a maximum of eight players on each team (i.e. four players on each side) to limit waiting times
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Make the gates wider
- Bring the children closer to the gates
- Allow the children to roll the ball through the gates to begin with
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Make the gates smaller
- Move the children further away from the gates
- Put a time limit on the race
- Ask children to use their weaker foot to pass the ball
Great questions to ask the children
- Which part of the foot do you think you should use to pass the ball?
- Which different parts of the foot can you use? Can you show me?
- How hard should you kick the ball?
Safety tips
- Create a safe zone between each mini‑pitch
Game application: 4v4 on two goals
Organisation
- Group children by size or ability
- Organise a tournament – players swap pitches every few minutes, winners play winners, count how many goals they score in the session as a team in total
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Play the matches with no goalkeepers to encourage lots of scoring
- Play games with big goals
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Limit the number of touches each player can have on the ball
- A different player has to score each time – the same player cannot score twice in a row
- Play games with small goals
Great questions to ask the children
- What positions will you play?
- How do you play as a team?
Safety tips
- Create a safe zone between each pitch
- Give children a short rest between matches if needed