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small sided games manual coaching education department us youth soccer 1

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us youth soccer coaching education department mr sam snow ­ director of coaching education us youth soccer 2

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table of contents introduction page 5 reasons for small sided play page 6 stages of player development page 7 preteen soccer player development page 9 implementation logistics staffing coaches page 11 referees page 13 fields multiple field layout page 15 equipment goals page 25 cones page 25 scheduling league page 26 festivals page 26 tournaments page 27 street soccer organized by the numbers page 27 pick-up games page 28 interesting articles page 31 resources supportive information page 33 modified rules addenda and diagrams u6 rules page 35 u6 addendum page 37 us youth soccer 3

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u6 field diagram page 39 u8 rules page 40 u8 addendum page 42 u8 field diagram page 44 u10 rules page 45 u10 addendum page 47 u10 field diagram page 49 u12 rules page 50 u12 addendum page 52 u12 field diagram page 54 playing time chart page 55 coach and referee certification chart page 56 references organizations page 58 websites page 59 books page 60 articles page 61 fifa formats page 62 appendix risk management statement page 64 spectator conduct page 65 academy approach page 67 us youth soccer 4

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introduction small-sided games have been part of our soccer history in the united states for generations many of our parents our grandparents and our great grandparents immigrated to america having played this wonderful game in the streets of their native countries small-sided games are games played on smaller fields and with fewer players than the adult game of 11 versus 11 games of 3 versus 3 4 versus 3 and 4 versus 4 are examples of small-sided game numbers as you can see playing numbers can be even or uneven and the game can be played in the past it was not uncommon for small-sided games to be played in the streets and in vacant lots with uneven numbers and mixed ages now the streets are too busy and the vacant lot is too dangerous or no longer exists thus it has become the responsibility of the soccer club or youth organization to recreate the small-sided environment this manual provides the information needed to successfully implement small-sided games in your soccer club it will cover the reasons for small-sided games the implementation process models of small-sided game play recommended modified rules of play and helpful references us youth soccer 5

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reasons for small sided play philosophical 1 because we want our young soccer players to have more individual teaching time with the coach fewer players on the field will guarantee this need to feel worthy need to feel important 2 because we want to distance our young soccer players from the external undo pressures of the adult game eliminate extrinsic value 3 because we want our young soccer players to enjoy the game for its own sake foster intrinsic value educational 1 because we want our young soccer players to touch the soccer ball more often and become more skillful with it individual technical development 2 because we want our young soccer players to make more quality decisions during the game tactical development 3 because we want our young soccer players to be more physically efficient in the field space in which they are playing reduced field size 4 because we want our young soccer players to have more involved playing time in the game more opportunity to solve problems that only the game presents 5 because we want our young soccer players to have more opportunities to play on both sides of the ball more exposure to attacking and defending situations 6 because we want our young soccer players to have more opportunities to score goals and make saves pure excitement the small-sided environment is a developmentally appropriate environment for our young soccer players it s a fun environment that focuses on the player these are the reasons why us youth soccer endorses small-sided games for u6 u8 u10 and u12 players across the board across america us youth soccer 6

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stages of player development all ages can play small sided games but it has a definite developmental impact on our younger soccer players this has to do with the stages of development that all children go through as children progress through these stages their intellect grows they mature physically and they get emotionally stronger for example four and five year olds u6 players are very very little people they are very egocentric the ball represents a toy that belongs to them they don t share well they love to run and jump and roll around they have wonderful imaginations it s about play it s about fun recommended game playing numbers recommended maximum field size recommended goal size recommended ball size 3 versus 3 no goalkeepers 25 yards x 30 yards 6 ft high x 18 ft wide number 3 six and seven year olds u8 players are still little people but are maturing and have better balance and agility they begin to experience success technically and will share the ball a bit with a teammate or teammates numbers on the field must be small so that they can have the ball a lot this allows them to practice their newly learned skills in an uncluttered environment they begin to enjoy playing soccer recommended game playing numbers recommended maximum field size recommended goal size recommended ball size 4 versus 4 no goalkeepers 30 yards x 35 yards 6 ft high x 18 ft wide number 3 us youth soccer 7

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eight and nine year olds u10 players can play the game and enjoy the game they need time and the appropriate environment to continue their technical development and begin simple tactical development simple combinations with their teammates fewer players on the field provide ample opportunity to make quality decisions more often reinforcing the tactical basics so-to-speak they enjoy being part of a team because it s a fun environment recommended game playing numbers recommended maximum field size recommended goal size recommended ball size 6 versus 6 5 field players 1 goalkeeper 45 yards x 60 yards 6 ft high x 18 ft wide number 4 ten and eleven year olds u12 players participate in and enjoy the game because their intellect and technical ability allows for more mature play midfield play is introduced at this age due to their increased intellect and improved vision of the field training becomes economical in nature merging the technical tactical physical and psychological components of the game recommended game playing numbers recommended maximum field size recommended goal size recommended ball size 8 versus 8 7 field players 1 goalkeeper 55 yards x 80 yards 6 ft high x 18 ft wide number 4 at the u13 and older age groups we believe that the players are capable of 11 versus 11 play us youth soccer 8

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preteen soccer players development 1 all children are individuals and should be treated as such 2 their soccer environment should enhance their self-concept 3 our society fosters cooperation and competition soccer training activities can promote these behaviors 4 the opportunity for each child to participate in challenging meaningful and varied activities enhancing each ones perceptual motor development and total psychomotor development to his/her fullest capability 5 children should be able to choose their own activities as much as possible responsible decision-making 6 developmental goals will be met by any of the activities that the children may choose 7 often times learning involves work 8 the children have the responsibility to participate in the program with success-orientated activities 9 parents and the coach must structure the child s environment to enhance the development of fitness 10 the home environment plays an important role in the learning process cultural patterns 11 coaching of our youngest players requires specialized skill certification 12 coaches must educate/develop the whole child/player it is a pity that youth soccer is often compared with soccer played by adults often there are instructions given by coaches that the children don t understand also parents shouldn t get involved with the coaching small-sided games begin to give the game back to the players and allow a more player-centered soccer environment when players are motivated to practice their sport they ll learn more from it and therefore become a better soccer player so our aim is to get as much pleasure from soccer as possible us youth soccer 9

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implementation logistics us youth soccer 10

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staffing coaches at the u6-u12 age groups the level of coaching varies from program to program and from age group to age group us youth soccer strongly recommends that your coaches have the appropriate certification/license according to the recommended coaching certification chart in the appendix of this manual options u6 and u8 coaches can be parent/facilitators who have attended the u6/u8 state coaching module and/or have received instruction from a national youth licensed coach parent/facilitators can run age appropriate activities which will provide a developmentally appropriate environment for the players the environment activities becomes the teacher training sessions can be organized so that the club s director of coaching or a national youth licensed coach runs an age group training session that the parent facilitators observe this coach should provide copies of his/her lesson plan to the u6/u8 coaches after witnessing an activity or two the parent facilitators can run the activities with their group of players after a few weeks of this mentorship a list of activities is produced and simple repetition of the activities is used for the completion of the season this becomes a coach-intraining program if the dual method of play is being used the coach can train all the players at the training session and on game day can delegate one field to a parent/facilitator while he/she watches the other game after all on game day parent/facilitators/coaches should enjoy watching the kids play cheer for the players and refrain from giving too much direction to them continuing education is extremely important for the parent/facilitators and other adults involved with youth us youth soccer 11

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soccer the mentor program described above is a great way to fulfill this need u10 and u12 coaches should be parent/coaches who have attended the u10/u12 state coaching module ideally coaches at this age group should attend the national youth license more coaching is involved at these age groups due to the increase in intellectual emotional and physical development of the players therefore coaching education becomes extremely important training sessions can be organized so that the club s director of coaching or a national youth licensed coach runs an age group training session that the parent facilitators observe this coach should provide copies of his/her lesson plan to the u10/u12 coaches after witnessing an activity or two the parent facilitators can run the activities with their group of players after a few weeks of this mentorship a list of activities is produced and simple repetition of the activities is used for the completion of the season this becomes a coach-intraining program parent/coaches continue to use age appropriate activities to teach the players about the game providing training and match environments that stimulate problem solving by the players is key to their development if the dual method of play is being used the coach can train all the players at the training session and on game day can delegate one field to a parent/facilitator while he/she watches the other game after all on game day parent/facilitators/coaches should enjoy watching the kids play cheer for the players and refrain from giving too much direction to them continuing education is extremely important for the parent/facilitators and other adults involved with youth soccer us youth soccer 12

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referees and assistant referees at the u6-u12 age groups the level of officiating varies from program to program and from age group to age group us youth soccer strongly recommends that your referees have the appropriate certification/license according to the recommended referees certification chart in the appendix of this manual options u6 and u8 referees can be parent/facilitators or young soccer players twelve years of age or older who have attended a basic clinic on the us youth soccer modified playing rules and/or have attended the grade 9 referee s course the person taking on the responsibility of the referee should help the little players understand the rules make sure the environment is safe be flexible patient and understanding and keep the game moving smile a lot the referee has a tremendous impact on player development at this age just keep it fun at this level of play the environment can be an excellent training ground for young referees on game day parents and coaches should enjoy watching the kids play cheer for the players and refrain from yelling negative and/or directing comments at the referees continuing education is extremely important for referees the mentor program for young referees described above is a great way to fulfill this need u10 and u12 referees referees for u10/u12 can be parent/facilitators or young soccer players fourteen years of age or older who have attended the grade 9 referee s course assistant referees are not required but use of club linespersons is highly recommended the persons taking on the responsibilities of the referee and the assistant referees should help the players understand the rules make sure us youth soccer 13

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the environment is safe be flexible patient and understanding and keep the game moving the referee should not be the center of attention the players should be the center of attention at this level of play the environment can be an excellent training ground for young referees especially as the assistant referee linesperson on game day parents and coaches should enjoy watching the kids play cheer for the players and refrain from yelling negative and/or directing comments at the referees continuing education is extremely important for referees the mentor program for young referees described above is a great way to fulfill this need state referee courses are also highly recommended us youth soccer 14

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fields multiple field layout single field layouts are located in the modified rules addendums and diagrams section of this manual on pages 35 to 54 here are samples of the dual field method layout us youth soccer 15

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