It's not a secret anymore... Soccer Starts at Home® uses a unique methodology for parents to instill confidence and focus in their children all while developing critical soccer skills and fostering a bond over the love of the sport. Children as young as two years old benefit greatly from the stimulation of brain functions, and the mastery of basic technical skills will give them a significant advantage once they’re old enough to join a team.

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This bestselling youth soccer book demonstrates what coaches should and should not be doing with young players in the sport and enables you to identify if effective coaching is taking place. “Any parent whose child is playing youth soccer should read this book as the information is going to have a powerful impact on your child’s experiences, development, and ultimately their success in the sport. This book is an essential tool for any club, coach, or parent who is truly focusing on player development.” Manchester United Youth Academy Coach - Dean Whitehouse

Using insightful anecdotes, personal experiences, and perspectives of numerous development experts, they passionately provide the reader with a clear and compelling breakdown of critical issues involved with youth development. Holding nothing back, they unveil the damaging problems that currently exist in U.S. youth soccer due to high numbers of administrators, coaches, and parents demonstrating misguided and outdated beliefs, and/or harboring ulterior motives that are simply not beneficial for the players’ best interests. They emphasize how conventional thinking in youth soccer leads to so many youngsters encountering negative experiences during their formative years and is a major driver as to why 70-80% of young players drop out of the sport at a young age before they have even had the opportunity to unlock their true potential. In this book, Mairs and Shaw reveal how coaches and parents can positively impact young players’ involvement. They demonstrate how to ignite young players’ passion for the sport and arm players with the powerful tools which will help them become successful players in the long-term.

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Soccer was the number one youth participation sport in America. But numbers have declined by nearly 25% in recent years. Over the same period, the US Men's national team has gone from what many considered the verge of a breakthrough to elimination from the 2018 World Cup. If Americans can be the best at anything, then why not soccer?What's gone wrong with American soccer and what can we do to fix it? In memory of Pele's first team, "the Shoeless Ones," this book makes the compelling case that our uniquely American quest for perfect equipment, perfect fields, and perfect competition is exactly what has prevented our American youth from developing the skills, instincts and creativity needed to master the beautiful game. If America is going to take its place as a true soccer nation, we'll need a movement at the grassroots level, even if it means that games aren't played on grass at all.

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A groundbreaking exploration of how finding one's way later in life can be an advantage to long-term achievement and happiness.

“What Yogi Berra observed about a baseball game - it ain't over till it's over - is true about life, and [Late Bloomers] is the ultimate proof of this.... It’s a keeper.” (Forbes)

We live in a society where kids and parents are obsessed with early achievement, from getting perfect scores on SATs to getting into Ivy League colleges to landing an amazing job at Google or Facebook - or even better, creating a start-up with the potential to be the next Google, Facebook or Uber. We see coders and entrepreneurs becoming millionaires or billionaires before age 30 and feel we are failing if we are not one of them.

Late bloomers, on the other hand, are undervalued - in popular culture, by educators and employers, and even unwittingly by parents. Yet the fact is a lot of us - most of us - do not explode out of the gates in life. We have to discover our passions, talents, and gifts. That was true for author Rich Karlgaard, who had a mediocre academic career at Stanford (which he got into by a fluke) and after graduating, worked as a dishwasher and night watchman before finally finding the inner motivation and drive that ultimately led him to start up a high-tech magazine in Silicon Valley and eventually to become the publisher of Forbes magazine.

There is a scientific explanation for why so many of us bloom later in life. The executive function of our brains doesn't mature until age 25 - and later for some. In fact, our brain's capabilities peak at different ages. We actually enjoy multiple periods of blooming in our lives. Moreover, late bloomers enjoy hidden strengths because they take their time to discover their way in life - strengths coveted by many employers and partners - including curiosity, insight, compassion, resilience, and wisdom.

Based on several years of research, personal experience, and interviews with neuroscientists, psychologists, and countless people at different stages of their careers, Late Bloomers reveals how and when we achieve our full potential.

Praise for Late Bloomers

“The underlying message that we should ‘consider a kinder clock for human development’ is a compelling one.” (Financial Times)

“Late Bloomers spoke to me deeply as a parent of two millennials and as a coach to many new college grads (the children of my friends and associates). It’s a bracing tonic for the anxiety they are swimming through, with a facts-based approach to help us all calm down.” (Robin Wolaner, founder of Parenting magazine)

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Soccer star and Olympic gold medalist Christie Pearce Rampone and sports neuropsychologist Dr. Kristine Keane share the best practices that athletes, parents, and coaches can use to turn the lessons learned through sports into lifelong skills.

Sports offer a vital path for children to get healthy, self-confident, and social. In Be All In, three-time Olympic gold medalist, World Cup Champion, and US team captain Christie Pearce Rampone and sports neuropsychologist and brain health expert Dr. Kristine Keane offer practical, real world advice on how to handle the pressures felt by youth athletes, parents, and coaches today and provide kids with their best shot at reaching their dreams.

In contrast to outdated adages like "no pain, no gain," the ethos of "be all in" is about being authentically present in everything you do, on and off the field. Through a unique blend of neuroscience, parenting strategies, and wisdom gleaned from the extraordinary experiences of a world-class athlete, this transformative book explains how to create realistic expectations for kids, help them succeed in all aspects of their life, improve game day performance, and reduce the stress of dealing with their coaches, ambitions, and losses.

With invaluable insight into parenting behaviors that may derail children's performance despite best intentions, and concrete strategies for teaching accountability, confidence, self-efficacy, and resiliency, this fundamental guide has tips to support athletes of any age, sport, or level of competition.

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Link to Article: https://media.hometeamsonline.com/photos/soccer/SSFUNITED/Coaching_Outside_the_Box_-_Changing_the_Mindset_in_Youth_Soccer.pdf

Coaching Outside the Box: Changing the Mindset in Youth Soccer authors wrote the book to help develop, nurture, and inspire young players throughout the world.

The book concludes with a section allowing parents to “instantly identify” whether or not a club or coach is truly placing emphasis on player development with their child, or whether the club is or coach is taking the conventional approach and focusing primarily on winning and immediate team success at the expense of young player's experiences and progress.

This also helps establish whether parents are facilitating positive learning environment, or whether the development progress is being disrupted due to misguided actions or beliefs. Here are the „red flags‟ identified by Shaw and Mairs that arise when this developmentally destructive approach is taken…

-A coach or parent demonstrates noticeable anger or frustration when the team gives up a goal or displays too much jubilation when their team scores.

-The coach consistently approaches games with winning as the main objective.

-The coach consistently hypes up the importance of game results with big pre-game speeches.

-A coach or parent spends significant amounts of time analyzing the team or player’s performance after a game.

-A coach or parent displays anger or frustration because the team lost.

-The club consistently promotes winning results and trophy success on their website.

-A coach or parent constantly shouts, directs, and instructs players from the sidelines.

-A coach or parent deals with mistakes negatively through scolding, making critical comments or being sarcastic, and/or expressing anger.

-The coach „pigeonholes‟ players into positions week after week.

-The more advanced players are always positioned in central areas of the field where they have the greatest impact on the game.

-The coach consistently attempts to hide the less advanced players in positions where there is less chance they will be engaged in the play e.g. wide areas of the field.

-The coach consistently offers the more advanced players greater percentages of playing time.

-The coach leaves the less advanced players on the sidelines for long periods.

-The coach promotes a “fight for your place‟ mentality between players.

-The coach has a “3 goal player‟ who only plays if the team is up by 3 goals or losing by 3 goals due to the games impending conclusion.

-A club, coach, or parent espouses the idea that every player needs to play against he “best players‟ or “best competition‟ in order to develop effectively.

-The coach has the entire playing up in age group even though some players are unready for that level of challenge.

-A player who demonstrates advanced capabilities is denied a more stimulating challenge which meets his of her progressive needs.

-The coach never offers players the opportunity to have input or share their perspective.

-A club, coach, or parent goes to great length to recruit players.

-You are handed a “You have been identified” card by a coach or club representative.

-A club utilizes tryout procedures in an attempt to identify players who can bring them immediate success.

-The coach repeatedly intervenes during training sessions and talks for long spells of time.

-The coach subjects players to prolonged inactive spells during training, often due to

their standing in line.

-To improve the team’s chances of winning their next game, the coach focuses on team tactics and concepts during training, e.g. corner kicks, set-plays, off-side traps.

-During training the coach consistently attempts to implement complicated skills that the players are clearly unready for.

-The coach discards or neglects a player because the player does not display favorable physical characteristics.

-A coach or parent makes a subjective assumption about a young player’s future success in the game.

A club, coach, or parent promotes tournaments as a critical requirement take players to the “next level‟.

-A club administrator or coach tells you not to read “Coaching Outside the Box‟!

Link to article: www.thecoachdiary.com/benefits-of-small-side-games/

Small-sided games are extremely beneficial for young children. Anecdotal evidence and research studies show that youngsters derive greater pleasure from playing football in smaller teams and with adapted rules. As well as getting involved in the game more often, players learn more quickly and take more decisions during the course of a match. And as the ball is never far away, greater concentration is required on their part.

This all means that they gain a better understanding of the game than they would in playing on big pitches. The fact there are less players on the pitch and on each team also means that they receive more attention and have more chances to score goals, which is what children play the game for. Goalkeepers, who are not used in four-a-side football and smaller formats, are also more involved, while outfield players are exposed to more attack and defence situations, increasing their enjoyment and the pace at which they learn.

From a tactical point of view small-sided games are designed to enhance players’ vision of the game and their understanding of defensive and attacking aspects.

Below are just some of the statistics that underline the benefits that small-sided games offer in comparison to 11-a-side football:

Players touch the ball five times more in four-a-side football and twice as much in seven-sided games.

Players are involved in three times as many one-on-one situations in four-a-side football and twice as many in seven-sided games.

On average, in four-a-side football goals are scored every two minutes and every four minutes in seven-sided games.

Goalkeepers make two to four times as many saves in seven-a-side football than they do in 11-a-side.

The ball is out of play for eight per cent of the playing time in four-a-side football, 14 per cent of the playing time in seven-sided games and 34 per cent in 11-a-side football.

In small-sided games can benefit the player in many ways:

Plays the whole game

Receives the ball on a regular basis

More Touches

More 1v1’s

More attacking opportunities – dribbling, passing and shooting

More defending opportunities

More space and less bunching

Simpler lines of interaction and decision-making

Encourages better shape and team-awareness

Has the freedom to play

Develops Game intelligence

Faster play and faster transitions from defence to attack and vice versa

More Runs

Increases Fitness

More goal-mouth action

More goals

Enjoys the game more!!

These benefits are obvious when young players play games that are smaller than the adult 11-a-side game, but are even more pronounced when the age-appropriate competitions are played. A player usually has 3-5 times as many touches, more 1v1 encounters, dribbles, shots, encourages them to do skill and more goals are scored than if young kids played the ADULT 11v11 game.

“Nature decrees that children should be children before they become adults. If we try to alter this natural order, they will reach adulthood prematurely but with neither substance nor strength.” – Jean Jacques Rousseau

Article link: https://balanceisbetter.org.nz/dribbling-football-how-a-child-centred-approach-led-belgian-youth-football-from-11v11-to-2v2/#:~:text=By%20thinking%20about%20what%205,and%20even%20without%20a%20referee.

Dribbling Football: How a child-centred approach led Belgian youth football from 11v11 to 2v2

One size doesn’t fit all: not in training sessions, not in matches, and not in the personal profile of coaches. To solve this problem, three years ago the Belgian football association made a brave decision to change to a much more tailor-made approach. In short, it means that we now adapt to who is in front of us, not the other way around!

For more than 10 years we have broken down the 11 v 11 game into smaller formats: 8v8 and 5v5 to start with, and more recently, in 2014, we created even a smaller football format introducing 2v2 games at U6-U7 age.

At the very beginning, a lot of parents didn’t appreciate the innovation because they were still evaluating the project from the point of view of the adult athlete. They didn’t quite like that we changed the regular format of their favourite team sport. So, we had to explain them that we were just focusing on the individual child of 5-6 years old who has just started playing football.

At that age, the only skills that they are ready to develop are dribbling and scoring (shooting) skills. This fits with the psychological and mental capability profile of these young children, who let’s face it, are rather egocentric. They aren’t able to deal with complex decision making required to know when to dribble and when and whom to pass?

This high level of complexity of the full form of the game doesn’t fit with the cognitive capacities of U5-U6 and even some U7 players.

Some parents were really angry and told me that we were crazy at the FA when I presented them the new format in January during the winter break: “Football is a team sport…!” they cried angrily. But, only a few months later, one of these ‘angry’ parents sent me a text message (sms) : “Kris, now I understand the change, my son scored 4 goals today. Last year he didn’t score one in the whole season….”. This father had finally taken off his adult glasses and looked at the game with through the eyes of a child that comes to football just to enjoy it and to, yes, SCORE GOALS!!

The point is, before we start developing in the kids the notion of football as a passing game, we must focus on the development of skills that suit where they are mentally and cognitively, like keeping the ball, running with the ball and scoring.

By thinking about what 5 and 6 year-olds are like, we created a new kind of football: Dribbling Football, play on mini pitches and with an adapted goal format. It looks a lot more like the street football we played back in the day where we could freely express ourselves without a coach and even without a referee. Just playing like we wanted to play… 100% FUN!

It reminds me so much of the countless hours we spent playing outside, playing football in the garden or the parking lot, just by playing on your own or with your brother, sister or the next-door neighbor.

It sounds a bit sad, but in a way, what we are doing now is organize and replicate the street football of old in the club environment. No competition, but just football festivals where everybody wins and enjoys football!

It’s not all hunky-dory though. At U7 level, the playing format switches to 5v5 football, and we can see that for some of them, perhaps those less experienced that just started to play or who need more time to get the right skills, the 5v5 format is way too complex. But the regulations at the moment force them play in that format.

My question is: Why shouldn’t we be more flexible and adapt the playing format to the growth and developmental needs of the players?

If we did, perhaps, the next step would be to let it evolve into 3v3 before going into 5v5, wouldn’t it?

So let’s make this intermediate step next season and really adapt our football to the players not the other way around. Let’s demonstrate that we are there to develop the individual player, and that this is the norm! Children are not miniature adults! They are really who they are: just young children with their own characteristics, needs and wants.

Link to article: https://tolacoaching.com/funino/

FUNiño is the first building block in an age-appropriate soccer development model. It is especially designed for children under 10 years of age and is much like “street soccer” played by children in years gone by. It is designed around the same concept as Little League Baseball or Basketball, both of which use equipment and playing areas and rules scaled down to match the size of the young children. This small-sided game allows kids to achieve immediate success – and further their achievements as their skills develop and their confidence grows.

FUNiño, with its rules perfectly adapted to the physical and mental capacities of children under 10, is critical to the long-term growth of the game of soccer, and ultimately to the development of generations of even better players and future champions.

In FUNiño children play three against three on a smaller pitch, with a fourth player who rotates in and out of the game systematically. There is no goalkeeper, but there are four goals – two to attack and two to defend. One of the two goals that are defended is always defended by less players than the other. This goal is attacked by the player in possession with his or her teammates – allowing the players to learn how to attack with more players than the defense. Each child often has possession of the ball, has to constantly make decisions, and has to run more. Because of this, FUNiño teaches children to control their bodies and to act quickly, meaning that players who train in this way have an advantage that goes beyond pure athleticism: a team with players who can anticipate scenarios quickly and make the right decision and are particularly good at controlling their bodies and the ball is better than a team that relies solely on power and stamina. These are the skills that FUNiño promotes in 6 to 10 year old children.

The smaller pitch, and more especially, the two wide goals at each end, encourages young players to play the game first in their head before they finish their actions with their feet. Reading the game situation and knowing which goal to attack demands good perception skills in order to make good decisions. This game set-up brings the fun back to soccer and keeps the children wanting more.

The pitch size, 30m x 25m for all competitive games for 8- and 9-year old’s, allows the players to reach a teammate anywhere on the pitch with a size 3 or 4 ball. This helps them to improve their perception and decision-making skills. Moreover, the players touch the ball much more often than in Futsal or 5-a-side or 7-a-side soccer.

FUNiño fosters correct technique, enhances better tactical play, and ensures full participation of all players both physically and mentally – all key components for success in competitive play.

Because the game does not require much space, eight mini pitches could be set up on a regular soccer field with 64 boys and girls between 8 and 10 years of age, all playing at the same time. This also makes organizing competitions much easier and inclusive as more small teams are involved. Plus, there are more opportunities to face different opponents.

There are 33 FUNiño games and many variations to be discovered by the kids before they move on to play 5-a-side soccer or Futsal at 10 years of age. Many parents agree that scaling the game of soccer down to the size of these young children and keeping the size of the team to just three players plus a substitute, will promote greater participation among school-age children. It will also help children to develop confidence, self-esteem, communication, teamwork, and effort, thus contributing to the character formation of these future citizens.

From the earliest exposure to the game, FUNiño introduces the concept of Game Intelligence. Not only are these players thoroughly enjoying themselves, but they are (often, unwittingly) developing aspects of the game previously ignored – which would not have happened in random street games.

As FUNiño is played in a small space with few players, the same basic game situations (especially the 2v1) appear again and again, ensuring plenty of opportunity to learn and master them. The game promotes much greater spatial awareness – the appreciation of both width and depth – than in any other game. Because of this greater awareness, FUNiño helps to develop “off-the-ball” play.

FUNiño is easy for players to understand and learn. Due to the smaller teams and fewer rules, it is much easier to see everything and analyze situations. Smaller teams mean a less difficult, less complex game for young players. Learning to attack and defend comes naturally within this game. Players have more time and space to think and act than in 5- or 7-a-side soccer, and they experience a greater feeling of competence due to making good decisions and fewer mistakes.

Smaller teams also mean more touches on the ball, improving technical and tactical play, dribbling, passing, receiving, beating a man, tackling, and more. Each of the players participates fully in the game, physically and mentally, in attack as well as defense. Their efforts are usually quickly and frequently rewarded with a goal, much more so than in the traditional games for this age group.

The use of frequent rolling substitutions gives all the players on the team plenty of, and more or less equal, time on the pitch. Substitutions are simply a matter of taking your turn, rather than a “punishment” for poor play, and this is a very significant psychological factor for young players. Because of this, each player has plenty of opportunity to «be in love with the ball,» to improvise and to take risks without fear of making mistakes.

Additionally, with only three players on each team, players start to tire after a short time; this reduces crowding of players around the ball, a characteristic of this age group. As the children slow down, they start to play more simply, and the game becomes even easier to understand. Also, as there are no long clearances, FUNiño becomes a safer game.

FUNiño requires the players to use all their muscles, especially that most important muscle: the brain! Because there are always two goals to attack or to defend, the smart player can compensate for his lack of strength and height with good perception and decision-making skills. Even the less technically competent players will gradually improve their technique through frequent contact with the ball as they participate increasingly more in the game than in 7-a-side and 11-a-side soccer.

Because FUNiño uses four goals instead of the two traditional centralized goals, it encourages the players to look and think more before they act. Thus, the players rapidly learn how to use space optimally in the different phases of the game. Players come to learn to always attack the least defended goal. This encourages them to use their creativity, spontaneity, and improvisation.

FUNiño also helps to attract children who generally do not like sports to the game, as there is no real barrier to entry technically or tactically. Most importantly, there are plenty of opportunities to score goals! There is such a great variety of FUNiño games and their variations that there is always some game for any child to enjoy. The games and variations of FUNiño, more than any other form of soccer, promote essential life-skills such as perception, decision-making, intelligence, imagination, innovation, creativity, and endeavor.

Perhaps one who has accomplished so much has wisdom others should discover, understand, and possibly learn from. Horst Wein often asks, “Who is the best coach in the world?” and he answers, “the game of soccer itself – so let the kids play and discover the beauty of the game.”

https://www.thecoachdiary.com/we-all-love-5v5-futbol/

5v5 Fútbol one of the most enjoyable games in the world. Adults love it, kids love – so why do we think they (kids) won’t enjoy playing it for much later then they do?

Whether it’s 5v5 outdoor or Futsal ‘Futbol Sala’, one thing is for sure better skills development and more touches.

Isn’t it ironic that most adults end up playing 5v5 when they give up playing 11v11….

More involvement:

People of all abilities are able to participate.

It’s almost impossible for a player to drift out of a game, they must interact and get involved.

The game is easy to organize and can be played anywhere at anytime.

Players can take an active part in the game and have some fun without pressure from parents, coaches or managers.

It encourages teamwork, and develops children’s technical skills.

More touches

100 of touches of the ball, in fact 12 times then they football on a 11 aside pitch.

Not only are players guaranteed more touches, but the majority of these touches are under pressure from opponents. It is very difficult to touch a ball in 5v5 without being under pressure from an opponent.

More touches under pressure = more experience under pressure = more confidence and composure under pressure = better performance.

-Fun

-Plenty of goals are scored.

-You can play in many positions.

-Health

-You exercise far more then you would on a larger pitch.

-Your passing will improve and become more accurate.

-You can shoot from distance and you will hit the target.

-On a full size soccer pitch and can fit up to 12 5v5 pitches.

Pele, World Cup Winner: 1958, 1962 & 1970

“5v5 was important in helping to develop my ball control, quick thinking, passing… also for dribbling, balance, concentration…5v5 was very, very important, no doubt.”

Foot skills – instead of touching the ball less than ten times in a 30 minutes outdoor half, during a Futsal or 5 aside game, players will be able to touch the ball close to a hundred times in each half. Their foot skills will develop rapidly: it is a constant passing game spiced up with some individual flair of dribbling skills.

Whole body workout – from the mind (visualizing and hearing, information processing and deciding, then quickly acting upon) through the body (movements such as twisting, turning, jumping, running, dribbling, passing, shooting, diving carried out constantly; and sweating a whole lot) to the spirit (experiencing excitement, fulfilled with the joy of playing in a non-stop fashion) – the whole person is involved in an intense, challenging and fun experience. . . . There is no comparison!

Small sided environment – the players will be exposed to numerous 1v1, 1v2, 2v1, 2v2 situations. These are key elements of the 11v11 game also. If a team and its players are not good in 1v1 and 2v2 situations, and if they can not perform efficiently and successfully in those small fragments of the game, then they won’t be able to perform successfully on the big field when they play the 11v11 game. It is like a big puzzle that is missing small pieces (isn’t it frustrating?). The outdoor game is never an 11v11 fight. It is a 1v1, 2v1, 3v2 battle (e.g.: right wing vs. left back, etc.).

Finishing and GK training – shots are fired and saves being made in every ten seconds!

Additional GK training – it will allow the goal keeper to be an active part of the team both in attacking and defending without any break. He/she won’t have the chance to “zone out” and take a mental break.

Quick thinking – the ball and the players are moving fast. The minimal time to process the information presented by the actual situation demands quick execution. Also, at every restart the ball has to be released in less than 4 seconds.

Reading and anticipating the flow of the game – quicker thinking and responding will enhance the player’s ability to read the flow of the game better and ahead of time. Playing proactively rather than just reacting to the game will bring success on the Futsal court, and will transfer over to the soccer field.

Transition – teams attack and defend together. In soccer (in the 11v11 game also!) once we lose the ball we are all defenders, when we win the ball back now we are all attackers. Given the small number of players and the tight space provided, in Futsal this is more emphasized. Winning and losing possession of the ball will happen quickly; hence changing gears from defense to attack and attack to defense require super fast execution in the mind and in the feet.

Opportunity to develop self discipline – officials are strictly enforcing the modified rules of Futsal. It is a game of finesse with quick mind and quick feet. Similar to basketball, in Futsal teams can collect one too many foul and they will be penalized. A penalty kick will be awarded against them.

“5v5 in football is the equivalent of the 10 x table in maths, its age appropriate and allows kids to improve week after week”.

Devised by Juan Carlos Ceriani in Uruguay in 1930 as a form of five-a-side to be played in YMCAs.

Futsal is a fusion of the Spanish/Portuguese words for football (futbol) and hall (sala).

The game is predominantly played indoors on a basketball court-size pitch, with hockey-size goals and a smaller, heavier ball with a restricted bounce. Goalkeepers and players taking corners or kick-ins (no throw-ins allowed) are allowed only four seconds to distribute the ball.

Fifa research this year revealed 150 of the 209 member associations were now playing futsal – an 18% rise on 2006. The rise in participation was most marked among in Africa.

The German FA hosted its first futsal coaching course last month.

As well as being the game of choice for youngsters in South America, it is also played in schools in Spain and Portugal up to the age 11 – as well as at the famed Barcelona academy, La Masia.

The Ireland adults’ futsal team was formed in 1983 and you will be shocked to hear. The team was restarted in 2008 – They have never qualified for the Uefa Futsal Championship or the Fifa World Futsal Cup and are ranked outside the world ranking table – The team is inactive according to FIFA Spain are in 1st.

Link to article: https://trainingground.guru/articles/germany-revolutionises-foundation-age-formats

Germany revolutionizes foundation age formats with emphasis on fun.

GERMANY has launched new regulations that will transform the way football is played by Under-11s in the country.

The emphasis will be on fun and a player-centred approach, with Ronny Zimmermann, DFB Vice President responsible for children’s and youth football, saying: “We need to think like children, not like adults. Only children who develop fun and joy in the game will stay in football.”

This is an antidote to the formats we can sometimes see, including in this country, where children are playing big-sided games at young ages, where the less physically or technically developed youngsters can have limited time on the ball and where adults (parents, coaches and referees) are driving the sessions, sometimes to the detriment of the players.

The key principles of the DFB's new regulations are:

small-sided games.

short playing times.

players regularly rotated, with everyone involved.

no referees and minimal involvement from coaches and parents.

‘game afternoons’ and festivals, rather than formal matches and leagues.

heading practically eliminated.

The regulations have been introduced after a two-year pilot phase that involved all 21 regional associations, during which time there were "good experiences" and "very positive" feedback from children. The DFB Bundestag, the country’s ‘football Parliament’, formally ratified the regulations on March 11th.

Districts and clubs can now implement the new formats, although they MUST be introduced from the start of the 2024/25 season.

“Playing with the ball and scoring goals are the main reasons why so many children and young people enjoy football,” the DFB said in a statement. “The new forms of play are intended to give all children on the pitch the opportunity as often as possible to have the ball at their feet themselves, to take an active part in the game, to score goals and thus to have a personal sense of achievement.”

The changes are heavily influenced by the concept of ‘Funino’ (a synthesis of the words ‘fun’ and ‘nino’, which is the Spanish for child), which was developed by the late coaching guru Horst Wein.

Here is some more detail on the new formats:

G-Youth (U6 & U7):

2 v 2 or 3 v 3.

Pitch size = 16m x 20m to maximum of 28m x 22m.

Each team has a maximum of two substitutes.

The game is played on four mini-goals, so each team defends two goals.

Goals can only be scored from inside the centre line for 2 v 2 and from within a six-metre 'shooting zone' for 3 v 3.

No goalkeeper.

After each goal, both teams automatically change one player each.

On game afternoons, up to seven rounds of matches for a maximum of 10 minutes each are recommended. After each round, the winning teams advance one pitch and the losing team retreats one pitch. “This results in largely balanced games with few extreme results, resulting in a more balanced level of performance and, as a result, less frustration for the children.” Teams and players will also find their level.

F-Youth (U8 & U9):

3 v 3 game (field size to a maximum of 28m x 22m) or 5 v 5 (maximum 40m x 25m).

3 v 3 is as for the G Youth.

5 v 5 is played either to four mini-goals (without goalkeepers) or to two small field goals (four outfield players plus goalkeeper).

Suggested playing time per round is 12 minutes. After each round, the winning teams advance one pitch and the losing teams advance one pitch.

E-Jugend (U10 & U11):

5 v 5 or 7 v 7.

5 v 5 is as for the F Youth. Game is always restarted by shooting in or dribbling in (as for the G Youth and F Youth).

7 v 7 (field size 55 x 35 m) is played on two small field goals, with six outfield players and one goalkeeper per team.

Tournament format with four teams and playing times of 2 x 12 minutes each is recommended. Game is continued with a throw-in.

“The new design makes football more child-friendly in the relevant age groups,” the DFB explained. “The smaller the groups then the more ball contacts the individual players have.

“Especially underperforming or physically inferior children have been lost in the classic competition formats and have lost the fun of the game and the chance for further development.

“The new forms of play are intended to offer children better opportunities to play football in such a way that they are often on the ball and have fun doing it. In children's football, tactics are often emphasised too early, which affects the development of the basics of football. Many studies have shown this. The changed game forms are intended to counteract this problem.

“What is football? Game, fun, goals - that's exactly what the new system promotes. Children can score goals in many ways, even the children who are not (yet) among the best performers.

“In addition, the children dribble more often and have more ball actions, which promotes technique and improves each individual child's sport. Defending is also trained more intensively and individually through 1:1 situations.

READ MORE: Germany lays out plan to return 'to the top of the world'

“Traditional referees are not used. The trainers and supervisors act as joint game masters and only intervene when necessary. The decisions during the games should be made by the children themselves as far as possible.

“With the previous forms of play in the lower age groups (7 v 7) it is much more the case that the slower and less talented players hardly get to the ball and often play in positions that keep them away from the actual game.

“The new forms of competition ensure that headers are almost impossible, because the size of the playing field is significantly smaller, throw-in and goal-kick are replaced by dribbling in and the goalkeeper hardly ever takes a kick-off. In this way, the DFB and its state associations deal with heading at a young age in an age-appropriate manner, without having to impose bans or regulations, as some other national associations practice.”

The DFB suggested that the new regulations could impact more half a million children in 35,000 teams in more than 10,000 clubs.

As TGG has previously reported, these changes have been in the pipeline for several years.

In February 2019, Oliver Bierhoff, Director of National Teams for the DFB, led an event titled 'Zuruck an die Weltspitze' ('Back to the Top of the World'), with the backdrop of Germany's humiliating exit in the first round of the 2018 World Cup and the Under-17s finishing bottom of the Torneio Internacional in Portugal.

Bierhoff said: “We need room for individualists, we need more football-pitch mentality. It needs more feeling again. Through freer training, street football should be brought into the clubs. We need to create more space for creativity and enjoyment for our players."

Panagiotis Chatzialexiou, the Sport Director for National Teams, added: “If possible, it should go without a referee. The players should just learn to work it out. We're already letting our youngest play seven v seven in games, which is not age-appropriate because they have too little ball action and too few decisions to make.

"There's 2 v 2 at Bambini (four to six-years-old) and 9 v 9 from D-juniors (11 to 13), but we do not train age-friendly. 7 v 7 is played in the F-Youth which is not conducive to development.

"Our little ones have too little ball action and they rarely have to make decisions. Our analysis has shown that at least a third of our talents are not optimally developed.”

The Belgian FA - and particularly their Director of Coach Education, Kris Van Der Haegen - have influenced Germany's recent thinking about these younger age groups.

Van Der Haegen, who has appeared on the TGG Podcast and spoken at our 2019 Youth Development Conference, said: “One of the main principles is that the main actor is the player; not the coach, not the team. Then it’s very easy to understand that in children’s football we have to do what they like.

“We call it the tailor-made approach. Who is in front of me? Look at the characteristics of the player and then adapt the environment to fit them. Kids want to play football in their own way, not the way adults want to play. If you put a child on an adult’s bicycle, they’ll say, "are you crazy?" But this is what happens in football, we ask them to play 11 v 11 or 8 v 8 at a very young age. They are not able to do it.”

Former England Rugby coach Brian Ashton has also been influential in this regards.

“I was brought up in the era of street games,” he told TGG. “No adults, no coaches, no-one to interfere and no-one to inhibit what you were doing. We looked after ourselves and self-learned techniques to adapt to ever-changing situations.”

In May 2020, German giants Bayern Munich announced they would not be taking youngsters until the U11s, meaning that grassroots clubs will take care of development before this.