Different game scenarios

Organisation

• Organise the children into groups of five to ten players
• Each player is given a sequential number and each group starts with one ball
• Players pass the ball in numerical order to the next player and have to be moving at all times
• Introduce a race between teams to see who can complete a given number of passes first

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Let the players start by throwing and catching the ball

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Add a second and third ball and see if players can focus on keeping all balls moving between them
• Limit the number of touches a player can take to one or two touches
• Ask players to perform a trick or turn with the ball before they can pass it on

Great questions to ask the children

• Can you move into the eyeline of the player who is going to pass to you?
• Can you only pass the ball once the next player has called for it?
• Can you show me different ways to pass the ball over a short distance, using varied parts of the foot or disguise?

Safety tips

• Create a safe playing area

Organisation

• Organise the group into two teams of up to ten players per team
• Start with 4v4 on the pitch, including goalkeepers
• After a team scores, the three outfield players in that team are replaced straight away
• Keep a rolling score between the two teams
• If a team shoots and misses the target, then its outfield players are also replaced straight away
• If a team concedes two consecutive goals, its outfield players are replaced
• When players swap, the team that remains on the pitch can keep playing, so the swap needs to be very quick!

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Give one team a numerical advantage

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Make one team play with one fewer player all the time

Great questions to ask the children

• Can you recognise when to swap and do it very quickly?
• How does this relate to a real-game situation when you lose the ball?
• Can the next three players be ready and waiting to sprint onto the pitch?

Safety tips

• Create a safe area to play in
• Waiting players should wait beside each goal

Organisation

• Organise two teams of 6v6, including goalkeepers
• Each player wears the team bib and has the other colour bib in his or her shorts ready to swap them over (players can also play without any bibs if you don’t have them, or just one team wears bibs)
• The rule is simple – when a player scores a goal, he or she swaps teams
• The game can vary from 6v6 up to 9v3 at any time, but should always find a way to level itself out
• The challenge varies for players as team members and numbers swap
• Create a competition between all players to see who can be the individual goalscoring champion 

Ways to make the exercise easier:

• Start the game with 7v5

Ways to make the exercise harder:

• Do not allow the same player to score twice in a row

Great questions to ask the children:

• Can you challenge yourself to score different types of goals?
• Can you alternate between scoring with your right and left feet?
• When your team is outnumbered, can you challenge yourself to score a great individual goal?

 Safety tips:

• Create a safe playing area