22 small-sided games drills for grassroots football coaches, from U7 to adult. Each with step-by-step instructions, coaching points, and a visual diagram.
From 2026-27 the FA's Future Fit framework moves U7s from 5v5 to 3v3 as the …
View drill → –4v4 to mini-goals is the foundation SSG of grassroots coaching for one reaso…
View drill → –The transition 4v4 trains attacking transitions, defensive transitions, deci…
View drill → –Standard 4v4 for U8s runs out of novelty after 5 minutes…
View drill → –U10 matches have a recurring problem: the ball goes down the middle, both te…
View drill → –Rondos at U12 should do more than teach keeping the ball — they should teach…
View drill → –Three simultaneous 6v2 rondos that warm up adult squads technically and tact…
View drill → –Modern football is decided in the 5 seconds after a turnover…
View drill → –The counter-press is the U14+ habit that separates teams who play modern foo…
View drill → –Most coaches end sessions with 'a quick match'…
View drill → –Goals are exciting but they're also a bottleneck…
View drill → –Wet weather forces you indoors…
View drill → –Adult grassroots sessions need high-intensity game activity with fast transi…
View drill → –The 7v3 positional rondo is the most-used drill in elite football for one re…
View drill → –U16 squads who can retain possession sometimes struggle to know when to pene…
View drill → –The pressing trigger SSG teaches the team when to press collectively…
View drill → –Adult grassroots sessions need games that feel competitive and produce the g…
View drill → –The rondo is the universal possession exercise — used at every level from U9…
View drill → –Once 3v1 is mastered, the 4v2 rondo is the natural step…
View drill → –The transition from defending to attacking in the moment of winning possessi…
View drill → –Overload scoring trains players to recognise and exploit numerical advantage…
View drill → –U11-U13 matches are won and lost in transitions — the moment one team loses …
View drill →