The most important thing to remember during this transition is that it’s all still soccer, and soccer is a simple game. Whether 9v9 or 11v11, The Game Doesn’t Change When moving the ball up the field, they often tend to go to one particular side or up the middle, constantly leaving out one winger and making their attacks more predictable. In 11v11, kids are forced to analyze decisions much more. Players who dominated a smaller field because of their speed will be forced to adapt and learn the benefits of positioning.īigger fields mean that tactical decisions become much more important, such as when to drop, when to make runs behind the defense, and when to sit back in the midfield. A 20-yard breakaway becomes a 50-yard run in 11v11. Certain positions will be running much more than when playing 9v9. With a larger field in 11v11, players will have to adjust. Both are unproductive (but understandable) reactions for young players who feel left out of the action. That frustration can push players to do one of two things: lose discipline and revert back to a very selfish game, or lose focus and phase out of the game entirely. Whether you’re a center-forward or a goalkeeper, the onus is on you to find the ball - but at the right times and in the right places.īut in full-sided games, each player finds themselves less involved: fewer touches on the ball, fewer 1v1 situations, fewer decisions to make. Regular, even constant involvement should be the ultimate goal for every player. With four extra bodies on the field, though, touches on the ball are at a premium, and players need to be proactive and assertive in finding the ball. Every touch keeps you invested and involved in the game.

The best way to combat that feeling is by getting the ball and making something happen. That happens less in small-sided games, which are designed to empower players by giving them touches on the ball and constant repetition. As the clock races toward the final whistle, it can be frustrating to feel like the game is passing you by. That’s a hard line to walk for players who want to stay involved in the game. The winger who chases the ball around the field isn’t helping the team, for example - they’re doing someone else’s job, and leaving their team without an outlet. That’s true defensively, where poor positioning leaves space for the opposition to attack (and the player with a lot of work to do), but it’s also true offensively, with players responsible for maximizing and exploiting all this newfound space. Playing 11v11 also emphasizes the importance of positioning and team shape. Here are some important adjustments to keep in mind as your player or team begins to transition into 11v11 games. Those are some major changes, and they deserve careful consideration. Players learn to run less and let the ball do the work. The game builds rhythm and momentum to replace all-out action and barely-controlled chaos. Keeping possession and building out of the back become crucial in giving the team time to spread out and maximize the newfound space. That physical shift transforms the game, away from the slapstick action typical of smaller-sided youth games and toward a more balanced, patient pattern of play. Of all these transitions, that last one is the most dramatic, and the most exciting: at long last, kids are playing the game they love the way it was meant to be played, the way they see their heroes playing it on TV.īut it’s also a big jump - the goals are bigger.

But the spring season is quickly approaching, bringing with it a whole new set of opportunities and challenges.įor younger players, the spring is often when teams begin to think about and explore the next game format, whether that means moving from 4v4 to 7v7, 7v7 to 9v9, or 9v9 into 11v11. As the fall season wraps up, it’s tempting to set soccer aside and enjoy the freedom of a life without practice or packed weekends or stinky cleats.

Soccer numbers by position 11v11