Does the concept of Small-Sided Games as described by US Youth Soccer really work?

What is the "Small-Sided Games" model?

Understand that the modern version of soccer (or "football" or "futball" to most of the world) began to form in the late 1800's. The laws of the game were written primarily with adult players in mind. To this day, the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association - French for International Federation of Association Football) laws of the game truly assume adult players. However the official FIFA "Laws of the Game" handbook does include notes describing "permissible" modifications (including field size variations, ball size, goal size, duration of a play, and substitutions).

To illustrate this point, imagine twenty-two 5 year old players on a field (or pitch) roughly 50 yards x 100 yards, with goals 8 feet tall and 24 feet wide, trying to play the adult version of soccer. You will see players who get very tired very quickly due to the expanse of the field and their short legs only allow them to cover short distances. They have not learned the concept of pace. Children in this age group have 2 speeds: full speed and stop. They will literally run until they drop. Then they will rest for 3 to 5 minutes and will be ready to go again. They are "sprinters" not marathon runners.

Soccer games typically are played in two 45 minutes halves. Most children of this age find it difficult to stay focused for more than about 15 minutes on any one task. Many children would likely get bored with a traditional game and would simply stop participating and would find something else more interesting to do (like chase bugs or pick flowers).

You will also see a clump of at least 10 kids at any given time trying to attack the ball. Children at this age do not understand the concept of "spreading out" and creating "shape on the field". They do not comprehend the concept of teamwork. They are all individuals on the field. In their mind, they are their own team. So you would normally see 1 vs 21 in this scenario.

In the event that a player actually got close enough to the goal to score, the goalie has very little chance in actually preventing the ball from going into the goal. The size of goal relative to the goalkeeper would make successfully playing in this position virtually impossible. Also children less than 8 or 9 years old typically have not developed proper hand-eye coordination to consistently stop shots on goal.

Another issue with the traditional game is a simple issue of lack of field space. Most youth organizations simply do not facilities large enough to create multiple regulation size fields. Even small organizations have 400 or more players each season and finding enough field space would prove very difficult. More children participate in soccer than any other sport in the U.S. so the sport continues to grow, soccer organzations continue to grow, and the need for field space becomes even greater. Small-sided games allow organizers to create more games fields on smaller plots of land.

In response to these issues and several others, the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) has created a modified rule set for youth soccer. They outline the reasons in their document: "Why Small-Sided Games?"

Why Small-Sided Games?

US Youth Soccer has thought long and hard about the answer to the question, "Why Small-Sided Games?"

What does "Small-Sided Games" mean? These are soccer games with fewer players competing on a smaller sized field. These are fun games that involve the players more because fewer players are sharing one ball.

All ages can play "Small Sided Games", but it has a definite developmental impact on our younger soccer players. US Youth Soccer recommendations for "number of players" at the various age groups are as follows:

U6 | 3 against 3 no goal keepers U8 | 4 against 4 no goal keepers U10 | 6 against 6 with goal keepers U12 | 8 against 8 with goal keepers U13+ | 11 against 11 with goal keepers

Here are some of the reasons why we believe, as soccer coaches, administrators and parents must guarantee that our young soccer players play small-sided games:

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, less-complicated decisions during the game! (Tactical development)

3. Because we want our young soccer players to be more physically efficient in the field space they are playing in! (Reduced field size)

4. Because we want our young soccer players to have more individual teaching time with the coach! Less players on the field and less players on the team will guarantee this! (Need to feel worthy and need to feel important)

5. 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)

6. Because we want our young soccer players to have more opportunity to play on both sides of the ball! (More exposure to attacking and defending situations)

7. Because we want our young soccer players to have more opportunities to score goals! (Pure excitement)

These are the reasons why we adults must foster "Small-Sided Games" in our youth soccer programs. The "Small-Sided" environment is a developmentally appropriate environment for our young soccer players. It’s a FUN environment that focuses on the young soccer player.

It just makes sense doesn’t it?

This is a simple outline of why the rules are different and explains the goals of these rule changes. The driving force behind these changes are really simply keeping the players (the age of the children and their mentality) in mind. The children should be safe, have fun, learn about teamwork, and how to become better soccer players (a player development strategy).

So that explains WHY an organization should want to move to this small-sided games model. The question is... does it work?

This History of our local Soccer Organization

Organizations like ours are becoming more abundant and popular in communities around the U.S. Some experts have suggested this is true for several reasons... 1) with the increased popularity of video games, computers, and multiple television channels that offer 24 hour programming for kids, children have lost the concept of "going outside to play" which is part of the childhood obesity problem facing our country, 2) parents feel less safe about their kids running around their neighborhoods (sometimes due to an increased presence of child predators or at least the perception of an increase) and neighbors often knowing less about one another (we are often very isolated in our compacted sub-divisions), and 3) in many schools structured Physical Education classes have become less common (my children currently have P.E. only 2 days out of each 7 school days, whereas when I was in school we had P.E. every day until I reached tenth grade).

So many parents search for opportunities to increase their child's physical activities (to get them away from tv, video games, and computers to get some exercise) in structured and safe environments (an organized sport where all adults who interact with the kids must pass background checks) where they can be with other kids their own age.

Our local sports organization offers those things and has existed for more than 25 years. We offer soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, and volleyball to children ages 3 to 15 years old. Prior to about 2001 or so, our community was a very rural area and thus this organization was created to serve the youth of a predominantly rural society.

However, this area is about 20 miles outside of a large city. Given this proximity to an urban area, we have experienced explosive growth in the last 5 to 10 years. Starting in the mid to late 1990's, developers began to convert large farmlands into large sub-divisions. Three elementary schools, a middle school, and two high-shools have all been built in this time.

With this growth and the migration of the "city-dwellers" to this area a higher demand for current ideas for teaching sports to kids have increased.

My Involvement Begins

In the Spring of 2006, my oldest son was 4 years old and asked to play soccer. He had seen other kids playing and decide that was something he wanted to try. I have to admit I was a bit excited since I had played soccer off and on since I was about 9 years old. I began playing at a local city parks and rec department. Back then, the sport was not particularly popular in my home town. Most kids my age were playing baseball or football. I continued to play through middle school. I played on rec teams in high school and in college. I have never been a particularly good player, but I really enjoy playing.

My son's first season was very interesting, entertaining, and most of all, eye-opening. His first coach showed up to the first practice and explained to the parents that she didn't really know much about soccer or how to coach or what to teach. She explained that she was "drafted" as the coach. As I soon learned, in many organizations like ours, finding enough coaches each season is one of the most difficult tasks. Normally phone calls are made and emails are sent begging parents to coach the team their child has been assigned to. More often than not, this works. We at least get a warm body on the field to "babysit" the kids.

However, is this really what we want for our kids? Somebody who may not even know the basic rules of soccer. Oftentimes, coaches are sent out with very little to no guidance and are expected to "teach soccer" to a group of kids.

Fortunately in the case of my son's first team, the coach did have the forethought to ask for help. She said that if anybody had any ideas or wanted to help her coach, she would be more than happy to have the assistance. No one stepped forward. So at the next practice she again asked for help and again no one stepped forward. I had played enough soccer in my youth and had enough experience dealing with my own 4 year old to see that she was not helping them improve their skills. She was not communicating on their level and the activities they were doing were not very interesting to the kids. These kids were 4, 5, and 6 year-olds and their attention spans were very short and their level of understanding was very limited. She was a very nice person and had the best of intentions but was not really having much success with these kids.

So I went home and started researching online. A simple web search revealed tons of information about coaching youth sports teams. Turns out there is as much psychology in it as much as there is actual knowledge of the sport. It's about finding that "connection" with the kids and presenting information to them in such a way that they can understand it and enjoy it (after all, it is a sport and should be fun). I started reading about the concepts of teaching age appropriate skills and I studied the drills and games that were provided as examples to use to teach these skills. I even read a bit about this idea of "player development" although, admittedly at the time I wasn't completely clear on what this really meant.

So at my son's next practice when the coach again asked for help, I stepped forward and explained that I had read some things and had some ideas that I could help her try with the kids. She welcomed the help. So instead of setting up cones and dribbling in circle around them (as had been done in previous practices to teach basic dribbling skills) we played games that were fun for the kids like "Red Light, Green Light", "Taxi Driver", "Battleship", etc. These were games that I could explain to the kids in 15 seconds or less and we could jump right in and start playing. These games were great, because they had fun names and the kids were having fun playing them while at the same time they were developing coordination and improving their soccer skills without even realizing. Practice was now becoming something that was fun instead of something that was more like work and difficult. We were no longer standing in lines and we weren't just aimlessly moving around the field to circle a cone.

Our First Game

Then came our first game and that was a total disaster. We unknowingly made all of the classic mistakes of youth soccer. Some of the mistakes were our fault and some were the fault of our league.

First the league had us playing on a field that was roughly 40 yards x 70 yards with 6 field players plus a goalie (7 v 7). We had a paid ref on the field to officiate the game. The coaches were still allowed on the field to "coach" their team and the assistant coaches stood behind their own goal to help "coach" the goalkeeper and in some cases they helped coach the "defense" too. And then of course you have the parents sitting on the sidelines yelling out instructions and "helping" to coach their own kid. In all of these instances, "coaching" usually simply meant yelling play by play instructions to the kids consisting of comments like: "kick it", "shoooooot", "pass it", "get the ball", "hussle", "go get it", "spread out". Most of the time these kids had no idea what they were being asked to do or were easily confused by all of the instructions being hurled at them from the various coaches and parents.

In addition to these problems predominately created by the league, as coaches were making mistakes too. We taught our kids to play specific positions. We put them in a spot on this field and tried our best to explain to them that they were responsible for that area of the field. In most cases kids that were positioned in a defensive position ended up feeling planted to that spot on the field and were afraid to move from that spot unless the ball came within 4 or 5 feet of them. The offensive players would basically run up and down the field and would go after the ball regardless of where it was. These players would run until they were completely out of energy. Coaches would typically hide their slowest and least skilled players in defensive positions or sometimes they would figure out which kid could kick the ball the hardest and the longest and put them in defense so that they could "clear the ball" (ie. "when the ball comes to you, kick it as hard as you can back down the field") if it ever came close to their goal. Coaches would find the kids on their team that were the most aggressive, the fastest runners, or the ones with the most soccer skills and put them in the offensive positions. The goalkeeper was either the kid that jumped up and down and yelled the loudest wanting to play that position or was the biggest (tallest and/or widest) kid on the team (theory was that they covered more of the net even if they just stood still).

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Our league was still keeping scores and posting league standings. This was problematic for our team in that our team only scored 4 or 5 goals the entire season (8 games) yet we gave up at least 4 or 5 per game. Of course kids this age were very capable of keeping score and if they didn't already know before the season started were quickly learning the difference between winning and losing (based on a scoreboard). Some kids were crying or mad after a game that they lost. The coach and even some parents were spending several minutes after each game consoling these children. Then would come the speeches about what the kids did wrong during the game and what they should have done in the game to insure the win.

However, my wife and I were fortunate to have a different experience with our child. When he came off the field he was always happy. He never really seemed to care what the score was. Probably because he was still too young to really comprehend all of what was going on. He was just simply having a great time while he was on the field. He wasn't a great player but he liked being involved. He liked the comradery of being on a team. He always tried his best and always wanted to be on the field. He really didn't like to be substituted because he would get bored on the bench. On the way home from games it was very interesting to hear him talk about the game. He would only remember a few basic things and most of the things he actually remembered were not all that pertinent to the game itself. For example, he would tell us what color the ball was or he talked about how fast a particular player could run and occasionally he would remember kicking the ball once or twice during the game. We didn't realize it at the time, but he was teaching us a very important lesson.

So the season continued and so did the trends. The kids had a great time at practice (especially as we introduced new games that I found online), they didn't really care much for the competive games against other teams, and the losses piled up. By the end of the season, several kids were fed up with playing and it was already obvious that they would not return the following season.

Changes Begin

That summer I decided that I wanted to increase my participation and decided that I wanted to become the coach of a team the following season. However, I decided that I did want to be a little more prepared. So I also signed up for my first coaching class. It was being offered at another organization in a nearby town. The class was my first official introduction to this small-sided game model. The day-long class reiterated and reinforced all of the information I had already started finding in my own research and from personal experience. The instructor showed us additional fun games to play with the kids and pointed out the key ideas that we should be teaching to the kids based on age group. Basically soccer should be broken down into age appropriate lessons. Much like school, you learn something one season and build on it the next. Young kids should learn to control the ball and concentrate on dribbling. They should not be afraid to keep possession of the ball. Then as kids get older, you should introduce passing. Eventually you add "shape on the field" to the lesson plan and then finally strategy. I left the class very excited about the upcoming season.

During that same summer I joined the soccer committee for our organization. This committee consisted of about 6 other parents/coaches. These were the people who made the decisions and were basically responsible for running each soccer season. In the first meeting I witnessed the continuation of a heated discussion that had begun in a previous meeting between several members regarding the future of our program. Some of these coaches had experienced what I had seen and were wanting to move to this concept of small-sided game while some wanted to keep things the way they were. What was most interesting to me was that the coaches who were in favor of the switch were mostly coaches from younger age groups while the hold-outs were mostly coaches from the older groups. By the end of the meeting, a compromise was reached. We agreed that we would adopt some of the new ideas and keep other aspects the same. If all went well then we would continue moving toward this new idea of play.

In this first season, we got rid of refs for the under 4 years old and under 6 years old groups. We no longer used goalies, we played with 5 field players, and we played on much smaller fields. Scores and standings were not kept. All players in this age group received participation trophies at the end of the season. In the under 8 group we kept the paid refs, we played with 5 field players, and still had a goalie. Scores and standings were kept and published and trophies were awarded to the top two teams (those with the most wins) at the end of the season. The other teams did not receive any end of season prize or gift. In the under 10 and under 12 groups most of the rules were kept the same. The field was a bit smaller than regulation and the number of players on the field slightly reduced to 8 or 10 players per side. Standings were kept and trophies were given to the top two teams.

For the most part, this first season was much more enjoyable for the younger ages. The kids were having a great time. Scoring was way up for all teams. The kids were excited any time that either team scored. Even the best score keepers on the team had trouble keeping count. In our preseason coaches meeting, coaches were told to focus less on winning and spend more time teaching the kids to have fun, to improve ball control and dribbling, and on finishing (taking good shots and scoring goals).

Even though the kids were having a great time, during this first season there was still some grumbling from the parents of these younger kids. They didn't understand why we were changing how the game was being played. They couldn't understand why we were no longer using goalies. "Why can't the kids learn to play the adult version of soccer? Why do we have to dumb it down for them? Why is not ok for the kids to be competitive?" They asked these questions even though it was quite obvious that nearly every child was having a great time. What they also failed to realize was that the kids were still plenty competitive... they fought for the ball (even from their own teammate at times). They wanted to score goals and competed to see who could score the most. They focused on individual accomplishments, rather than "team wins" (player development at its best!!!). We did notice one interesting thing, the parents who complained the most were those who also had older children playing soccer. They felt that soccer MUST be played with a goalie at every age. Some even believed that we should have 11 players per side because that is how "real soccer" is played.

While we were having great success at the younger levels, we noticed that there were as many problems (if not more) at the older levels as we had always had. The under 8 year old group seemed to be the absolute worst. This age group still used paid refs and kept scores and standings, and there was a trophy to be won at the end of the season. There was a win at all cost mentality. We had coaches and parents verbally challenging each other and the refs at many games. We even had some parents and coaches nearly get into physical altercations after some games. We had players who were unhappy after each game. There were all kinds of questionable sportsmanship and gamesmanship going on. Before the season was over, at least one coach was ejected from a game for unsportsmanlike behavior.

Fortunately the season ended without any serious altercations. But the soccer committee had some serious decisions to make.

A Changing of the Guard

As the season ended, our current Rec Soccer Chairperson announced that he would be stepping down. His child was older and had become more interested in playing another sport. One positive aspect of this chairperson stepping down was that he was one of the few committee members who did not want to convert to the small sided games model. This open position needed to be filled and needed to be filled very quickly. There was a lot of work that needed to happen before the next season was to begin. I was asked by several members to take on the responsibilities. I was very hesitant. I had only been involved for 2 seasons with this organization and wasn't sure I was ready to take on this huge undertaking. I was assured that I would have the support of other committee members. So, after several sleepless nights and long conversations with my wife, I decided I would accept the position as the new Rec Soccer Chairperson.

This program was in dire needs of being completely rebuilt. In our first meeting we decided to "pull the trigger" and completely adopt all aspects of the small-sided games model. We knew that it would be similar to removing a band-aide... just take a deep breath and yank it off. We knew that in the short term some parents were going to be very upset and would be very vocal about it. We knew that some parents would simply pull their kids from our program and would search for another area organization that still used the old models. (Quick side note: I had already made phone calls to most of the organizations that were within 30 miles of us and most of them had either moved to the small-sided games model or were at least moving in that direction.)

So we rewrote our rules handbook to reflect the new rules. And updated our website with new details as well.

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The other big move we made was that we completely dropped the distribution of trophies. Instead, we started giving every player and coach a "sponsor t-shirt". This end of season gift was to serve as just a reminder of the fun they while giving a small bit of advertising to the business sponsors of our program. We decided that in no leagues would we officially keep scores or post standings on our website.

We believe that the kids should want to play soccer because it was fun. And when the game is over... that's it... it is over. They can shake hands, go home, forget about that game, and get ready for the next game the following week. We were completely embracing the concept of "player development". We wanted the kids to focus on becoming the best that they could be.

I took 3 more coaching classes that same summer to further my knowledge of the small-sided games model.

The Fall-out

The first season went just as we expected. Some parents were very upset and were very vocal about it. In our preseason coaches meeting and training we were very clear about the new direction of our program. We made sure the coaches understood that their jobs were no longer about making sure their teams won. It was now about spending the time to teach the kids soccer skills. We provided some basic training that was tailored to each age group. We offered to provide additional coaches training and assistance as the season progressed if anyone desired the extra help.

The soccer committee members made a point of being more present during the games to correct any bad behaviors and to offer advice where needed. The first weekend of games started a bit shaky. I personally found it necessary to stop a game and issue a warning to all of the parents in attendance at that game to settle down. They were all yelling and screaming at the kids on the field and even at the refs a bit. I explained to the 50 to 60 parents on the sidelines that if I had to call them down again, the game would immediately end. Then they could take their children home and explain that the childish behavior of the parents was the reason why they could not play. Amazingly enough, several parents were embarrassed and most of the parents were glad that something was said. A few more less severe warnings were issued before other games even started and things went pretty well for the rest of the season.

One interesting thing from this first season was that not giving trophies caused more complaints than anything. And the reason most often given as to why we should still give out trophies was because "the kids expect it". The t-shirt was not good enough... only a trophy would do.

By the end of the season it appeared as though some of our changers were was actually working. Even after that short period, it seemed as though players were having much more fun. After games, there were very few kids actually upset at the outcomes of the games. Most had so much fun that they didn't really care who "won". With less kids on the field, each player was getting more active time on the ball. Their actual participation in the game heightened their experience. They felt more apart of the game.

Four Seasons Later (and beyond)

Now after four season using the small-sided game model we are seeing players as they have advanced from league to league. The skills of all these players are increasing across the board. The atmosphere around the soccer fields each weekend is much calmer and more enjoyable. Even to the point that parents often approach me on these games days and comment on how much nicer it is now. Even some the parents who were opposed to the changes seem to have had a change of heart now. They are seeing their own kids have more fun, developing stronger soccer skills, and are actually displaying better sportsmanship.

The concern that was often raised was the fear of losing the competitive aspects of the game. Some parents and coaches just felt like we were trying to remove the whole idea of competition in our sport. Personally, I really didn't have any great concerns about that. I just felt like these kids had a lifetime ahead of them to find things to be competitive about. Although I had heard that the kids would be plenty competitive without keeping scores and standings. And that kids actually preferred fair competition. They prefer the games be close... but maybe not for the reason you might expect. The best example I heard went something like this:

Give a ball to some kids and send them out to play (kickball, soccer, football, etc.). They naturally break up into teams, either formally or informally... it just happens. And they start to play. If the level of competition is obviously unbalanced, they often are quick to switch some players around, or even play uneven sides if necessary. It seems that the kids just want to play, and they all realize one key idea, if someone is not having fun then they are likely to just quit which ultimately means that none of them get to play. So in order to preserve the game itself it is in all their best interests to keep the "teams" balanced by talent.

In one of my team's practices I tested this theory. I set up a basic field with two small goals and started playing around before practice started. As kids showed up they naturally joined the game. I didn't tell them whose team to be on or anything. Somebody from the team that needed a player would simply say to the new player "hey, you're on our team". I eventually casually ducked out of the game and just watched them play. They all just kept adding players to the game as they arrived to practice and they kept the teams fairly balanced. A few players were even switched around. It was truly amazing to watch. There was plenty of competition going on. The kids wanted to out perform the opposing team... but only if it was challenging. Once there was a sense that it was unbalanced, they quickly made adjustments.

In Summary

So when asked, "Does the concept of Small-Sided Games as described by US Youth Soccer really work?", I answer with a resounding, "YES!!!". It's better for the organization, the parents, and most importantly, THE KIDS!!!!

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