West Allegheny Youth Soccer Association

P. O. Box 540

Imperial, PA 15126

Why short-sided games (reduced team numbers) on small fields?

MORE TOUCHES ON THE BALL = MORE FUN - Smaller fields, and less participants on said fields, allow younger players to develop a higher proficiency of ball control in confined spaces, and to have more fun, as a result of enjoying more opportunities on the ball. Under these circumstances, the chances a player has to touch the ball in a game are exponentially increased. As a result, one of the principal reasons children quit youth sports, because they rarely touch the ball in game situations, is eliminated. More touches on the ball means more fun, increased chances to score and more opportunities for improving play.

INCREASED ACCURACY – A player’s technique develops faster as a result of having less space to make a mistake. Some parents comment that the ball goes out-of-bounds too often in smaller fields. The point is that players, under these conditions, are forced to improve the accuracy of their controlling, passing and dribbling skills or continue to lose the ball to an opponent or out-of-bounds.

QUICKER REACTION TIME – The smaller the field, the quicker the game and, hence, the faster the reaction-time needed which allows a player to more quickly develop and enhance playing skills. Closer control of the ball will be necessary as players move up in age levels and are afforded less space and less time to make decisions as a result of faster and more-skilled opponents. Consequently, if a player can learn to settle a ball quickly, he/she will have more time to make the critical decision of whether to pass, dribble or shoot the ball once it is controlled. Likewise, if a player can deliver a more accurately-weighted pass, his teammate should also have more time to make a decision.

UNITED STATES - The use of short-sided games on smaller fields in youth soccer has been adopted as a recommendation by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) which oversees soccer in the U.S. This recommendation, in turn, has also been approved by the regional governing bodies in this country such as PA West (a USSF affiliate) which administers soccer in Western Pennsylvania.

In August 2002, USSF reaffirmed its desire for small-sided games by issuing the following statement: “Beginning September 1, 2003, under-6 (U6) programs should use no more than four players on a team (three strongly recommended) and no goalkeepers. U8’s should involve no more than five (four strongly recommended), and keepers should not be used. U10 soccer teams should be no more than 7-a-side (six strongly recommended). U12 can be 11 versus 11, although eight-a-side is strongly recommended.”

OTHER COUNTRIES - The most dominant and respected soccer-playing country in the world, Brazil, utilizes a short-sided game called futebol de salao (hall soccer), which is played on a condensed field with 5 players to a team, to hone the skills of many Brazilian youth and adults. There are no walls in futebol de salao which requires better control skills than indoor soccer with boards. Many experts point to this small-sided game as one of the reasons for the exceptional skills of some of Brazil’s national team players who have helped them win more World Cups than any other country in the world.

European national soccer federations have also introduced soccer on a small-sided field without boards (futsal), to its youth and adult players as a means of improving technique skills.