Find the Space
You can only get the ball when you are alone in a square, so keep moving to find an empty one.
At a glance
- A 20 m grid of sixteen 5 m squares (nine squares for 9 or fewer). Half the players are passers with a ball, the rest are receivers.
- Passers dribble anywhere with their heads up. Receivers keep moving to find a square with nobody else in it.
- Receivers call and show a hand. Pass only to a receiver who is alone in a square.
- After the pass, swap jobs: the passer looks for an empty square and the receiver dribbles. Play 60 seconds, rest, go again.
- Progress 1: The receiver's first touch must take the ball into a different square.
- Progress 2: First touch into a new square, and two defenders try to cut out passes.
If it's not working: Use bigger squares, 7 m by 7 m, so empty ones are easier to find.
- players
- run
- pass
- 1in this order
A 20 m by 20 m grid of sixteen 5 m squares. On the night discs mark every corner; here the squares are drawn as dashed lines. Two receivers are sharing a square, so one moves into the empty square next door, calls and shows a hand, and a passer dribbling nearby passes to them there. Everyone else keeps moving at the same time.
Full details: set up, how to play, tips and age tweaks
Set up
- Mark a 20 m by 20 m grid of sixteen 5 m squares with discs. For 9 or fewer children, use nine squares (15 m by 15 m).
- Half the children have a ball. The rest are receivers.
6 to 16 children. A 20 m by 20 m grid of sixteen 5 m squares, or nine squares (15 m by 15 m) for 9 or fewer.
How to play
- Passers dribble anywhere in the grid with their heads up.
- Receivers keep moving to find a square with nobody else in it.
- Pass only to a receiver who is alone in a square. Receivers call and show a hand.
- After passing, the passer becomes a receiver and looks for an empty square.
- Play 60 seconds, rest, then go again.
Keeping everyone moving
Roles swap after every pass, so nobody is without a ball for long. Nobody waits and nobody is ever out.
Make it easier
- Use bigger squares, 7 m by 7 m, so empty ones are easier to find.
- Passers stop the ball first, then look for a free receiver.
Make it harder, step by step
- The receiver's first touch must take the ball into a different square.
- First touch into a new square, and two defenders try to cut out passes.
Three things to say
- Move away from people, not towards them.
- Find the empty square, then call.
- Look up while you dribble so you can see who is free.
Words that work: "Great space, you were all alone!", "Brilliant call!", "You found your friend in space!"
Colts habit
Work hard: keep moving until you find your own square.
Both feet
Pass with whichever foot is nearest your receiver.
Heads up
Look up to spot an empty square and a free friend.
For your birth year
Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.
- 2020 to 2021
- A ball each. On Find a space!, dribble into a square with nobody in it and stop the ball with your sole.
- 2018 to 2019
- As written, with half the group on a ball.
- 2016 to 2017
- Add two defenders who try to cut out passes.
A young leader can run this one, with an adult coach beside them.
Safety: Look up while moving and slow down near other players. Passes stay on the ground.
Keeping score: Each child counts the passes they received alone in a square and tries to beat it next round.