Silent Sideline, Loud Pitch
Also called Silent Sideline
Adults only clap. Players organise, encourage and sort things out themselves, with a huddle every six minutes.
One of two pitches. Adults stand on the sideline and only clap; the players do all the talking.
Set up
- Mark two pitches side by side.
- Brief the adults in 30 seconds: clap only, no instructions, no shouting.
- Split children into 4 teams by random bib draw.
8 to 12 children. Two pitches of about 25 m by 20 m (or one 5v5 match on a festival day).
How to play
- Play 4v4 or 5v5.
- Adults (coaches and parents) are silent and only clap.
- Players must organise themselves: call names, decide restarts and sort out disputes (rock, paper, scissors).
- Every 6 minutes, stop for a 60-second player huddle where each child tells a teammate one thing they did well.
- Play again.
Keeping everyone moving
Two pitches at once. Huddles are short and every child speaks. Finishers swap every 2 minutes.
Make it easier
- Allow the coach one helper word per game.
- Children in huddles say one word only.
Make it harder
- Players must call a teammate's name before every pass.
- Huddles include one idea for the next game.
Three things to say
- Children talking and encouraging each other.
- Children solving problems without adults.
- Children staying positive when things go wrong.
Words that work: "Brave to speak up!", "Great work sorting that out yourselves!", "Love how you lifted your team in the huddle!"
Colts habit
Huddles are the lift-each-other habit.
Both feet
In huddles, children praise a teammate's other-foot touch.
Heads up
Players must call names, which forces them to look up.
For your birth year
Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.
- 2020 to 2021
- Not the target group. If used, adults may say well done only.
- 2018 to 2019
- Huddles every 5 minutes.
- 2016 to 2017
- Full version, children also choose who restarts.
Safety: Adults can still stop play at once for safety or injury. Silence is only about coaching instructions. No heading.
Keeping score: Each child counts how many times they encouraged a teammate and tries to beat it next week.