Team Bubble
A goal counts double when every attacker is over halfway, and winning it back with everyone home earns a bubble back point.
Goals at each end and a coned halfway line; a goal counts double when every attacker is over halfway, and finishers wait at the side to roll on.
Set up
- Mark the pitch and a halfway line with cones.
- Put a goal at each end.
- Give each team bibs and keep finishers ready to roll on.
4v4 or 5v5; 30 m by 20 m (older 40 m by 25 m).
How to play
- Play a normal game.
- A goal counts double if every attacker is over halfway when it goes in.
- A team gets a bubble back point if it wins the ball while all its players are in its own half.
- Restart with a dribble from your own goal.
- Play 5 minutes, then rotate finishers.
Keeping everyone moving
The whole team moves up and back together, and finishers roll on often.
Make it easier
- Use wide cones to make halfway easy to see.
- The coach calls Bubble! as a reminder.
Make it harder
- Add a side wing zone.
- A goal counts triple if the team kept the ball for three passes before it.
Three things to say
- Everyone moves up together to support.
- Everyone runs back together when the ball is lost.
- Talking to each other.
Words that work: "Great bubble!", "Brave to push up!", "Well done getting back!"
Colts habit
Leadership, shout Bubble up! or Bubble back!
Both feet
Shoot with either foot.
Heads up
Check where your team is.
For your birth year
Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.
- 2018 to 2021
- Not used.
- 2016 to 2017
- 4v4, 30 m by 20 m. With more players, 5v5 on 40 m by 25 m.
Safety: Keep a clear space round goals. No sliding.
Keeping score: Each child counts how many times they ran back with the bubble, compared with last week.