New coach guide · Open this session in the builder to change it
2021s: Colts Street Football
12 players · 2 coaches · cage · habit: work hard
| Minutes | Block | Game |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10 | 3v3 | |
| 10 to 40 | Station 1 and Station 2, 15 minutes each | Station 1: Mystery Ball, Station 2: Mystery Ball |
| 40 to 60 | Match | A match |
0 to 10 min 3v3
Set up two small pitches with a goal at each end. As children arrive they go straight in: 1v1, then 2v2, then 3v3. Coaches feed a spare ball in from the side the moment one goes out. No throw-ins or corners: dribble it in or pass it in, to keep it fast. The match is the warm-up.
10 to 40 min Station 1 and Station 2, 15 minutes each
Two groups of about 6. Group 1 starts on Station 1, group 2 on Station 2. Swap at 25 minutes. A coach at each station.
Station 1
Mystery Ball
Pull a mystery ball from the bag, meet it, swap it, then play with whatever rolls your way.
Set up
- Mark a 20 m by 20 m square with discs.
- Put all the balls into the mystery bag.
- Put two pop-up goals on each 10 m by 20 m half, facing each other.
- Keep bibs ready in two colours for each half.
Stage 1: play it
- Each child pulls a mystery ball from the bag without looking.
- They dribble anywhere in the square for 1 minute to meet their ball: how does it roll and bounce?
- Coach shouts Mystery swap! and children swap balls with the nearest player.
- After 3 swaps, split into two games of 3v3 or 4v4 in each half.
- Every 3 minutes the coach rolls in a new mystery ball and takes the old one out.
- Children guess out loud which ball is hardest to control.
Stage 2: progress it
Add the rugby-shaped ball, which bounces unpredictably.
Stage 3: progress it
Goals only count if the team scores within 5 seconds of a ball swap.
If it's not working: Use only footballs and foam balls.
Keeping everyone moving: Every child has a ball in the first part. In the match part, two games run at the same time.
Three things to say
- Children changing how softly they touch each ball.
- Children keeping the ball close.
- Children trying new tricks with a strange ball.
You need: mystery bag of mixed safe balls: size 3 footballs, low-bounce futsal balls, soft foam balls, small soft rugby-shaped balls (1 ball per child), pop-up goals (4), discs (8), bibs (2 colours)
Station 2
Mystery Ball
Pull a mystery ball from the bag, meet it, swap it, then play with whatever rolls your way.
Set up
- Mark a 20 m by 20 m square with discs.
- Put all the balls into the mystery bag.
- Put two pop-up goals on each 10 m by 20 m half, facing each other.
- Keep bibs ready in two colours for each half.
Stage 1: play it
- Each child pulls a mystery ball from the bag without looking.
- They dribble anywhere in the square for 1 minute to meet their ball: how does it roll and bounce?
- Coach shouts Mystery swap! and children swap balls with the nearest player.
- After 3 swaps, split into two games of 3v3 or 4v4 in each half.
- Every 3 minutes the coach rolls in a new mystery ball and takes the old one out.
- Children guess out loud which ball is hardest to control.
Stage 2: progress it
Add the rugby-shaped ball, which bounces unpredictably.
Stage 3: progress it
Goals only count if the team scores within 5 seconds of a ball swap.
If it's not working: Use only footballs and foam balls.
Keeping everyone moving: Every child has a ball in the first part. In the match part, two games run at the same time.
Three things to say
- Children changing how softly they touch each ball.
- Children keeping the ball close.
- Children trying new tricks with a strange ball.
You need: mystery bag of mixed safe balls: size 3 footballs, low-bounce futsal balls, soft foam balls, small soft rugby-shaped balls (1 ball per child), pop-up goals (4), discs (8), bibs (2 colours)
40 to 60 min Match
A match
One big pitch, 6v6 with goalkeepers. Kick-ins or dribble-ins instead of throw-ins, to keep the touches up. A spare ball comes in the moment one goes out. One coach refs, the other feeds spare balls from the side.
Equipment for the whole session
- mystery bag of mixed safe balls: size 3 footballs, low-bounce futsal balls, soft foam balls, small soft rugby-shaped balls (1 ball per child; 1 ball per child)
- pop-up goals (4; 4)
- discs (8; 8)
- bibs (2 colours; 2 colours)
Habit of the week: Work hard
Say it at the start, watch for it all session, name one moment on the walk off.
Reminders
- Drinks when moving. The huddle is the walk off: one moment of the habit, with the child's name.
- A ball at every foot. Nobody stands without one for 30 seconds.
- No queues and nobody is ever out.
- Talk under 30 seconds. Show it, don't tell it.
- Every game has stages: start at stage 1 and move on when it is working.
This week at home
For parents: Your Skills Show, a Colts Street Football game for the garden or the park.