A GUIDE TO U11 AND U12 FOOTBALL PDF

Football is our national game, one that has the potential to ignite and fascinate millions of people across the world, and this group of children are on that journey.

They might love playing, have a view to coach in the future or maybe referee and our role is to help them fulfi l their dream and passion.

If their love is for playing, this format of 9v9 provides the step in the game of football between Mini-Soccer and the full-size adult version, one that bridges the learning and progression of young people in an appropriate way.

 Part of The Football Association’s National Game Strategy is to develop ‘Better Players’ and it believes that 9v9 is the most appropriate format to do this within.

This is supported by academic research from around the world on the value of small sided games for developing technical ability and skill acquisition.

A 10 year old child is not half a 20 year old and they need a game and format that replicates their stage of development. For too long we have had U11 children playing on the same size pitches as 26 year old internationals and goalkeepers defending the same size goal as Premier League adults.

We have to fi nd a way to make youth football more child-friendly and The Football Association believes 9v9 addresses these challenges.

Our challenge as adults is simple - to help young people stay in love with the game. If they start this journey captivated by the experience, this vastly improves their chances of getting better. Our job is to keep creating that learning environment, one that is so much fun they won’t want to stop.