---
title: "7v7 Drills: Six Small-Sided Games for Training at U10 and U11"
description: "7v7 drills for youth football and soccer coaches: six small-sided games with pitch sizes, a full session and the heading rules in England and the USA."
datePublished: 2026-10-09
tags:
- coaching
- training
- youth-football
---
Saturday’s fixture says 7v7, and on Tuesday you wonder what to train for it. The obvious answer would be a 7v7 on the full pitch. In youth football, or soccer as it is known in North America, the federations point the other way. The FA tells its coaches that smaller formats give players more repetition, and U.S. Soccer starts every practice with games of 2v2, 3v3 or 4v4. Germany’s DFB goes furthest and sets a ceiling: at U10 and U11, no training game should be bigger than four plus a goalkeeper against four plus a goalkeeper.
This article shows which 7v7 drills follow from that. 7v7 is the format for U10 and U11 in England and for U9 and U10 in the USA, and the six games below are smaller than either version, so they fit both. You get:
- the reasoning, in four numbers from the DFB
- how the FA, U.S. Soccer and the DFB build a session
- six small-sided games with pitch size, player numbers and duration, ordered by what 7v7 asks of your children
- a ready-made session for 16 children
- the rules on heading in England and the USA
Rules, pitch sizes and formations are in the article on [7v7 formations in youth football](https://areacopa.com/en/en/blog/7v7-formations-youth-football).
## Why You Train 7v7 in Small-Sided Games
In 3v3 a child has four times as many actions on the ball and five times as many shots as in 7v7 over the same time. The FA and U.S. Soccer both build their sessions on small games, and Germany’s DFB caps them at four plus a goalkeeper a side.
The English and American federations make the case in words. The FA writes that smaller formats give players more repetition of the skill you are working on, and its six-week programmes for ages 7 to 11 are made up almost entirely of 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, overloads such as 3v2 and 4v2, and 5v5. U.S. Soccer’s Play-Practice-Play method has children playing small games from the moment they arrive.
The numbers come from Germany. The DFB’s guiding paper for training from the youngest age groups to U19, the Trainingsphilosophie Deutschland, compares both formats directly and counts what a single child experiences in 32 minutes of net playing time:
| In 32 minutes of net playing time per child | 3v3 | 7v7 |
| ------------------------------------------- | --- | --- |
| Actions on the ball | 200 | 50 |
| Decisions | 200 | 50 |
| Duels | 100 | 30 |
| Shots on goal | 25 | 5 |
On the big pitch a child spends most of the time a long way from the ball. On matchday that cannot be helped, and in training it is time given away. The DFB draws three rules from its count. They are German guidance, and they travel well:
- **The ceiling.** No training game at U10 and U11 is bigger than four plus a goalkeeper against four plus a goalkeeper.
- **Several pitches at once.** Only then do all children play and nobody stands in a queue.
- **48 minutes a week.** That is the minimum of net playing time in small-sided games the DFB wants for every child from U8 to U16.
U.S. Soccer draws the line a little higher. Its practice ends with a game that mirrors matchday, and for 7v7 teams that game is 6v6, because the roster holds no more than 12 players.
None of this removes 7v7 from your training. You break it down into its jobs: playing out with the goalkeeper, using width and depth, winning the duel, finishing, and switching after the ball is lost or won. For each of these jobs there is a small game in which it comes up every few seconds.
## How a Session Is Built at U10 and U11
The FA starts with an arrival activity and asks for a couple of practices in place of many. U.S. Soccer runs three phases, and US Youth Soccer suggests 60 to 75 minutes at U10. Minutes for each phase come only from Germany: the DFB splits 90 minutes into blocks of 15, 30, 15 and 30.
**England.** The FA’s advice on managing a session is to get players straight into an arrival activity and then keep the plan short: you do not need seven practices in an hour, only a couple that are engaging, competitive and linked to your focus. One of its session models is whole-part-whole, which starts with a game, moves to a specific technique or skill and finishes with another game. In the FA’s programmes for ages 7 to 11 the small games rotate every two to four minutes. The FA articles read for this piece give no minutes for each phase, no total length and no number of sessions a week.
**USA.** U.S. Soccer’s Play-Practice-Play has three phases. In the first, children play 2v2, 3v3 or 4v4 as they arrive. The practice phase uses game-like activities with attacking, defending and both transitions, at one of three levels of challenge. The second play phase is a game with a half-time built in. US Youth Soccer gives 60 to 75 minutes as its guideline for a U10 session. U.S. Soccer’s 2017 standards for 7v7 set two to three training sessions for every game played. Neither document puts minutes on the three phases.
**Germany, as a worked example.** The DFB is the one federation here that publishes the minutes. Its model session has four blocks:
| Block | Duration | Content |
| ------------ | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Activation | 15 minutes | Dribbling and feints, tag games with and without a ball |
| Game block 1 | 30 minutes | 1v1 to 4v4 on several pitches, with goals |
| Middle block | 15 minutes | Technique and speed: shooting, passing, first touch on the move, sprints |
| Game block 2 | 30 minutes | 1v1 to 4v4 on several pitches again |
In the game blocks each child plays for three to four minutes several times and then rests for one to two. The middle block is for whatever comes up too rarely in a game to get better at it.
The training collection of the South Baden FA (Südbadischer Fußballverband), one of Germany’s regional associations, manages with 80 minutes. It divides the session into four phases of 20 minutes each: a general game, a practice, a small-sided game and a free game. Three quarters of the time is play, and the timings are guidelines. Both German sources recommend two football sessions a week, which the DFB calls a minimum.
> **Tip:** The South Baden collection has a simple rule for pitch size: the better the children, the smaller the pitch. If hardly a shot comes off in a game, the pitch is too small. If every pass is easy, take two metres away.
The six games that follow fit the game blocks and the middle block of the German model, and equally the play and practice phases of Play-Practice-Play. Five come from the collection of the South Baden FA, one from a Spanish weekly plan for nine-year-olds.
## Game 1: Playing Out with the Goalkeeper
Two children and the goalkeeper build up against two opponents on 40 by 30 metres and score in mini goals. Whoever wins the ball shoots at the big goal. Two rounds of eight minutes.
In 5v5 the goalkeeper was close to the action. On a 7v7 pitch there is a lot of room between the goal and the halfway line, and the rules are written so that the team plays out through it: in England the opponents drop to the retreat line at a goal kick, in the USA they drop behind the build out line and the goalkeeper may not punt. The first pass out from the goalkeeper becomes the first job that is new.
For exactly this situation the research for this article found no federation drill with dimensions for the age group. The FA’s session on playing out is written for ages 12 to 16. The game below comes from a weekly plan by the Spanish coach educator AFOPRO for the Benjamín age group, in which eight- and nine-year-olds play seven-a-side.
**Setup:** Pitch of 40 by 30 metres (about 44 by 33 yards). On one goal line there is a goal with a goalkeeper, on the other there are two mini goals. Two children build up, two press.
**How it runs:** The goalkeeper starts with a dead ball and passes to one of the two building up. One of them offers wide, the other looks for the free space in the middle. The pair try to score in one of the mini goals. If the other two win the ball, they shoot at the big goal, and the two building up defend together with the goalkeeper. After every goal play starts with the goalkeeper again.
**Duration:** Two rounds of eight minutes with a three-minute break in between. Then the pairs swap jobs.
**What you coach:** The first touch goes forward and the body is open to the pitch. Nobody passes square through the middle in front of their own goal.
**To start with:** The opponents only press once the child receiving the pass has touched the ball. That way the first pass always has time.
Which techniques your goalkeeper needs for this, and how to practise them without a specialist coach, is covered in the article on [goalkeeper training without a GK coach](https://areacopa.com/en/en/blog/goalkeeper-training-without-a-gk-coach).
## Game 2: 3v3 in Behind with Bounce Players
26 by 20 metres in three zones, 3v3 with two neutral bounce players on the sides. One point for a pass received in the end zone, another for the goal that follows.
The bigger pitch tempts all the children to run to the ball. This game rewards the opposite: using the side and playing in behind the last line.
**Setup:** Pitch of 26 by 20 metres (about 28 by 22 yards). The middle zone is 12 metres long, with an end zone and a mini goal in front of it and behind it. Eight children: 3v3 and two neutral bounce players on the touchlines of the middle zone.
**How it runs:** Play starts in the middle zone. The bounce players can be used, have two touches and may pass into the end zones themselves. A team earns a point for a pass in behind that a teammate receives in the end zone. A goal after such a pass earns another point.
**Duration:** Two to three minutes, then the jobs change.
**What you coach:** The player furthest forward starts the run into the end zone when the teammate on the ball lifts their head. The pass out wide opens the middle.
**Variation:** The line between the middle zone and the end zone counts as an offside line. That is worth doing in the USA, where offside applies between the build out line and the goal line. England plays 7v7 without offside.
## Game 3: 1v1 with Transition
A narrow pitch of 20 by 8 metres with two goals and goalkeepers. Whoever has just shot defends at once against the next child from the other team. At least four children, played without a break.
More room means more duels with no teammate nearby. This game links the dribble to the moment after it.
**Setup:** Pitch of 20 by 8 metres (about 22 by 9 yards), a goal with a goalkeeper on each goal line. Two teams line up with balls next to the goals. At least four children.
**How it runs:** A child from the first team dribbles onto the pitch and finishes at the goal opposite. On the shot, a child from the second team starts onto the pitch with a ball. The first child becomes the defender. If that child wins the ball, they counter at the other goal. Play carries on like this without stopping.
**What you coach:** Nobody stands and watches after a shot. The defender turns side-on and steers the dribble towards the outside.
**Variations:** Set fixed pairs so that children of similar strength play each other. Or let the numbers grow: after the first shot two children start, then two against three, then four against three.
The feints your children use to get past in the duel are practised with the [dribbling drills for U9 to U11](https://areacopa.com/en/en/blog/dribbling-drills-u9-u10-u11).
## Game 4: Getting Free to Shoot
One attacker and one defender on 20 by 15 metres between two goals with goalkeepers. The attacker gets free, receives the ball from outside and may shoot at either goal. Roles swap after a minute.
Five shots in 32 minutes: that is all a child is left with in 7v7. This game for the middle block or the practice phase produces more finishes in a single minute, and every one of them comes against an opponent.
**Setup:** Pitch of 20 by 15 metres (about 22 by 16 yards), two small-sided goals with goalkeepers. An attacker and a defender are on the pitch. You stand at the side with at least five balls. At least four children, two of them in goal.
**How it runs:** The attacker moves away from the defender, receives your pass and finishes at either goal. Then the attacker asks for the next ball straight away. The defender tries to stop the shots.
**Duration:** One minute, then the roles swap.
**What you coach:** First away from the ball, then towards it. The attacker shows with a hand where the pass should go.
**Variations:** The balls come from teammates spread around the pitch. If the defender wins the ball, they counter at the other goal.
If your team scores too rarely in general, one of five causes is usually behind it. They are set out with three short drills in the article on [finishing drills for U11](https://areacopa.com/en/en/blog/youth-finishing-drills-u11).
## Game 5: Attacks with More and Fewer Players
Three children attack a goal with a goalkeeper on 26 by 20 metres. You call how many of the four defenders run on. Whoever wins the ball counters at two mini goals.
In a match the balance of numbers changes all the time. One attack runs three against one, the next meets four defenders. In this game you set it with a call.
**Setup:** Pitch of 26 by 20 metres (about 28 by 22 yards) with a small-sided goal and goalkeeper on one goal line and two mini goals on the other. At least eight children: three attackers, four defenders, one goalkeeper. Each defender has a number and a starting place of their own at the edge of the pitch.
**How it runs:** The three attackers set off towards the goal with the goalkeeper. You call one, two, three or four numbers, and those defenders run on. If they win the ball, they counter at the mini goals.
**Duration:** Roles swap after a fixed number of attacks. Six is a good start.
**What you coach:** With more players, find the free teammate. With fewer, take on the duel. After losing the ball the attackers chase it at once.
**Variation:** You call only how many. The defenders sort out among themselves who runs.
Four cues that help your children with this, and three more games, are in the article on [transition play in youth football](https://areacopa.com/en/en/blog/transition-play-youth-football).
## Game 6: 4v4 in Four Zones
4v4 with two goalkeepers on 26 by 20 metres. The pitch has two wide zones and a divided middle, and each child stays in their zone. After every goal play starts with your own goalkeeper.
This game comes closest to 7v7 even though only ten children take part. It forces the team to hold width and depth, and it starts with playing out again and again.
**Setup:** Pitch of 26 by 20 metres (about 28 by 22 yards), two goals with goalkeepers. Cones divide the pitch into two wide zones along the touchlines and into a front and a back half of the middle. One child from each team is in every zone. Ten children.
**How it runs:** The game is 4v4. Passes go through all the zones, and each child stays in their own. Goals count from anywhere. After a goal, play starts with the goalkeeper of the team that conceded.
**Duration:** Short rounds of two to three minutes, because a duel runs without a break in every zone. Then everyone moves on one zone.
**What you coach:** A child who stays behind the opponent in their zone does not get the ball. The children in the wide zones offer themselves so that the goalkeeper can reach them with a pass along the ground.
**Variations:** The goalkeeper may be used only once in each attack. In possession the children may swap zones as long as every zone stays filled.
## A Session for 16 Children in 90 Minutes
A rondo to arrive, two games side by side in the first block, shooting in the middle block, the zone game and a free 3v3 in the second block. You need two pitches, two goals and four mini goals.
The six games can be put together into a session on the DFB’s structure. The following suggestion works with 14 outfield players and two goalkeepers.
| Time | Block | What happens |
| -------- | ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 0 to 15 | Activation | Four rondos of 3v1, each on 8 by 8 metres (about 9 by 9 yards). Whoever wins the ball swaps with the child who lost it. |
| 15 to 45 | Game block 1 | Pitch A: game 2 with eight children. Pitch B: game 3 with six children and both goalkeepers. The groups swap after 15 minutes. |
| 45 to 60 | Middle block | Game 4 on both pitches, on pitch A without goalkeepers and with two mini goals. Whoever is not on the pitch feeds the balls from outside. |
| 60 to 90 | Game block 2 | Pitch B: game 6 with eight children and both goalkeepers. Pitch A: free 3v3 with four mini goals. After 15 minutes six children change pitch. |
The rondo comes from the same collection as games 2 to 6. Its extra rule suits the theme: after losing the ball the three children have five seconds to win it back, and only then do they swap.
If you have the 60 to 75 minutes that US Youth Soccer suggests for U10, shorten each game block to 20 minutes and keep the order.
Two things make the organisation easier. Put spare balls next to each pitch so that no game waits for a ball that has been shot away. And let the children run their games themselves. Not every pitch needs a coach all the time, and the children do not need a referee at all.
The week after, swap game 2 for game 1 and game 6 for game 5. The structure of the session stays the same, and the children know how it runs.
## Heading at U10 and U11: What the Federations Say
The FA does not introduce heading in training from U7 to U11 and punishes deliberate heading in matches with an indirect free kick, at U11 from 2026/27. US Youth Soccer bans it in matches and team practice for players aged 10 and under. Germany has recommendations and no ban.
None of the six games contains a header. That is deliberate, and in England and the USA it is also the rule.
**England.** The FA’s guidance for U7 to U11 is that heading should not be introduced in training sessions at this age. In matches, deliberately heading the ball is an offence punished with an indirect free kick. The FA brought this in over three seasons: for U7 to U9 from 2024/25, for U10 from 2025/26 and for U11 from 2026/27. A deliberate header carries no disciplinary sanction unless a player keeps doing it. Heading arrives at U12, where the guidance allows limited heading in training.
**USA.** US Youth Soccer’s Rule 305 says that players aged 10 and under shall not head the ball directly from the air in any match, nor practise heading in any organised team setting. A deliberate header in a match brings an indirect free kick for the opponents, moved outside the penalty area if it happened inside. The rule is mandatory in US Youth Soccer’s own competitions, and state associations are strongly encouraged to adopt it for state and local play. At 11 and 12, heading is allowed, and coaches make sure that no player heads the ball more than 25 times a week. U.S. Soccer’s 2017 standards for 7v7 say the same for matches: deliberate heading is not allowed.
> **Info:** Germany handles this differently. The DFB bans nothing at this age and works with recommendations: heading should not be a focus of training yet, and where it is practised the volume stays low, the balls are lighter and the ball is thrown by hand at first. Small pitches, small goals and few high balls keep the number of headers low in any case.
For your sessions the conclusion is the same in all three countries. Keep the ball on the ground, use small pitches and small goals, and spend the time on dribbling, passing and finishing.
## Four Mistakes in Training for 7v7
Teams that are too big, long queues, constant shouting from the touchline and content from 11v11 cost the most training time. A second pitch and fewer instructions fix three of them.
Four mistakes that the federations warn against or that follow from their numbers:
- **Playing 7v7 in training.** It feels like preparation and gives each child a quarter of the actions on the ball. A short game on the full pitch is enough to experience the distances.
- **One station, one queue.** If ten children line up to shoot once, two are training. Set up a second pitch.
- **Calling out every decision.** “Shoot!” and “Pass!” take away the decision the child is meant to learn. Set the rule of the game and then hold back.
- **Putting 11v11 content at the centre.** The FA describes football at U10 and U11 as all about acquiring skills, and the South Baden collection names dribbling, passing, the first touch on the move and shooting as the focus. Rehearsed moves do not belong here, and heading is not trained at this age at all.
## From Training to the First 7v7
Six small-sided games and a fixed session structure carry your team through the change of format. A small tournament with neighbouring clubs shows how much of it reaches the big pitch.
You do not need a programme of your own for 7v7. It is enough to put the five jobs of the big game into small games. Run them on two pitches at once and leave the decisions to the children. The structure of the session stays the same week after week, and only the games change.
What reaches matchday is easiest to see in a setting without a league table. An afternoon with two or three neighbouring clubs is enough: short matches, every team against every other. That is where you see whether the goalkeeper plays out along the ground and whether anyone runs in behind.
[Create my fixtures for a 7v7 tournament](https://areacopa.com/en/tournaments/new?utm_source=agent&utm_medium=markdown&utm_campaign=7v7-training-games-u11)
## Sources
The guidance on session design and heading comes from The FA, U.S. Soccer, US Youth Soccer and Germany’s DFB. Five of the six games come from the training collection of a German regional association, the South Baden FA, and one from a Spanish coach educator. Where a detail does not come from the source but was added for this article, it says so below.
1. **Deutscher Fußball-Bund (undated, referring to summer 2024).** _[Trainingsphilosophie Deutschland](https://assets.dfb.de/uploads/000/311/784/original_TPD.pdf)._ Source for the session in four blocks, the ceiling of four plus a goalkeeper a side at U10 and U11, the table of actions in 3v3 and 7v7, the 48 minutes of net playing time a week and the recommendation of two sessions.
2. **Südbadischer Fußballverband with SC Freiburg (undated).** _[Auf dem Platz: Trainingssammlung für den Kinderfußball, E-Jugend, Phase 3, Kleine Spielformen](https://www.sbfv.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Nav_Fussball/Kinder/Trainingsformen/E-Jugend/E-Jugend_Phase_3_Spielform_1_Kleine_Spielformen.pdf)._ Source for the four phases of 20 minutes, the two sessions a week, the focus of the age group, the note on calling out decisions, the 3v1 rondo and games 2 to 5. Matching these games to the jobs of 7v7 is an addition of this article; the collection itself does not make that link.
3. **Südbadischer Fußballverband with SC Freiburg (undated).** _[Auf dem Platz: E-Jugend, Phase 4, Freie Spielform](https://www.sbfv.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Nav_Fussball/Kinder/Trainingsformen/E-Jugend/E-Jugend_Phase_4_Freie_Spielform_0.pdf)._ Source for game 6, the rule on pitch size and the notes on spare balls and playing without a referee. The duration of two to three minutes and moving on one zone are additions; the source says “short rounds”.
4. **AFOPRO, Academia de Formación de Profesionales del Fútbol (25 April 2018).** _[Microciclo completo de entrenamiento: salida de balón en etapa benjamín](https://afopro.com/2018/04/25/salida-de-balon-en-futbol-7/)._ Source for game 1, in the original “Salida de balón 2 x 2 + portero”. The simpler version to start with follows the task “Superar presión en zona de iniciación” in the same plan.
5. **England Football Learning, The FA (22 July 2024).** _[How coaches can plan for football training](https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2024/How-coaches-can-plan-for-football-training)._ Source for the repetition in smaller formats and the whole-part-whole model.
6. **England Football Learning, The FA (13 April 2026).** _[How to manage a training session](https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2026/How-to-manage-a-training-session)._ Source for the arrival activity and the advice to use a couple of practices.
7. **England Football Learning, The FA (14 April and 2 June 2025).** _[Session programme: receiving and finishing to score](https://learn.englandfootball.com/sessions/resources/2025/Session-programme-receiving-and-finishing-to-score)_ and _[Session programme: marking and intercepting to defend](https://learn.englandfootball.com/sessions/resources/2025/Session-programme-marking-and-intercepting-to-defend)._ Programmes for ages 7 to 11. Source for the game sizes used by the FA, the rotation every two to four minutes and the area of 30 by 20 yards.
8. **England Football Learning, The FA (3 February 2025).** _[Attacking session: playing out to attack](https://learn.englandfootball.com/sessions/resources/2025/Attacking-session-playing-out-to-attack)._ The FA session on playing out, written for ages 12 to 16.
9. **England Football, The FA (undated, retrieved 9 October 2026).** _[Heading in football](https://www.englandfootball.com/participate/learn/brain-health/heading-in-football)._ Source for heading in training and matches in England and the three seasons of the phase-out.
10. **England Football, The FA (undated, retrieved 7 October 2026).** _[Youth club football: U10-11](https://www.englandfootball.com/play/youth-football/Youth-Club-Football/U10-11)._ Source for the description of football at U10 and U11.
11. **U.S. Soccer Coaching Education (undated).** _[Play-Practice-Play Overview](https://www.iowasoccer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/169/2023/09/coach_play_practice_play.pdf),_ hosted by Iowa Soccer. Source for the three phases, the small games on arrival and the 6v6 game for 7v7 teams.
12. **US Youth Soccer Coaching Education Department (undated).** _[How to Write a Training Session Plan](https://www.usyouthsoccer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/160/2023/09/How-to-Write-a-Training-Session-Plan.pdf)._ Source for the session length of 60 to 75 minutes at U10 and 75 minutes at U12.
13. **U.S. Soccer (February 2017).** _[Player Development Initiatives](https://www.usyouthsoccer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/160/2023/09/Player-Development-Initiatives-2017.pdf)._ Source for two to three training sessions per game, the roster of 12, the build out line and heading in 7v7 games.
14. **US Youth Soccer (23 June 2026).** _[Policy on Players and Playing Rules](https://www.usyouthsoccer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/160/2026/06/Policy-on-Players-and-Playing-Rules_APP-06.23.2026.pdf), Rule 305._ Source for the heading rule in the USA.
15. **Deutscher Fußball-Bund (as of September 2024).** _Wettbewerbsformen im Kinderfußball, Altersklassen U6 bis U11._ Source for the German statements on heading in training and on the effect of small pitches and light balls.
16. **Deutscher Fußball-Bund (undated).** _[Kopfballspiel](https://www.dfb.de/content/kopfballspiel)._ Source for the German recommendations on heading practice.
A drill for playing out with the goalkeeper that a federation describes with dimensions for this age group did not turn up in the research, in England, the USA or Germany. The session for 16 children is a suggestion of this article on the DFB’s structure, and so is the shorter version for 60 to 75 minutes. The yard figures are conversions from the metric originals. Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada and Australia were not evaluated for this article.
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Source: https://areacopa.com/en/blog/7v7-drills-small-sided-games