You are standing at the edge of the training pitch on Tuesday evening, the G-youth are already shuffling impatiently, and you know that the DFB reform from 2024/25 has permanently abolished the old six-vs-six on full-size goals. This is youth football, or soccer as it is known in North America, rebuilt from the ground up. Instead: three vs three on four mini-goals. Funino. You saw it briefly during your coaching course, you have parents asking why there is no longer a league table, and you have a club that would prefer to keep playing the old way.
This guide is the practical companion to the reform overview in the youth football formats article. It shows what you actually do on training day, which eight game-form variations you should have in your repertoire, and how you adapt the format for G-, F- and E-youth. Plus: how to explain it to parents in ten minutes without a heated argument, with coaching cues, a printable drill-card PDF at the end and a parent email template for your next parents' evening.
What Funino Is
Funino is a game form for six children: two teams of three outfield players each, no goalkeeper, four mini-goals. Two goals stand on each end line, each 2 metres wide and 1 metre high, with a minimum of 12 metres between the two goals on the same line. The pitch is small: 20 by 27 metres in the original, the DFB uses slightly smaller dimensions for G-youth. Eight parallel Funino pitches fit on a regulation full-size pitch.
In the official DFB rulebook the format is called "3-against-3 with four mini-goals"; in everyday club life and in coach education Funino is the common shorthand. We use the two terms interchangeably in this article. The DFB booklet Wettbewerbsformen im Kinderfußball (as of 09/2024) is the official reference for the German rules; the methodological foundation was laid by Wein in Spielintelligenz im Fußball.
Wein himself coined the name FUNiño: from the English fun and the Spanish niño (child). Wein lived in Barcelona at the time he invented the word, where the Spanish textbook was also written. His works Developing Youth Football Players and Game Intelligence have been the official textbook of the Real Federación Española de Fútbol since 1993; FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao have embedded the methodology in their youth academies. In Germany the format first reached everyday club life through Mainz 05 (Prof. Dr. Dr. Matthias Lochmann, University of Erlangen) and Schalke 04. Lochmann provided much of the scientific basis for the later DFB reform under the term Wettkampfsystem 4.0.
The Funino Pitch by Wein and DFB Reform
27 x 20 metres, two mini-goals per end line (2 x 1 m), 12 m minimum distance between the two goals, 6-metre shooting zone. This variant is established in the DFB booklet 2024 as the mandatory format for G- and F-youth.
Wein (2011), Spielintelligenz im Fussball, pp. 7095-7100; DFB booklet Wettbewerbsformen im Kinderfussball, as of 09/2024.
FA FutureFit 3v3 Pitch for Comparison
20 x 15 metres (FA upper limit, min 15 x 10 m), one goal per end line 120 x 75 cm, no shooting zone. The shooter must be in the opponent's half; otherwise the goal does not count. English FA variant, mandatory from season 2026/27 for U7.
The FA, FutureFit 3v3, Early Adopter Guidance, September 2025.
How the Associations Differ
Same basic principle, three different rule sets. For anyone who has seen the terminology mixed up in coverage: here is what differs and what is identical.
| Detail | DFB Reform (Germany, from 24/25) | FA FutureFit (England, from 26/27) | RFEF / Wein Original (Spain, since 1993) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory age group | G- and F-youth (one of several options) | U7 only (3v3 as dedicated format) | U9 as core format, used up to U11 |
| Pitch size | 20 x 27 m to 25 x 30 m (smaller G-youth variant) | 10 x 15 m recommended, max 15 x 20 m | 20 x 27 m (Wein original) |
| Goals per end line | 2 mini-goals (2 x 1 m, 12 m apart) | 1 goal (120 x 75 cm) | 2 mini-goals (Wein design) |
| Shooting rule | 6 m shooting zone from end line | Shooter must be in opponent's half (halfway-line rule) | 6 m shooting zone |
| Goalkeeper | no (2v2/3v3); optional from 4v4/5v5 | no | no |
| Substitution | Rotation after each goal (G) or every 3 min (F) | none; every child plays the whole event | Rotation built into variants |
| Referee | Coach as joint match director | none; Pitch Facilitators moderate themselves | none |
| Parents/spectators | Minimum distance from pitch (often 15 m as club rule) | 3 m Respect Line (8 m for adjacent pitches) | no specific requirement |
| League tables | not kept (festival format) | not kept | not kept |
| Playing time | 5x5 to 7x7 min (G) or 5x10 to 6x12 min (F) | 6 to 10 min per game, 30 to 40 min total per child | 4x3 min standard |
| Match-day rituals | Festival carousel: winning team moves up one pitch, losing team moves down | Rock-Paper-Scissors at start, High-Five at end, goal scorer runs back to own end line | Wein original "carousel" with rotation |
Three consequences for everyday coaching in Germany. First, on match day the DFB rules apply (six-metre shooting zone, four mini-goals, rotation every three minutes); the FA variant with one goal per side and the halfway-line rule can be used as a training game form, but not on an official match day. Second, the parent 15-metre rule is a German club convention not codified in the DFB booklet; the FA has explicitly written down the 3-metre Respect Line. Third, the match-day rituals (Rock-Paper-Scissors, High-Five, Pitch Facilitator) are FA inventions and not part of the German reform.
Funino Beyond Germany
One thing that often gets lost in the DFB reform discussion: Germany caught up with the international line with the mandatory format from 2024/25, it did not lead the way. Here is the situation in six associations:
| Country | U7 format | U9 format | U11 format | Funino connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany (DFB, from 24/25) | 2v2 or 3v3 on 4 mini-goals | 3v3 or 4v4 or 5v5 | 4v4 or 5v5 or 7v7 | "3-against-3 with 4 mini-goals" as mandatory format |
| Spain (RFEF, since 1993) | Futbol 3 or 5 | Futbol 7 (7v7) | Futbol 7 (7v7) | Wein Funino as official textbook, adopted by FC Barcelona |
| England (FA FutureFit, from 26/27) | 3v3 no goalkeeper no referee | 5v5 | 7v7 | directly Funino logic, FA brands it as "FutureFit" |
| France (FFF) | Foot a 5 (5v5) | Foot a 5 (5v5) | Foot a 8 (8v8) | indirect, no 3v3 stage, but plateau festival |
| USA (US Soccer PDI, since 2017) | 4v4 no goalkeeper | 7v7 with build-out line | 9v9 | related, no 3v3 stage |
| Brazil / Argentina | informal, often futsal or baby football | little formal | Futebol 7 or baby football | organic through street football and futsal |
Three consequences for everyday coaching in Germany: First, Funino is not a German special experiment but an international standard. Second, the exact 4-goal format is a German and Spanish characteristic. England goes with FutureFit to 3v3 with only two goals, the USA plays 4v4. Third, the festival logic (several short games on the same day, no league table, with rotation) is the internationally established event form for Funino-type formats. More on the reform overview is in the guide to game forms in youth football 2026.
Why 4 Goals Train Game Intelligence
Wein himself put it this way: "Because each team can score in two separate goals, the children's ability to perceive, understand a playing situation, think and act tactically, as well as their imagination and creativity, are all trained." The comparison with the classical format is well documented in sports science. Memmert described six cross-sport basic tactics: targeting the goal, moving the ball towards the goal, combining play, exploiting gaps, bypassing opponents, creating numerical advantage. In 11v11 only a subset of these tactics is active in any one action; in 3v3 on four goals all six are in play simultaneously at all times.
In concrete terms this means that an 8-year-old in a Funino game will typically face the same reading decision six to eight times within two minutes: which of the two goals on the other side is less well defended right now? Should I pass or carry through myself? Where is my teammate moving? In classical six-vs-six on a single central goal the same player gets that decision perhaps two or three times per playing block. The repetition count is the actual mechanism of effect.
Ball contacts per child per game
Industry estimates from the FRANdata report 2024 for 4v4-type formats versus classical 11v11. Exact figures vary by study.
FRANdata 2024, Small-Sided Soccer Report.
Active playing time per child
Share of playing time in which a child is near the ball and must make decisions. Estimates from observational studies.
Estimates from Wein (2011) comparison tables and Memmert (2011).
Funino as Fitness Training
This question comes up in coaching circles after the third Funino session at the latest: "Shouldn't they also do some proper running, without the ball?" The sports-science answer is clear. Small-sided games reach the same intensity as classical aerobic interval training: at 90 to 95 percent of maximum heart rate, with work periods of three to five minutes. This exact work duration corresponds to the DFB reform rotation rule: every three minutes of playing time, then a substitution.
The consequence for weekly planning: in youth football an additional endurance session without the ball for U10/U11 is not necessary. Funino with the DFB-prescribed three-minute rotation is itself the fitness training. Kolodziej (FC Vaduz) summed it up at the International Coaching Congress 2018: "Pitch size, number of players and playing time are the load parameters for achieving different training intensities." Those who want more running load move to the upper size limit (25 by 30 metres); those who want more accelerations and direction changes stay small.
One important qualification: for pure sprint training the format is less suited. In 4v4 on 39 by 39 metres the high-speed distance is only 2.7 metres per minute, compared with 8.4 metres per minute in official 11v11. Anyone in U10/U11 who wants genuine sprint stimuli combines Funino with short sprint relays at the start of training. For G/F-youth this is not relevant anyway.
And on the topic of injury risk: Funino by definition reduces the long sprinting phases that cause most hamstring injuries in the classical game. The small pitches do increase the number of accelerations and direction changes, but with six- to eleven-year-old players of low body mass and low speeds this is practically non-critical. From the mid E-youth onwards a short dynamic warm-up before the first Funino game is worthwhile; six minutes is enough.
Pitch and Equipment in 2 Minutes
You need per Funino pitch:
- Four mini-goals, each 2 metres wide and 1 metre high (Wein original dimensions). The DFB booklet also allows slightly different dimensions (up to 1.65 metres high).
- Eight cones to mark the 6-metre shooting zone in front of each goal. In G-youth (2v2) the shooting zone is dropped; instead, goals only count from the centre line. In G-youth 3v3 and from F-youth onwards the shooting zone is mandatory.
- One match ball per team, plus a spare ball at the touchline. Which ball size suits which age group is shown in the overview table directly below.
- Bibs in two clearly distinguishable colours. With six- to seven-year-old players high-contrast colour pairs (e.g. pink/black, yellow/blue) work better than the classic red/blue.
Ball size overview for youth football:
| Age group | DFB (Reform 24/25) | FA (FutureFit 26/27) | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-youth U6/U7 (Bambini) | Size 3 | Size 3 | approx. 290 g | identical on both sides |
| F-youth U8/U9 | Size 3 | Size 3 | approx. 290 g | DFB and FA standard for 3v3/5v5 |
| E-youth U10 | Size 4 | Size 3 | DFB 350 g, FA 290 g | DFB switches to larger ball sooner; FA keeps Size 3 until U11 |
| E-youth U11 | Size 4 | Size 3 | DFB 350 g, FA 290 g | FA keeps U11 on 7v7 and Size 3 for one more year |
| D-youth U12/U13 | Size 4 | Size 4 | approx. 350-390 g | identical on both sides |
| C-youth U14 upwards | Size 5 | Size 5 | approx. 410-450 g | official adult ball size; FA switched from Size 4 to 5 in 2025 |
| B/A-youth U15/U16+ | Size 5 | Size 5 | approx. 410-450 g | unchanged |
For the Funino indoor variant a light, low-bounce Size 3 ball is ideal. The FA FutureFit specification for 3v3 in England is explicitly "Size 3 (psi 5)". The biggest difference from the DFB specification is at U10/U11: the FA keeps Size 3 there because 7v7 is played for one more year; the DFB switches to Size 4 from U10 onwards.
Without mini-goals, build them from cones or poles. Wein writes: "If during the game the positions of the goals change, the referee shall award a goal even if in his opinion the ball crossed the line where the goal originally stood." That takes the stress out of equipment shortages.
A pragmatic adjustment lever for everyday coaching: pitch size controls training load. A 20 by 27 metre pitch (Wein standard) gives medium intensity with good reading demands. 25 by 30 metres (DFB upper limit) gives more running content and suits the second half of the season when children are fitter. 18 by 22 metres (G-youth) gives very tight spaces, many accelerations and many ball contacts per minute. Moving cones is a one-minute job.
For home match days: plan at least 4 weeks ahead before the first home match day with the new format. Order mini-goals, clarify shooting-zone markings, brief referee assistants and schedule a parents' evening to explain the format. More on festival-day logistics is in the guide to organising an indoor tournament.
Funino Step Model U6 to U11
Funino is not a single format but a step model. The DFB reform booklet (as of 09/2024) prescribes the exact scheme:
| Age group | Format(s) | Shooting zone | Playing time per block | Rotation | Goalkeeper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-youth U6/U7 (2v2) | 2 pitch + 1 sub | no, from centre line | 5x5 to 7x7 min | after each goal | no |
| G-youth U6/U7 (3v3) | 3 pitch + 2 subs | 6 m shooting zone | 7x7 to 6x7 min | after each goal | no |
| F-youth U8/U9 (3v3) | 3 pitch + 2 subs | 6 m shooting zone | 5x10 min | after each goal | no |
| F-youth U8/U9 (4v4) | 4 pitch + 3 subs | 6 m shooting zone | 6x10 to 6x12 min | every 3 min on whistle | optional |
| F-youth U8/U9 (5v5) | 5 pitch + 4 subs | 6 m shooting zone | 6x10 to 6x12 min | every 3 min on whistle | optional |
| E-youth U10/U11 (5v5) | 5 pitch + 4 subs | 6 m shooting zone | 6x10 to 6x12 min | every 3 min on whistle | yes (small pitch) |
| E-youth U10/U11 (7v7) | 7 pitch + subs | classical pitch lines | 4x15 or 2x25 min | every 7 min side pitch | yes (small pitch) |
Three rule features apply throughout: First, the DFB reform provides an equaliser mechanism from F-youth onwards ("If there is a 3-goal difference, the trailing team may bring an additional player on until the score is level again"). Second, the format is played as a tournament with ascending and descending pitches: after each round the winning team moves up one pitch, the losing team moves down one. Third, "decisions during play should be made as far as possible by the children themselves. The coaches/assistants act as joint match directors and intervene only when necessary" (DFB booklet 09/2024, p. 8).
That last quote is the most important coaching instruction of the entire reform.
G-Youth U6/U7: 2v2 and 3v3
The most important pedagogical step in G-youth is breaking away from "swarm football". A 6-year-old sees the ball, the whole swarm runs to the ball, someone shoots, everyone chases after it. The 2v2 variant dismantles exactly this reflex. With only two players per team and four mini-goals a division of tasks inevitably arises: one goes to the ball, one stays free. If you send both players to the ball, you immediately concede a goal. The learning curve in the first three sessions is breathtaking because the task is so clear.
The DFB booklet (09/2024, p. 8) specifies for the 2v2 variant: playing time 5x5 to 7x7 minutes, three minutes' rest between rounds, no goalkeeper, goals only count from the centre line. A team consists of two outfield players plus one substitute; after each goal both teams substitute one player in a fixed sequence. The substitution logic guarantees every child equal minutes in each round. The most common parental complaint ("my child gets too little playing time") is thus structurally excluded.
From the second half of the season or with the stronger U7 it is worth switching to the 3v3 variant. This is more demanding because with three players genuine triangular communication becomes possible. Wein explains this in Spielintelligenz im Fußball: "The triangular formation allows both in attack and in defence good communication and cooperation." The shooting zone (6 metres from goal) is introduced and playing time increases to 7 minutes per block.
Funino 3v3: Basic Form for G-Youth
Three vs three on four mini-goals. Pass to the free teammate, shoot at the open goal.
Wein (2011), Spielintelligenz im Fussball, Ch. III.
The most important coaching cues for G-youth:
- Ask questions, give no instructions. If a child runs alone towards goal: "Where is your teammate?" instead of "You should pass!" Wein's original principle: "Instead of giving players fish, you should show them how to catch them."
- Parents at 15 metres distance. Explicitly stated in the DFB booklet. Parents on the touchline override children's own decisions.
- Take substitution rituals seriously. Who comes on and who goes off is decided beforehand; no discussion during the game. Otherwise 60 seconds are lost from every 7-minute block.
One pitfall: eight-year-olds quickly lose enjoyment in the 3v3 basic form if the defence holds the ball too long. Watch whether every player shoots on goal at least once in every 7-minute block. If not: shrink the pitch or introduce a constraint ("all three must have touched the ball before shooting"). More on this in the variations chapter below.
F-Youth U8/U9: 3v3, 4v4, 5v5
F-youth is the most important learning corridor in all of youth football. Wein devoted an entire book section to eight- and nine-year-olds: "Mini football on four goals and its many variations is a tailor-made competition for eight- and nine-year-olds that fulfils all their wishes and expectations." The DFB booklet confirms this with three permitted game forms (3v3, 4v4, 5v5) and playing times of 5x10 to 6x12 minutes per block.
In everyday training a clear seasonal progression works well:
- Weeks 1-8 (late summer/autumn): 3v3 as main format. Enforce the shooting zone consistently, substitute after each goal. Coaching reduced to two to three questions per round. Goal: every child knows their teammates and can play a pass under pressure.
- Weeks 9-18 (winter/spring): 4v4 as main format, 3v3 as fallback at small training sessions. Optionally with a goalkeeper in one of the two small goals. The fourth outfield player introduces a new learning level: now it is about staggering and depth, no longer only about width.
- Weeks 19 to season end (spring): 5v5 as preparation for the transition to E-youth. Here the variant with four mini-goals works just as well as the variant with classical small goals plus goalkeeper.
For the main phase in 3v3 two game-form variations are unusually useful. First the Joker variant: a neutral player stands on the centre line and always plays with whichever team has the ball. This gives the ball-possession team a four-vs-three numerical advantage at all times. It trains offering and exploiting gaps, without a team being frustrated because it is structurally inferior.
Funino 3v3 with Joker
Neutral joker on the centre line always plays with the ball-possession team. Four vs three under real pressure.
Own synthesis · Wein variation matrix (2011).
Second the mandatory-pass variant: before every shot on goal all three teammates must have touched the ball. The variant enforces teamwork and resolves the classic "only the fastest player scores all the goals" conflict that regularly arises in F-youth. Parents love this variant because their less assertive children also get to shoot.
Funino 3v3 with Mandatory Pass
Before every shot on goal all three teammates must have touched the ball. Enforces teamwork.
Own synthesis · Wein (2011), mini football variations.
One pitfall in F-youth: the transition from 3v3 to 4v4 is methodologically the hardest step. With the fourth player genuine team tactics emerge for the first time, which overwhelms many 8-year-olds. The recommendation from coach education: when the team plays 4v4, reduce coaching to a maximum of two clear behavioural cues per session. "When you don't have the ball, take a few steps back" is enough. More instructions are counterproductive. The DFB coaching line confirms this: "The coach's coaching is reduced and limited to targeted questions during breaks."
E-Youth U10/U11: 5v5 and 7v7 Diamond
E-youth is the transition stage. Up to here the format was focused on pure game intelligence and ball contacts; from here tactical tasks are added for the first time: staggering, depth, build-up play through one's own half. Wein included this in Spielintelligenz im Fußball with the 7v7 Diamond for 11- to 12-year-olds: "First without and then with offside 7v7 is played: one goalkeeper, one free defender, three midfielders and two strikers. Every five minutes all players swap their roles and positions."
The DFB reform booklet (09/2024, pp. 19-22) allows several formats for E-youth: 4v4, 5v5 and 7v7. Most regional associations use 5v5 as the standard form, with 7v7 as an extension in preparation for D-youth. In everyday training a split approach works well: Wednesdays 5v5 as main form (several game-form variations with mini-goals), Fridays 7v7 Diamond as match preparation.
Funino 5v5: F to E Transition
Five vs five on four mini-goals. Bridge from F- to E-youth with Diamond precursor form.
DFB Wettbewerbsformen im Kinderfussball, Booklet 09/2024, pp. 14-17.
In the 5v5 variant with mini-goals the central learning task is the second line moving forward. With five players a front/middle/back stagger inevitably emerges. Without training this, you have five players in a line around the ball. The old F-youth pattern. Coaching cue: "When your teammate has the ball up front, you step forward. When your teammate has the ball at the back, you step up." This one rule changes the game more than any tactical explanation.
The 7v7 Diamond variant is the first systematic step towards classical team play. Wein designed the 1-1-3-2 formation (goalkeeper, free defender, three midfielders, two strikers) as a bridge because it has enough players to distribute all tasks, but few enough that every child is directly involved in several actions in each game. The rotation every five minutes (every child swaps position) is mandatory; otherwise the fastest players end up permanently in attack and the most timid permanently in goal.
Funino 7v7: Wein Diamond for E-Youth
Formation 1-1-3-2: goalkeeper, free defender, three midfielders in the diamond, two strikers.
Wein (2011), Spielintelligenz im Fussball, chapter on 7v7 preliminary stages.
A practical question for the E-youth coach: when is it worth running the 7v7 block if only 12 children are at training? The honest answer: with twelve children stick to 5v5 with substitutes. 7v7 works from 16 children upwards. Otherwise too much playing time is spent on the bench. For dribbling specialist tasks in E-youth the guide to dribbling drills U9 to U11 is the natural follow-up.
Funino Variations for the Main Phase
Three variants that belong in every Funino coach's repertoire. They can be used regardless of age format; the 3v3 basic geometry stays the same, only one rule changes.
Zone variant. The pitch is divided in two halves by an additional line (parallel to the long side). Each team must have at least one player in each zone. This variant structurally dismantles the swarm reflex and trains positional awareness. Works from the stronger F-youth onwards, is a mandatory variant in E-youth.
Funino 3v3 Zones
Pitch divided into two horizontal zones. Each team has at least one player in each zone.
Own synthesis · Memmert (2011), basic tactics in team sport.
Indoor adaptation. Indoor pitch 15 by 20 metres, mini-goals replaced by line goals, boards count as a teammate (passing off the wall and receiving again is allowed). The DFB reform booklet explicitly provides the indoor variant for the winter months; most G- and F-youth clubs play exclusively indoors for half the year. Board play is methodologically valuable because it forces an additional passing option: a child who desperately tries to dribble through very quickly learns that the board is also a teammate.
Funino 3v3 Indoor
Tighter pitch 15 x 20 m, mini-goals replaced by line goals, boards as teammates.
Own synthesis · Wein indoor adaptation.
Finishing variation. One attacker with ball in the centre, four defenders: one in front of each mini-goal. Two defenders are "passive" (standing further away), two are "active" (standing in front of the goal). The attacker must identify which two goals are open and shoot at one of them. A 30-second task that can be built into training as an activation phase. Wein calls this variant in Spielintelligenz im Fußball the key drill for training the goal-scoring decision.
Funino Finishing: Which Goal Is Open?
Attacker with ball in the centre. Four defenders, two goals open, two blocked. Perception trains decision.
Wein (2011), Spielintelligenz im Fussball, Variation 11.
An honest note: there are two Funino variants circulating online that we deliberately omit from this guide. "Funino with point weighting by goal position" (goals in the harder-to-score goals count double) turns game intelligence into a maths problem and overwhelms G/F players. "Funino with constantly changing rules" (coach changes one rule every two minutes) is appealing as a methodology demonstration at coaching courses but in everyday club life is extra coaching effort with no discernible learning gain. More is not always better.
Common Coaching Errors: Top 5
Error 1: Correcting instead of letting play happen. If as a coach you stop every three minutes to correct a player, there is no training flow. Wein writes: "A coach who constantly corrects during these phases only disturbs this learning and development process and puts children under unnecessary performance pressure." Children learn game forms through repetition and self-discovery, not through explanation. Let it run. Ask during the break what they observed themselves.
Error 2: Coaching for victory instead of learning. Funino is a festival format with no league table. Anyone who still thinks "we need to win today" in everyday club life sets up the team so that the two strongest players get most of the actions, to the detriment of the other four. Wein's caution: "Unfortunately on almost every pitch, even with the youngest players, victory and not the game itself remains the priority."
Error 3: Pitch too small. Wein explicitly warned: "Many coaches have a tendency to choose small or too-narrow playing spaces for young children." Minimum dimensions are 20 by 20 metres for 3v3. If the pitch is too small it becomes a bundle and the pedagogical effect disappears. A Funino pitch should be erred on the side of too large rather than too small.
Error 4: Not briefing parents. Parents who are not informed stand on the touchline and shout instructions. Their children then no longer listen to their own perception but to mum or dad. The DFB booklet prescribes 15 metres distance. Three minutes of explanation at the parents' evening is enough. More on this in the next chapter.
Error 5: Sloppy substitution rituals. Anyone substituting after a goal must have a fixed sequence. Otherwise every substitution triggers a discussion and the 7 minutes of playing time shrinks to 5. Tip: a laminated card with the substitution sequence clipped to the board, resorted at each training session, no discussion during the game. The DFB reform explicitly prescribes this mandatory ritual.
What Parents Need to Know About Funino
The five most common parental objections in order of frequency at a typical parents' evening:
-
"Why no league table? My child wants to win!" The DFB reform festival logic deliberately abolishes league tables because the most important learning goal in childhood is not winning but perception and success experiences for all. Wein writes: "Unfortunately on almost every pitch, even with the youngest players, victory and not the game itself remains the priority." Parents understand the argument after a single explanation once they realise every child scores several goals of their own on a Funino match day, instead of only the one striker talent.
-
"Why four goals? That's not real football." The four goals force every child to constantly read the game situation: which goal is less well defended right now? This perceptual demand is the entire didactic foundation of the format. In the classical two-goal game you just need to run in one direction. In the 4-goal game you have to think.
-
"Where is the goalkeeper? My child can't play in goal." In G- and F-youth there is deliberately no goalkeeper. The DFB reform provides this because six-year-olds switch permanently between goal and outfield player anyway and the goalkeeper role is methodologically meaningful only from E-youth onwards. Any club wanting a specialist goalkeeper should train from E-youth, not before.
-
"My child is too weak for Funino, they will be lost." The exact opposite is true. Wein explicitly documented in Spielintelligenz im Fußball that weaker players benefit most from Funino: "Every player, even the weakest, is important." In classical 7v7 the weakest child touches the ball two to three times in the game; in 3v3 it is many times more. A child who cannot participate because they lack ball contacts gets exactly those ball contacts in Funino.
-
"Why do they have to substitute after every goal?" Rotation after each goal (G-youth) or every three minutes on the whistle (F/E-youth) guarantees all children equal playing time. This rule is part of the DFB reform festival logic and structurally prevents a child from being disadvantaged because they are not playing so well at that moment. Parents who previously felt their child was getting too little playing time typically become Funino's biggest advocates.
Sample Parent Email
For those who want a template, here is one that works in everyday club life. Adapt it for club and team, then send it once by email or in the WhatsApp parent chat before the start of the season:
Dear parents,
From this season our G- and F-youth will be playing the new DFB format
"3-against-3 with four mini-goals", known in everyday club life as Funino.
Three things are different from before:
1. No league table, no announcement of winners on match day. All teams
play in tournament format, win roughly equally often and receive a
certificate at the end.
2. Every child scores their own goals on average. In the old 7v7 the same
two or three children scored most of the goals; in Funino this rotates
each match day.
3. Rotation: after each goal (G-youth) or every three minutes (F-youth)
each team substitutes one player. This gives every child equal playing
time in each game.
What we ask of you on match day: at least 15 metres from the pitch, no
coaching calls from the sideline, no evaluation of individual players within
earshot of the children. If you have questions, speak to me after match day
and I will take the time.
Thank you for your support.
Kind regards,
[Name]
One final note: parents who are sceptical about Funino generally become Funino fans as soon as they have watched their own child play for the first time. The effect of the format can be seen when you don't comment on it.
Organising a Funino Festival
Anyone who wants to organise a Funino festival day at their club needs three things: a hall or a large pitch with space for at least five parallel Funino pitches, four mini-goals per pitch (cones if necessary) and a clear rotation plan. The DFB booklet explicitly provides the festival mode: "Play is in tournament format with ascending and descending pitches. After each round the winning team moves up one pitch, the losing team moves down one."
A typical festival day for F-youth has six to seven rounds of 7 to 10 minutes each, three minutes' rest between rounds, and at the end a small certificate for every child (no first place, no last place). Six to eight teams fit comfortably on four parallel pitches. Coaches act as match directors, not coaches. Parents stand 15 metres away. Refreshments per child: one banana, half a litre of water, one cereal bar. Enough for three hours.
The complete logistics from the materials plan to the referee briefing and parent email template are in the guide to organising an indoor tournament in one week; the Funino-specific rules and hourly plan there are already built in as part of the 2024/25 reform line. Anyone who wants to set up their own Funino festival without getting lost in spreadsheets will find the easiest route with a tool like AreaCopa, which automatically creates the rotation plan and game schedule.
Funino is also the natural main phase after a low-equipment warm-up. More on this in the guide to 15-minute warm-up without equipment, which works equally well for G- to E-youth.
Set up my first Funino festival in 5 minutesFree and no sign-upDrill Cards to Download
Two printable PDFs to take to the training pitch. The checklist is the one-page quick reference with setup points and all eight game-form variations as compact cue lists. Useful when you already know Funino and just need a memory aid.
FutureFit Funino Coaching Guide — Drill CardsEight 3v3 / Funino game-form variants for Under-7s to Under-11s with coaching cues for the pitchDownload PDFThe workbook is the twelve-page version with a pitch diagram per card. One card per page, diagram in the centre, numbered coaching cues below. Clip it to your board and you have the formation and movement paths in front of you when explaining.
FutureFit Funino Coaching Guide — Drill WorkbookEight 3v3 / Funino game-form variants for Under-7s to Under-11s, with diagram and coaching cues per cardDownload workbookSources
Primary sources Wein (FUNino methodology)
- Wein, Horst (2011). Spielintelligenz im Fußball — kindgemäß trainieren. 4th revised and expanded edition. Aachen: Meyer & Meyer.
- Wein, Horst (2006). "Mehr Spielintelligenz!" In: fußballtraining 5+6/2006, pp. 56-62.
DFB rulebook (Reform 2024/25)
- Deutscher Fußball-Bund (as of 09/2024). Wettbewerbsformen im Kinderfußball. Frankfurt am Main: DFB Entwicklung Vereine, Ehrenamt und Spielbetrieb.
Sports science evidence (game intelligence, conditioning, load)
- Memmert, Daniel (2011). Vermittlung von Spielfähigkeit.
- Schmoll, Simon (2020). Athletiktraining im Nachwuchsfußball. Master's thesis, University of Potsdam. (cites Hoff, Wisloff, Engen, Kemi & Helgerud 2002 on HRmax threshold in small-sided games.)
- Gualtieri, Antonio (2025). High-Speed Running and Sprinting in Football. PhD Thesis. (cites Dalen et al. 2019 and Casamichana, Bradley & Castellano 2018 on load modulation in SSG.)
Lochmann/University of Erlangen (Wettkampfsystem 4.0)
- Akdag, Murat; Poimann, Dino; Czyz, Titus; Lochmann, Matthias (2016a). The Impact of Competition Mode and Coaching on Physical Load in Youth Football. In: 6th International Teaching Games for Understanding Conference x 10th dvs Sports Games Symposium 2016, Cologne. Hamburg: Feldhaus Czwalina, Vol. 258, p. 179.
- Akdag, Murat; Poimann, Dino; Czyz, Titus; Lochmann, Matthias (2016b). The Impact of Competition Mode and Coaching on the Amount of Actions in Youth Football. Same volume, p. 178.
- Lochmann, Matthias (2015). Wettkampfsystem 4.0 — Strukturinnovationen zur nachhaltigen Sicherung der internationalen Wettbewerbsfähigkeit des deutschen Fußballs. Annual conference of the dvs football commission 2015, Erlangen.
Coach education (DFB coaching line)
- Halemeier, Maik (2018). Spielidee für den Spielaufbau und die Fortsetzung des Spiels. In: BDFL (ed.), Internationaler Trainer-Kongress 2018 Dokumentation, pp. 30-33.
- Kolodziej, Christian (2018). Integriertes vs. isoliertes Athletiktraining im Leistungsfußball. Same conference proceedings, pp. 34-36.
International associations (as of 2025/26)
- Real Federación Española de Fútbol (2025). Bases de competición 2025/26. Madrid: RFEF.
- The Football Association (2025). FutureFit — Updates to grassroots youth football in England. London: The FA. Rollout 2026/27.
- Fédération Française de Football (2025). Foot Animation U7/U9/U11 Reglementsdokumente 2025/26.
- US Soccer (2017). Player Development Initiatives. Small-sided standards since August 2017.
Industry data (small-sided games, ball contacts)
- FRANdata (2024). Small-Sided Soccer: Final Updated Report. Industry measurement of ball contacts 4v4 vs 11v11.



