Funino in Youth Football: Coach's Guide for U6 to U11

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 replaced the previous competition formats of G-, F- and E-youth. This is youth football, or soccer as it is known in North America, rebuilt from the ground up. Today it is three vs three on four mini-goals, known in everyday club life as 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. The DFB allows mini-goals of at most 2.0 by 1.2 metres, Wein uses 2 by 1 metre; about 12 metres remain between the two goals on the same line. The pitch is small: 20 by 27 metres according to Wein, about 25 by 20 metres according to the DFB (about 16 by 20 metres in the 2v2 of G-youth). More than eight pitches fit on a regulation full-size pitch.

The Jugendordnung writes "3gg3" and "4 Mini-Tore". In everyday club life and in the DFB's training materials (Trainingsphilosophie Deutschland, Trainingsdialog) the form is called Funino. The word does not appear in the rule texts themselves, and dfb.de writes that "Funino" is only a small part of the new youth football. We use the terms interchangeably. The Jugendordnung (Annex IV, Part 1, as of 21 August 2026) is binding; the DFB guide (as of 5 March 2026) explains the implementation. 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). In Germany Matthias Lochmann (University of Erlangen) proposed a similar model in 2015 under the name Wettkampfsystem 4.0 (Lochmann 2015, see Sources). None of the sources used here shows whether the DFB drew on it for its reform.

How the Associations Differ

Same basic principle, two different rule sets. For anyone who has seen the terminology mixed up in coverage: here is what differs and what is identical.

Three consequences for everyday coaching in Germany. First, on match day the rules of your regional association apply, on the basis of the Jugendordnung; 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, on parents' distance the Jugendordnung says 3 metres, the overview pages of the guide say 15 metres, and many clubs set 15. Third, Pitch Facilitators and High-Five come from the FA; the DFB guide also knows Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Funino Beyond Germany

One thing that often gets lost in the DFB reform discussion: Germany caught up with the international line with the binding game forms from 2024/25, it did not lead the way. Here is the situation in three associations:

Three consequences for everyday coaching in Germany: First, Funino is not a German special experiment but an international standard. Second, in these rule sets the 4-goal format is a German 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." 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. My reading: 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 probably face the same reading decision several 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 seven-vs-seven on a single central goal the same player gets that decision far less often. That is an order of magnitude, not a measurement. The repetition count is the actual mechanism of effect.

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?" According to Schmoll (2020, who cites Hoff and colleagues 2002), small-sided games reach the intensity of classical aerobic interval training: at 90 to 95 percent of maximum heart rate, with work periods of three to five minutes. That corresponds to the work duration of the rotation in 4v4 and 5v5: every three minutes on the whistle. In 3v3 the DFB rotates after each goal.

My conclusion for weekly planning: an additional endurance session without the ball is not necessary for U10/U11. The DFB does not say this, it is my assessment. Funino in 4v4 or 5v5 with the three-minute rotation is itself the fitness training. Kolodziej 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."

One important qualification: for pure sprint training the format is less suited. According to Gualtieri (2025), 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.

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 allows mini-goals of at most 2.0 by 1.2 metres. Small-pitch goals (5 by 2 metres) are used in F and E, ideally reduced to 1.65 metres in height.
• Eight cones to mark the 6-metre shooting zone in front of each goal. The shooting zone applies on mini-goals (G-youth 3v3, F-youth from 3v3). In G-youth 2v2 it is dropped; there goals count from the centre line, and on small-pitch goals as well.
• 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:

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) or about 25 by 20 metres (DFB) gives medium intensity with good reading demands. A larger one gives more running content and suits the second half of the season when children are fitter; a smaller one, about 16 by 20 metres as in the 2v2 of 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 the assistants at the pitches 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 Jugendordnung (Annex IV, Part 1) and the DFB guide (as of 5 March 2026) allow several forms per age group. On rotation they disagree (asterisk): for G and F the Jugendordnung says "after each goal or after max. 2 minutes" and 3 minutes only for E festivals, while the guide gives 3 minutes for F in 4v4 and 5v5 as well. Ask your association which applies.

Three rule features apply throughout: First, the DFB guide knows a variant for balancing 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 guide, p. 8).

In my assessment the last quote is the most important coaching instruction of the reform; the fair-play rules of the Jugendordnung say the same.

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 guide (p. 8) specifies for the 2v2 variant: up to seven rounds of at most five 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 rotation provides fair playing time; the guide names at least 75 percent playing time per child as the target and advises a second pitch from two rotation players per team. The most common parental complaint ("my child gets too little playing time") thus loses its basis.

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 up to seven rounds of at most 7 minutes.

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 a distance. The Jugendordnung requires at least 3 metres from the small pitch; many clubs set 15 metres. 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: children of this age 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 permits three game forms in F-youth (3v3, 4v4, 5v5), in 3v3 with up to seven rounds of at most 10 minutes, in 4v4 and 5v5 with 6 times 10 to 12 minutes. On dfb.de the associations clearly recommend playing 3v3 or 4v4 on four mini-goals in F-youth as well.

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 on small-pitch goals with a goalkeeper. 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.

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.

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. My experience: 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.

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 guide (pp. 19-22) names 4v4, 5v5 and 7v7 for E-youth, and the Jugendordnung adds 6v6. Which of them is played is set by your regional association; the range runs from 4v4 to 7v7. 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. On the table: in E-youth the Jugendordnung also permits league play in 7v7; whether results and tables are kept is regulated by the regional associations.

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. I have the positions swapped every five minutes, as Wein describes; otherwise the fastest players end up permanently in attack and the most timid permanently in goal.

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; in E-youth I always use it.

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). For indoor play the Jugendordnung refers to the DFB Futsal rules; this indoor variant is a suggestion from practice. 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.

Finishing variation. One attacker with ball in the centre, four defenders: one assigned to each mini-goal. Two of them are "active" and stand directly in front of their own goal, the other two are "passive" and hang back well behind theirs. 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.

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. In G- and F-youth there is no league table; results only count for moving up and down on match day. 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." The DFB gives about 25 by 20 metres for 3v3; your pitch should not be smaller. 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 Jugendordnung requires at least 3 metres distance from the small pitch, the overview pages of the guide give 15 metres; I ask for 15. 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 guide prescribes a mandatory rotation in a fixed sequence for both teams.

What Parents Need to Know About Funino

The five most common parental objections in order of frequency at a typical parents' evening:

1. "Why no league table? My child wants to win!" In G- and F-youth there is no league play and no table. Winning and losing still happen: the results decide whether a team moves up or down one pitch in the next game, so similarly strong teams play each other and every child collects success experiences (dfb.de, Kinderfußball-Irrtümer). Parents understand the argument after a single explanation once they realise that in small teams on four goals, in my assessment, more children get to shoot than only the one striker talent.

2. "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.

3. "Where is the goalkeeper? My child can't play in goal." In G-youth and in 3v3 of F-youth the children play without a goalkeeper. From 4v4 in F-youth a goalkeeper is possible; according to the DFB goalkeepers are in play regularly from E-youth, and only then does specific training make sense. My advice if the club needs a specialist goalkeeper: train from E-youth, not before.

4. "My child is too weak for Funino, they will be lost." The exact opposite is my expectation. Wein stresses in Spielintelligenz im Fußball: "Every player, even the weakest, is important." In 3v3 only six children are on the pitch, weaker children get to the ball considerably more often than in 7v7. A child who cannot participate because they lack ball contacts gets exactly those ball contacts in Funino.

5. "Why do they have to substitute after every goal?" Rotation after each goal (3v3) or every three minutes on the whistle (4v4 and 5v5 according to the guide) provides fair playing time; the guide names at least 75 percent playing time per child as the target. Someone who is not playing so well at that moment therefore does not sit out longer than the others. 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 according to the new
DFB game forms, three against three on four mini-goals, known in
everyday club life as Funino. Three things are different from before:

1. No league table, no championship. Play is in tournament format: whoever
   wins moves up one pitch, whoever loses moves down one. This way teams of
   roughly equal strength play each other. At the end every child receives
   a certificate.

2. More ball actions. With three children per team every child gets the
   ball more often than in the old 7v7. That is the stated goal of the
   associations.

3. Rotation: after each goal (3v3) or every three minutes (4v4 and 5v5)
   each team substitutes one player. This gives every child fair playing
   time.

What we ask of you on match day: 15 metres distance from the pitch
(the DFB requires at least 3), 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 four parallel Funino pitches, four mini-goals per pitch (cones if necessary) and a clear rotation plan. The DFB guide describes 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 up to seven rounds of at most 10 minutes each (for example 5 times 10 or 7 times 7 minutes), 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 three to four parallel pitches. Coaches act as match directors, not coaches. Parents keep their distance, at least 3 metres under the Jugendordnung; 15 metres is the wish of many clubs. 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 hourly plan for the festival day is there as well. 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.

Drill 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.

The 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.

Sources

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 (binding since 2024/25)

• Deutscher Fußball-Bund (as of 21 August 2026). Jugendordnung, § 8, § 8a and Annex IV, Part 1: rules for child-appropriate football (G-, F- and E-juniors). Source for game forms, goal size, ball size, pitch size, playing time, rotation and fair-play rules (spectator distance at least 3 metres).
• Deutscher Fußball-Bund (as of 5 March 2026). Leitfaden Kinderfußball: Neue Wettbewerbsformen in den Altersklassen U6 bis U11, Kinderfußball: Spielformen in G-, F- und E-Jugend and Kinderfußball: Irrtümer. Source for the course of the game forms, rotation, the variant at a three-goal difference and the classification of Funino.
• Deutscher Fußball-Bund. Kinderfußball in Europa im Vergleich. Source for the statements on England and Switzerland (71 percent more playing actions for non-dominant players).
• Deutscher Fußball-Bund (2024). Trainingsphilosophie Deutschland and DFB-Trainingsdialog 4: Geschwitzt – Gelacht – Gelernt. Source for Funino as a DFB training form.

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.

Coaching congress

• Kolodziej, Christian (2018). Integriertes vs. isoliertes Athletiktraining im Leistungsfußball. In: BDFL (ed.), Internationaler Trainer-Kongress 2018 Dokumentation, pp. 34-36.

International associations (as of 2025/26)

• The Football Association (2025). FutureFit — Updates to grassroots youth football in England. London: The FA. Rollout 2026/27.
• 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.