3v3 Football Questions
Explore real 3v3 football questions, useful answers, Verified Coach perspectives and community discussion in The Coaches' Room.
From introducing young players to decision-making and movement to making small-sided football fun and effective, this section brings together advice specifically relevant to the 3v3 format.
GOT A 3v3 QUESTION?
Latest 3v3 Football Questions
Are coaches meant to stop children taking the same restart every time?
One of ours is the quickest to the ball whenever it goes out so he ends up taking nearly every restart. The other two barely get a go. I know the idea is not to...
can there be offside in a 3v3 game?
can there be offside in a 3v3 game?
She loves training but hides once the 3v3 starts
My U7 is confident in the warm-up and skills bits, then the game starts and she stays away from the ball. Is it best to leave her to find her way into it?
Do U7s actually need positions in 3v3?
I'm helping with U7s and we keep saying defender, midfielder and striker. Is that useful at this age, or are we better just giving them simple ideas about space...
Six-year-old only wants to score
My boy is 6 and if he gets the ball he just heads for goal. Doesn't matter who is free 😂. Is that something to correct at this age or just let him enjoy it?
Is two training nights plus a game too much for U8?
We've got keen kids who would train every night if we let them. At U8, would you rather have one really good session and the weekend game, or are two sessions f...
Should I be telling my 7-year-old where to stand?
My son keeps looking over at us during 3v3 when he isn't sure where to go. I don't want to coach from the side, but it feels odd saying nothing when he's clearl...
Do you ever ask one player to stay back in 3v3?
I am leaning towards no. We had a game where all three flew forward, lost it and conceded into an empty goal. One of the adults immediately told a player to sta...
Are we actually trying to teach positions in 3v3?
I keep hearing coaches talk about having one at the back and two higher up. I understand why because otherwise they can all end up around the ball, but I though...
What do you do with a completely one-sided 3v3 game?
Had one tonight where it was basically goal, restart, goal for ten minutes. Do you just let the short game finish, swap a player between teams, or mix everyone ...
CAN'T FIND EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?
If one U7 dribbles nearly every time, is that actually a problem?
Watching our first few 3v3 games, one lad gets the ball and his first thought is basically always to run with it. He probably passes once or twice a game. A few...
Four little pitches and four adults giving four different messages
We ran a club 3v3 night with several pitches going at once. The football was great, but every adult facilitated differently. One barely spoke, one coached const...
No goalkeeper at U7 – do you prepare for that in training?
Our current group always wants someone in goal when we play at training. With 3v3 having no goalkeeper, are you stopping that now so it is not a shock next seas...
One child is already really upset about losing the 3v3 games
My son is loving how much he gets the ball, but he is taking the results very seriously. They lost a few of the short games at the weekend and he was still talk...
15x10 for 3v3 feels tiny – are you using bigger pitches?
We marked a 15x10 out tonight to show the coaches what it will look like and it felt really small once six kids were on there. I know thats the recommended size...
Best way to train a 3v3 carousel with 12 players?
I want to make our training start to feel like the new matchday without spending ages organising it. With 12 players I was thinking four teams of three, two sma...
Has 3v3 helped quieter players get involved for anyone else?
My daughter can be quite happy letting other children take over in bigger games, so I was unsure how she would find 3v3. It has only been a couple of sessions b...
Do you still use 4v4 or 5v5 in U7 training now?
We are playing 3v3 on matchday and the players are loving it. Just wondering whether people still throw in the odd 4v4 or 5v5 at training for a different pictur...
We spent half the 3v3 night chasing footballs
First proper go at it and the ball was out every few seconds. Are people putting spare balls all around each pitch and just getting another one in straight away...
Do you train 3v3 all week because they play 3v3?
New U7 coach here. If matchday is 3v3, should most of training be 3v3 as well? I still like 1v1s and 2v2s because everyone gets loads of the ball, but dont want...
GOT A QUESTION OF YOUR OWN?
Six-minute 3v3 games – too short?
Anyone tried the really short games yet? Six minutes sounds like they have just got going and its over.
Retreating after a goal – are you coaching it or just reminding them?
We tried some 3v3 tonight and after every goal the team who scored wanted to stay right next to the ball and win it again. I know they are meant to get back to ...
What happens when two U7s both think it is their restart?
This happened constantly in our little 3v3 games tonight. Ball went out, one child grabbed it, another child from the other team was convinced it was theirs and...
No subs sounds brilliant until eight kids turn up
Probably a stupid question but how are people handling this with squads bigger than six? We normally take everyone. I get that nobody should be sitting on the s...
How are clubs splitting 12 U7s across 3v3?
We are planning for next season and normally have around 12 at a matchday. With no subs in each game, are people basically running two pitches and four teams of...
Our 3v3 looks like six players following the ball
Early days, but every game is basically a little swarm moving from one side to the other. Im not expecting shape at U7, but do you give them any help with sprea...
Parent says 3v3 is not 'proper football' – how are people explaining it?
Had this after our first festival. No keeper, no referee, tiny pitch, short games and one parent came away saying it looked more like a playground game than foo...
What is the pitch facilitator actually meant to do?
Trying to get my head around the adult role before we start 3v3. If there is no referee and the players are supposed to have more ownership, what are people exp...
How are you briefing parents before 3v3 starts?
This is probably the bit I am most worried about. The guidance around 3v3 seems to be much more about adults stepping back, but some of our parents are used to ...
What are people doing when the numbers do not divide nicely for 3v3?
Club question more than coaching. If 7 or 8 children turn up, are people just mixing teams and using 3v2 for a game rather than having children waiting?
My son only wants to be a goalkeeper – 3v3 has thrown him a bit
hes U7 and for the last year if there was a goal he wanted the gloves. now there is no goalkeeper in 3v3 and he keeps asking why he cant stay in goal. i underst...
They dribble every restart straight into three players
Our U7s have really taken to being allowed to dribble the ball back in. The problem is nearly all of them put it down and sprint straight forward even when the ...
Do you ever coach what happens after a pass in 3v3?
A lot of ours pass and then stand still admiring it. In such a small game the next action comes immediately. Would you start introducing something as simple as ...
Does every U7 mistake need a coaching point?
I watched one of our coaches give feedback after almost every six-minute game and by the fourth one the kids were barely listening. I am starting to think a lot...
U7 child will only defend and never goes forward
We talk a lot about stopping coaches creating defenders, but one girl in our group chooses to stay back herself. Nobody tells her to. She seems comfortable ther...
How do you stop confident U7s taking over every decision?
We have two brilliant little characters who decide who starts, who takes every restart and where everyone should stand. They are not being nasty, they are just ...
How much do you explain to an U7 after a one-sided morning?
My son was in a group that lost pretty much every little game today. He was not devastated, but he did ask why they kept losing. I did not really know whether t...
Who should start each six-minute 3v3 game?
Small thing but it caused an argument at the weekend. We changed the groups around and two children both wanted to be the one who started with the ball. Do you ...
Should U7 training ever have a coach as a neutral player?
Sometimes I jump into a little game to help keep the ball moving or give the quieter side another option. It works, but I am also very aware that an adult on th...
Can one club run its own 3v3 games if the opposition cancels?
We had an opponent pull out late and had 15 U7s already planning to come. Rather than cancelling, could we just run our own carousel with five threes and treat ...
Parents are comparing how many goals each child scores
We dont publish scores but somehow the adults have moved onto counting individual goals instead. A couple are saying things like 'he got seven today' in front o...
Is there any point coaching throw-ins at U7 now?
Genuine question because the matchday restart is pass or dribble from the side. Do you completely leave throw-ins until they get older, or is there still value ...
Do you coach tackling properly at U7?
3v3 has created loads more 1v1 duels which is great, but it has also exposed that some of ours basically just swing a foot at the ball. Would you spend time act...
Do you use captains in 3v3?
One of our coaches gives each little three a captain for the first game and changes it every time. I cant decide if that is a nice bit of responsibility or just...
What do you do if the children keep swapping bibs and teams themselves?
Ours have realised the format is pretty relaxed and now halfway through the morning they start asking to be red, swapping with friends and moving themselves to ...
My daughter hates being the one who restarts after conceding
She is fine during the game but if they concede she tries to give the ball to somebody else for the restart every time. I think she is worried she will lose it ...
Should U7s be encouraged to celebrate goals together?
Random one. Some of ours run straight back for the restart, some go mad celebrating on their own and one lad always tries to get everyone together for a high fi...
My son passes the ball every time because he is scared of losing it
Bit of an opposite problem to what I normally hear. My son is U7 and in 3v3 he almost always looks for a pass straight away, even when there is loads of space i...
How do you handle a child laughing when the other team keeps losing?
We had one boy celebrating every goal and then laughing when the other team conceded again. He is not a nasty child and I honestly think he was just excited, bu...
What are you doing with handball in 3v3?
We had three different opinions from adults in one morning. One wanted every handball stopped, one said ignore anything accidental and the other basically only ...
My son keeps standing inside the little goal to stop shots
There is no goalkeeper but he has worked out that if he stands almost inside the mini goal he can stop loads of shots. Nobody has told him to do it, he has just...
Are festivals taking too long because of all the changeovers?
We had six-minute games but somehow the whole thing still took nearly two hours because every round had five minutes of adults moving bibs, finding children and...
Do you need one adult for every 3v3 pitch?
Club logistics question. If we have four little pitches going at once, do we really need four separate pitch facilitators? We have enough coaches and helpers ov...
How much should the U7 coach actually watch instead of coach?
I have found myself noticing loads more since the games got smaller because every action is obvious. The problem is I then want to fix all of it. Poor first tou...
My daughter gets upset when she is moved away from a winning three
They had won two games together, then the coach mixed everyone and she could not understand why because in her words 'we were doing really well'. I can see why ...
How do you keep track of which child has played which games?
With multiple pitches, mixed teams and no normal substitute pattern, our coaches are losing track of total involvement. I do not want a complicated spreadsheet ...
Three 3v3 pitches next to each other was chaos with balls everywhere
First festival we had three small pitches side by side and balls were constantly rolling into the next game. Kids were chasing the wrong ball and one game stopp...
How do you help an U7 who never asks for the ball?
We have one who is actually very good when the ball arrives, but he never calls for it and tends to wait rather than move into a space where he can receive. In ...
Is it okay if an U7 does not want to play every game?
We keep talking about maximum playing time, but one child in our group sometimes wants to sit with mum for a game and then comes back happy for the next one. I ...
Would you ever stop an U7 taking every kick-in as a shot?
Our little goals are close enough that one lad has worked out he can shoot from almost every restart. Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it flies miles away. Part ...
Late arrivals completely mess up our 3v3 groups
We had 12 organised as four groups of three, then one arrived ten minutes late and another child had gone home poorly. Suddenly every pitch plan was wrong. How ...
Should the adults tell children when a goal has actually gone in?
weve had a couple where the ball went through a little pop up goal so fast half the players carried on. without a referee, is the facilitator just expected to c...
One player scores nearly every goal – do you change anything?
We have one boy who is miles ahead physically at the moment and he probably scores 70% of the goals in whichever three he plays in. I dont want to handicap him ...
Do you coach the player who loses it to chase immediately?
A lot of ours lose the ball then stop for a second because they are annoyed. In 3v3 that second is basically the whole counter-attack. Would you start using a s...
One child says 3v3 is boring because there are no positions
He has an older brother and is obsessed with being a striker. He keeps asking who the striker is and does not really like the answer that everybody attacks and ...
Should an U7 coach ever mention the score between games?
Not talking about league tables or results. More something like 'we conceded three because we all chased the ball'. Is even that making the score too important,...
Do you coach using the weaker foot at U7 or just let them play?
We have a couple who will do anything to get the ball back onto their favourite foot, even if it means turning into trouble. I dont want to start shouting 'left...
Do you let them switch teams in the middle of a festival if a game is poor?
Not talking about a one-sided score necessarily. Sometimes a three just does not work - two children both want the ball and the third barely touches it. Would y...
Do you correct children for blocking the restart?
When the ball goes out, some defenders stand right on top of the player restarting because they have realised it makes the dribble-in almost impossible. The adu...
Is it normal for an U7 to be more tired after 3v3 than 5v5?
My daughter is coming off these short games absolutely shattered even though the total minutes are not huge. She seems to be constantly running because there is...
Why are adults already trying to invent tactics for 3v3?
We have been playing it for about five minutes and people are already talking about pressing triggers, rotations and who should cover behind the ball. Am I bein...
Would you ever group the confident players together in 3v3?
Most of the advice seems to be mix abilities, which makes sense. But we have three really confident children who sometimes dominate whichever group they are put...
How many different teammates should an U7 play with in one morning?
With the carousel we could change the threes every game, every two games or barely at all. I like them playing with different people but I also think constantly...
How do you coach support when both teammates stand behind the ball?
We have got away from all three chasing it, but now the two without the ball often both stay behind the player in possession. The child on the ball has nobody a...
One child refuses to play with anyone except his best friend
U7 group. One boy is fine if he is put in a three with his best friend, but gets upset and says he does not want to play if we split them. I understand he is on...
Should coaches tell U7s which way they are attacking every restart?
Sounds silly but with pitches next to each other and teams changing ends, ours sometimes genuinely forget which goal is theirs. Do you just point them the right...
U7 is starting to ask who the best team of three is
A few of the children have started asking who our 'best three' are because they have noticed certain combinations win more games. I really do not want us creati...
Do clubs need more equipment now 3v3 needs more pitches?
We are suddenly realising that four little pitches means a lot more mini goals, cones, balls and bibs than one normal pitch did. How are clubs managing the equi...
Would you mix boys and girls differently in 3v3?
We have a mixed U7 group and most of the time it is completely fine. The only issue is two of the girls are quieter and, depending who they are grouped with, ca...
Can you actually coach defending without making a defender?
This is the bit I am finding hardest with 3v3. I completely agree with not fixing one child at the back, but we still want them to notice danger, get between ba...
How do you help U7 player receive ball without always stop it first?
one player always put foot on top ball and stop, then look. in 3v3 defender arrive very quick so he lose it. would you teach first touch away from pressure now ...