The Coaches' Room
3v3•U7•Matchday

How are clubs splitting 12 U7s across 3v3?

Asked by HillWalk7
3288 views 3 replies
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 three, then mixing the threes around between games? I can see the benefit of everyone playing but it feels like we need to be much more organised before they arrive than we were with one 5v5 game.

VERIFIED COACH RESPONSE

Verified Coach avatar

@CoachRyanC

UEFA C Coach

Grassroots session design

Why are Verified Coach details private?
With 12, I’d be looking for four teams of three and two pitches if the other club can support that. The big change is thinking in terms of lots of little games rather than one fixture with a bench. I’d have the groups sorted before they arrive, get both pitches going at the same time and then rotate opponents between games. You can change the threes as the morning goes on if the games are very uneven or you want different players to experience playing together. The bit I would avoid is bringing 12 and then trying to squeeze them around one 3v3 pitch. The whole benefit is that everyone is playing. It probably does need a bit more organising beforehand, but once the pitches are running it can actually be simpler because you are not constantly managing substitutions.

COMMUNITY DISCUSSION

Join the football discussion. 3 replies

N

NatAgain

Assistant Coach

We tried changing the groups after every game and it was too much faffing about. Now they stay as a three for two games, then we mix them. They get a bit of time to work each other out but nobody spends the whole morning in the same little team.
E

EarlyStartUK

Club Volunteer / Official

We are doing four threes with 12 and naming the groups before they arrive. Two pitches running, then we move one group across after each game. The biggest thing is having somebody responsible for the changeover because otherwise six adults all start reorganising it at once.
D

DorsetOlivia

Club Volunteer / Official

From the club side, coloured bibs and a pitch number on a whiteboard solved most of this for us. Sounds ridiculously organised for U7s but it stopped parents asking where their child was meant to be every six minutes.

YOU MAY ALSO FIND THESE HELPFUL

HAVE A QUESTION TOO?

Ask about your own situation.