Would you mix boys and girls differently in 3v3?

Question

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, can get crowded out by louder boys who want every restart and every ball. I dont want to separate by gender, but I do want to create groups where everybody gets involved. How are others thinking about that?

Verified Coach · Accepted Answer

I would group for involvement, not for gender.

If two quieter girls are getting crowded out by very dominant teammates, I would treat that exactly the same way as two quieter boys in the same situation. Give them combinations where they have room to speak, take restarts and make decisions.

Sometimes putting two quieter players together with one supportive confident player works really well. Sometimes one quieter child actually benefits from being with a very outgoing teammate.

I would keep watching the individual rather than assuming what boys or girls need as groups.

The useful question is: “In this three, is each child getting a chance to affect the game?”

If the answer is no, change the combination. That keeps the decision about development and confidence rather than gender.

OliviaP · Answer

Sometimes the louder player can be a brilliant teammate if you give them the job of helping someone else rather than taking everything themselves.

Jess1994 · Answer

We had the same in a mixed group. We did not separate boys/girls, just made sure the quieter children got combinations where they could actually get a word in. Worked well.

Would you mix boys and girls differently in 3v3?

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