What is small-sided soccer and why do youth teams play this way?
Young teams use small-sided soccer as a means to teach beginner soccer players the basics of soccer dribbling, passing, and shooting, without the confusion of playing on a very large field with 21 other players. Instead of having 11 players per team, 22 total, (FIFA Rules) on the field at a time, a team will send out three (U4 Rules & U6 Rules), four (U8 Rules), or five (U10 Rules, U12-18 Rules) players, depending on the team’s playing level and ages of the players. Leagues play small-sided soccer (3 v. 3, 4 v. 4, and 5 v. 5) with their younger players to focus on the simple and basic aspects of soccer. Young players cannot see more than one or two teammates, and the basic building blocks of soccer involve triangle passing and small numbers of players. With fewer players on each team, players can learn the fundamental concepts of passing, spacing and scoring. Small-sided soccer allows coaches to pay more attention to individual players during games and while at practice. When leagues u
