Small is Beautiful

When Small-Sided Soccer Games Are Not Quite Small Enough

By Michael Jones

January 10, 2004 - Most Youth soccer leagues throughout New England long ago embraced the concept of small-sided soccer as a means of developing young players. Gone are the days of twenty-two kindergarteners chasing a ball around a massive regulation-sized field, with most barely getting a handful of touches on the ball.

Most Youth soccer leagues throughout New England long ago embraced the concept of small-sided soccer as a means of developing young players. Gone are the days of twenty-two kindergarteners chasing a ball around a massive regulation-sized field, with most barely getting a handful of touches on the ball.

But if you live in Massachusetts and the six-year-olds in your program are playing 4v4 while the eight-year-olds are playing 6v6, the chances are that Mass. Youth Soccer will try and persuade you to make your small-sided soccer games even smaller.

In an initiative outlined by new State Coach Mike Singleton at a coaching education seminar held in Milford, MA in November, new guidelines were laid out that would lower still further the size of teams for the various age-groups leading up to U12. Citing recommendations that come from US Youth Soccer, Singleton says he would like to see U6 players playing 3v3 on fields approximately 20 x 25 yards in size. U8s, who currently play 6v6 in most Massachusetts leagues, would be encouraged to play 4v4 on fields approximately 25 yards wide by 35 yards long, while U10s and U12s would play 6v6 and 8v8 respectively. Under the plan, players would not be introduced to traditional 11v11 soccer until age U13.

The initiative is designed to give players more touches on the ball, while at the same time simplifying the game for younger players.

Mass. Youth Soccer Director of Coaching Mike Singleton

“The difference between 3 v 3 and 6v6 is quite large in regards to the number of touches on the ball, say Singleton, “and actually the degree to which players have to think. If I’m a player in a 3 v 3, my options are either A or B. If I’m that same player in a 6 v 6 my options may be A, B, C, D, or E, and that just adds to the confusion and makes it more difficult for very young players. Overall, if they’re touching the ball more and they have limited options which allow them more success, then that’s more encouraging to the players, it builds their confidence and it leads them to be able to take a few risks, which we’re hoping players will do.”

Mass. Youth Soccer intends to present the proposal to the directors of the ten leagues around the state in the next few months in the hope that they adopt smaller teams for travel play in the coming years, though Singleton is not expecting a rapid change.

“We’ll see how the league presidents accept it, but it will be a continued conversation that we hope will make things more consistent and uniform throughout the state, as we do throughout the whole country.

“In all the towns I’ve talked to so far, they say it makes perfect sense. It’s just organizationally is where their biggest worries are. It’s how they transition with their field organization and their coach management.”

At the moment, BAYS is the only league in the state that offers 8v8 play for U12s, while some places have children as young as eight playing 11 v 11, which Singleton describes as “a little bit of a concern”. But overall, the State Coach is satisfied that the right steps are at least being taken in the area of player development. But the trend is definitely towards smaller-sided games, and Singleton wants Massachusetts to catch up with other regions of the country.

“I wouldn’t say there is anything wrong now. If people are playing some kind of small-sided soccer, they’re definitely going in the right direction. One of the scary things, though, if we look at the national picture, is what our leagues are doing in comparison with leagues around the country. We’re behind the times a bit in that more states either are currently, or have transitioned to these smaller numbers and we’re really in the back third of the 55 (state associations) now.”

Whether that has anything to do with the lack of success Massachusetts players have on the various US national teams is a debate for another day. But Singleton is clearly hoping that, if the size of teams is indeed and obstacle to local player development, that obstacle will be removed sooner rather than later.