It’s not the size of the field but the…

Who am I kidding? It usually is the size of the field. If you are having a session that just isn't working out quite right odd are your field size is the culprit. Changing the size and/or shape of the field can help out considerable, problem is though, this isn't always the easiest thing to do. A proper balance needs to be struck between fields that are too challenging for player development with fields that don't test the players. Two examples will hopefully get you thinking about how your fields can affect your practices.

Example 01

This first example involves six U6 players on a field approximately 10 x 30 yards (Figure 1). In my opinion this field presents several problems for your average four and five year old. The first is that the width does not provide enough space to dribble in. The U6 players were constantly kicking the ball out-of-bounds. Too much time was spent practicing throw-ins and not enough on dribbling (which was the main focus of the practice).

Figure 1

What I did to help the practice along was pick up all the cones except for the two goals. That way they had as much space to dribble in as needed. Granted, a few players had to be reeled in, but everyone was having success dribbling the ball. I also added in a few more balls so that the players had more chances to be successful. Still, the main change that made this game worthwhile was the size of the field.

Example 02

The next example I would like to look at deals with some older kids, but still has some of the same problems. The second practice I observed was a U12 boy’s inter-squad scrimmage. The team had 12 players total, so it was a 5v5 game plus keepers. They were playing on a full size field approximately 50x80 yards. Where the last example had a field that was too small for the players, this practice presented one that was too big.

What happened during this session wasn’t soccer, but a fitness test. One player would win the ball and with a few big touches dribble out of the pack from one end of the field to the next. A few players would chase the attacker for a minute and then lose interest and fall to the wayside, resulting in way too many 1 v 1’s with the goal keeper.
To remedy this solution it is necessary to make the field a bit small and challenge the players. If you are lucky enough to have portable goals bring them in to mid-field or less. If you are like most of us, use your corner flags for your second goal and have teams trade at half. Most importantly though, make it challenging and interesting for your kids. In this last example too many kids were standing around uninterested because they knew there was no chance for them to get the ball. By making the space smaller everyone is connected with the game and has an easier opportunity to defend or attack.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to always evaluate the effectiveness of your practice and how the size of your field can “solve” many of the problems you make be having.