4v4 Fact Sheet
Presented by Warner Soccer

Advantages of Playing Small Sided (4v4) games:

• Maximizes touches on the ball. Fewer players on the field allows for increased number of contacts with the ball and more actual playing time—more opportunities for shooting, passing, and dribbling the ball.
• Children are actively involved for longer periods of time.
• Presents many opportunities to score goals and score goals often.
• Encourages regaining possession of the ball as a productive, fun and rewarding part of the game (defending).
• Players learn both defense and offense and become well rounded players and understand the roles and importance of teammates
• Maximizes active participation and minimizes inactivity and boredom. No lines, no waiting.
• Smaller number of players makes it more likely that passing and receiving will occur.
• Players are required to make more decisions about the game. Learning by discovery, trial and error.
• Reflects the appropriate role of the coach as a Facilitator. Allows for more time with the coach/facilitator.
• Makes the game more "beginning coach" friendly because the game is simpler, thus making it easier to recruit more volunteer "coaches".
• Allows the game to be the teacher!
• Overall, allows for a greater success rate for the players

A goalkeeper is not used in the 4v4 game because:

• Goalkeepers must be field players first. Goalkeepers must also learn intuition and anticipation from moving in and playing the game of soccer.
• This will provide the opportunity for all players to further develop their running, jumping, and passing coordination.

Skills developed that are realistic for this age group:

• Motor ability (balance, agility, and coordination), Perception (insight and awareness), Vision, Problem solving (choices and decisions), Physical fitness, Psychological domain (fun, enjoyment and competition)

The Role of the Youth 4v4 Coach

In 4v4 soccer, the role of the coach is that of facilitator. The coach sets up the game and the conditions for learning, provides some supervision and allows the game to teach.

In each age division (U6-U8), two teams will be combined so you will have groups of 10-14 players for the purposes of practice throughout the season. Each group will have one facilitator for practice. On game day, facilitators will be assigned a field and will monitor the games on that field. The facilitator can then monitor each game and can adjust the teams to ensure parity.

Basic Rules for the 4v4 Game

Part of the effectiveness of modifying the game to 4v4 is also modifying the rules. These rule changes contribute to 4v4 meeting the developmental needs of young players. The basic rules are:

• Shinguards must be worn at all times.
• Elimination of the specialized position of goalkeeper.
• No offsides.
• When the ball goes out of bounds over the sideline (touchline), it is put back into play with a throw-in. The throw-in cannot go directly into the goal. A player is allowed one “do-over.”
• There are field "supervisors" or "managers" instead of referees. The intent of this adult facilitator is to ensure a safe environment. The role of the field "supervisor" is that of a facilitator: ensuring that players put the ball back into play properly.
• Kickoffs that begin each period of play and after goals are scored are taken from the approximate center of the field.
• All fouls are penalized with an indirect free kick (must be touched by another player before scoring). The opponent must be three yards away from the ball at the time of the kick.
• No pushing, hitting, spitting, holding shirts, tripping, yelling at the facilitator or other players, bad language, slide tackling. A yellow card is given by the facilitator when a player intentionally commits a foul. Yellow card=caution (2 yellows=red). Red card= Player ejected from game
• Each game is 4 periods x 12 minutes each. Quarters are played at this age group to accommodate the attention span and physical limitations of the players.