[ 0114 242 4244 ] info@itsagoal.net

County Football Associations – changes to children’s small sided games 2015.

Many leagues have already adopted these changes however they come into force for Junior football teams playing in organized football next season. Small sided games played on smaller pitches with proportional football goals, smaller footballs was a concept introduced by ITSA Goal some twenty five years ago. It allowed young  players more time on the ball to develop skills.  SKILLS FIRST – TO WIN IN STYLE. Massive pitches, massive goal posts, massive kids creating kick and rush football has now become a thing of the past thanks to ITSA GOAL.

European countries especially in the warmer southern countries  have always played small sided games using handball goals on tarmac surfaces as football was created around the facilities they had. It is proven over many years that kids improvising on their own without being coached by adults in their early years creates more skilful innovative players with less constraints in the way they play the game.

The changes now introduced in England will try and to create this more instinctive way of playing the game. Under 7s and 8s playing 5-a-side football, with a size 3 ball on a smaller pitch with 12 x 6ft mini soccer goals (invented by ITSA GOAL).Under 9s and 10s will continue with 7-a-side Mini Soccer with the smaller size 3 ball moving to a size 4 football ball for the under tens.Instead of going to a full size pitch with full size goals the Under 11s and Under 12s will now play on a smaller pitch with 9v9 16x 7ft football goal posts ( first introduced by Samba Goals) ideally with a lightweight aluminum post (under 45kilos) to create the correct rebound during games. We do not think plastic goals like those from Samba goals that have dipping crossbars should be used in competitive football.

The under 13s and 14s are to play on a slightly larger pitch with 21 x 7ft football goals using a size 4 ball before moving to the eleven a side game with full size 24’x8’ goal posts.

Suggested pitch sizes under sevens                36.5M x 27.5M

Suggested pitch sizes under nines                73M x 36.5M

Suggested pitch sizes under tens                    73M x 36.5M

Suggested pitch sizes under elevens               73M x 46M

Suggested pitch sizes under thirteens            73M x 50M

Suggested pitch sizes under fifteens               92M x 55M

Suggested pitch sizes under seventeens         100.5M x 64M

As a member of the Institute of grounds men I cannot help but think that the broad range of pitches is going to be difficult to implement at grass roots level as funding and ground sharing will not accommodate such a large variation of pitch sizes. To over mark in different colours will be difficult for players and equally as difficult for grounds men as it will treble the work of preparing each and every pitch.Once again the idealistic ideas from those at the Football Association may have been arrived at without full consultation of those that actually run the game at grass roots. Have the people at the blunt end of the instrument of change been fully involved and consulted. As someone that travels all over the United Kingdom visiting grass roots clubs and locations where games take place it will not be easy to implement the pitch changes at all clubs.

It is easy to reduce numbers of players but reduced numbers mean reduced income on already tight club finances. To have had just two junior size pitches (Mini Soccer) and one basic youth size allowing two lengths and two widths would have been in my opinion much more realistic.   Nursery games with 8×4 and 6×4 plastic goals could take place on any smaller grass areas.

The FA did not listen to me when I brought the Mini Soccer concept to them twenty five years ago recommending non competitive leagues and teams to introduce kids to football. I do not expect they will listen to those trying to run teams around abusive and aggressive parents and coaches that the competitive leagues have now introduced into kids football. The next arguments I can predict is the clubs falling out over playing on different size pitches when they lose …..if its not the officials fault then it will be the different  pitch size, to what they play on ,that will be at fault

All we can do as a company is try to offer the lightest ,the safest and the easiest to use children’s goalposts to accommodate the sizes required for kids and teenage football. And wish them all the best on the new initiative. GOOD LUCK to you all trying to implement this change.