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Coaching guide · Ages 9–12

A 7v7 game model
on one page: the 2-3-1

At 9 and 10, players are ready for more than activities. They can hold a shape in their heads, know their job in it, and take it into Saturday’s game. This is the shape the Full Season Travel Curriculum uses for 7v7, why it works, who does what, and the three activities that teach it in one session.

Why a 2-3-1

It is the simplest shape that has everything in it: two players who defend first, three who link, one who stretches the other team. Every player can see their job, and every line has a neighbor to help. Count the triangles on the field and every player has two teammates close enough to pass to.

• Two backs learn to split, open up and start the attack.
• Three mids give width on both sides and a link in the middle.
• One striker gives the team somewhere to play forward to.

The habit behind the shape: Get big. When we have the ball, stretch the field. Backs split, wide mids put their boots on the paint, striker high. A team that is big has passing lanes; a team that is small has none.

Who does what

Position	With the ball	Without the ball
Keeper	First attacker. Offers a pass behind the backs and picks the free player.	Organizes from the back. Starts high enough to sweep up behind.
Backs (LB, RB)	Split wide when we win it. Open body. Carry the ball forward if nobody presses.	Get small together. One goes to the ball, the other covers behind.
Wide mids (LM, RM)	Boots on the paint until the ball is past them, then join the attack.	Tuck in beside the center mid and guard the middle. Track the runner on your side.
Center mid (CM)	The link. Shows for the backs, receives side-on, finds the striker or a wide mid.	Stays between the ball and our goal. Screens passes into their striker.
Striker (ST)	Stretches them first, then shows for the ball. Sets it back or spins in behind.	Starts the press and steers their backs toward one side.

Rotate positions. At 9 and 10, nobody is a defender or a striker yet. Give every player at least two positions a game in the first six weeks, including a turn in goal for anyone who wants one.

Check your league’s rules. Field size, goal size, build-out lines, heading and offside rules differ from league to league at 7v7. Read yours before week 1. The curriculum leaves heading out at these ages.

Teach it in one session

This is Week 1, Session 1 of the curriculum, exactly as written: 90 minutes, 12 to 16 players, two coaching points and nothing else. Point one: when we win it, run to your spot and get big. Point two: wide mids, boots on the paint.

1 · Four-Line Rondo

Rondo · 10 minutes · the arrival ritual, players start as they arrive

How it works

A 10x10 square with one attacker on each side line and one defender inside. Attackers may slide along their own line but not leave it. Eight passes is a point. Swap the defender every 45 seconds, or when they win it.

Say this“Use your whole line. Slide until the ball can see you.”

2 · Wide Gates

Sharpen · 20 minutes · technique at speed with a decision in it

How it works

Scatter cone gates 12 to 15 yards apart across a 30x30. In pairs, pass through a gate to your partner, then both run to a new gate. Receive side-on and take the first touch out of your feet. Count gates in 90 seconds.

Say this“Open up. Take it across your body and find the next gate.”

If it stalls

Passes missing the gate? Bring partners 3 yards closer. Easier: stop the ball, then pass. Harder: two touches, weaker foot at every second gate.

3 · Channel Game

Solve · 25 minutes · the game problem of the day: width

How it works

4v4 to mini goals on a 35x30, with a 5-yard channel marked down each side. One attacker at a time may be in a channel, and nobody may tackle them there. A goal counts double if the move went through a channel.

Say this“Where is the space? Get it wide, then go.”

If it stalls

Nobody using the channels? Play one game where every attack has to go through one. Easier: the channel player gets three free touches. Harder: two touches in the channel.

Then play, with one rule

30 minutes of 7v7 in the 2-3-1. Three times a half, shout FREEZE. If the team with the ball is big — backs split, wide players on the paint, striker high — it earns a point. That is the whole coaching intervention. Finish with five minutes on your league’s rules and throw-ins.

Playing 9v9? The curriculum runs the same session at 9v9 in a 2-3-3: wingers give the width and the wide mids tuck inside a little. Every session page shows both formats.