Small-Sided Soccer Game
End Zone Game
Like football on a soccer field: score by dribbling into the end zone and stopping the ball there, or by passing to a teammate who runs into the zone.
Step 1 of 6
3v3. Blue attacks the end zone at the top, red the one at the bottom. Blue has the ball.
- Time
- 15 min
- Players
- 6–10
- Ages
- 5–16U6–U17
- Pace
- Intense
Works on
- Passing
- Ball control
- Defending
Set up
- Mark a field about 30 yards long and 20 yards wide. Mark an end zone about 5 yards deep at each end.
- Two teams of 3 to 5. No goals and no keepers.
- Start with a kickoff in the middle.
- Space
- 30 x 20 yards with a 5-yard end zone at each end
- You need
- 8 cones · Pinnies in two colors · 2 or 3 balls
How to play
- Score by dribbling into the end zone you attack and stopping the ball with your sole.
- Or pass to a teammate who runs into the zone and stops the ball there.
- Defenders may not stand in their own end zone. Win the ball before it gets there.
- After a score, the other team starts from the end zone it defends.
- Ball out? The other team passes or dribbles it back in.
- Play games of 4 to 5 minutes.
Coaching points
- Look up: is there space to dribble, or is a teammate free near the zone?
- Time your run so you get into the zone just as the pass comes.
- Stop the ball in the zone. A ball that rolls out the back doesn’t count.
- Defend as a team: one presses the ball, the others mark the runners.
Easier
Make the end zones deeper, or play 3v2 so the attackers have more room.
Harder
A score only counts when the ball is passed into the zone, or after 3 passes in a row. Make the end zones smaller.
Run it at your next practice
With a free account, put End Zone Game in a practice plan with its minutes and water breaks. At the field the clock moves on to the next drill by itself.