How to plan a youth football training session
How to plan a youth football training session: one theme, tonight's numbers, a shape, FA heading and format checks by age, and what to change on the night.
Last updated: 14 October 2026
What a good junior session looks like
One Bibs On suggestion is arrival, a skill practice, then a small-sided game. The FA does not prescribe this as a fixed 60-minute recipe or a largest game-time share. England Football also describes whole-part-whole and carousel approaches; choose a structure that suits your group.
England Football: how to structure a training session
The FA Grassroots Strategy 2024-2028 reports about 160,000 grassroots coaches in England. Read the 2024-2028 strategy
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Pick one theme
Work backwards from the game. One aim for the night: passing, dribbling, finishing, defending or communication. Use games and practices to explore that aim. Depth beats a pile of unrelated drills.
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Write down tonight's numbers
Age band, how many players, how many coaches, minutes, space and the equipment in the bag. A plan for 16 on a full pitch will fail 11 on a half-pitch with cones. Write for the group you have, rather than an ideal squad.
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Give it a shape: arrival, skill, game
One Bibs On suggestion is arrival with a ball, a skill practice, then a small-sided game. It is not an FA-prescribed recipe or time split. England Football also describes whole-part-whole: start with a game, work on a practice, then return to the game. Adapt the balance to your group.
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Check it is safe for the age
No heading in U5-U11 training. At U12-U13, limited heading is unopposed; U14-U16 have separate repetition limits. Check the current FA heading guidance and FutureFit match formats. Supervision remains your responsibility.
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Run it, then change one thing
Watch whether the activity is helping your aim. Progress by changing a rule, distance or touches, not by rebuilding the setup while they wait.
How much of the session should be a game?
The FA's aim is the ball rolling for at least 70% of a session. It calls that figure a guideline, and it is about time on the ball, not a share of the night that has to be a match. FA Boot Room: increasing ball rolling time
Our own rule of thumb, not an FA figure, is at least a third of the session in games. For younger groups that works best as several short games with teams mixed between them, so everyone gets a go and nobody is stuck losing. England Football's 3v3 guidance uses games of 6 to 10 minutes. England Football: playing and managing 3v3 games
Age checks before you go
Heading, match format and ball size change with the age group. These are the 2026/27 rules. Formats are the most a match-style game should be, not a rule for every activity in training.
| Age | Heading in training | Match format | Ball |
|---|---|---|---|
| U5-U6 | None | Games, not matches | 3 |
| U7 | None | 3v3 | 3 |
| U8-U9 | None | 5v5 | 3 |
| U10-U11 | None | 7v7 | 3 |
| U12-U13 | Up to 5 a week, unopposed | 9v9 | 4 |
| U14-U16 | Up to 10 a week, light ball, limited repetition | 11v11 | 5 |
Sources: FA heading guidance, FA FutureFit formats. The FA does not allow matches for children under six, so a U5 or U6 session closes with a game instead.
FA safeguarding guidance asks for at least two DBS-checked adults, with ratios by age that follow the NSPCC. Supervision on the night is your responsibility; if you are short of adults, run fewer separate areas. FA guidance on adult to child ratios
Change one thing at a time
When a practice is too easy or too hard, keep the setup and change one rule, distance or condition. A bigger area, an extra defender or a scoring bonus makes it harder; the opposite makes it easier. Rebuilding the setup costs minutes the players spend waiting.
Be careful with touch limits for 5 to 11 year olds. In the FA's words: 'If players are always restricted to a maximum of two touches, many won't develop dribbling skills.' England Football: helping 5-11s develop on the ball
When the numbers change on the night
Keep the aim and shrink the setup: recount, cut the number of areas, give every player a role, then add difficulty. How to adapt when fewer players arrive
On matchday the question is minutes rather than drills. How to share playing time fairly
Coaching one to three players
A small group needs its own structure, with the coach playing in and planned breathers. How to plan a 1-to-1 football session
When to use a planner
You can write this by hand. Many coaches do. A planner is useful when the numbers change at the last minute and you still need the picture to match the words, with heading and format checks for the age. Bibs On is one option. England Football Learning Sessions remain the free official baseline, not sized to tonight's headcount.
See how we build and check a session, including what we do not claim. Standards
Questions coaches ask
- How long should a youth football training session be?
- The FA does not set a length. Plan for the time your pitch booking gives you; many grassroots sessions are an hour. Take drinks at the changeovers rather than as separate breaks, so a 60-minute session is still 60 minutes of football. Younger groups get more from several short games than from one long one.
- How should I structure a kids' football session?
- Pick one theme, then a shape. One Bibs On suggestion is an arrival activity with a ball, a skill practice, then a small-sided game. It is not an FA recipe. England Football also describes whole-part-whole and carousels. Choose the shape that suits your group and how reliably they arrive on time.
- How many drills should a session have?
- Three to five activities is plenty, all serving the one aim. One practice made harder or easier with a rule or a distance teaches more than five unrelated drills. Every new setup costs minutes of moving cones while the players wait.
- What is whole-part-whole coaching?
- Start with a game, step out to a practice on one thing you saw, then go back into a game to see whether it carries over. It suits nights when players arrive late, because they can join the opening game, and it lets you see what the group needs before you teach it.
- Can under-10s head the ball in training?
- No. FA guidance is no heading in training from U5 to U11. After that, headers are limited: U12-U13 up to 5 a week, unopposed; U14-U16 up to 10 a week, light ball, limited repetition. Check the FA guidance each season, as it is reviewed.
- What match format does each age group play?
- Under FA FutureFit for 2026/27: 3v3 at U7, 5v5 at U8-U9, 7v7 at U10-U11, 9v9 at U12-U13, 11v11 at U14-U16. Under-6s play games, not matches. Ball: size 3 from U5 to U11, size 4 from U12 to U13, size 5 from U14 to U16. Formats are the most a match-style game should be, not a rule for every activity.
- How many coaches do I need?
- FA safeguarding guidance asks for at least two DBS-checked adults, with adult-to-child ratios by age that follow NSPCC guidance. A plan can remind you, but supervision on the night is your responsibility. If you are short of adults, run fewer separate areas rather than leave a group unwatched.
- What if only half the team turns up?
- Keep the aim and shrink the setup. Recount, cut the number of areas, give every player a role, and only then add difficulty. Change one thing at a time. The guide on fewer players works through an eight-player passing practice with its diagram and kit list.
- How do I make a practice harder or easier?
- Change one rule, distance or condition and keep the setup. A bigger area, an extra defender or a scoring bonus makes it harder; the opposite makes it easier. Be careful with touch limits for 5 to 11 year olds: the FA warns that always restricting players to two touches stops many of them developing their dribbling.