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ACL Soccer 4 V 4 Small Sided Games (SSG'S)

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ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

KEY TO THE DIAGRAMS

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


Introduction
In recent years, the 4v4 method has rapidly increased in popularity
however this method is certainly not a new one.
The method was introduced by the Dutch Football Association back in
the 1980s under the guidance of Rinus Michels, the creator of total
football. The Dutch recognised the decline in street football and the
damaging effects it would have on developing players in future
generations. This is how the 4v4 method was born and its widely
known as the Dutch way
In this manual there are over 60 different 4v4 games. The games are
tried and tested with both grassroots beginners and top youth players
in professional academies. The games are designed to stimulate the
players and lead them down a path of learning all part of guided
discovery. These games bring the 4v4 concept into a new era and will
develop your players in a fun, player led environment.
Below is a list of benefits for the 4v4 method

No coaching, the game is the teacher


Simple to set up
Simplifies the choices in possession [pass, dribble, shoot]
More player participation
Different games bring different problems to solve and skills used
More touches of the ball
More passes attempted
More 1v1s attempted
More goals scored
When used, keeper participation is greatly increased
No refs
No results recorded
No positions, just footballers
Children take responsibility

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


4V4 GAMES

Two goal game


2 goal game one touch finish
2 goal game score in the end zone
2 goal game rotate positions
2 goal game any keeper
4 goal game must score in every goal
Skinny pitch
Target man
Sweeper game
Switch goals
Triangle goal game
Volley and catch
Wide pitch
Possession v pressure
Possession game
Possession add one
Play out, go out
Overload continuous
Overload game
One team possession, one team score
Gates game
Free your team mate
Half field possession
Multi ball game
Multi goal game
End zone game
Directional game
Centre circle game
Switch play, role reversal game
Angled goals
four goal 10 attacks
4v4 + wide players
3 zone playmaker game
4 goal game
Passers v Defenders rewards game
2 goal 10 attacks
4v3 +1 switch play
4v4 ice hockey
Role reversal
4v4 through pass game
2v2v2v2 game

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

Two in, two wide


Middle or wide advantage
One big, two small
1v1 continuous
2v2 continuous
Throw to pass, head to score
Two goal, end zone combination
4 goal game, 2 goal game combination
4 games in one
3 games in one
4 goal game, end zone and half field combination
Ultimate 4v4 challenge [5 games in one]
4v4 attack v defence
4v4 defenders play out
4v4 build up play
4v4 defending overload
4v4 front and back goal
4v4 continuous 2v1 situations
4v4v4 team 1v1 battles
4v4 lifes
4v4 score and get a player

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


2 GOAL GAME

Set up/ rules

1
2
3
4
5

Four v four
2 keepers
No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

Play for a set time period and then change ends


The keepers can change with the team or stay in the same goal and
now play for the opposite team

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

TWO GOAL GAME 1 TOUCH FINISH

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


No offside
Can only score by using a first time shot
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

TWO GOAL GAME SCORE IN THE END ZONE

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


The pitch has two end zones and two empty goals
A goal can only be scored from inside the end zones
No keepers
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options

The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


TWO GOAL GAME ROTATE POSITIONS

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options

The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

The game is played for 15 minutes. This is broken down into 4x3
minute periods with one minute breaks in between.
After each 3 minute period the players rotate to the next position on
their right. This rule will see the players playing in all four positions of
the diamond [top, bottom, left and right] also the players will also
come up against a different opponent in each period of the game

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


TWO GOAL GAME ANY GOALKEEPER

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


The nearest player[s] to the goal become the keeper[s]
No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

FOUR GOAL GAME MUST SCORE IN EACH GOAL

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


Four keepers
No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

The aim for both teams is to score in all four goals. The team to
complete this task first is declared the winners

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


TWO GOALS SKINNY PITCH

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

The pitch is long in length but short in width. This forces the teams
to try to build up through the middle of the pitch using quick skill
and passing combinations
The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


TWO GOAL GAME TARGET MAN

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
Three zones
No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

Each team sends one player to be the target man. This players
stands in the attacking end zone. The aim of the game is to play a
pass into your target man and then receive a lay off pass in order
to shoot at goal.
After a shot is made the shooting player changes positions with the
target man. The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


TWO GOAL GAME SWEEPER SYSTEM

Set up / rules

1
2
4
5

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
Three zones
No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

Each team sends one of their players into their defensive zone to
become the sweeper / covering defender.
The aim of the game is to dribbling through the middle zone and
into the opponents defensive zone. Now the player in possession
has a 1v1 against the sweeper / covering defender.
Rotate the players so that each player spends time in the sweeper
position. The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

SWITCH GOALS

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


Four goals
No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

To start the game, the coach gives each team a goal to defend. The
nearest player to the goal can act as the teams goalkeeper. When
the coach calls out to switch. Both teams must quickly switch the
goal that they are defending and attacking. In the diagram above,
the teams must switch and defend the goal to their left.
The game is played until both teams have defended all four goals

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


TRIANGLE GOAL

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


Four mini goals
Three flags to make a triangle goal
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

One team is defending the triangle goal and one team is defending the
four mini goals. The team that is defending the triangle goal must
nominate a goalkeeper whilst the other three players try to pressure
and win the ball.
The game is played for two periods. The roles are reversed for the
second period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

VOLLEY AND CATCH

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


No offside
If the ball leaves play, the game is re-started by a volley pass
The player in possession is allowed to make a one, one
bounce movement [basketball style]
To pass the ball, the players must make a volley pass out of
their hands to one of their team-mates
To score a goal, the players must make a volley shot into one
of the opponents goals.
The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


WIDE PITCH

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


Two goalkeepers
No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

The game is played on a wide pitch that is short in length. This


encourages the following tactics from the teams
1 Shoot from distance
2 Pass the ball into wide areas and create crossing opportunities

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


POSSESSION V PRESSURE

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

One team starts on the pitch and passes the ball. On the coaches
whistle, the team on the outside must race onto the pitch and try to
win the ball and then score a goal. The passing team must try to
keep possession.
The passing team can use the keepers to keep possession of the
ball. The pressuring team have 30 seconds to win the ball and score
a goal, if they fail then the passing team gets awarded the goal
Rotate the teams for the next game

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


POSSESSION GAME

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


No offside
If ball leaves play, the coach has a few re-start options
The
The
The
The
The

coach passes a new ball onto the pitch


players take a roll in
players take a throw in
players make a pass in
players dribble in

The teams must keep possession of the ball


A goal is awarded to the team that completes a certain number of
passes. This acts as an extra incentive to both teams
The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


POSSESSION - ADD ONE

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


One team act as the passing team
One team act as the defending team
The passing team spread out into the 15 x 15 yard area and
begin the game by playing 4v1
After 30 seconds, an extra defender is added to make the game
4v2,4v3,4v4
The game is played for 2 minutes
The passing team must count the number of successful passes
that they make
The teams rotate roles for the next game and the new passing
team tries to beat the number of passes made by their
opponents

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

PLAY OUT, GO OUT

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


If ball leaves play, the coach passes a new ball onto the pitch
Both teams must have two players on the pitch and two
players on the outside of the pitch
The aim of the game is to make a pass out to a team-mate.
The passing player then goes to the outside whilst the
receiving player dribbles into the area
A goal is awarded for each successful pass to an outside
player
The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


OVERLOAD GAME CONTINUOUS

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


Two goalkeepers
To start the game, the first player on the red team has three
touches to score against the blue goalkeeper. Immediately
after this ball has been played, two blue team players enter
the pitch and make a 2v1 situation against the red player.
The game continues until all the players are on the pitch. The
series of attacks is as follows
Red
1
1
3
3
4

V
V
v
v
v
v

Blue
Gk
2
2
4
4

Once all the players are on the pitch, the game continues for
a set time period.
The next game starts with the Blue team attacking first

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


OVERLOAD GAME

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


One goalkeepers
To start, the first player must dribble towards goal and try to
score. The player is limited to three touches. Immediately after
this ball has been played, tow new players enter the pitch and
attempt to score in a 2v1 situation. The series of attacks is as
follows

Blues
1
1
3
3
4

V
V
v
v
v
v

Reds
Gk
2
2
4
4

After all the balls have been played, the score is counted and the
teams rotate positions for the next game

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

ONE TEAM POSSESSION ONE TEAM SCORE

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


Four mini target goals
One team attempts to keep possession
One team attempts to win the ball and score a goal

There is a number of ways to play this game


1

The team passing has to make 6 passes to score a goal,


the defending team get a goal for each time they shoot
into the mini target goals

The roles are reversed each time the defending team win
the ball, and shoot into the target goals.

The teams work for a set time period at each role [3 mins
possession, 3 mins defending]

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

GATES GAME

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


Four gates

There is a number of ways this game can be played and scored


1 The player in possession must dribble through a gate to score
2 The player in possession must make a pass through the gate to
a team mate
3 The player in possession can use both of the choices above

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


FREE YOURE TEAM MATE

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


Each team has one player on the pitch and three players on
the outside

To start, the coach passes a ball into the pitch. the two
players compete for possession
The player who wins the ball attempts to pass out to a team
mate
If successful, the team mate enters the pitch and makes a
2v1
The winning team is the one that has all four players on the
pitch and completes 6 consecutive passes

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


HALF FIELD POSSESSION

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


The pitch is cut into two halfs , one team in each

To start, the coach passes into one of the teams, and calls for a player
to go into that half and defend
If the team manages to make five passes, the coach calls for another
player to go and defend in a 4v2
If the ball is dispossessed then the game transfers to the opposite half
and the roles are reversed
The player guilty of losing possession must now run and defend in the
other half
The winning team is the one that has all four of their opponents in
their half and manages to make 5 passes.

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

MULTI BALL GAME

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
Each team has two balls

To start, the coach blows the whistle and both teams enter the
pitch
Each team has two balls to attack with but must also defend two
balls
The game continues until all four balls have left the pitch
The coach then continues the game for a further five balls which
are played one at a time
Once all five balls have been played, the coach counts the goals
scored and declares the winning team

Stick with this game. The players will soon learn to communicate as
to who should defend and who should attack. The players will also
learn that they must react to the next ball and quickly support their
team mates

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


MULTI-GOAL GAME

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


Four mini target goals
A number of footballs in the centre of the pitch
One team work as the attackers
One team work as the defenders
The attacking team attempt to score as many goals as possible
until all the balls have been played
The defending team must try to stop the attacking team
To start, the attacking players have a ball each and must try to
score in the mini goals. Once the ball has been played the
attacking player must quickly race back to the centre and
retrieve a new ball and attack again.
The game will start with four 1v1 situations but, as the balls
decrease it will
become a variety of 2v1, 2v2, 3v2s etc
Once the last ball has been played, the coach counts the goals
scored and the roles are reversed for the next game

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

END ZONE GAME

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


The aim of this game is to dribble and stop the ball in the end
zone
The team that scores the goal, now turns and attacks the
opposite end zone
If one team is dominating the game then, the rule above can
be removed enabling the opposite team to attack

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


DIRECTIONAL GAME

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


Four mini goals
One team attack the goals across the width of the pitch
One team attack the goals down the length of the pitch
The game is played for a set period of time
If a ball is scored or leaves play, the coach passes a new ball
onto the pitch

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

CENTRE CIRCLE GAME

Set up/rules

The game is played in the centre circle


Two teams of four players
Each team has two players on the pitch and two players on
the outside [in the attacking half]
The players on the outside can move up and down the side
and look to receive a pass
The outside players are only allowed to use one touch
The game is played for four periods of two minutes
After each period, the players on the pitch reverse roles with
their team mates on the outside

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


SWITCH PLAY ROLE REVERSAL GAME

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


Two full size goals
One team acts works as defenders and has two keepers and
two defenders

One team works as the attackers and spread out to attack


To start, the coach passes into the four attackers who
attempt to score in one of goals
If they are successful, they receive a new ball from the coach
and attack again
If the defenders manage to win the ball or stop the attackers
scoring then, the roles are reversed
The defenders now race out to receive a ball from the coach
and the attackers drop back to defend
The game continues for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


ANGLED GOALS

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
Two goals place on opposite corners of the pitch

This practice is played as a game. It gives the players hints as to


where they need to pressure and force there opponents when they
are defending.
When attacking the team in possession should look to switch the
ball quickly or to use the wing and get into good crossing positions

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


FOUR GOALS 10 ATTACKS

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


One team work as the attackers
One team split into two pairs and work as the defenders
The pitch is cut into two attacking zones that have two mini
target goals

The attacking team has 10 consecutive attacks [5 at each end]. The


aim is to try and score as many goals as possible against the two
defenders
After each attack, the players turn and receive a new ball from the
coach
Once the ten attacks are complete. The score is counted and the roles
are reversed

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

FOUR V FOUR + WIDE PLAYERS

Set up/rules

Three teams of four players


Two teams play the game
One team acts as the keepers and crossing players
The crossing players are allowed 3 touches [control, dribble,
pass/cross]
The game is played for a set period of time
The teams are rotated for the next match

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

3 ZONE PLAYMAKER GAME

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


The pitch is divided into three 1v1 zones
Each zone has two target goals
Three players on each team go into their own 1v1 zone
One player from each team is the playmaker
The playmaker is the only player allowed to leave and enter a
new zone
The playmakers job is to pass to a team mate and support them
to make a 2v1 situation
The opponents playmaker can now support their defender to
make it a 2v2 situation
The game is played for four periods of 2 minutes all players have
one period as the playmaker

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


FOUR GOAL GAME

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


Four mini goals
Each team defend two goals and attack two goals
The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


PASSERS V DEFENDERS REWARDS GAME

Two
One
One
One

Set up / rules
teams of four players
keeper
team work as the passing team
team work as defenders

The passing team work in a 10x10yd area


Each player in the defending team has two turns at attempting to win
possession from the passers
If the defending player manages to force a mistake or win possession,
then they break out of the 10x10yd area and receive a pass from the
coach in order to shoot at goal
If the passing team manages to make 10 consecutive passes, then the
defender is ejected
The passing team scores a point for each set of 10 consecutive passes.
The defending score a point for each goal scored off a pass from the
coach. Once each defender has had two attempts at defending, rotate the
teams

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


TWO GOAL GAME 10 ATTACKS

Set up/rules

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
One team work as the attackers
One team split into two pairs and work as the defenders
The pitch is cut into two attacking zones

The attacking team has 10 consecutive attacks [5 at each end].


The aim is to try and score as many goals as possible against the two
defenders
After each attack, the players turn and receive a new ball from the
coach
Once the ten attacks are complete. The score is counted and the roles
are reversed

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


FOUR V THREE [+1] GAME

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
The defending team number themselves 1 to 4. One defender
rests on each attack
The four attackers position themselves next to one of the
poles/cones
The coach passes to the attacking team who attempt to build
up and score in one of the goals
After a goal is scored or the ball leaves play, the attacking
team immediately reacts and receives a new ball from the
coach
After eight balls have been played, the two teams reverse
roles

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

FOUR V FOUR ICE HOCKEY STYLE

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


Two goals made using cones / poles
Two goalkeepers (optional)
The game is played for a set period of time
The players can score in the front or back of the goal

encourage the players that if they are blocked when in front of the
goal that they should look to play quickly to the other side and try to
score in the back

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

FOUR V FOUR - ROLE REVERSAL GAME

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


Each team number themselves 1 to 4
When defending, the players each take a turn to become the
goalkeeper
The attacking team receive a ball from the coach and attempt
to build up and score in a 4v3 (+1) situation
If the attacking team score, then they turn and receive a new
ball from the coach
If the attacking team fail to score then the defending team
break out to receive a pass from the coach and the roles are
reversed

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


THROUGH PASS GAME

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


Six mini goals (three at each end of the pitch)
The pitch is split into two halfs
The coach starts the practice by passing to one of the teams
Immediately one of the opponents races into the area to
pressure the player in possession
The team in possession of the ball must attempt to create a
position in which one of the players can make a pass into one of
the target goals
The player that attempts the through pass into one of the goals,
must then react and go to pressure in the opponents half
The game is played continuously for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


2 V 2 V 2 V 2 GAME

Set up / rules

Two keepers
Eight players that are split into four teams of two players
The game is played for a set time period
The teams can score in any of the goals
This game attempts to create a school playground where all
players are actively involved in both attack and defence.
On the coaches call, two teams immediately join together
and the game continues in a 4v4 situation, an example of a
call would be red and yellow. Both these teams would now
join forces.
The coach can also overload the game against one team, for
example red, blue and yellow
In all games the teams can score in both goals

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


TWO IN AND TWO WIDE

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
Two players from each team start on the pitch
The other two players take up a position off the pitch as wide
players
The game is played for a set time period before the wide and
central players switch positions
The central players are involved in a 2v2 game but can use
their wide players to their advantage when in possession of
the ball
The wide players can only use two touches on the ball

This game can be progressed to a continuous game. Now the central


player that passes out to a wide player must go out and change
positions with them. The wide player now dribbles onto the main pitch

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


MIDDLE OR WIDE ADVANTAGE

Set up / rules
Two teams of four players
Two keepers
One team play with all four players on the pitch
The other team play with two players on the pitch and two wide
players
This set up gives the team different tactics both in possession
and when defending

Blue team
They have all four players on the pitch so in possession they need to pass
the ball quickly in order to create an opening to score a goal. In defence,
this team can now pressure quickly as they have the extra players and
attempt to force the red players to play inside and not towards their wide
advantage
Red team
In possession they need to try pass out wide quickly. This enables them
to get another one of their players into the game; the receiving wide
player can choose to dribble down the outside unopposed or dribble onto
the pitch and attempt to score. In defence, the red team must try to drop
off and reduce space for the blue team to exploit

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

ONE BIG V TWO SMALL

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


One keeper
One normal goal
Two mini goals
One team attacks the normal goal
One team attacks the two mini goals
The game is played in two halfs
Each team has one half at attacking the normal goal and one
half attacking the mini goals

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

1V1 CONTINUOUS

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


One keeper
A large number of footballs
The game is played continuously for a set time period or until
a set number of goals is scored
The players have a turn at attacking in a 1v1 situation and
then immediately defending a 1v1 situation

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

2V2 CONTINUOUS

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


Each team is divided into two groups of two players
One keeper
A large number of footballs
The game is played continuously for a set time period or until
a set number of goals is scored
The pairs of players have turns at attacking in a 2v2 situation
and then immediately defending a 2v2 situation

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

THROW TO PASS, HEAD TO SCORE

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


The game is played by throwing and catching the ball
The player in possession cannot move with the ball
This encourages the team mates to make movements off the
ball
The player in possession must not have the ball in their hands
for longer than 3 seconds
This encourages quick passing and decision making
A goal is scored by heading a thrown pass into the goal
A progression would be to allow players to score by volleying
a thrown pass into the goal

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

TWO GOAL AND END ZONE

Set up/ rules

Two teams of four players


This game is a combination of two games. The two goal and
the end zone games
Each team attacks one goal and one end zone
The coach calls out the name of the game to be played
The players must react to the coaches call in order to change
games quickly and take up any advantages.

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

FOUR GOALS AND TWO GOALS

Set up/ rules

Two teams of four players


This game is a combination of two games. The two goal and
the four goal games
Each team attacks one normal goal and two mini goals
The coach calls out the name of the game to be played
The players must react to the coaches call in order to change
games quickly and take up any advantages.

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


FOUR GOAL, TWO GOAL, END ZONE, HALF FIELD

Set up/ rules

Two teams of four players


This game is a combination of four games. The two goal, the
end zone, the four goal and half field possession games
The coach calls out the name of the game to be played
The players must react to the coaches call in order to change
games quickly and take up any advantages.

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


THREE GAMES IN ONE

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


The game has three ways of scoring

1 One point is awarded for each time a player dribbles through the
attacking gate and crosses the ball
2 Two points are awarded for each set of 6 consecutive passes
3 Three points are awarded for scoring a goal past the keepers

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


FOUR GOAL, HALF FIELD AND END ZONE

Set up/ rules

Two teams of four players


This game is a combination of three games. the end zone,
the four goal and half field possession games
The coach calls out the name of the game to be played
The players must react to the coaches call in order to change
games quickly and take up any advantages.

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


ULTIMATE FOUR V FOUR CHALLENGE

Set up / rules

1
2
3
4
5

Two teams of four players


This game is a combination of five 4v4 games
Half field possession (1 point for getting all four players
into your half)
Possession game (1 point for making 6 consecutive
passes)
End zone game (1 point for stopping the ball inside your
opponents end zone)
4 goal game (1 point for scoring in your opponents mini
goals)
2 goal game (1 point for scoring in your opponents goal)

Each game is played for 4 minutes in the above order. The players
rest for 1 minute between games. Once all five games have been
played, the game then goes into random mode for a further ten
minutes. The coach now calls the game to be played. The players
must react quickly to the coaches call and play the new game
Each game is scored in different ways (see the brackets above)

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


4v4 ATTACK V DEFENCE GAME

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


One keeper
One team start the game as the attacking team
One team start the game as the defending team
The game is played for two, five minute periods.
The attack team continue to receive balls from the coach and
attempt to build up and score goals
The defending team attempt to stop them
Once the first five minute period is completed, the attacking
team count the number of goals scored
The roles are now reversed with the defending team attempting
to beat their opponents score

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


4V4 PLAYING OUT OF DEFENCE

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


One keeper
One team work as defenders
One team work as attacking
The keeper starts the practice with the ball in his hands
The defending team must attempt to pass out of defence and
into one of the mini goals in order to score a goal
The attacking team must try to win the ball and shoot into the
net to score a goal
The game is played for 10 consecutive balls
The two teams then reverse roles for a further 10 balls

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


4V4 BUILD UP TO SCORE

Set up/ rules

Two teams of four players


One keeper
One team work as the attackers
One team work as the defenders
The game is played for four balls and then the roles are reversed

To start, the attackers spread out across the pitch whilst only
one defender starts the game. The attacking team receives a
pass from the coach and attempt to build up and score in a 4v1
situation. After each ball is played, a new defender enters the
pitch. Therefore the attacking team has four attacks (4v1, 4v2,
4v3, 4v4)

Each time the attackers score, they are awarded a point,


however each time they fail to score the defenders are rewarded
with a point.

The roles are reversed after all four balls have been played

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


4V4 OVERLOAD DEFENDING

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


One team work as defenders
One team work as attackers
The game lasts for four attacks
The defending team number themselves 1 to 4 and each take a
turn as goalkeeper

The defending team score a point for each time they stop the
attackers scoring
The attacking team score a point for each goal scored

To start the game, one attacking player dribbles into the pitch and
attempts to score in a 1v3 situation. Once this ball has been played a
new attacker dribbles into the pitch and attempts to combine with his
team mate in a 2v3 situation. The game continues until all attackers
are on the pitch and the game is a 4v3 (+1) situation

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

4V4 FRONT AND BACK GOALS

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


Four mini goals that are placed as shown in the diagram
above
The teams can score in the front and back of any goal
The game is played for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


4V4 CONTINUOUS 2V1 GAME

Set up / rules

Two teams of four players


Two keepers
Each team defends one goal
Two players start on the pitch
The blue team start first and one player must dribble onto the
pitch to make a 2v1 situation
Immediately after this ball is played, one of the blue players
leaves the pitch
Now one of the red players dribbles onto the pitch to make a
2v1 situation
The game works continuously for a set time period

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)


4V4V4 TEAM 1V1 BATTLES

Set up / rules

Three teams of four players


One team work as attackers, one as defenders and one as
goalkeepers
16 balls are needed for this game
The attacking players wait for the coaches whistle, then
attempt to score in a 1v1 situation
Once the ball is played, the attacking player then goes to the
next station on their left and waits for the coaches whistle to
attack again
Therefore each attacking player has four 1v1 situations
Once all the balls have been played, the coach the counts the
total number of goals scored by all four attackers
The roles are then reversed with the new attacking team
attempting to beat the previous teams score

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

4 v 4 SCORE AND GET A PLAYER

Set up / rules

Four teams of four players


One player from each team starts on the pitch
The coach passes a ball onto the pitch
All four teams / players compete to score a goal
If successful in scoring, you get an extra player as a reward
Again the coach passes a ball onto the pitch (if one team has
fewer players then they start in possession
The aim is to have all four players on the pitch and to score a
goal

ACL Soccer 4 v 4 Small Sided Games (SSGs)

4 V 4 LIFES

Set up / rules

Four teams
Each team has four players
One player from each team starts on the pitch
Each team has four lives
The coach passes a ball onto the pitch
The four players compete for possession and try to score
If you concede a goal then you are ejected from the game /
your team loses a life and a new player comes into the game

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