In the 70's while the youth coach at Liverpool Football Club we identified a serious problem with the very good, but still inexperienced 16 and 17 year old apprentice professionals.

These were the problems:

1. Before and after receiving the ball they failed to look around to be aware of the different options.

2. They tended to play "100 MPH Soccer" and didn't put their foot on the ball on occasion to control the tempo of the game.

3. They would tend to play with blinders on and only saw the straight ahead options.

4. They didn't appreciate the value of "switching the play."

So Ronnie Moran (my fellow coach) and I got our heads together and came up with "The Four Goal Possession Game."  This is how it works.

Four Goal Possession Game

Organization:

• Field size will depend on numbers.  For instance. 8 vs.8 - 50 yds x 50 yds.

• Play-through goals - set up by cones/flag - are placed 6 yds out for each corner.

• Two ways of scoring - dribble/shoot the ball through the goals or by 5 (6? 4?) consecutive passes.

• A team can score during a passing sequence of 1, 2, 3 or 4 passes and then dribble the ball through the goal, retain possession to complete another passing goal.

• Multiple goals can be scored by retaining possession.

Coaching:

• Encourage player to communicate - particularly the immediate players supporting the player with the ball.

• Encourage the player with the ball and all team-mates to look around for the options of switching the play.

• Make players aware that a pre-occupation with dribbled/shot goals will almost certainly close down their opportunities.

• Point out that a dribble goal gives the opportunity of retaining possession.

• A shot at goal will often go out of play - even though a goal maybe scored, possession is usually sacrificed.

• Encourage mobility of the supporting players to create space for themselves and others.

Target:

Score in sets like tennis, i.e., first to reach 6.  Then start again.  Can be best of 3 or 5 sets.

Another bonus for this practice is that it is an all-action game and gives players little opportunity for "cheating."  Each player needs to be a part of the action and in this respect it will greatly help the all-around team conditioning.

Two important pieces of advice for the coach.

1. Because it is a high action and a multiple point scoring game look to get an assistant coach and/or a parent(s) to keep the score.  The coach can act as the referee awarding points and counting the passes, but it will help the coach to concentrate on the player performance if there is a scorer.

2. The game can be scaled down for younger players - 4-or 5-a-side - or scaled up for older teams with bigger squads ( 7- or 8-a-side).  Adjust the field dimensions accordingly, but don't make the fields too small.