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Home/Training Drills/Possession Drills/4v4 to Goals, No Keepers
PossessionBeginner

4v4 to Goals, No Keepers

Play the game in its simplest form. Everyone attacks and everyone defends, dribble at the goal and have a go, win the ball back when you lose it, and stay involved the whole time. There are no positions and nobody stands still.

Create your own drill
Live animationPOS
Duration
14 min
Total drill time
Players
8
Recommended
Pitch
40 × 28 m
Setup space
Level
Beginner
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U6-U8
5v5

Setup & instructions

Play 4v4 on about a 40x28m pitch with a small goal at each end and no goalkeepers. Everyone attacks and everyone defends, there are no positions and no keeper. Encourage dribbling at goal and having a go rather than any pattern. Play short games of four or five minutes so nobody tires or drifts out, rotate the teams so everyone plays with and against everyone, and never use a knockout or elimination format. If you have more than eight players, run two games side by side rather than making anyone wait.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Ask what game a six year old should play and the honest answer is the smallest one you can organise. The research that reshaped youth football is blunt about it: a child in a four against four gets the ball many times more often than the same child in a full eleven a side, and touches are what build a footballer at this age.

Removing the goalkeepers is part of the design, not a compromise for a lack of volunteers. With nobody in goal, every player on the pitch is attacking one moment and defending the next, so no child can be parked in a position and left out of the game, which is exactly what happens to a young keeper who stands alone for most of a match.

The format teaches the game by letting it be played rather than by coaching it. There are no positions to hold and no shape to keep, because a five to eight year old does not need either, and imposing them removes the very touches the small game exists to create.

What looks like chaos to an adult is usually fine. Young children swarm the ball in a bunch, and coaches itch to spread them out, but the swarming sorts itself out with time as they learn there is more space away from the ball, and it does so faster if it is left alone than if it is drilled.

The things worth insisting on are few. Have a go at goal, since dribbling straight at it is the right instinct here. Win it back when you lose it, because that keeps everyone busy. And keep the games short and the teams rotating, so nobody tires into standing still and everybody plays with and against everybody.

The rule that matters most is the one about numbers. Four against four is eight children, and the moment a ninth is standing on the side, the format has broken its own promise. Two games running side by side beats one game with substitutes waiting every time.

How to run this drill

  1. Play the smallest game you can. A child gets many times more touches in a four against four than in a full-sided game, and touches are what build a footballer at this age.
  2. Take the keepers out on purpose. With nobody in goal, everyone attacks and defends and no child is parked in a position and left out of the game. It is design, not compromise.
  3. Do not coach positions. A five to eight year old needs no shape to hold. Imposing one removes the touches the small game exists to create. Let it be played.
  4. Let the bunch sort itself out. Young children swarm the ball, and that is fine. It resolves faster left alone than drilled, as they learn there is space away from it.
  5. Insist only on the few things. Have a go at goal, win it back when you lose it, and stay in the game. Everything else can wait for an older age.
  6. Never leave a child waiting. Four against four is eight children. A ninth on the side breaks the format. Run two games side by side rather than have anyone wait.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Everyone attacks and everyone defends, no positions
  • Dribble at the goal and have a go
  • No keeper, so anyone can be the one who scores or stops it
  • Win it back straight away when you lose it
  • Nobody stands still, everyone is in the game

Common mistakes

  • Everybody chasing the ball in a bunch, which sorts itself out with time
  • One child left standing while others play, so keep the numbers tiny
  • Coaching positions or shape, which this age does not need
  • Games too long, so keep them short and rotate often

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Add a rule that you can score from anywhere to reward shooting
  • Widen the pitch to encourage running with the ball into space
  • Play to four small goals so there is more than one way to attack

Regressions

  • Make the pitch smaller so the ball and the goals are always close
  • Play 3v3 so there is even more space and more touches
  • Bigger goals so having a go is rewarded more often
Equipment
Cones×4
Goals×2
Tactical principles
4v4 no keepersu6 small sided gameu7 4v4 gameu8 match formatyouth football no goalkeepereveryone attacks and defendsfoundation phase gamegrassroots small sidedyoung players touchessmall goals game
Audience
U6-U85v5

Make it yours

Save this drill to your private library, then tweak the animation, swap equipment, or drop it into a session.

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LIBRARY
All Possession drillsAll drill collectionsPossession for U6-U8Possession for 5v5

Ready to run this drill?

Save it to your private drills, then change the animation, adjust positions, swap equipment, or drop it into a session block. Or start from a blank pitch and build your own.

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TeloframeTeloframe
The connected football coaching platform. Plan sessions, build drills, manage teams, develop players, visualize tactics.
Product
Tactics Board3D PitchAnimation TimelineAI ToolsSession PlannerDrill EditorTeam ManagementPlayer DevelopmentClub WorkspaceExport & Sharing
Explore
Tactical LibraryFormations guideSession plansTraining Drill LibraryYouTube tutorialsBlog
For
Academy coachesFirst-team staffFederationsContent creatorsAgenciesSession Planner SoftwareTactics Board Software
Company
AboutPricingFAQContactCareersOpen TeloframeSecurity
© 2026 Teloframe (formerly FC Tactix). All rights reserved.
Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceData Processing AddendumSubprocessorsCookie Policy