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Wednesday, 19 December 2007 |
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A new era in junior football is about to sweep the nation, FFA are in the process of introducing a new playing format for junior players aged 12 and under. The new initiative Small Sided Games is a directive from Football Federation Australia. FFA recently completed a comprehensive review of talent development and identification which highlights the need to improve the technical development of all our players aged between 5 and 17.
As a means of introducing the concept FFA have been visiting member states around the country with a presentation on the Small Sided Games and how this will be implemented. The FFA team was headed up by the National Technical Director Rob Baan, who credentials are second to none. Rob was recently in Perth with head of Football Development Matthew Bulkeley and National Participation Manager John Boulous. At the evening hosted by Football West at Inglewood FC Rob Baan introduced the Small sided games process with a live demonstration to coaches and parents in attendance. Following the live demonstration which children from the Football West District Academies and Futsal program helped to show the games and pitch set up, the FFA team gave a presentation around the why the change and how to implement this.
Some of the benefits highlighted in the presentation are:
Far more repeated touches of the ball by all players More touches throughout all areas of the pitch More passes attempted and in a forward direction More attacking 1v1s, final third and penalty area entries Repeated decision making experience The ball is in play far more Repeated experience of basic tactical situations Active participation is directly related to increased fitness and enjoyment More experience in all phases of the game. There is less hiding or dominant player hogging the ball. Every child has to participate in all facets of the game, attack and defend. The emphasis is on PLAYER DEVELOPMENT Better success rate leads to improved quality of play, self esteem and player retention The game is easier to understand Freedom of expression – no positions in early stages Less perceived stress on the player 80% of children believed that they touched the ball more often in the small-sided game Less perceived pressure from coaches and parents Children enjoyed the progressive and sequential game formats
Research around the world and in Australia has shown that
Players touch ball five times more in 4 v4, 50 % more in 7 v 7 than in 11 v 11 Players attempted three times more 1 v 1’s in 4 v 4, two times more 1 v 1’s in 7 v 7 than in 11 v 11 Goals scored on average every 1.5 mins. in 4 v 4, 3.6 mins. in 7 v 7 & 8 mins in 11 v 11 Technical skills performed by a goalkeeper is between two & four times more in 7 v 7 than in 11 v 11 Ball is out of play 8% of the match in 4 v 4, 14% in 7 v 7 and 34% in 11 v 11
Following the presentation Rob Baan and the FFA team answered any questions from the floor which some of the clubs had around small sided games, all who attended the evening were positive about the changes and voiced their support for the program. I f you have any questions or wish to read more around the Small Sided Games please download the handbook which helps explain the concept. Small sided games will be implemented in Western Australia over the next 4 years; it will begin in metro Perth in 2009 for 6 and 7 year olds with some regional areas implementing this for 6 and 7 year olds in 2008. This will allow us to begin the roll out and evaluate the process which will help us identify areas to improve for implementation in 2009. We have also put together some frequently asked questions which may help explain the process a little better? Links: SSG_handbook.pdf (760.24 KB) |
