Training for young footballers: Fun exercises for children up to 7 years old

Success in football doesn't come overnight, so it's important to train regularly from a young age. Exercises for preschool children, of course, look a bit different than training for adult players. Training exercises for footballers up to 7 years old mainly focus on running with the ball at their feet and ball control, usually on a smaller field. Good coaches also think about fostering a love for the sport and approach training in a fun way. Let's take a look at the 5 most popular football games that are most often chosen.

1. Filling the bucket

Children prefer races and competitions much more than standard training sessions. Little footballers are no exception, as they love games like Filling the bucket. In this activity, players are divided into two teams, ideally with three players each so that everyone has their own ball. Then, they race to see who can gather the balls in a specific spot in the middle of the field first while also running to the opposite side. This way, kids learn to run with the ball at their feet and have loads of fun at the same time.

2. Emptying the bucket

As a follow-up, young footballers can play a game where they do the opposite - moving the balls out of a marked area. The principle is the same as in 'Filling the bucket', just everything happens in the opposite way. This means that the balls start in one place, and the players try to run with them to the other end of the field as quickly as possible. Naturally, the team that reaches the spot first with all their balls wins.

3. Cleaning the room

This game is great for practicing kicking technique and improving speed and we recommend it for future goalkeepers too, who, in addition to quality football boots, must also have goalkeeper gloves. The principle is that players must keep their half completely empty. No ball should be left in the designated area within the given time, so the previously mentioned clean-up takes place, which is done very simply –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by kicking the balls to the other side of the field. Coaches or opponents try to return them as quickly as possible. Little footballers must aim as best as they can to kick the ball far away from where someone is standing. According to the football rules for players under 7 years old, the game is played on a smaller field than for adult footballers.

4. English Bulldog

You might know this game as "Sharks and Minnows" or you might call it something completely different. What's important is its concept, which doesn't originally involve soccer balls, but coaches of young footballers usually prefer its extended version. Do you know how it's played?

It's played on a field about 14 meters wide and 27 meters long, which is divided into three equal parts using discs and cones. Both sections on the edges are safe, but in the middle, there's a so-called danger zone. While other players are with the ball at the edges, two of them are designated as bulldogs and lurk in the danger zone.

At the start of the game, the coach blows the whistle and players try to run across the zone with the ball, where the bulldogs are waiting for them. None of them can steal the ball from them. And whoever loses their ball becomes a bulldog in the next round. The winner is the last player left who isn't a bulldog.

5. Four Goals

This game isn't just about fun, but also about training footwork and kicking techniques. Additionally, it encourages players to shoot at the goal. The key is to place four goals on the field, each in the middle of one side, so that there are always two facing each other. The number of balls should be higher than the number of players.

The young footballers are divided into four groups. The first players from each group initially run to the center for the balls and try to kick them into the goal. If the player succeeds, the next player from their group enters the game. This continues until there isn't a single ball left on the field, or until all the balls are in the goals. Whoever gets the most balls into their goal wins.