What's the thoughts on NZ's current junior structure re X aside/ pitch dimension?
Is 4/5 aside best for the under 8's? When should full 11 aside kick in?
What's the thoughts on NZ's current junior structure re X aside/ pitch dimension?
Is 4/5 aside best for the under 8's? When should full 11 aside kick in?
I quite like the current setup, my son plays in the u10's and they are playing 7 a side at the moment and will do so again next season I think, moving to 9 aside and the full pitch by 13?
it gives every kid a chance to touch the ball with the smaller pitches, which is what NZF are trying to achieve right? go to 11 aside too early and you'll have kids leaving cos they never see the ball or maybe touch it once and they learn nothing.
I quite like the current setup, my son plays in the u10's and they are playing 7 a side at the moment and will do so again next season I think, moving to 9 aside and the full pitch by 13?
it gives every kid a chance to touch the ball with the smaller pitches, which is what NZF are trying to achieve right? go to 11 aside too early and you'll have kids leaving cos they never see the ball or maybe touch it once and they learn nothing.
is 13 too early?
I quite like the current setup, my son plays in the u10's and they are playing 7 a side at the moment and will do so again next season I think, moving to 9 aside and the full pitch by 13?
it gives every kid a chance to touch the ball with the smaller pitches, which is what NZF are trying to achieve right? go to 11 aside too early and you'll have kids leaving cos they never see the ball or maybe touch it once and they learn nothing.
is 13 too early?
I don't think so. Pretty sure in Italy we moved to full pitches (and goals) by age 12 and I don't recall there being any issues.
I was a goalkeeper back then and persevered for two more years until I realised I was never going to reach the required 1.90 to make it as a pro (or even 1.70m for that matter) and starting working my magic in midfield.
Perhaps relying on casting your memory back 30 years isn't the greatest (even if you were the same size back then nzp)?
Thoughts on watching a 13s game now, and seeing how many interactions the players have? Any differences between a first team and say a third tier team?
I quite like the current setup, my son plays in the u10's and they are playing 7 a side at the moment and will do so again next season I think, moving to 9 aside and the full pitch by 13?
it gives every kid a chance to touch the ball with the smaller pitches, which is what NZF are trying to achieve right? go to 11 aside too early and you'll have kids leaving cos they never see the ball or maybe touch it once and they learn nothing.
is 13 too early?
I dont think so, by that age they've played for a good couple of years and are probably ready to focus on the larger game.
I quite like the current setup, my son plays in the u10's and they are playing 7 a side at the moment and will do so again next season I think, moving to 9 aside and the full pitch by 13?
it gives every kid a chance to touch the ball with the smaller pitches, which is what NZF are trying to achieve right? go to 11 aside too early and you'll have kids leaving cos they never see the ball or maybe touch it once and they learn nothing.
is 13 too early?
I dont think so, by that age they've played for a good couple of years and are probably ready to focus on the larger game.
what about say 2v2 for 5/6 year olds?
If 13 year olds have to take short corners, perhaps they are not ready for those pitches.
If 13 year olds have to take short corners, perhaps they are not ready for those pitches.
why would you ever be encouraging goal kicks past halfway in youth sides?
keep the team numbers as small as practical for as long as possible. The biggest reason is to keep touches of the ball at a maximum, the more players are involved with the ball the better the chance of improving technique and skill. NZ needs as many highly technical players as possible to be competitive at senior level.
13 year olds wont be hurt by not learning 11 v 11 tactics with respect to their football knowledge 5 years later. All the fundamentals of tactical play are still possible within a 9v9 setup on a smaller pitch.
More touches of the ball is the most important consideration at this age and level.
The people wanting 11 v 11 are applying adult thinking to the game when the younger players need games appropriate to their technical needs.
Perhaps relying on casting your memory back 30 years isn't the greatest (even if you were the same size back then nzp)?
Thoughts on watching a 13s game now, and seeing how many interactions the players have? Any differences between a first team and say a third tier team?
I was actually taller - I just shrunk with age!
Agree that the smaller the pitch and the number of players, the more touches a kid gets. But when is it too late to make the switch? I mean, top 16 year olds will be training and sometimes appearing with their CL/NL sides, that only gives them 3 years to play on full side pitches (often against men).
Perhaps relying on casting your memory back 30 years isn't the greatest (even if you were the same size back then nzp)?
Thoughts on watching a 13s game now, and seeing how many interactions the players have? Any differences between a first team and say a third tier team?
I was actually taller - I just shrunk with age!
Agree that the smaller the pitch and the number of players, the more touches a kid gets. But when is it too late to make the switch? I mean, top 16 year olds will be training and sometimes appearing with their CL/NL sides, that only gives them 3 years to play on full side pitches (often against men).
well they should find it easier scoring in bigger goals then :)
would be interesting to get some stats (player touches/tackles/passes/shots) from an age 13 full field 11v11. I reckon some players in some teams could get through a game doing fark all.
One gotcha is the transition from 9v9 to 11v11. You really need to have the numbers for three 9-aside teams so that the next season you can form two 11-aside teams. It gets a little awkward if you only have two 9-aside teams and you can only form one 11-aside team, you either need to find some extra players from somewhere to field two 11aside teams , or find a home for the better players or those at the bottom. This tends to affect the girls side more than the boys with the lower numbers
Also with girls and school football if born between January and March it is possible to be playing 13th grade 9v9 size 4 ball on Saturday, and 1st XI or Junior A 11v11 size 5 ball on Wednesday
Yes, true. We had two 11th grade teams last season (9aside) and could only manage one 13th grade this season, squad numbering 20. I admire the coaches for the way they have kept them all tuned in and participating.
why would you ever be encouraging goal kicks past halfway in youth sides?
Perhaps relying on casting your memory back 30 years isn't the greatest (even if you were the same size back then nzp)?
Thoughts on watching a 13s game now, and seeing how many interactions the players have? Any differences between a first team and say a third tier team?
Perhaps relying on casting your memory back 30 years isn't the greatest (even if you were the same size back then nzp)?
Thoughts on watching a 13s game now, and seeing how many interactions the players have? Any differences between a first team and say a third tier team?
yeah I think 13 and maybe 14 grade would ideally be intermediate size pitches around those dimensions - but it isn't that practical to have such pitches
why would you ever be encouraging goal kicks past halfway in youth sides?
its one way to learn you can't be offside from a goal kick :-)
Perhaps relying on casting your memory back 30 years isn't the greatest (even if you were the same size back then nzp)?
Thoughts on watching a 13s game now, and seeing how many interactions the players have? Any differences between a first team and say a third tier team?
yeah I think 13 and maybe 14 grade would ideally be intermediate size pitches around those dimensions - but it isn't that practical to have such pitches