Rotation instead of substitute players
The new forms of play provide for short, intensive games – depending on the age, with two, three or five children per team. The teams then rotate one field forward or backward depending on the result. So it’s also about winning, but not about an end result.
Small teams and four mini goals should enable all girls and boys to have more ball action and a sense of achievement. The older the kids get, the bigger the teams get and the more often big youth goals with goalkeepers are involved.
Instead of substitute players, there are rotation players: After each goal, there is a change according to a fixed order. And if a team is three goals behind, they are allowed to field an additional player until the score is equal again.
Promotion and participation of all players
Above all, the DFB expects more intensive support for boys and girls between the ages of six and eleven. “It’s about playtime, playtime, playtime. Also, not a single child should be left at home on game days.”, explained Florian Weissmann, member of the DFB youth committee, in a media round on Monday (01/24/2022).
They also want to favor the family environment. “We are more flexible with the new system. It doesn’t matter whether a club comes with three, five, seven or 15 players,” Weissmann said, so parents could also make their weekends more relaxed.
They do not want to adopt the name Funino. “Funino only refers to the three-a-side game. That’s not enough. In the future we’ll call it two-a-side football, three-a-side football or five-a-side football.”said Weissman.