The major reform of children’s play operations is already occupying many football clubs. It’s about costs, details – and the role of the coach.
The long-prepared reform of children’s play operations is occupying many football clubs throughout Germany. Although the so-called new forms of play are only mandatory from the 2024/2025 season, many state associations and districts are already doing without the classic club duels in seven against seven.
According to the German Football Association (DFB), 60 percent of the 21 state associations are already changing regular game operations across the board for the G-Juniors – also known as Bambini, U6 or U7. The children play on several fields in two-on-two or three-on-three on four mini-goals.
Breakthrough for Horst Wein’s Funino
This form of play has been known as Funino since the 1980s, an invention of the former national hockey coach Horst Wein. With the Funino, children have significantly more ball contact and a sense of achievement, as scientific studies have shown. In seven-a-side, on the other hand, weaker children are hardly involved in the game, and the two best players in a team have 80 percent of the ball actions.
The DFB is now reforming the game in the hope that the children will stop frustrated less often and will develop so well that they will be available as talents for top-flight football.
“Growing with the requirements”
A guide for the future game operation of the E, F and G youth provides for a gradual transition to the game on the large field. The older the children get, the bigger the teams and the more often big goals and goalkeepers are involved – for the first time in the first F youth year. “The children can grow with the demands”, says Markus Hirte, head of talent promotion at the DFB.
In the e-youth (U10 and U11) clubs can optionally hold club duels in six-on-six or seven-on-seven. Secondary fields should ensure that the substitute players are also challenged.
Patchwork carpet with different variants possible
The DFB guide provides two game form variants to choose from for each age group. In practice, there are likely to be significantly more deviations, because in many places the details of children’s play operations are traditionally determined by the district associations.
The sports show has written to all 21 state associations on how they want to implement the game forms. Everyone replied that they wanted to follow the DFB guidelines. But there are differences in the details. For example, the Football and Athletics Association of Westphalia (FLVW) recommends two instead of four mini goals in the three-on-three of the Bambinis. The reason for this is, among other things, a lower organizational and cost effort, writes the FLVW. Practice will show how well the children can still score goals.
Grassroots movement with pioneers
Several years of pilot projects and intensive discussions preceded the reform. In some regions, the new forms of play have been practiced for some time by grassroots movements or progressive officials. For example, the Württemberg Football Association points out that it carried out the first pilot children’s play days back in March 2011. In 2018, the association then decided to have Bambini and children’s play days carried out according to the Funino principles.
In other regions, however, the new forms of play are hardly widespread. Some trainers or officials at the base reject the plans in principle because they think the changes are too drastic. Others have concerns about questions of detail. If you want to organize a game day according to the new forms of play, you ideally need 16 of the mini goals, which can cost up to 200 euros. “I expect from the DFB that when it prescribes new forms of play, it also contributes to the costs required for implementation,” writes Rainer Lauffer, youth leader of the Saarland Football Association.
Discussion about costs and organization
However, the DFB has not planned any direct financial support at the moment. Among other things, he refers to creative solutions, for example that visiting clubs can bring goals, and to support from the state associations. Some have donated mini goals, others offer loan goals or discounts.
Another challenge for the volunteers in the clubs is the complex and labour-intensive organization of the game festivals. It would be helpful, at least for the little ones, if there was an accompanying person on each playing field. The DFB points out that parents can also take on this task. Because they only have to make sure that all the children are in the right place and that the game runs reasonably smoothly.
New self-image for children’s soccer coaches
Loud requests and tactical instructions from outside, on the other hand, are not desired anyway, not even from the coaches, says DFB talent promotion boss Hirte: “The children have no room to develop things themselves and to gain experience. Instead, they always do what is dictated from outside. That limits children in their development incredibly.”
The trainers should therefore take a step back and let the children play as independently as possible – even in the training sessions. shepherd advises, “to let try more, to accompany more, to ask more questions than to give answers”.
The DFB would like to convey this self-image as widely as possible, also by introducing a children’s trainer certificate. This course is significantly cheaper and more compact than a classic trainer’s license. The basic idea: street football should come into the clubs. “We want to create a framework in which children can develop, in which they can develop things independently and sometimes make mistakes,” says Hirte.
effect on training
Funino is considered to be the most suitable form of play for this approach. The DFB is betting that it will be played more often in training. After all, Funino will be the preparation for the weekend for the little ones in the future – when all districts have switched to playing by 2024 at the latest.