08/11/2021
NEW FORMS OF KIDS FOOTBALL ENTER THE EXTENDED PILOT PHASE
The sparkle of children's eyes, the enjoyment of football, the personal experience of success, as well as the improvement of individual playing skills are the goals pursued through the new forms of play in the age groups from U6 to U11. The concept also represents a further joint measure for the further development of the training and talent promotion system in Germany. Following the first trial runs, the youth model G, F, and E will enter the next pilot phase in the 2019/2020 season, involving ten state associations across the country. In addition, there is the Bavarian Football Association, which has been testing new forms of play for a number of years and is now introducing them further.
In fact, the new forms of play allow for a smaller team size on a smaller playing field. In G-Jugend, two-by-two or three-by-three games are played with four mini-objectives. In F-youth, three for three is also recommended, previously in E-youth there was a constant transition to five to five and seven to seven with a small field goal and a goalkeeper. To minimize the need to compete and focus more on the athletic development of children, there will be no championship rounds in the appropriate age groups with the new model. Instead, tournaments with multiple teams and playgrounds are planned. The experience with the tested changes is very positive.
“Children learn the core values of football even better”
“Each child is involved in a variety of ball-related activities,” says Dr. Hans-Dieter Dreitz, DFB Vice President for Youth Affairs. “Children play a game that suits their abilities and interests. And: Children learn even better the core values of football, namely fair play, enjoyment of games and overcoming victories and defeats. This is not only for the individual sports development of children, but after the 2019 Amateur Football Congress, it will also strengthen all football and its clubs on a grassroots level. "
Children implement the rules of the game as independently as possible - as they got used to for years from the fair play league in the younger age groups - the referees are not on duty. Coaches and supervisors act as tournament directors and should only intervene when necessary. This concept also means that teams are regularly rotated during games in accordance with the principles of fixed rotation so that each player has ample working time.
"Football in a new design, child-friendly"
Markus Hirte, Head of Talent Promotion at DFB, explains: “The new design makes football more child-friendly. Because: the larger the group, the less the ball contacts individual players, the pleasure and the chance for further development are lost. In addition, in children's football, tactics are often applied too early, which affects the teaching of the basics of football. This has been shown by many studies. New forms of play are designed to counteract these problems. "
New Forms of Play is a pilot project that will be expanded for the new season. The intensification of the testing phase is intended to help collect additional empirical insights with associations, including with regard to organizational aspects, so that adjustments can be made if necessary before the concept can be rolled out nationwide. The new model is currently an alternative, the previously practiced forms of play among young people G, F and E are mostly still possible in the 2019/2020 season. “In the end, children will decide what to do next because of their enthusiasm,” says Markus Hirte.
The most important questions and answers about new forms of play in children's football are collected in the FAQ (https://www.dfb.de/news/detail/kinderfussball-wichtige-fragen-antworten-205540/)
