4v4 Zone Game
Two teams of four keep the ball in their end zones and score by passing through the middle — where a third team hunts in pairs.
Possession gets a purpose here: short passes hold the ball until the long pass through the middle is on, and the defenders learn how closing down shrinks those options.
Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive
- Grab: Cones and a few balls.
- Build: Build a grid about 24 by 15 yards and split it into three 8-by-15 zones with lines of cones.
- Place: One team of four in each zone. The middle team splits into two pairs of defenders — each pair owns one end zone.
Show me the setup picture
One thing to remember: Keeping possession for a purpose — short and long passing combinations, support, communication, and closing down.
How it runs — the whole game in one sentence
The end-zone teams keep the ball and score by passing through the middle to the far zone; the middle team defends in pairs — two press the ball, two cut the lanes.
1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Split into three teams of four and give each team a zone. Keeping defenders, midfielders, and attackers together on a team lets a unit work as a unit.
Coach says
Three teams, three zones. Middle team — you're the defenders. Split into two pairs.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
Walk the pattern — when the ball lives in an end zone, that zone's pair steps in to press while the other pair sits in the middle cutting lanes; when the long pass connects, the pairs trade jobs.
Coach says
End zones — keep it, and when the lane opens, hit the far team's feet. Middle — one pair presses, one pair cuts the lanes.
3Play▾
Coach does
Play a ball into one end zone and keep score out loud — a point for four passes in a zone, a point for an end-to-end pass, a point for a press that wins or forces the ball out, a point for a middle interception.
Coach says
Support every pass! Talk — man on, or you've got time.
Look for: The far zone getting ready early — receivers moving into good areas that make the long pass easy, not hopeful.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
Rotate the teams through the zones every five minutes so everyone defends the middle.
Coach says
Rotate! New team in the middle — pairs, pick your end.
If it's not working
If possession keeps dying, walk the zones a few steps bigger while they play — more room slows the pressure — then bring it back in once passes connect.
Want to go deeper? Optional — not needed to run the game.
Why are we doing this?
What are they learning?
How can I change it?
Easier: Make the whole area bigger.
Harder: Limit the number of touches per player.
Next: End Zone Game — the same end-to-end purpose, now with the whole team on one field.