5+2 v 5 on the Big Goal

Seven attackers work the ball around five defenders and a goalkeeper in quick four-minute rounds, hunting a way through to score on a real goal.

Preventing the opponent from scoring is a group job — a compact unit defending the goal together.

Ages 9–117 attackers + 8 defenders in two groups of four + 1 goalkeeper (built for 16)Up to 30 minCones, pinnies in two colors, balls, one standard goal, two mini goals

Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive

Grab: Cones, pinnies in two colors, a supply of balls, one standard goal, and two mini goals — this one uses a goalkeeper.
Build: Mark out a 28-by-36-yard field, played on the standard goal and the two mini goals.
Place: Seven red attackers — five on the field, two as outside players who may not dribble into the box — the goalkeeper in the standard goal, and the eight blue defenders split into two groups of four; each round plays 5+2 v 5, and Red always starts with the ball.

One thing to remember: Defending the goal as a unit — marking players and space, making it compact, and keeping it compact.

How it runs — the whole game in one sentence

Red attacks the standard goal 5+2 v 5 while Blue defends it; every four minutes the round ends and the defender groups switch, with Red always restarting on the ball.

1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Set the field, put the keeper in the standard goal, place the two mini goals, send Red's two outside players to their spots, and split the eight blues into two groups of four — first group in.
Coach says
Reds — five inside, two outside, and outside players never dribble into the box. Blues, first group, you're defending.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
Walk one rep — Red starts with the ball and attacks the standard goal, the outside players feed the attack without entering the box, and rounds run four minutes before the defender groups switch.
Coach says
Stay compact. Defend the player, defend the goal.
3Play▾
Coach does
Run it with two breaks, the source's own way — at the first break, ask the guided question and let them keep playing to discover the answer; at the second, they share answers with you and each other.
Coach says
What should you do when the attackers pass to one of the outside players? Keep playing — show me.
Look for: Defenders dropping back toward the goal, staying compact in the middle, and marking the forwards tightly when the ball goes wide.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
Switch the defender groups after every four-minute round and restart each attack with Red on the ball. Switch variants when the level is wrong — that is the design, not a failure.
Coach says
Round's over — next group of blues in. Red ball.

If it's not working

Too hard? Switch to 5+2 v 6 — one more defender, switching three out each round. Too easy? Go 7v5 — the field ten yards wider and the outside players inside it. Spend the thirty minutes either way.

Want to go deeper? Optional — not needed to run the game.

Why are we doing this?

The model answers give the defenders the whole protect-the-goal playbook in their own language — defend as a compact unit, actively engage the ball carrier, move with the ball, block shots — and the wide-ball rule too: when it goes to an outside player, drop back toward the goal, stay compact in the middle, mark the forwards tightly. The free-play answers set the direction from the first minute: steer attackers away from the goal, onto the wing.

What are they learning?

Defending the goal as a unit — marking players and space, making it compact, and keeping it compact.

How can I change it?

Easier: 5+2 v 6 — one more defender; switch out three defenders after each round.

Harder: 7v5 — the field ten yards wider, with the outside players now inside it.