FA introduces 3v3 for under-sevens as part of youth football overhaul

The Football Association has introduced a 3v3 format for under-sevens in English grassroots football this season, with the change announced last month as part of a wider youth structure revision.

Thomas Tuchel’s comment after England’s World Cup loss to Argentina — “I think ball possession plays a crucial role,” he said. “It's maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or Argentinian or Brazilian DNA to take the ball, control the game and the ball, which is also a big problem.” — frames a debate about whether early coaching shapes national playing styles. The FA first moved to small-sided games with “mini-soccer” in 1999 and, until the end of last season, the smallest introductory format for children under seven had been 5v5.

The 3v3 games eliminate goalkeepers, substitutes and referees and are intended to increase individual involvement and touches of the ball; this change follows two years of research carried out by the FA with Liverpool John Moores University analysing more than 400 matches from under-6 to under-14 levels. "All of the research done demonstrates that those players having more touches of the ball are more engaged in the game," John Folwell, the FA's head of grassroots coach development, told BBC Sport. "They are also making more decisions and are engaged in more physical activity, so that is the thinking behind it."

Early implementation has presented logistical challenges for grassroots clubs. BBC Breakfast visited Collingham FC in Nottinghamshire, where under-7 coach Michael Bland said: "We have three pitches going on at once and all it needs is one parent to be at work and you are trying to keep an eye on three games and nine children at once." He added: "It is the self-officiating, dangerous tackles flying in and trying to teach the kids what a safe tackle is."

Some experienced coaches have voiced reservations about the format’s effects on participation and development. Mick Goodwin, a youth coach since the 1990s, said: "My concern is you will get one dominant player in the 3v3 where the not-so-good players will not get a touch of the ball." He also noted: "What we've seen is the dominant player has been shooting from the halfway line."

Parents and children at Collingham offered largely positive immediate reactions that reflect the FA’s stated aim of prioritising enjoyment over tactics or competitiveness for this age group. One child said: "They are open goals and you can score more," another said: "There's less players so it is easier to dribble around them," while a parent, Dean, observed: "Before [my son] was just in goal but now he is learning to pass to other players, block stuff and be a better defender as well." Parent Hannah added that her son has taken time to adapt because he has experience of the traditional format.

The absence of goalkeepers for one year has prompted questions about specialist development, but the FA maintains the trade-offs are manageable and that goalkeeping skills can still be practised. "When you make decisions like this, there are obvious trade-offs but we don't believe it is going to be detrimental to the development of future goalkeepers," Folwell said. "Obviously playing 3v3, players can't use their hands but they are still going to be developing skills of blocking, sliding across, needing to get between the ball and the goal. They will also improve their ability on the ball, which we know for goalkeepers now is an increasing technique they need to have. We don't believe that goalkeeping is an early specialisation position. There are lots of examples of players who have come through and ended up being goalkeepers at a later age - England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, for example, first played outfield for a long time."

Whether the 3v3 introduction will alter the long-term development pathway of English players will not be measurable for several years, and the FA acknowledges this is the first year of adoption. The format is already used in youth systems in countries including Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, and Folwell said experience tends to convert sceptics: "It is the first year of adoption and obviously these things can take time to implement and for people to accept change. What we have seen is that once people have experienced it they tend to be a convert and understand why we are doing it, because the children really love it."