Sideline Soccer

Here’s a fun game for all ages, which coincidentally is the name of our website! This drill provides the opportunity for you as the coach to set up different player vs player situations just like in a real game.

Sideline Soccer Soccer Drill

Setup

  • Designate a playing area with cones.
  • The size of the playing area will depend on the number of players.
  • There should be a goal on either side of the end lines.
  • If smaller goals are used, goalkeepers are not necessary.
  • Line up two teams of players along the sidelines of the playing area.
  • For both teams, give each player a number and instruct the players to remember the number they’ve been given!

Instructions

  • Kick or throw the ball into the playing area while calling out a number.
  • The players with that designated number run onto the field and play against each other until one scores or the ball goes out of play.
  • Keep in mind that you can also call out more than one number!
  • Players that are not involved in the game can be used for passing. For example, the player in the game can pass the ball to a teammate on the sideline and in turn receive a pass from the teammate.

Coaching Tips

  • Instruct players to take advantage of the passing option with their teammates on the sideline.
  • A quick pass to a teammate who then returns a leading pass to you can result in a quick goal scoring opportunity.

Variations

  • Instead of calling a number for both teams, change it up by only allowing certain numbers from certain teams to come out.
  • For example, call number 1 but then call number 3 from team 2 only. This will result in a 2 vs 1 setup.