Small-Sided Games
Pressure End Zone Game
Reward forward passing and running with the ball
Small-Sided Games
Attacking
Passing
Pressure End Zone Game is a 16-minute small-sided games drill for 6-18 players, suitable for Under 9 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, bibs. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill librarySmall-Sided Games
Attacking
Passing
Small-Sided Game
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Under Pressure
Duration
16 min
Players
6-18
Pitch size
32 x 22 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Pressure End Zone Game — Marked area · 32 x 22 yards
Step 1 of 5Teams score by controlling the ball inside the opposition end zone.
- 1. Teams score by controlling the ball inside the opposition end zone.
- 2. The ball must be passed into the zone, not dribbled in.
- 3. Restart immediately from the conceding team.
- 4. The defender is released the moment the ball leaves the server's foot.
- 5. The working player scores by completing the action before pressure arrives; the defender scores by blocking it.
- Cones mark the area
- Dashed lines = zones / thirds
- Ball
- C = coach / server
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Reward forward passing and running with the ball
- -Create a game that works without goals
- -Encourage runs beyond the defensive line
Setup
- 1A pitch with a three-yard end zone at each end in a 32 x 22 yards area.
- 2Position a recovering defender behind each working player, starting two yards back.
- 3Balls with the coach, two sets of bibs.
Coaching instructions
- 1Teams score by controlling the ball inside the opposition end zone.
- 2The ball must be passed into the zone, not dribbled in.
- 3Restart immediately from the conceding team.
- 4The defender is released the moment the ball leaves the server's foot.
- 5The working player scores by completing the action before pressure arrives; the defender scores by blocking it.
Coaching points
- -Run beyond the line to receive
- -Time the pass with the run
- -Defend the zone, not the ball
- -Feel the pressure with your body, take the touch away from the defender
Common mistakes
- -Runs made too early
- -Passing into the zone with nobody there
- -Facing your own goal and getting trapped by the press
Where this drill fits
- More football small-sided games drills
- More football attacking drills
- More football passing drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme