Small-Sided Games
Finishing Halfway Line Game
Coach the whole team moving up and down together
Small-Sided Games
Team Shape
Transition
Finishing Halfway Line Game is a 20-minute small-sided games drill for 8-18 players, suitable for Under 9 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, bibs, mini goals. 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
Team Shape
Transition
Small-Sided Game
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Goals Needed
Finishing
Duration
20 min
Players
8-18
Pitch size
40 x 30 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Finishing Halfway Line Game — Goalkeeping set-up — serve, save, reset · 40 x 30 yards
Step 1 of 5Goals only count when every attacking player has crossed halfway.
- 1. Goals only count when every attacking player has crossed halfway.
- 2. Defending teams must have everyone behind the ball to earn a clean-sheet point.
- 3. Play four-minute games with short breaks.
- 4. Every sequence starts with a pass out and ends with a strike on goal.
- 5. Goals score one, first-time finishes score two, and rebounds must be followed in.
- Cones mark the area
- Full goal
- GK = goalkeeper
- C = coach serving, S = second server
- Ball
- Cones mark the keeper's starting positions
- Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
- Keeper distributes back to the server
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Coach the whole team moving up and down together
- -Keep the shape compact between the lines
- -Reward organised, connected play
Setup
- 1A pitch with a clearly marked halfway line in a 40 x 30 yards area.
- 2Set a goal at the end of the area with a keeper or a target zone if no keeper is available.
- 3Balls with the coach, two sets of bibs.
Coaching instructions
- 1Goals only count when every attacking player has crossed halfway.
- 2Defending teams must have everyone behind the ball to earn a clean-sheet point.
- 3Play four-minute games with short breaks.
- 4Every sequence starts with a pass out and ends with a strike on goal.
- 5Goals score one, first-time finishes score two, and rebounds must be followed in.
Coaching points
- -Push up together when the ball goes forward
- -Recover together when it is lost
- -Stay compact between the lines
- -Head up before the strike — pick the side, then commit
Common mistakes
- -Strikers not tracking back
- -Defenders staying deep when the team attacks
- -Rushing the shot and leaning back over the ball
Where this drill fits
- More football small-sided games drills
- More football team shape drills
- More football transition drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme