4v4 Without Goalkeepers

1. Mark a pitch 30 metres long and 20 wide, with a goal about 3 metres wide and 1 metre high at each end.
2. Two teams of four. No goalkeepers: nobody uses hands, and nobody stands in goal.
3. Every restart is dribbled in: the kick-off, after a goal, when the ball goes out, a free kick. One player puts the ball down and dribbles it into play.
4. No referee. The players settle their own calls; an adult keeps time and says nothing from the side.
5. Play games of six minutes, then reshuffle the teams. With twelve or more players, run a second pitch rather than making anyone wait.

With four a side there can be a player on each side of the ball, one behind and one ahead, so the player in possession has a real choice: dribble into space, pass short to the side, or play forward. Off the ball, the other three decide where to stand so the passer can see them: wide, deep or close. When the ball is lost, all four become defenders at once, and someone has to decide to press.