The Football Association (FA) has announced that from next season, the youngest age group in youth football—under-sevens, comprising six- and seven-year-olds—will play three-a-side matches instead of the traditional five-a-side format. This change, part of a broader strategy for youth football, is designed to improve young players' technical abilities and decision-making on the pitch. The FA hopes that the 3v3 model, which is already common in several European nations, will foster a love for the game and enhance player development.
A New Approach to Youth Football
During a demonstration at St George's Park, the FA's national football centre, youngsters played 3v3 on small pitches with collapsible goals, wearing colourful bibs. The atmosphere was lively and unstructured, with children freely dribbling, passing, and forming new teams. According to John Folwell, the FA's head of grassroots coach development, the format encourages players to develop agility, balance, and coordination while getting plenty of touches on the ball. "3v3 gives you lots and lots of touches on the ball, lots of dribbles, lots of 1v1s," Folwell said. "Go next to your opponent, do your tricks, do your skills, try and outwit them. That's what we want to encourage."
No Goalkeepers or Referees
Unlike five-a-side football, 3v3 has no goalkeepers and no referees. This change aims to give children more ownership of the game and recreate the "playground feel" of informal play. "The main driver was seeing if we could create a model that allows every kid to play," Folwell explained. "We know that in five-a-side, goalkeepers are often standing around. And we know that there's often squads of nine, with three or four on the side." The absence of referees also encourages players to resolve disputes themselves, fostering independence and resilience.
Learning from European Models
The FA is not the first to adopt 3v3 football. Countries like Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands have used similar formats for over a decade. Germany has developed a variant called Funino, which features two sets of goals to emphasise passing. The FA's adoption of 3v3 is part of a broader effort to catch up with European best practices in youth development.
Rachel Yankey, a former England and Arsenal star and an ambassador for the FA's youth strategy, believes the format can help address the dropout rate among young players, especially girls. "Three v three is a throwback to how we played when we were growing up," she said. "There wasn't a parent or a referee, it was just about playing and learning that social side. Maybe with structured football you lose a little bit of personality and that resilience of just being able to get on with it."
Parental Concerns and Cultural Shift
While trials have been largely positive, some parents have expressed concerns. The lack of a goalkeeper and the unstructured nature of the game have drawn criticism, with some saying "it's just not football." However, the FA believes that 3v3 can improve sideline behaviour by reducing the focus on results. With multiple games happening simultaneously, parents are less likely to shout instructions from the touchline. "We think this model takes away that focus," Folwell said.
Beyond Youth Development
3v3 football has also gained popularity outside of grassroots settings. Events like Stormzy's Merky FC Cup and the Adidas World Cup commercial featuring Timothée Chalamet, Lamine Yamal, and Jude Bellingham have given the format a cultural buzz. While it may not replace traditional football, the FA's introduction of 3v3 for under-sevens is a significant step towards modernising youth development and ensuring the future of the game.
