The Game
Goals vs Play
Soccer is a game of tactics that relies on both teamwork and individual skills. A combination of tactical team maneuvers and sudden bursts of individual creativity win games. What makes a good team and a good game is a careful balance of both.
The more you learn about the game, the less scoring matters. In basketball, it is the frequency of the scoring that makes the game. In soccer it is the play of the game that leads to a goal or a chance at scoring.
What Game Is Right For Your Child
Kids play a variety of different games depending on their age and where you live. What? I thought soccer was all the same! Though the basics of the game are still the same, younger kids need to play smaller games than adults and teenagers. The younger they are, the smaller the game should be.
The games vary because clubs and leagues have different ideas about what games kids should play at a certain age. The three basic types of games are explained on the next page.
Different games are often described as 4 v 4 or 3 v 3. This is short for 3 players versus 3 players. It’s just a shorter way of saying how many players are on each team.
Age categories often use terms like U16 or U8. The term U16 means Under-16 years of age.
