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⚽ Soccer · ages 8–9 · U10

Soccer practice plan for 8 and 9 year olds (45 minutes)

Checked · v0.1.0

The whole practice: Warm-up 7 · three drills 24 · water 2 · game 8 · cool-down 4 minutes, for 10 players and 5 balls. Every player is moving in every block, the game comes last, and nobody is ever out.

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This practice

⚽ Soccer · ages 8–9 (U10) · 45 minutes · 10 players · 5 balls

  1. 0:007 min

    Warm-up Warm-up

    Jog on the spot, Arm circles, Skipping. About a minute each, easy first, then a little bigger.

  2. 0:078 min

    Drill Triangle passing

    X playerO partner or defender— run- - pass∿ dribble

    Set up. Three cones in a triangle six steps apart, a player at each. Gear: a ball a group, three cones a group. With your players that is 4 groups of about 3.

    1. Pass to the next player and follow your pass to their cone.
    2. Take the first touch across your body, away from where it came from.
    3. Change direction after a minute.

    Say: “Open your hips” · “Touch away” · “Pass and move”

    Easier: Two touches allowed, and walk after the pass. Harder: One touch, or a second ball going the other way.

  3. 0:158 min

    Drill Roll, stop and pass

    Set up. Partners four steps apart. One rolls the ball along the ground with their hands. Gear: a ball a pair. With your players that is 5 groups of about 2.

    1. The receiver stops the rolling ball with the sole, then the inside of the foot.
    2. Then passes it back along the ground.
    3. Ten each, then swap jobs.
    4. The ball always stays on the ground: no throws in the air.

    Say: “Get behind it” · “Soft foot” · “Then pass”

    Easier: A slow roll, and a sole stop every time. Harder: Receive on the move, a touch to the side, then pass.

  4. 0:232 min

    Water Water break

    Everybody drinks, in the shade if there is some.

  5. 0:258 min

    Drill Stoplight dribble

    Set up. Everyone dribbling inside a box of cones, the coach at the side. Gear: a ball each.

    1. Green: dribble anywhere in the box.
    2. Yellow: slow, little touches.
    3. Red: stop the ball with the sole of your foot and freeze.
    4. Nobody is out. A mix-up just means switch to the right color.

    Say: “Small touches” · “Sole on red” · “Find space”

    Easier: Walk; red means sit on your ball. Harder: Purple: turn and dribble the other way. Blue: weaker foot only.

  6. 0:338 min

    Game Small-sided game

    Set up. Games of 3v3 or 4v4 on a small field with cone goals and no goalkeepers. With more players, run two games side by side. Gear: a ball and two cone goals a game, pinnies. With your players that is 2 groups of about 8.

    1. Kick off from the middle; a goal is a ball through the cones along the ground.
    2. Out of bounds: the other team kicks it back in.
    3. Every three minutes, swap the teams round so everyone plays everyone.
    4. The score stays on the coach's paper, if it is kept at all.

    Say: “Spread out” · “Look up” · “Win it back together”

    Easier: Bigger goals, and two balls in play at once so everyone touches one. Harder: A goal only counts after three passes.

  7. 0:414 min

    Cool-down Cool-down

    Reach for your toes, Butterfly. About a minute each, easy first, then a little bigger.

Every plan here has a water break, two in practices over an hour (our rule). On hot days the CDC says to drink more water than usual without waiting to be thirsty, to start slowly and build up, and to practice when it is cooler. cdc.gov: Heat and Athletes. Head knocks and concussion: read CDC HEADS UP, the CDC's page for coaches and parents. cdc.gov/heads-up

peabody.kids/sports/plan/soccer/8-9v0.1.0 · Checked 31 October 2026

Why this practice looks like this

At U9–U10 the game grows to 7v7, and the first touch decides whether a pass becomes a chance or a turnover. This plan passes in triangles and stops a rolling ball (on the ground, never in the air), then plays a small-sided game so every player gets the ball often.

The drills are Peabody's own, in plain words, each with a drawing, three short things to say, and an easier and a harder way so one plan fits the whole team. The warm-up and the cool-down come from the Gym, where every move has picture steps a child can follow.

What the guidelines say at 8–9

More practices

Soccer at other ages:

Ages 8–9 in other sports:

Game day: make an equal-play-time lineup, or a bracket for the end-of-season tournament. All the tools are on the coaches' page.