2008 will see the replacement of Rooball with a new playing format called Small Sided Games (SSG) for the Under 6 to 9 grades. The games will consist of reduced player numbers as well as smaller playing fields. SSG will also be introduced in upcoming years for Under 10 to 12 grades.
The aim is for players to get more touches and have more involvement in the game. Most associations in Australia have changed to this system following the lead by the UK , Netherlands , Brazil , etc.
Summary of Major Changes
U6’s- 4 a side (2 subs)- NO GOALIE- 2 x 15mins, 30m x 20m.
U7’s- & 8’s- 5 a side (2 subs)- NO GOALIE- 2 x 20 mins, 30m x 20m.
U9’s- 7 a side (3 subs)- GOALIE- 2 x 25 mins, 40m x 30m
SSFA Statement on Small Sided Games.
Small Sided Games in 2008
The SSFA Management committee (MC) is excited to announce the introduction of Small Sided Games (SSG) for the 2008 season.
This was made possible due to an extensive review by the SSFA Coaches committee and the overwhelming support of the Association’s 26 member clubs. In short this will be a variation on the theme of Rooball and will require some significant changes to the way we play Football in 2008 for ages U6 – U9 inclusive.
Why?
The basis of SSG is that participants, playing on smaller fields and with smaller numbers, will interact with the ball on more occasions and be required to make less complicated tactical decisions. The result for participants is more fun (more successful interactions) and better skill/technique development.
FFA (Football Federation Australia) National Football Development Plan - 2007:
This change is aligned with FFA’s National Football Development Plan. SSG are already well entrenched in other parts of the world including Europe, Brazil and Argentina. SSG are also played in some other Australian grassroots associations. Large NSW associations like Kuringai, Blacktown and the Central Coast are also playing various formats of SSG in 2008.
The FFA have produced the SSG Handbook to better explain the impact and reasons behind the plan.
Implementation Whilst the FFA master plan is to have SSG a reality for ages U6 – U12 inclusive by 2011 however, at this stage the MC has decided not to adopt such a large change in 2008. Our position will be to assess the impact and feedback of the U6 – U9’s in 2008, before adopting U10 – U12’s. This timing will work in our favour for a few reasons; firstly if we decide to implement one extra age group each year we will achieve the plan for the U12’s by the required date 2011, secondly no player who has experienced 11 v 11 football will be asked to play in a format of less players as they progress. It is the intention of the current MC to assess the progression of the plan year by year.
Leadership As the largest Football association in Australia, it was the desire of the 2008 SSFA MC to provide leadership on the adoption of the plan from FFA. We feel that Football in Australia with the success of both the Male & Female National teams and the A League has moved into an exciting new phase. There has been no better time to support a unified approach to the game and it’s National and State bodies, all have undergone significant improvement in the way they support and engage the grassroots and market the complete product.
Communication and Education requirements The SSFA MC and Coaches committee are committed to a regular communication and education campaign to allow the changes to be implemented as trouble free as possible.
This will include website linked documents on the topic, club information nights with the assistance of the FFA and their National Management team including the Technical Director. There will also be Handbooks / Flyers for parents and letters to Under 8 players who will have their U9 format changed from 2007 expectations.
We encourage your feedback via a range of email addresses dependant on the subject matter
Coaching committee
Operations Manager
Association President
Finally, I encourage all of you to embrace this change for the betterment of our young players ability, involvement and ultimately their enjoyment. The MC intends to work with all clubs to ensure its success.
