Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Creating overloads (Start Time: 2025-03-24 21:55:00)

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Primary Focus

General session to give an opportunity to coach defending against the overload so all players will gain a better understanding of this task. The in-possession team will try to play / combine quickly to take advantage of the overload vs the opposition whilst attacking the goal to score.

Organisation

12 Players will be organised into 3 teams of 4 with 2 neutral players and 2 GK's. To start, the blue team will defend. The white team will begin in possession and play to a yellow neutral to create the overload to score. The blue team will aim to affect the attack, slow down the momentum, hopefully regain possession, counter attack and score using the other yellow target player to overload on the counter.

Multi-directional - The scoring team receives the ball back from the GK of the goal they just scored.

Game re starts the same going the other way after the coach's whistle to allow the active neutral player to return to the side of the field so the practice can re-set its set up with neutral player ready. One transition of possession / counter allowed per phase of play before a regular re start to manage physical load.

Area Size

Area size will be 30m in length and 30m wide.

The central area will be 16m with the wider areas 8m

Wide channel is 5m for neutral players.

Age and ability of the players will dictate any change.

Player No's

12 players in total. 2 Gk, 2 neutral players.

Timings

9 minutes split into 3x3minute blocks - 1-2 minute transition to follow.

Start with 6 seconds countdown for attackers to shoot at goal as they enter the final 1/3.

Explanation

The GK for the yellow team and 2 defenders begin the session.

One yellow player remaining un-opposed dropping inside coned defensive area to receive.

The neutral player can enter the un-opposed central grid to receive the pass.

This neutral player then joins to create a 3 v 2.

As soon as the neutral player arrives in the attacking zone, the attackers 

try to combine and score. Defending team prepare to defend the overload in a 2 v 3.

Neutral players can be rotated every 3 minutes.

Defending team aim to win the ball and pass into any of the small wide goals. If mini goals aren't available, they can attack the opposite goal on a countdown to maintain tempo. 

Conditions

Progressions (Harder)

Regressions (Easier)

Key Points