In short
Under-10 football is usually 7v7, or 5v5 in some countries, on a small pitch with goalkeepers and rules that encourage playing out from the back. It is the best age to start using video: a few seconds of your own match show children where the space was, and the coach sees patterns that are invisible from the touchline. Film from the halfway line, high, with the whole pitch in frame, and show children seconds, not minutes.
What changes at under-9 and under-10
Around eight and nine, children start to see team-mates as well as the ball. Passing becomes a choice rather than an accident, goalkeepers appear, and players can hold a rough position for a few minutes. They can understand one simple idea per week, especially if they can see it.
This is still an age for many touches and equal playing time. Rotate positions, including goalkeeper, so every child learns the whole game.
- Passing and receiving start to matter.
- Simple positions: defending, middle, attacking.
- Goalkeepers who play with their feet as well as their hands.
- Short attention for talk, high appetite for play.
Typical formats at under-10
Check your association, as rules change. As a guide: in England, under-9 and under-10 football is played 7v7. US Soccer recommends 7v7 at under-9 and under-10, with a build-out line that gives the goalkeeper's team time to play out. Other countries use 5v5 or 8v8 at this age.
A 7v7 pitch is roughly 45 by 30 to 55 by 35 metres, with goals of about 3.6 by 1.8 metres. Many leagues do not publish tables at this age.
- 7v7 with goalkeepers, or 5v5 in some leagues.
- Size 4 ball.
- Build-out or retreat lines to encourage playing from the back.
- Rolling substitutions and equal playing time.
- Common 7v7 shapes: 2-3-1, 3-2-1, and the 2-1-2-1 diamond.
What to coach at this age
The priority is still the individual with the ball, now in the context of a small team. Pick one theme per week and let the game teach it.
- 1v1 attacking and defending.
- Receiving on the half-turn, ready to face forward.
- Passing to feet and into space.
- Support: making an angle so the ball carrier has an option.
- Playing out from the goalkeeper.
- Simple defending: pressure on the ball, cover behind.
How to film an under-10 match
One phone is enough on a 7v7 pitch. Stand on the halfway line, outside the touchline, five to ten metres back, and lift the phone to three or four metres on a tripod with a pole. Keep the whole pitch in a locked frame, and do not follow the ball: for this age, the team's shape tells you more than the ball does.
Landscape, 1080p at 30 frames per second, the main lens, focus and exposure locked, airplane mode on. The full guide, with what the phone sees from each position, is in the how-to video below.
How to use video with nine-year-olds
Children this age learn from seeing, but only in small doses. Pick two or three moments, freeze them, and draw the one thing you want them to notice: the free team-mate, the space behind, the angle that would have helped. Show them for ten minutes before training, on a tablet or a laptop, and then go and play it.
Always start with something that went well. Never single out a child's mistake in front of the group; show the situation, not the person.
- Two or three clips per session, never a whole half.
- One idea per week, the same idea in training.
- Freeze, draw an arrow, ask a question.
- Positive clip first, learning clip second.
How TacticalSnap helps at under-10
Choose 7v7 (or 5v5) when you import the match, and the scan finds the players and marks the shots on the timeline. Freeze any moment, fix the team colours if needed, and draw arrows, zones and labels. Record a short voiced take over the frozen frame, and the explanation is ready for the next session.
Before the match, the Pre-Match board opens with a 7v7 or 5v5 pitch and the common shapes, including the diamond. Save your squad once in My Teams and put names on the players, so every board and every clip shows who is who.
A weekly routine
- Saturday: film the match from the halfway line.
- Sunday: import it, let the scan run, pick three moments.
- Freeze each one, draw the idea, record a short voiced take.
- Before training: show the clips for ten minutes.
- Training: a game that repeats the same situation.
Children, consent and privacy
Under-10s are children, so the rules for footage stay strict. Follow your club's policy first, get written consent from parents before the season, use footage for coaching only, share it privately rather than through public links, and delete what you no longer teach from. TacticalSnap analyses video on the device; nothing is uploaded.
How-to videos for this age group
How to film a youth football match (U5–U10) so the video is actually useful
How to import a match into TacticalSnap (and what the first scan finds)
How to freeze a moment and scan the players in TacticalSnap
How to draw on a frozen frame in TacticalSnap (arrow, line, circle, zone, freehand)
How to record a take on a frozen frame in TacticalSnap
How to set up a 7v7, 9v9 or 5v5 board in TacticalSnap
How to save your team and use it on any board in TacticalSnap
How to put names on the players in a match video with TacticalSnap
Questions coaches ask
Do under-10s play 7v7 or 9v9?
In England and in US Soccer's guidance, under-9 and under-10 play 7v7, and 9v9 starts at under-11. Some countries use 5v5 or 8v8, so check your association.
What is a good 7v7 formation for under-10s?
2-3-1 and 3-2-1 are the most common, and the 2-1-2-1 diamond gives every player a clear neighbour. Rotate positions so every child learns the whole pitch.
How long should a video session be for nine-year-olds?
About ten minutes, with two or three short clips around one idea, followed straight away by a training game on the same theme.
Should I show children their mistakes on video?
Show situations, not individuals. Start with a clip that went well, freeze the moment, and ask what else was possible rather than who got it wrong.
Can TacticalSnap analyse a 7v7 match video?
Yes. Choose the 7v7 or 5v5 format when importing. The scan, freeze, drawing tools and the Pre-Match board all support small-sided formats.
Use it on your own matches
TacticalSnap runs on an iPhone or iPad, entirely on the device. Every analysis tool is free; exporting video is the only paid step.