Football Drills & Trainingby Play 2 Earn Sports

Football drills with mini goals:45 you can watch in 3D

Mini goals give every drill a target, so players start looking up and making choices without being told.

Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Get early access
See all 45 mini goal drills in the app
The sample drill Slow Pass Means Go: six players on a green pitch.
Try itSlow Pass Means Go

Drag a player, then press play. These are sample names: sign in and your real roster imports automatically. Try your own names, numbers and kit.

Mini goals work at any age because scoring is easy to understand and there is no keeper to get past. These run from U6 to adult teams, with most for younger groups. Here are a few to look at, and the app has all 45, each one playing in 3D.

8 of 45

Left Goal or Right Goal?: 12 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U8

Left Goal or Right Goal?

8 min · 12 players

Read which goal the defender leans towards, then carry the ball through the other one to score.

  • Watch the defender's feet
  • Pick the weaker side
Pick A Goal, Any Goal: 7 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U8

Pick A Goal, Any Goal

10 min · 7 players

Score in whichever little goal your team can reach first, with the floater helping the side that has the ball.

  • Look up after every touch and dribble towards the little goal with nobody near it
  • The floater stays in the middle and turns to whichever side has the most open grass
2v1 to Goal Then the Defender Breaks Out: 4 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U10

2v1 to Goal Then the Defender Breaks Out

12 min · 4 players

Finish a 2v1, then react as the defender wins the ball and breaks out to the mini goals.

  • Attack the defender at speed to make the 2v1
  • The defender steps in front, wins it and turns out
Spot the Open Goal: 6 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U10

Spot the Open Goal

12 min · 6 players

Beat three defenders by spotting which of the two far targets is left unguarded, with a point for each finish.

  • When the defenders crowd one mini goal, swing the ball to the teammate facing the other
  • Turn your hips towards both goals before the ball arrives so you can choose
Hunt the Backward Ball: 9 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. Adult

Hunt the Backward Ball

18 min · 9 players

Treat every ball played towards the own goal as the signal to jump, with a fifth player covering the midfield outlet.

  • The back pass is the trigger, so the nearest forward sprints as soon as the receiver's body opens towards their own goal
  • Arrive on a curve that lets the receiver go only further back towards the centre-back
Two Mini Goals, Pick Your Side: 4 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U12

Two Mini Goals, Pick Your Side

12 min · 4 players

Choose which mini goal to attack and get there first, with a point for every goal and a point for the defender who wins the ball.

  • Pick your side in the first two metres, because the defender cannot cover both goals
  • Fake one way with your hips and push the ball through the gap on the other side
Break Out To The Mini Goals: 8 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U14

Break Out To The Mini Goals

16 min · 8 players

Score the 2v1, then win the ball back and counter to the mini goal for double points.

  • One point for the 2v1 finish, two for the counter into the far mini goal
  • The first pass after the win goes forward through the mini goal side
Sell One Goal, Score The Other: 11 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U14

Sell One Goal, Score The Other

14 min · 11 players

Drive at one mini goal to drag two defenders over, then cut back and carry the ball into the other.

  • Make the first goal look real: eyes up on it and three hard touches before you change your mind
  • Cut back when the nearest defender's weight is on the front foot, not while the defender is still stationary

37 more mini goal drills are in the app, each playing in 3D with the full set-up and steps.

See all 45 mini goal drills in the app

Why use mini goals

Lots of goals

More players score more often, which keeps young groups busy and happy to try again.

Heads up

Two or more goals to attack make players look before they choose where to go.

Little to carry

Pop-up goals or two cones set up in seconds, on any part of the pitch.

Setting them up

Pick the width

Narrow goals reward a careful pass. Wider ones keep the game flowing for younger players.

Use more than two

Four goals on a grid give players a reason to switch the point of attack.

Score a set way

Goals only count from a pass or below a line, so nobody shoots from far away.

Questions

Do I need real mini goals?

No. Two cones make a gate, and it works the same for most of these drills.

What age are mini goal drills for?

U6 up to adult teams, with most of the 45 for U8 to U12.

How long does a mini goal drill run?

Most run for 8 to 16 minutes. Change the teams often to keep it lively.

See all 45 mini goal drills in the app

Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Get early access
About the football drills app