England boss Thomas Tuchel blamed the national team’s lack of “DNA” after the disappointing World Cup defeat by Argentina this summer. But while Tuchel talks about DNA, the FA is quietly trying to rewrite it from the ground up — by changing how the youngest kids in England play the game.
Young players at grassroots (Credits: BBC Sport)
From this season, children under seven in England have dropped from playing 5v5 to 3v3 — a radical experiment, built on two years of research, that could reshape the technical identity of English football for a generation.
Why Three Beats Five
The change is the result of an FA study with Liverpool John Moores University, which analysed over 400 games from under-6 to under-14 level. The conclusion: fewer players means more touches, more decisions, and more physical activity per child.
“All of the research done demonstrates that those players having more touches of the ball are more engaged in the game,” said John Folwell, the FA’s head of grassroots coach development. “There are no goalkeeper and no substitutes, so everyone is active in the game. They are not sitting on the side watching their mates play, or they are not standing in goal watching their friends play. They are actually involved in the game.”
The format does away with goalkeepers and referees entirely. The idea is simple: the ball is always close, the goals are open, and every child is in the action. Early feedback backs it up — “They are open goals and you can score more,” said one youngster, while another added: “There’s less players so it is easier to dribble around them.”
The Coaches Who Aren’t Sold Yet
The rollout, only weeks old, has not been without friction. The format creates logistical strain — more games, more pitches, more volunteers. Michael Bland, coach of Collingham FC’s under-7s in Nottinghamshire, admitted: “We have three pitches going on at once and all it needs is one parent to be at work and you are trying to keep an eye on three games and nine children at once.”
There are also footballing concerns. Mick Goodwin, a youth coach since the 1990s, worries about dominant players taking over: “You will get one dominant player in the 3v3 where the not-so-good players will not get a touch of the ball. What we’ve seen is the dominant player has been shooting from the halfway line. We can absolutely see the concept, I just think it needs a bit of finessing and it will be fine.”
One parent, Dean, is already seeing the difference in his son: “Before [my son] was just in goal but now he is learning to pass to other players, block stuff and be a better defender as well.”
Changing The English DNA
The FA is playing a long game. Back in 1999, it introduced mini-soccer for under-10s with the same logic — more touches, more involvement. The 3v3 move pushes that philosophy to its limit, betting that the players who will one day pull on an England shirt need thousands more decisions and touches as children to develop the possession-based instincts Tuchel says the nation lacks.
“I think ball possession plays a crucial role,” Tuchel said after the Argentina defeat. “It’s maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or Argentinian or Brazilian DNA to take the ball, control the game and the ball, which is also a big problem.”
DNA takes decades to rewrite. But somewhere in a muddy Nottinghamshire field, nine children are chasing a ball with no goalkeeper and no referee — and English football’s future may well be forming right there.
Also Read: Thursday Night Football: Seahawks Jump Out Early as They Visit Broncos at Mile High, Big 12 Admits Error in Notre Dame-BYU Ending, Says Irish Had 1 Second Left
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
