Score and keep possession

Use this session to teach your players how to build up from the back by working on the passing of your keeper and on the possession play of your defenders and midfielders. It teaches movement from defence into the midfield and encourages players to score and keep possession in order to run down the clock and win the game.

Set up

Set up a goal at each end using half your normal pitch. We’ve used 16 players.

How to play it

Start with a pass from a keeper to a team-mate in the defensive half. Once the first pass has been played, the keeper can subsequently pass to players further up the pitch. Teams should use keepers like an extra outfield player and pass back whenever possible.
To encourage defenders to keep possession, once a team has scored they are prohibited from scoring again until the other team has scored – and if they regain possession before the other team scores, they must try to keep hold of the ball and run the clock down. Play for 15 minutes.

Technique

Look for players using the keeper to create space at the back and open up opportunities to pass the ball into midfield. Once a team scores, let them work out how they can regain the ball and keep hold of it