For those involved in MiniRoos Football (previously known as Small Sided Games), FFA have put together a reminder of the format, rules & regulations to assist club MiniRoos co-ordinators on match day.
For the Under 6’s & 7’s age groups there are some non-negotiable elements of Mini-Roos. The MiniRoos Co-ordinator for each hub must enforce that, in the Under 6’s/7’s:
- There are only 4 players per team on the field at any time.
- No goalkeepers.
- Field size- recommended to be 30m x 20m.
- Duration of game- 2 x 15-20 min halves (plus 5 – 7 min half-time break)
The following information is required to host a MiniRoos Hub. More details at www.miniroos.com.au
Basic Rules for the 4-7 Age Groups
- Start of play & re-start after a goal – Pass forward to a team mate from the middle of the halfway line. All players must be in their own half of the field of play. Opponents must be at least 5m away from the ball until it is in play. The ball must touch a team mate before a goal can be scored.
- Ball crossing the touch line – There is no throw in. A player from the opposing team to the player that touched the ball last before crossing the touch line will place the ball on the touch line and pass or dribble the ball into play. Opponents must be at least 5m away from the ball until it is in play. The ball must touch a team mate before a goal can be scored.
- Ball crossing the goal line – There is no corner kick. Regardless of which team touched the ball last, a player from the team whose goal line the ball has crossed will place the ball anywhere along the goal line and pass or dribble the ball into play. Opponents must retreat to the half way line and can move once the ball is in play. The ball must touch a team mate before a goal can be scored.
- Fouls and misconduct – Indirect free kicks are awarded for all acts of handball or fouls and misconduct. Opponents must be at least 5m away from the ball when the indirect free kick is taken. (An indirect free kick is where a goal can be scored only if the ball subsequently touches another player before it enters the goal).
- There is no offside for the 5-11 age groups. Even though there isn’t an offside rule as such coaches and parents should not encourage players to stand in blatant offside positions as this practice isn’t in the spirit of the game and will have a negative impact on the football experience for everyone.
Why no goalkeepers in the 4-7 age group?
The role of the goalkeeper in football is uniquely specialised and typically players develop as goalkeepers at a later age. In the youngest age groups, keepers can be uninvolved in the game for long periods, which can be uninteresting and sometimes means they do not feel part of the team.
Why we have Game Leaders
The main role of the Game Leader is to keep the game moving fluently, limit stoppages and assist players with all match re-starts. Most importantly, they must make every effort to create an environment that ensures that all players have fun and have maximum involvement. Because the children are learning the game at this level, it is important to be flexible and patient.
Some helpful game tips for a Game Leader:
- Encourage different children to take re-starts.
- Discourage players from permanently over-guarding the goal.
- Use a “Ready, Set, Go” prompt to encourage quick decisions when restarting play.
- Encourage children to dribble or pass the ball into play from all restarts rather than a big kick.
- Ensure the opposing team is back to the half way line for all goal line restarts.
To deliver a good experience to MiniRoos players, coaches and parents, it is essential that a club recruits a MiniRoos Coordinator. The Coordinator role should take responsibility for ensuring that the match day experience for MiniRoos is of a high quality, while working with other roles within the club to make sure each MiniRoos team has the appropriate amount of players for their age group, and each team has a coach.
The inter-club model presents two options:
- The hub model – teams play teams from other clubs at a centralised (hub) location that is at the same venue every week
- The home and away model – teams travel to opposing club venues which differ depending on the club they are playing that week
The club whose ground is used has overall responsibility for the operational aspect of the day. However this is generally shared between clubs. Characteristics of the hub model are:
- Parents only need to travel to the same location each week
- There is flexibility in terms of being able to move players or parent helpers between teams if required
- This model ensures a more efficient use of fields in general
Characteristics of the home and away model are:
- Games are played against other clubs as opposed to other teams within the same club
- There is likely to be less work for the club in terms of organising draws; this would instead be carried out by the association
- All clubs can derive benefits from their canteen given that MiniRoos will be played there every second week
| MINI-ROOS | 4 – 7 age group | 8 – 9 age group | 10 – 11 age group |
| Number of Players | 4 players per team | 7 players per team (incl. goalkeeper) | 9 players per team (incl. goalkeeper) |
| Field Size | Length: 30m Width:20m | Length: 40m – 50m Width: 30m x 40m | Length: 60m – 70m Width: 40m x 50m |
| Penalty Area | No penalty area | 5m deep x 12m wide (use markers) | 5m deep x 12m wide (use markers) |
| Ball Size | Size 3 | Size 3 | Size 4 |
| Goal Size | Width: 1.5m – 2m Height: 0.9m – 1m | Width: 2.5m – 3m Height: 1.8m – 2m | Width: 4.5m – 5m Height: 1.8m – 2m |
| Goal Type | portable goals, poles, or cones | portable goals, poles, or cones | portable goals, poles, or cones |
| Goalkeeper | No | Yes | Yes |
| Duration of Game | 2 x 15-20min halves (plus 5 – 7min half-time break) | 2 x 20min halves (plus 5 – 7min half-time break) | 2 x 25min halves (plus 5 – 7min half-time break) |
| Results Recorded | No | No | No |
Field Layouts
