'Not in our DNA' - will 3v3 change the future of English football? — SkimNews
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- The FA has cut the smallest youth football format from 5v5 to 3v3 for under-7s, removing goalkeepers and referees so every child in a three-player team is active rather than watching from the sidelines
- Thomas Tuchel said after England's World Cup loss to Argentina that ball possession is "not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or Argentinian or Brazilian DNA," framing the grassroots shift as part of reshaping English football's identity
- John Folwell, the FA's head of grassroots coach development, said analysis of more than 400 under-6 to under-14 games showed 3v3 gives children more touches, more decisions, and more physical activity than 5v5
- Collingham FC under-7s coach Michael Bland said the format creates logistical strain, with one parent expected to oversee three pitches and nine children at once, and flagged safety concerns around self-officiating and dangerous tackles
- Mick Goodwin, a youth coach since the 1990s, warned that a single dominant player tends to monopolize the ball in 3v3, with some children already shooting from the halfway line rather than passing
- Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway already use 3v3 at under-7 level, and the FA cited England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton's path from outfield player to the senior side to defend the year-long absence of goalkeeping
Why it matters: Every child starting football in England will now spend their first 12 months playing without goalkeepers, without referees, and on a pitch built for maximum touches — a trade-off the FA has accepted between universal engagement and the concerns coaches raised about safety, dominant players, and a gap year for goalkeeper development. Whether that trade-off produces the ball-possession DNA Tuchel says England lacks will not be visible for years.
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