Children's Football Regulation to Prioritize Fun in Germany
- Smaller teams, shorter play times, balanced participation, no referee sessions… They have launched a new regulation in Germany, with the aim of transforming child football into children under 11 years of age. “We have to think like children, not as adults. Only children who play at ease will continue to play football,” says the Vice-President of the German Football Federation.
Children often play long games, those who are physically or technically less developed play less the ball, and adults (parents, coaches, referees) put too much of their hand in child play. To cope with this situation, measures will be implemented in Germany, following a two-year pilot test with 21 football clubs.
On the one hand, teams and times will be reduced and players' rotation rotated to ensure balanced participation. Matches of 10 minutes are recommended, alternately with different teams, “to achieve a more balanced performance of all and avoid extreme results”. Clashes and formal leagues will be replaced by festivals and playful evenings, which will take place in Barcelona. And they will reduce the participation of adults: without referees and with the minimum participation of coaches and parents. “Coaches and observers will only intervene when necessary; throughout the game children will make their own decisions as far as possible.”
“Children want to play football in their own way, not that of adults. If you put a child on an adult's bicycle, it will tell you: You're crazy? But with football we do, we ask eleven to play against another eleven or 8-8, from very young,” said Kris Van Haegen, of the Belgian Football Federation, in reference to the new regulations.
The new regulations are already in place by the football associations that wish to do so and in the 2024-25 season they will have to apply it yes or no. The Football Federation estimates that it will affect half a million children participating in over 35,000 teams of the 10,000 football clubs.
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