A whole night of small, fast games where everyone touches the ball, everyone scores, and nobody stands in a queue.
Mini Games Night
- Gaelic football
- U8
- 45 min
- 12–20 players
- 2 coaches
- Effort 3/5
- two 20x15m pitches
- u8
- small-sided-games
- match-play
- fun-games
- decision-making
Kit: 20 cones, 6 balls, 16 bibs (4 colours)
Colours Rush
Setup: A 20×20m square, four bib colours in four corners, a ball each.
How it works: Everyone solos or carries around the middle. Coach calls a colour and that corner sprints a lap around the outside of the square and back to their spot while the rest keep moving. Mix in two colours at once, and ALL CHANGE where everyone finds a new corner. It warms them up and sorts them into four mini-teams for the night without any fuss.
What to say
- “Quick feet round the corners of your lap.”
- “Head up in the middle so you do not bump.”
- “Know your colour and your corner.”
Easier
Walk the lap; one colour at a time.
Harder
Carry the ball on the lap and bounce it twice.
Four-Goal Game
Setup: A 20×15m pitch with a small cone goal on each of the four sides, 4v4 in bibs, one ball. A second pitch alongside if numbers are high.
How it works: Each team attacks two goals and defends two — score by hand-passing or tapping the ball through any goal you are attacking to a teammate. Four goals means the play is stretched wide open and there is always space to find. Carry, bounce and hand-pass allowed; no big kicks in the small space. Change which goals each team attacks every few minutes to keep them thinking.
What to say
- “Look up — pick the goal nobody is guarding.”
- “Spread out wide, use all four goals.”
- “Pass and move, do not crowd the ball.”
Easier
Bigger goals; any team can score in any goal.
Harder
STEPR: must hand-pass through the goal to a teammate, not carry it through.
End Zone Catch
Setup: A 22×16m pitch with a 3m end zone at each end, 4v4 in bibs.
How it works: Score by hand-passing to a teammate who runs in and catches it inside the end zone you are attacking — no camping in the zone, you run in as the pass is on its way. The ball moves by carry, bounce and hand-pass. It teaches them to time a run and look up before passing. Restart from the middle after every score, quick as you can, keep it flowing.
What to say
- “Time your run — arrive in the zone as the ball does.”
- “Passer, head up and wait for the runner.”
- “Lost it? Everyone hustle back to your zone.”
Easier
Bigger end zones; any catch in the zone scores.
Harder
STEPR: two hand-passes in a row before you can score.
World Cup Rounds
Setup: One pitch, small goals at each end, the four mini-teams. Two teams play a short game while two rest and cheer, then rotate.
How it works: Quick two-minute games — winner stays on, next team comes in, and everyone plays plenty because the games are short and the rotation is fast. Normal small-sided rules: carry, bounce, hand-pass, tap it into the small goal to score. Keep a running tally of who wins each round. Short, sharp, competitive and fun, with a rest built into every rotation.
What to say
- “Fresh legs on — sprint the first ten seconds.”
- “Talk to each other, call for the ball.”
- “Win it back the second you lose it.”
Easier
Longer games; everyone on at once across two pitches.
Harder
STEPR: the losing team must win the ball back within five seconds of conceding or the goal counts double.
Round-Up
Setup: Circle up.
How it works: Slow walk lap, then a quick group stretch, calves, quads and shoulders, fifteen seconds each. Announce the round tally with a cheer for every team. Finish with the question.
What to say
- “Walk it out slow, breathe it down.”
- “Big stretch, long breath out.”
- “Well done to every team, not just the winners.”
Ask the players: Ask which game was your favourite tonight and why. Take a few answers — it tells you what to run again next week.
PitchPlans coaching team
Free on PitchPlans — new sessions weekly.