I dislike anything that is mandatory, it stifles innovation and prevents us addressing different needs and aspirations. If a mandatory policy was in place in 2005 we would not have had the opportunity for Capital Football to trial other ways of looking at the game.

If the new format is more enjoyable, people will come to it, we don’t need FFA is telling us what is good for us. A dietician may have the moral high ground but McDonalds gets the customers. This form of football is claimed to be more popular, I hope it proves so but let it do the proving.

There are two parts to SSG, number of players and field size. The field sizes for U8 and U10 are smaller than anywhere else in the world AND smaller than trialed in NT and ACT. Here is a list showing field size and players for U10.
Australia 30x40 7
ACT 2007 30x50 7
Belgium 40x60 8
Ireland 40x60 7
Hungary 40x60 8
US 40x60 6
Germany 40x60 7
Scotland 40x60 7
Netherlands 40x60 7

It would seem that the untried U9/10 format has been based on the same ratio as Futsal ie
Futsal = 8 players + 2 goalies on 40 x 20 (800)
U10 = 12 players + 2 goalies on 40 x 30 (1200)

Expanding the number of players and maintaining the same ratio is not valid. Increased numbers require additional space per player. If it were possible to maintain this ratio with increased player numbers, then Futsal players could be playing with teams of 33 players on a full pitch.

Does anyone know which associations are trying the 7-a-side 30x40 format this year? I'm guessing the ACT will.

I have recently attended the SSG presentation for Victoria, presented by the FFV and FFA.

All games for U8 and below will be played under the FFA SSG format as follows:

U6 - 4 v 4 on a 30x20m pitch
U7 and U8 - 5 v 5 on a 30x20m pitch

In 2009 the SSG will take in the U9 on a 30x40m field
in 2010 U10 on 30x40m field
in 2011 U11 on 40x60m field
in 2012 U12 on 40x60m field

Then back to normal going onto a full size pitch at U13

SSG games will also be non-competitive!

Hey ifonly,
different group over here! This sort of topic not as appealing.
Those links were fantastic.
Your Q was about our SSG field sizes being too small. I wonder if anyone has done a study on the the most effective square metre per player? There is a master's for someone. I guess we are using these field sizes as they are proportions of a field & will make reconfiguration between games easy?
I coach a W18A side (we won) & in the long wet with fields closed for weeks we trained on a basketball half court - it was amazing how 10 women in a small area quickly adapted and developed a very tight short game which they took onto the full field.