The Tactics Board
The Coaching ground
Where the thinking happens. The Tactics Board is for coaches who want to understand the why behind a shape — not just where players stand, but what a formation is really asking of a child, and how to coach it on a Saturday morning rather than a UEFA badge.
Every series here starts from the same place: the shape is there to help the players, not the players to serve the shape.
9v9
The 3-2-3 is the most common 9v9 shape in junior football, and the most misunderstood. This four-part series builds it from the ground up — then shows you why it leaks, why it doesn't score, and what to do in the five seconds that decide most youth games. Read them in order, or jump to the problem in front of you.
The 3-2-3, Keep It Simple — Setting the shape up so it works. Build the formation around the players you actually have — their feet, their habits, one clear job each — instead of forcing children into a diagram.
The 3-2-3, Plug the Leaks — Why you concede too many goals. The shape is rarely the problem. Find which of the three gaps keeps opening when you don't have the ball — and the back-three habit that costs the cleanest goals.
The 3-2-3, Find the Goals — Why you don't score enough. You probably don't have a finishing problem; you have a trust problem. Fix the crowding and the width first, then unlock the spare attacker already hiding in your defence.
The 3-2-3, The First 5 Seconds — Winning the moment the ball changes hands. Most youth goals are decided in the few chaotic seconds after a turnover. Here's what your team does the instant it wins, or loses, the ball.