How to Teach Offside to Youth Players

01 · See it

Watch the kick, not the line

Blue attacks Red in a 9v9 game, because offside applies at 9v9 in both countries.^2,5 Younger teams learn the same timing without the word, as the age bands below show. The orange line runs through Red’s second-last defender: Red’s keeper is the last opponent, so the second-last is the back three, standing in a flat line. Watch Blue’s No.9 check it and stay level. Then freeze at the moment the ball is struck, because that is the only moment offside is judged.¹ What does No.9 do in the half-second before the foot touches the ball?

Blue attacks Red in a 9v9 game. No.6 has the ball, Red’s back three holds a flat line, and Blue’s No.9 is looking for a run in behind it.

Freeze. What does No.9 do before the kick?

Ask your players before you show them. Tap an option to play it out.

Pass
Our run
Red presses
Offside line (Red’s second-last defender)
Cue word
Us (Blue) · Them (Red)

Open it on your board (Pro): Level, then go on the kick Wait two steps behind Run early

Read the sequence as text

Setup

Blue attacks Red in a 9v9 game. No.6 has the ball, Red’s back three holds a flat line, and Blue’s No.9 is looking for a run in behind it.

Checking the line

No.6 passes to No.8. Red’s back three holds a flat line, and No.9 drifts level with it.
No.8 looks up and Red’s strikers close him down. The orange line runs through Red’s second-last defender. No.9 is level with it, and he has checked it.

The freeze

Freeze. No.8 is about to strike a pass into the gap behind Red’s line, and No.9 is level with it. What does No.9 do before the foot touches the ball?

A. Level, then go on the kick

Best answer: stay level, then go on the kick. No.9 stays level with Red’s second-last defender and watches the ball. As No.8 strikes it he curves away from Red’s middle defender and runs. When the ball was played he was not nearer to goal than the second-last opponent, and level is not nearer, so he is onside. It is the timing the clap drills teach: wait for the kick, then sprint. A curved run onto a diagonal pass helps the passer too.^1,9,11

No.8 strikes the ball and No.9 goes, curving away from Red’s middle defender so he can see both the ball and the line. When the ball was played he was level with the line, and level is onside.
No.9 runs onto the pass, nobody blows the whistle, and he shoots. Red’s keeper goes the wrong way.

B. Wait two steps behind

Safe, but the run is lost. No.9 stays two steps behind the line, so he can never be offside. That is SoccerHelp’s rule of thumb for attackers, partly because an assistant’s angle of view can make a level attacker look offside. But the ball goes into the gap and Red’s middle defender gets there first, because No.9 started too far back to compete. A good habit for a young team, then shrink the buffer.¹²

No.9 takes two steps back from the line and waits for the pass.
No.8 plays the ball into the gap, and Red’s middle defender gets there first. No.9 started too far back to compete.
Red’s middle defender passes it out to a midfielder and the attack is over. Staying back was safe, and it cost the run.

C. Run early

Avoid: run early and the flag goes up. No.9 is nearer to goal than Red’s second-last defender when the ball is played, and he becomes involved in active play by running on to it, so he is penalised. Play stops and Red gets an indirect free kick. It is the mistake young players who are just learning offside tend to make: running as soon as the passer looks up, instead of waiting for the kick.^1,9

No.9 sprints past the line as soon as No.8 looks up. He is now nearer to Red’s goal than Red’s second-last defender.
No.8 plays the ball, and No.9 is still ahead of the line when it is played. He runs on to it, so he is involved in active play.
The referee stops play. Red restarts with an indirect free kick, and Blue’s attack is over.

02 · Say it

Three shouts for the run

Shouts work when they are short and few. Pick three words, teach them in training, and use only those from the touchline. These three are my own wording, not a formal youth standard, and each one packages an idea from a named source. Hover or tap a card to see when to say it.

CUE 01

“Last man!”

when to say it

SHOUT IT WHEN

Shouted, or just thought, as the ball moves: where is the last defender in front of the keeper? It means: find the line. In the Law the line is the second-last opponent, because the keeper is usually the last.¹ SoccerHelp’s rule of thumb for attackers is to stay two steps behind the “Last Defender”.¹² In the pattern it is No.9’s head check before the freeze.

CUE 02

“Kick!”

when to say it

SHOUT IT WHEN

Said to the runner at the instant the passer strikes the ball: go now, not before. It means: on the kick, not on the look. The Law judges the moment the ball is played,¹ and Ohio State’s drill teaches it with a clap: “The players should not pass the line of cones until they hear you ‘clap’ the soccer ball”.⁹ In the pattern it is the freeze.

CUE 03

“Curve!”

when to say it

SHOUT IT WHEN

Said to the runner: bend your run so you can see the ball and the line together. A curved run onto a diagonal pass is what Soccer Coach Weekly’s offside game looks for: pairs should “avoid a straight pass on to a straight run”.¹¹ In the pattern it is No.9 after the kick.

03 · Play it

Games that teach the timing

Teach offside with games, not a lecture. Each rung adds one rule. Move up when the group handles a rung without your help, and stay put if they need a reminder every time. The scoring rules and “ready when” signs are my own design, built on the Law’s timing test, an Ohio State clap drill, Soccer Coach Weekly’s end-zone game, a SoccerHelp reply and John Harves’s notes on the trap.^1,9,11,12,13 Check your league’s rules first.

Rules to check first

The Law. A player is in an offside position if he is in the opponents’ half and “any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent”. Hands and arms do not count, and a player who is level with the second-last opponent, or with the last two opponents, is not in an offside position.¹ The offence is judged at the moment the ball is played: a player in that position “is only penalised on becoming involved in active play”.¹ There is no offence if he receives the ball directly from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick, and the punishment is an indirect free kick where the offence occurred.¹
US. US Soccer’s standards chart lists offside as “No” through U8 (4v4) and “Yes” from U9 (7v7 and up).² At 7v7 the build-out line also marks where it is called: “Players cannot be penalized for an offside offense between the halfway line and the build out line”, and “Players can be penalized for an offside offense between the build out line and goal line”.² Other match officials are “Used at the discretion of the competition” at 7v7.²
England. England Football Learning’s 5v5 and 7v7 pages both say “Offside: No offside”, and its 9v9 page says “Offside: Offside introduced”.^3,4,5 The FA’s 2025/26 mini-soccer handbook says “There is no offside in Development Football”, and that assistant referees are not required for mini-soccer.⁶ From 2026–27 the maximum formats are 5v5 at U8–U9, 7v7 at U10–U11, 9v9 at U12–U13 and 11v11 from U14,⁷ so players first meet offside around U12.
Assistant referees. Many youth games have none. A coach answering a Sportplan question says that at younger levels it is “rare for matches to have official assistant referees”.¹⁰ That is why a small buffer behind the last defender is a sensible habit.¹²
Practice ideas. John Allpress, a former FA player development coach, suggests “a 6v6 practice with offside lines included” as a design for young players.⁸
Your league. Rules vary by league and state, and these numbers come from the Law, federation pages and a 2017 deck, not your rulebook. Check yours before you change the game.

7v7 · US: offside is called only between the build-out line and the goal line · England: no offside.^2,4 Mark out what suits your players. In England this rung is optional.

RUNG 1
Build-Out Line
Setup. Normal 7v7 with the build-out line marked.²
Rule · A goal from a pass to a receiver who is beyond the last defender, between the build-out line and the goal, counts only if he was level or behind when the pass was played. You do the calling.
Ready when the players know the line matters only in the final third.
RUNG 2
End Zones
Setup. Soccer Coach Weekly’s “Introducing offside” game, which it writes for teams stepping up to nine-a-side, simplified for a younger group: a rectangle with an end zone at each end.¹¹
Rule · A team scores when a player receives a pass inside the other end zone. Players cannot wait in the end zone; they can only enter it once a pass has been made.¹¹
Ready when the players arrive in the zone as the ball does, not before.
RUNG 3
Buffer
Setup. The same game.
Rule · Attackers stay two steps behind the last defender until the pass. The second week it is one step, and the third week it is level. The two steps come from SoccerHelp’s advice.¹²
Ready when the buffer shrinks without flags.

U10 session in Tactico Pro: Print touchline cards Download session PDF Open in the planner

04 · Spot it

What to watch for

Four things to look at from the touchline, and the three mistakes you’ll see first.

Watch for

Does the runner wait for the foot? Look at his feet, not the ball. A university offside page says young players who are just learning the rule tend to take off too soon.⁹
Does he look at the line before he goes? The head should turn to find the second-last defender before the pass, not after the flag.^1,12
Does the passer weight the ball for a curved run? Soccer Coach Weekly’s offside game teaches the weight and placement of the pass together with the timing of the run, and asks players to avoid a straight pass on to a straight run.¹¹
If there is an assistant referee, does your buffer match? Many youth games have none.¹⁰ SoccerHelp points out that an assistant’s angle of view can make an attacker who is level look offside, which is another reason for a small buffer.¹²

Mistakes and the fix

Running when the passer looks upThe runner goes on the look, not the kick, so the ball is played with him ahead of the line.⁹ Fix: the cue Kick and the Clap Line game at U8.

A straight pass on to a straight runThe pass and the run go the same way, with no margin for either. Soccer Coach Weekly’s offside game asks players to avoid it, and teaches the timing of the run and the weight of the pass together.¹¹ Fix: the cue Curve and the Curve and Go game at U12.

Teaching the offside trap too soonHarves says players must be “mature enough and sophisticated enough” to understand it, and an England coach on Sportplan calls it of limited use at younger levels because few matches have assistant referees.^13,10 Fix: the U14+ rungs, and only once the line moves together.

Touchline rule. After each flag, ask “Where was the last man when the ball was kicked?” and praise the runner who waited, even if the pass was late.

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Take it to training

Set this pattern up for your own squad tonight:

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Open every option on your Tactico board, watch it play, then make it your own
A ready-made session for every age group in the session planner: the ladder as play, practice, play, timed
Touchline cards for every rung, ready to print and laminate
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Questions

Coaches ask

What age does offside start in youth soccer?

It depends on the country. In the US it starts at U9: the US Soccer standards chart says “No” through U8 and “Yes” from U9, with a build-out-line change at 7v7.² In England 5v5 and 7v7 have no offside and it is introduced at 9v9,^3,4,5 which from 2026–27 means U12–U13.⁷ Leagues vary, so check yours.

Does 7v7 soccer have offside?

In the US, yes, but only between the build-out line and the goal line.² In England, no.⁴

How do I explain offside to a 9-year-old?

My wording: “When the ball is kicked, don’t be ahead of the last defender.” That is the Law boiled down.¹ Two of the coaching sources teach it as a timing game, not a definition: Ohio State’s clap drill and SoccerHelp’s two-steps-behind advice.^9,12 A Sportplan answer says to keep any explanation short, because players learn better through play.¹⁰

Is it offside if a player is level?

No. The Law’s test is whether he is nearer to the goal line than the second-last opponent, and a player who is level with that opponent is not in an offside position.¹

Can you be offside from a throw-in, goal kick or corner?

No. There is no offside offence if a player receives the ball directly from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick.¹

Is being in an offside position an offence?

No: “It is not an offence to be in an offside position”. A player is penalised only if he becomes involved in active play.¹

What happens when a player is offside?

The referee awards an indirect free kick where the offence occurred.¹

Should I teach the offside trap?

The sources disagree a little. John Harves says players must be “mature enough and sophisticated enough”, that a flat back four suits it, that one designated defender should call it, and that it works best against teams that play through balls.¹³ An England coach on Sportplan says it is of limited use at younger levels because few matches have assistant referees.¹⁰ My recommendation: not before U13, and only after the back line moves together.

Why does my striker keep getting flagged?

Usually an early run. One U9 coach wrote to SoccerHelp that his team had at least five or six goals ruled out for offside at its first 8v8 tournament.¹² Teach the cue Kick and the Clap Line game at U8, then the Buffer game at U10.⁹

Is it different in England?

England introduces offside at 9v9.⁵ The FA’s 2025/26 mini-soccer handbook lists no offside from U7 to U10 and says assistant referees are not required.⁶ John Allpress, a former FA player development coach, suggests a 6v6 practice with offside lines for young players.⁸ I did not find an England Football Learning session on teaching offside.

Keep going

What next

Formation guides

About

How this page was made

Written by Sherif Madkor for Tactico from the Law as published by the FA, a 2017 US Soccer deck hosted by a state association, England Football Learning, the FA’s mini-soccer handbook and a handful of coaching pages, all listed below, so check your own league’s rulebook. The diagrams are drawn on the Tactico board. The pattern, the three options, the cue words, the practice ladders and the “ready when” signs are my own teaching design, built on the Law’s timing test, an Ohio State clap drill, Soccer Coach Weekly’s end-zone game, SoccerHelp’s two-steps-behind advice and John Harves’s notes on the trap. Who stands where, and every distance in the scene, is my own teaching model. The Ohio State drill page has no named author or date, the Sportplan page is a forum thread with two answers, SoccerHelp answers one coach’s question, and Harves’s article is undated, so I used them for ideas, not as rules. Soccer Coach Weekly’s game is written for teams stepping up to nine-a-side, so I brought it down a size for the younger bands. I found no youth statistics on offside calls or on how well any teaching method works, so the page claims none. Where I couldn’t confirm something, the page says so. Last reviewed 12 November 2026.

Sources

The FA, Laws of the Game 2026–27, “Law 11 – Offside”. https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/lawsandrules/laws/football-11-11/law-11---offside
U.S. Soccer, Player Development Initiatives (2017 deck; copy hosted by the Arizona Soccer Association). https://www.azsoccerassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/186/2024/08/US-Soccer-Player-Development-Initiatives-PDI.pdf
England Football Learning, “How to play and manage 5v5 games”. https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2025/How-to-play-and-manage-5v5-games
England Football Learning, “How to play and manage 7v7 games”. https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2025/How-to-play-and-manage-7v7-games
England Football Learning, “How to play and manage 9v9 games”. https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2025/How-to-play-and-manage-9v9-games
The FA, Mini-Soccer and Youth Futsal Handbook (August 2025; copy hosted by West Riding FA). https://www.thefa.com/-/media/cfa/westridingfa/files/clubs/mini-soccer-handbook-2025.ashx
England Football Learning, “What is a format in football” (2026–27 formats). https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2022/What-is-a-format-in-football
The FA Boot Room, John Allpress, “Top tips: how to work effectively with young players” (27 June 2019). https://www.thefa.com/bootroom/resources/coaching/top-tips-how-to-work-effectively-with-young-players
The Ohio State University, “Tough Soccer Concepts”, offside teaching drill (undated, no named author; used for ideas). https://u.osu.edu/toughsoccerconcepts/?p=21
Sportplan, Q&A “Teaching young players about offsides?” (an England coach’s question and one coach’s answer, so anecdote, not research). https://www.sportplan.net/drills/answers/Football/General/Teaching-young-players-about-offsides.jsp
Soccer Coach Weekly, “Introducing offside” (a small-sided game tagged U12–U14). https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/drills-and-games/drills/introducing-offside
SoccerHelp, “How To Teach Soccer Players To Stay Onside” (a reader’s question and a reply, undated; used for ideas). https://soccerhelp.com/soccercoaching/How_To_Teach_Soccer_Players_To_Stay_Onside.shtml
John C. Harves, CoachingAmericanSoccer.com, “The Offside Trap” (undated; used for ideas). https://coachingamericansoccer.com/?p=5179

How to Teach Offside to Youth Players

Watch the kick, not the line

Freeze. What does No.9 do before the kick?

Setup

Checking the line

The freeze

A. Level, then go on the kick

B. Wait two steps behind

C. Run early

Three shouts for the run

Games that teach the timing

Rules to check first

Clap Line

Gate on the Kick

Look Back

Build-Out Line

End Zones

Buffer

6v6 With Lines

Curve and Go

Last Man Call

Beat the Line

Caller and Line

Don’t Overuse It

What to watch for

Watch for

Mistakes and the fix

Take it to training

Coaches ask

What next

How this page was made

Sources