Tactics board apps for 7v7 and 9v9 youth soccer, with formations

A lot of tactics board apps assume 11 a side, which is no help if you coach 7v7 or 9v9. Here are the 7v7 soccer formations and 9v9 shapes coaches use, which ages play which format, and which apps draw a small sided pitch: Tactics Board 3D, which I make, Soccer Board, TacticBoard and Tacbo.

Key points

• In the US, US Soccer sets 7v7 as the maximum for U9 and U10 and 9v9 for U11 and U12. In England, from 2026/27 it is 7v7 for U10 and U11 and 9v9 for U12 and U13.
• Common 7v7 shapes are 2-3-1 and 3-2-1. Common 9v9 shapes are 3-3-2 and 3-2-3. The goalkeeper is not in the numbers.
• I make Tactics Board 3D: Soccer Coach. It has pitches and formations for 5, 7, 9 and 11 a side, but no 3v3, 4v4 or 8 a side.
• Soccer Board lists an 8 a side pitch and formations for 7, 8, 9 and 11 players. TacticBoard goes from 4+1 to 10+1.
• Every claim about another app comes from its own store listing, read on 25 October 2026. I have not used them.

Which age plays 7v7 and 9v9?

It depends on where you coach, and the rules in England change this season. Both bodies set a maximum, so you can always play smaller.

Age group	US Soccer, maximum format	England Football from 2026/27, maximum format
U7	4v4	3v3
U8	4v4	5v5
U9	7v7	5v5
U10	7v7	7v7
U11	9v9	7v7
U12	9v9	9v9
U13	11v11	9v9
U14 and up	11v11	11v11

The US figures come from US Soccer's game formats page. The England figures come from England Football's guide to formats, which lists the 2026/27 changes. So a U11 team plays 9v9 in Texas and 7v7 in Leeds. If you coach in Canada, Australia or Nigeria, check your own association or league, because I did not check them.

What 7v7 soccer formations do coaches use?

People search for this a lot. Google's Keyword Planner shows 1,000 to 10,000 searches a month in the US for each of "7v7 soccer formations" and "9v9 soccer formations", from October 2025 to September 2026. On X, one coach put the whole problem in one line: coaching 7v7 for the first time, where do you even put players?

The numbers count outfield players only. A 2-3-1 in 7v7 is a keeper, two at the back, three across the middle and one up front.

7v7 shapes

• 2-3-1. Two defenders, three midfielders, one striker. It gives you a clear middle and wide players who must work up and down. A good first shape for most teams.
• 3-2-1. Three at the back. Safer when the other team has a quick striker, but your two midfielders do a lot of running.
• 2-1-2-1. A diamond. One holding player, two wide, one behind the striker. It suits a team that can pass through the middle.

9v9 shapes

• 3-3-2. Three defenders, three midfielders, two strikers. Two up front means a striker always has a partner.
• 3-2-3. Two in midfield and three forwards. It attacks wide but leaves gaps when you lose the ball.
• 2-4-2. A flat four in midfield. Busy in the middle, light at the back.

My take, from drawing these for my own app: the shape matters less than whether each child knows the one job of their position. Pick one shape, show it on a board, and keep it for a month.

What should a tactics board app do for small sided football?

Four things, and most apps get the first one wrong.

1. The right pitch. A 7v7 pitch is shorter and narrower than an 11 a side pitch, so a 2-3-1 drawn on a full pitch looks spread out and wrong.
2. The right number of players. Seven or nine dots, not eleven with four you have to hide.
3. Formations for that format. Picking 2-3-1 should place the players for you.
4. A bench. Youth squads are often bigger than the team on the pitch, so you need somewhere to keep the rest.

Then sharing. In youth football the plan often goes to a parents' chat, so an image or a short animation is more use than a file only the app can open.

Which tactics board apps handle small sided pitches?

I read the store listings on 25 October 2026 and looked for what each one says about small sided formats.

App	What the listing says about small sided football	Where I found it
Tactics Board 3D: Soccer Coach	5, 7, 9 and 11 a side, each with its own pitch shape and formations. Squad of 23 with a bench.	iPhone, iPad, Android
Soccer Board: Tactics and Drills	11 a side, 8 a side, half pitch or blank; formations for 7, 8, 9 and 11 players; says it is good for youth and 8 a side teams.	Android
TacticBoard: Tactics Board	Squads with formations from 4+1 to 10+1 and a bench, for football and four other sports.	Android
Tacbo: Soccer Tactics Board	An adjustable field size and your own default positions; says it suits youth soccer.	iPhone, iPad
Tactics Board: Soccer	Full, half and other field types, and a library of ready made plays that includes small sided games.	iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android
Coach Tactic Board: Soccer	Full, half and training pitches. The listing does not name 7v7 or 9v9.	iPhone, iPad, Android

Where the other apps beat Tactics Board 3D

• 8 a side. Soccer Board lists an 8 a side pitch. Mine does not have one.
• 3v3 and 4v4. US Soccer's youngest format is 4v4 and England's is 3v3 from this season. Mine starts at 5 a side, so it does not cover them.
• Drills. Soccer Board, Tactics Board: Soccer and Coach Tactic Board list cones and other equipment. Mine has none.
• Any field size. Tacbo lets you set the field size yourself. Mine has four fixed pitch shapes.

How does Tactics Board 3D handle 7v7 and 9v9?

I built Tactics Board 3D: Soccer Coach so the pitch changes with the format. Pick 7 a side and you get a smaller pitch with seven players a side, in 2-3-1, 3-2-1 or 2-1-2-1. Pick 9 a side and you get 3-3-2, 3-2-3 or 2-4-2. 5 a side has 1-2-1, 2-1-1 and 2-2.

• Keep a squad of up to 23 on the bench and bring players on.
• Draw passes, runs and zones, then add steps and press Play to show the move.
• Switch between a flat 2D board and a 3D view.
• Share a step as an image or the whole play as a GIF to the team chat.
• No account. Plays stay on your device, which matters when the names on the board are children's.

Nothing gets in the way while you are moving players or drawing, and you can share a play as an image or a GIF. See Tactics Board 3D.

Frequently asked questions

What formation should I use for 7v7?

Start with 2-3-1. It gives each child a clear line, two defenders, three midfielders and a striker, and it is easy to explain on a board. Move to 3-2-1 if you keep conceding on the break. Keep the same shape for a few weeks so players learn their job.

What age plays 9v9 soccer?

In the US, US Soccer sets 9v9 as the maximum for U11 and U12. In England, England Football sets 9v9 for U12 and U13 from the 2026/27 season. Both are maximums, so leagues can play smaller. Check your own league's rules.

Is there a tactics board app for 5 a side?

Yes. Tactics Board 3D has a 5 a side pitch with 1-2-1, 2-1-1 and 2-2. TacticBoard lists formations from 4+1, which is five players with a keeper, and Tacbo lets you set the field size. I could not find a 5 a side mention in the other listings.

Does Tactics Board 3D have 8 a side or 4v4?

No. It has 5, 7, 9 and 11 a side. If you need 8 a side, Soccer Board lists an 8 a side pitch. For 3v3 or 4v4, an app with an adjustable field, such as Tacbo, is closer.

Who makes Tactics Board 3D?

Tactics Board 3D: Soccer Coach is made by John Osakwe, founder and CEO of Etest Tech Hub. It used to be called Football Tactics Board 3D on the App Store. It is not related to Tactics Board: Soccer or TacticBoard. More about me.

Sources

• US Soccer, game formats by age group, read 25 October 2026.
• England Football, What is a format in football, with the 2026/27 formats, read 25 October 2026.
• Store listings read on 25 October 2026: Tactics Board 3D on the App Store, on Google Play, Soccer Board, TacticBoard, Tacbo, Tactics Board: Soccer and Coach Tactic Board.

How I wrote this

On 25 October 2026 I read US Soccer's and England Football's format pages, then searched the App Store and Google Play for tactics board apps and read what each listing says about small sided pitches. I have not installed the other apps. I checked search volumes in Google's Keyword Planner for the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Nigeria, looked at Google Trends, and read what coaches posted on X about 7v7. The shapes and opinions are mine. The Tactics Board 3D details come from the app's code and its store listings.

By John Osakwe, founder of Etest Tech Hub. I have built apps and websites since 2015, including Etest CBT, FizzFree, Pawlarm and Tactics Board 3D.