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What are the principles of football?

It’s the most popular game in the world, but how well do you know football? We examine the foundations of the sport and how they apply to your team. 

Session design
All ages
England Football Learning logo on a red background.

England Football Learning

2 mins - Jan 5, 2023

Football is an invasion game. This means that teams compete to attack their opponent’s territory and score points.

Just like any invasion game, football has both attacking and defending principles. These are the foundations that help your team to score goals and stop them too. Let’s take a closer look.


1. Penetration

Penetration focuses on playing the ball through, around or over your opposition. Examples include passing to a teammate or dribbling the ball between players.

The aim of penetration is to move your team further up the pitch and closer to the opposition’s goal.

2. Creating space

Creating space is about spreading out. Your team should organise themselves in a way that 'opens up' the pitch. Ideally, you want players to move into high, wide and deep positions. This tactic will stretch your opposition's defence.

3. Movement

This principle focuses on getting into useful positions. The aim is for players to create opportunities to receive the ball. Movement can be a small adjustment, like stepping backwards away from an opponent. It can also be much bigger and more intense, like sprinting behind the defence.

4. Providing support

Providing support is about giving your team options – and helping them keep the ball. The idea is for players to move into positions that enable them to receive a pass. This could be behind, alongside or in front of their teammates.

5. Creativity

This principle focuses on moments of magic. Creativity helps your team solve in-game problems and it can happen anywhere on the pitch. Your players could get creative on, near or even away from the ball.

A great example of creativity is finding an unusual way to solve an issue. To do this, a player could use individual skills or work together with their teammates.

Attacking principles in action

Defending principles of play

 

1. Delaying

Delaying focuses on slowing the speed of play – and controlling its direction. Doing this makes it harder for your opposition to move up the pitch and score.

To create an effective delay, players need to prevent their opponent’s preferred ‘next step’. Examples include blocking a pass or restricting space so the other team makes a mistake.

2. Compactness

Being compact gives your opposition less room to manoeuvre. To be compact, your players need to get closer to their opponents, the ball and each other. Doing this reduces the space available to the other team and makes it harder for them to progress up the pitch.

3. Cover and balance

Like compactness, this principle focuses on the effective positioning of your players in relation to:

  • each other
  • their opposition
  • the ball.

For example, if one player moves to press an opponent, they automatically leave an area of space unprotected. When this happens, their teammates should move to cover the gaps. This prevents the opposition from progressing and ensures balanced defending across the pitch.

4. Pressing

Pressing is about controlling your opponent’s decisions. The aim is to force them to make a mistake so that you can regain possession of the ball.

Your players can press as individuals, as units or as a full team. To do it well, they need appropriate positioning, movement, timing and teamwork.

Players can create the opportunity to press. For example, purposefully leaving an opponent unmarked. Then, when this individual receives the ball, applying immediate pressure.

Your team can also wait for pressing opportunities to present themselves. Triggers include the opposition attempting a long pass or taking a bad touch.

5. Control and restraint

This principle focuses on defending with composure and awareness. Your players must think about how, where and when they act. Doing this means they’re more likely to make a good decision. For example, if a player is outnumbered, showing restraint may mean they hold their position rather than starting a press.

Defending principles in action

Summary

These principles of play are the foundation of football. Once you understand what they mean and why they matter, you can start to work on how to apply them with your team. Ready to have a go? Check out this article.

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