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An opposition player looks to intercept the ball about to be passed.

Session programme

Session programme: marking and intercepting to defend

Session

England Football Learning

5 mins - Jun 2, 2025

Programme intentions

This six-week programme aims to help your players:

become positive and enthusiastic defenders
make informed decisions of when to mark and when to intercept.

If you're short on time, this structured training programme can be used as it is. Pitch sizes in this programme are shown as how long the pitch is x how wide it is, but these are just suggestions.

To make the programme more effective, adapt it to suit your players, your numbers and the space you have. If you want to skip, repeat or amend these sessions – that's fine. It’s up to you how you use this resource.

If you like this idea, download the whole programme and give it a go. And don't forget to share your experience on the England Football Community. We'd love to know how you got on.

If you’re coaching U7s, please note that from the 2026–27 season, changes will be made to the formats to improve the experience young players get across the country. Check out the Future Fit digital content hub to find out more.

Week one: marking rivals

For cat and mouse, create a 5x5-yard square. Have a 1v1 with players starting opposite each other on the outside of the area. Players run around the area. They can’t go through it. The cat has 15 seconds to tag the mouse. Players swap roles after the time limit or if the mouse is caught.
For the stadium game, create a 30x20-yard area with a halfway line. Pair players up. Allocate each player to a team and give them a half to act as their stadium. One player in each pair starts with a ball. The aim is to have the ball under control in your own stadium after 30 seconds.
Put flat markers down in a ‘T’ shape to split the stadium game pitch into three areas for 3v3 rivals. Have a 1v1 in each area. Players are locked in. One team starts with the ball. The aim is to keep possession as a team. The team off the ball must work together to mark effectively to win it back.
You could progress this game to make it directional by adding end zones, gates or goals. Overall, play for five to seven minutes, then have a break before playing another round.

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Tactics board: week one

Looking for more detail? Check out Vinny’s tactics board video. You can also get more information about the first week of the programme here.

Week two: defend as friends

For cat and mouse, create a 5x5-yard square. Have a 1v1 with players starting opposite each other. The mouse carries a football. Players run around the area. They can’t go through it. The cat has 15 seconds to tag the mouse. Players swap roles after the time limit or if the mouse is caught.
Create an 30x20-yard area and split it into five sections. Have a 1v1 in each. Players are locked in. One team starts with the ball. The other side work together to win it back. The aim is to keep possession as a team. Teams score a point when all their players have had the ball without losing it.
Use the end channels from the last game for this 3v2 practice. Have an attacker at both ends of the channel, with one in the middle against two defenders. Attackers try to get it from one side to the other. Defenders work together mark, cover and intercept to win the ball.
Return to the rivals game but remove the middle channels. Put a line of cones down each side of the pitch. Teams combine to try to work the ball over the end line to score. The scorer then runs off to turn one of their cones over. This then creates an overload for the opposition.

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Tactics board: week two

Looking for more detail? Check out Vinny's tactics board video for this session.

Week three: interception perfection

Set up a 20x20-yard box for this arrival activity. Have two taggers or interceptors. The rest have one ball between them and must use their hands to throw and catch. They can’t move with the ball. The pair have 30 seconds to intercept it. They swap roles if they succeed, or the time runs out.
Create a 20x20-yard box for the first carousel activity. Put a square in the middle of it. Have four attackers around the outside of the box, and two defenders inside the middle square. Attackers look to play through the square for a point, or through the two defenders for two points.
If the defenders manage to get any touch on the ball, they get a point. But if they intercept a pass, they can break out to try to get the ball over the line – or into one of the corners – to score two points. Attackers can enter the area to stop them. Players swap roles after one minute rounds.
The second carousel activity needs a 30x20-yard area for 3v3 rivals. Teams combine and work the ball over the end line to score. While the out of possession team look to mark, cover and intercept to win the ball, before working it over the line to score. Whoever scores runs to turn a cone over.
For the final part of the carousel, use the arrival activity area. Play a possession-based game where a group of players look to keep the ball and two defenders try to win it back. If the defenders succeed, they score a point by dribbling out of the area with the ball. Swap roles after a minute.

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Tactics board: week three

Looking for more detail? Check out Vinny’s tactics board video.

Week four: table football

Create parallel 15x10-yard pitches with end zones for 3v3 table football. Have a 2v2 in the middle with each team having a target player in their own end zone. Teams aim to get the ball to their target player for a point. If this happens, the opposition restart the game with the ball.
Create a 30x20-yard area with end zones at each end and a zone in the middle. Two interceptors start in the middle zone. A passer starts in each area between the zones. Passers aim to pass to each other without the ball being intercepted. They score a point for every ten successful passes.
If an interceptor cuts out a pass they get a point, but they can also break out to create a 1v1. If they manage to get to the end zone with the ball, they score two points and the teams swap roles. You can also change the teams around so players experience facing others.
Create a pitch that’s split into thirds and has a goal and keepers at each end. Have two defenders and an attacker in each final third, and a 2v2 in the middle. Players are locked into their thirds. Teams aim to play through the thirds to create a chance for their attacker to score.

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Tactics board: week four

Looking for a bit more detail? Check out Loz's tactics board video for this session.

Week five: intercept as a team

For the escape game, create a 30x20-yard area with multiple gates around the edge of it. Have a few defenders with the rest being attackers. The defenders need to stop players escaping through a gate by tagging them. When they tag their third player, they swap roles with them.
Attackers carry on playing if they’ve been tagged – unless they need to swap roles with a defender. Attackers score a point each time they escape through a gate without being tagged. If they do this ten times, they then become a defender.
Create an 30x20-yard area with end zones and a middle zone. Put a goal at one end. Have a defender in the middle zone, two attackers in one area between zones, and two defenders and one attacker in between the other zones. Attackers try to play through to their teammate who then goes for goal.
Create an 30x20-yard area with end zones and a middle zone. Put a goal at one end. Have a defender in the middle zone, two attackers in one area between zones, and two defenders and one attacker in between the other zones. Attackers try to play through to their teammate who then goes for goal.
Create a 30x20-yard area with end zones for this 5v5 or 6v6 ‘multi-goal footy’ game. Have five goals at one end and three goals at the other. Teams can only have one player in their own end zone. Scoring in the goal that’s guarded is worth three points. Scoring in the others is worth one point.

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Tactics board: week five

Looking for more detail? Check out Loz’s tactics board video.

Week six: festival week

Create a 30x20-yard area with end zones for this 5v5 ‘multi-goal footy’ game. Have five goals at one end and three goals at the other. Teams can only have one player in their own end zone. Scoring in the goal that’s guarded is worth three points. Scoring in the others is worth one point.
Create a 30x20-yard area for a version of 5v5 rivals. Each player has a direct rival to stop scoring. Players get a point each time they do that and if they score themselves. At the end of the match, each pair adds a goal to their team’s overall tally if they’ve won their individual rivals match.
Create a 30x20-yard area with a goal at each end. Split the pitch up into five zones. Two teams are matched up with a direct opponent and locked into zones so there’s a 1v1 in each. Players work with teammates to progress the ball into other zones as they try to score in the goal they’re attacking.

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Tactics board: week six

Looking for a bit more detail? Check out Loz's tactics board video for this session.

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