Passing and receiving session: combine with a partner

Session

England Football Learning

2 mins - Jan 12, 2026

Session intentions

This is week two of the passing and receiving to score session programme. Check out the whole six-week programme here.

This session will help players:

explore two-player moves
work together as a team.

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 session plan 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 and alter training plans accordingly.

Session setup

In our example, this is what we’ve used to set up this session. But adapt it to suit your team and the space available to you.

40x30-yard pitch

11 players

Mini-goals

Flat cones

Spots/flat markers

Bibs

Week two: combine with a partner

Combine with a partner: Split your pitch down the middle to create two 20x15-yard channels. Each channel has a line of cones down the middle and a mini-goal at the end where the players start. In twos, players pass and move down the channel and back. They then pass into the mini-goal to score.
Progress the arrival activity by introducing the two-player core moves, such as an overlap, and challenging players to use them as they move up and down the channel.
2v1s to score: For this 2v1 activity, use the same pitches but have a mini-goal at each end. The two players combine to beat their opponent and score. Encourage them to try different two-player core moves to get past the defender. If the defender wins the ball, they try to score at the other end.
Small-sided games: Progress to small-sided games on pitches that have a goal at each end. Encourage players to use two-player core moves by giving teams a bonus point if they use one. Use pass-ins if the ball goes off the side of the pitch and use the retreat line rule after a goal has been scored.

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On the pitch

Looking for a bit more detail? Check out this video to see what it can look like on the pitch.

Make it easier

Using the STEP framework (Youth Sports Trust, 2002) can help keep things fun, engaging, and appropriate.

To make this session easier, you could:

make the area bigger in the first practice so players have more space to pass into
only allow the defender to intercept in the 2v1s, rather than tackle
get players to retreat to their own half when the other team’s goalkeeper takes a goal kick to give the opposition time to pass.

Make it harder

To make this session harder, you could:

challenge the players to try passing with both feet
make the area narrower to make it more difficult to find space and pass to a teammate
award bonus points for players experimenting and trying the two-player core moves from within the session.