The FA have made a lot of changes to youth football to make the game more developmental.

They want children in England to learn to be as comfortable and confident on the ball as children in Brazil, Spain and Italy. Old-fashioned English coaches told young players to ‘get rid of it’ and ‘hoof it’ turning possession into a 50:50 long ball. We want children to learn to play better football: building from the back; passing through the ‘thirds’; creative combination play; and beating opponents 1v1.

Without a Retreat Line, goalkeepers tend to boot the ball downfield - hoof and hope. With a Retreat Line, the team keeps and builds possession. Read our Retreat Line rule here.