Five-a-side football: rules, variations and culture
The rules that make five-a-side different from 11-a-side, the variants from futsal to cageball, and why the small game dominates recreational football.
Five-a-side is where most people actually play football. It is the after-work game, the school league, the cage behind the housing estate. It was also the format of the streetfootballworld festival 06, where 22 teams played five-a-side matches of twelve minutes. Here is what makes it its own game.
What five-a-side is
Five-a-side is a form of small-sided football in which each team has five players: four outfield players and a goalkeeper. Compared with the 11-a-side game it has a smaller pitch, smaller goals and shorter matches. It is played indoors or outdoors, usually on artificial grass, often on enclosed pitches.
Where it came from
The early history is largely unrecorded. One account is that it grew in South America in the early twentieth century, when footballers who were not paid year-round played in informal, smaller leagues. As South American players moved to Europe in the middle of the century, the small game spread, and the first formal five-a-side tournament was held in 1965.
The rules that make it different
Five-a-side is often played informally, and teams agree the rules just before kick-off. Some rules are common almost everywhere:
- No offside.
- The goal area belongs to the goalkeeper. It is often a semicircle, and only the goalkeeper may touch the ball inside it.
- Goalkeepers distribute with their hands. They may only use their feet to make a save.
- Sliding tackles are out. Charging or sliding tackles earn a yellow card.
- Sin bins. A yellow card can mean a few minutes off the pitch; a red card is a dismissal, as in 11-a-side.
- No metal studs indoors, to protect the surface.
The English FA has published a fuller set of small-sided laws. Two of them change the game a lot. Outfield players may not enter either penalty area: an attacker who does gives the ball back to the goalkeeper, and a defender who does concedes a free kick. And the head-height rule forbids passing or shooting the ball above head height, except when it comes off the post or from a goalkeeper’s throw.
The physical game
Five-a-side means short sprints, sudden changes of direction and constant movement with little rest. Training for it focuses on explosive speed, interval work, quick reflexes and close control. That is part of why coaches like small-sided games for young players: everyone is involved all the time.
The family of small-sided games
Five-a-side has many relatives:
| Variant | What’s different |
|---|---|
| Futsal | Indoor five-a-side from South America, with official laws (FIFA and AMF) |
| Indoor soccer | North American, usually six-a-side on an ice-hockey-sized pitch |
| Jorkyball | 2 v 2 in a 10 m × 5 m plexiglass cage; the walls are in play |
| Beach soccer | Five-a-side on sand |
| Six-a-side | Five outfield players and a goalkeeper on a bigger pitch; Aston Villa held a six-a-side competition as early as 1880 |
| Seven-a-side | Six outfield players and a goalkeeper |
And then there is street football in its purest form: no pitch markings, jumpers for goalposts, and players joining and leaving as they please.
FAQ
How many players are on a five-a-side team?
Five on the pitch: four outfield players and a goalkeeper.
Is there offside in five-a-side?
No. Five-a-side is played without offside.
What is the head-height rule?
A rule in the English FA’s small-sided laws that forbids playing the ball above head height. A free kick is awarded against the player who does it.
Is futsal the same as five-a-side?
Futsal is a form of five-a-side with official laws published by FIFA; general five-a-side rules are more flexible.
Conclusion
Five-a-side keeps football close to its street origins while giving it enough structure for leagues and tournaments. If you want to set one up, read our guide to running a five-a-side league, or see how the Homeless World Cup adapted the small game to four-a-side.