The 6 versus 6 game format

Under 8s and 9s ​​​​​​​

As of the 2017/2018 season

Under 10s

As of the 2018/2019 season

The 6 versus 6 game format will be played by children in the under 8, under 9 and under 10 age-groups. This format enables children to enjoy more touches of the ball, they can pass and dribble a lot, they can play in more positions and they are more involved in the game. The KNVB is to kick off the 2017/2018 season by offering this game format for these youthful footballers. The KNVB will organise these competitions, for which clubs can register freely. Throughout the Netherlands, a so-called year-of-birth competition and corresponding football package will be on offer to all youthful footballers.

In the interests of enjoyment and child development, the KNVB will no longer maintain rankings and leader boards for the U9s as of the 2017/2018 season. As of the 2018/2019 season, this will also be the case for the under 10s. The KNVB will keep track of the results in order to structure the competition properly. 

Research shows that children aged under 10 are not yet capable of projecting weeks ahead. They are primarily interested in the here and now - and match day itself. For these children, the weekly game is the football celebration of the week. Next week it's party time again, so for this reason it is not necessary to connect the celebrations by keeping track of the results. Naturally enough, they want to win every game. But if that doesn't happen, then they are still happy after the game about that wonderful run or that fantastic goal or the penalty that found the net.