7v7 soccer substitution rotation
Seven on the field and a bench of excited eight- and nine-year-olds. Enter how many players you have and get a 7v7 substitution rotation in which everyone plays the same amount, to within one change.
Soccer is called football in most of the world. These tools are free, with no account and no ads, from Futbol Island, a football learning game for kids aged 7 to 12.
Names stay on your device. Nothing you type is sent to Futbol Island or stored on a server.
Your substitution plan
10 players share 7 places over 50 minutes. Every player is on for 35 minutes. 3 sit out in each block of about 5 minutes.
| Time | Goalkeeper | On the field | Sitting out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st half, 0–5 min | Player 1 | Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 7, Player 9 | Player 2, Player 8, Player 10 |
| 1st half, 5–10 min | Player 1 | Player 2, Player 3, Player 4, Player 7, Player 8, Player 10 | Player 5, Player 6, Player 9 |
| 1st half, 10–15 min | Player 1 | Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10 | Player 2, Player 3, Player 7 |
| 1st half, 15–20 min | Player 1 | Player 2, Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 7, Player 10 | Player 6, Player 8, Player 9 |
| 1st half, 20–25 min | Player 1 | Player 5, Player 6, Player 7, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10 | Player 2, Player 3, Player 4 |
| 2nd half, 0–5 min | Player 2 | Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 8, Player 9 | Player 1, Player 7, Player 10 |
| 2nd half, 5–10 min | Player 2 | Player 1, Player 3, Player 7, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10 | Player 4, Player 5, Player 6 |
| 2nd half, 10–15 min | Player 2 | Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 7, Player 8 | Player 1, Player 9, Player 10 |
| 2nd half, 15–20 min | Player 2 | Player 1, Player 3, Player 5, Player 6, Player 9, Player 10 | Player 4, Player 7, Player 8 |
| 2nd half, 20–25 min | Player 2 | Player 4, Player 6, Player 7, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10 | Player 1, Player 3, Player 5 |
Minutes for each player
- Player 1: 35 min
- Player 2: 35 min
- Player 3: 35 min
- Player 4: 35 min
- Player 5: 35 min
- Player 6: 35 min
- Player 7: 35 min
- Player 8: 35 min
- Player 9: 35 min
- Player 10: 35 min
Made with futbolisland.app. Change at the next stoppage your league allows; the times are targets.
Sharing a 7v7 game
7v7 is played at U9 and U10 in the US, usually as two halves of 25 minutes. With changes every five minutes that is ten blocks of play to share out. A squad of ten gets seven blocks each; a squad of fourteen gets five each, which is exactly half the game.
The plan starts with those numbers already filled in. Change the game length if your league or tournament plays shorter games.
Why equal playing time matters at these ages
Children learn the game by playing it. A ten-year-old on the bench is not learning to receive a pass under pressure, and nobody can tell at that age who will be the best player at sixteen: children grow and learn at very different speeds.
US youth soccer moved to small-sided games (7v7, then 9v9) so that every child touches the ball more often. Sharing the minutes fairly follows the same idea: more children, more touches, more football learned.
A plan is a starting point. If a child is hurt, upset or simply flying, change it: the aim is a fair share over the season, not a perfect table every week.
Typical US youth game lengths
| Game | Players on the field | Game length | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7v7 (U9 to U10) | 7 | 2 halves of 25 min | 50 min |
| 9v9 (U11 to U12) | 9 | 2 halves of 30 min | 60 min |
| 11v11 (U13 to U14) | 11 | 2 halves of 35 min | 70 min |
| 11v11 (U15 to U16) | 11 | 2 halves of 40 min | 80 min |
| 11v11 (U17 to U19) | 11 | 2 halves of 45 min | 90 min |
Typical US youth standards for the 2026-27 season, from the Futbol Island age group chart (sources: U.S. Soccer and US Youth Soccer); your league may differ. Checked on November 10, 2026.
How the plan is made
- Each period is cut into equal blocks, one for every change. A 25-minute half with changes every 5 minutes has five blocks.
- Every player gets the same number of blocks. When that does not divide evenly, some get one block more, never two.
- With one goalkeeper for the whole game, nobody sits out two blocks in a row while there are enough places to avoid it. With a goalkeeper who changes, the plan keeps such double waits to the few it cannot trade away.
- A rotating goalkeeper stays in goal for a whole period where that is a fair share, and for a shorter spell in a very large squad.
- The same numbers always give the same plan. Reorder the names to change who starts.
Questions about 7v7 substitutions
How often should I substitute in 7v7?
Every five to eight minutes suits most U9 and U10 teams. Shorter turns keep children fresh and waiting times short; longer turns give them time to settle into the game.
How do I rotate ten players in 7v7?
Three players sit out in each block. In a ten-block game every player is on for seven blocks and off for three, and nobody sits out twice in a row.
When am I allowed to make the changes?
Most youth leagues allow changes only when play has stopped, and some only at certain stoppages. Treat the times as targets and change at the next stoppage your league allows.
Rules, charts and more tools
- Substitutions and game length by ageHow long games last and how changes work
- Soccer field size by ageField, goal and game length for each age group
- Soccer age groups explainedU6 to U19 and which game each one plays
- 7v7 lineup builderPut the starters on a field diagram
- Soccer playing time calculatorA fair substitution plan with equal minutes for every player
- 9v9 soccer substitution rotationEqual playing time for a 9v9 squad of any size
- Blank soccer field diagrams31 printable sheets: blank fields, formation cheat sheets and a positions chart
Futbol Island is a free football (soccer) learning game for kids aged 7 to 12. Every idea on this page is taught on a pitch with moving players, then checked with a quick quiz.