9v9 soccer substitution rotation
Nine on the field, and a squad that may be twelve one week and fifteen the next. Enter the number that came and get a 9v9 substitution rotation that shares the game equally.
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
12 players share 9 places over 60 minutes. Every player is on for 40 to 50 minutes. 3 sit out in each block of about 10 minutes.
| Time | Goalkeeper | On the field | Sitting out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st half, 0–10 min | Player 1 | Player 2, Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 7, Player 8, Player 9 | Player 10, Player 11, Player 12 |
| 1st half, 10–20 min | Player 1 | Player 2, Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 10, Player 11, Player 12 | Player 7, Player 8, Player 9 |
| 1st half, 20–30 min | Player 1 | Player 5, Player 6, Player 7, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10, Player 11, Player 12 | Player 2, Player 3, Player 4 |
| 2nd half, 0–10 min | Player 2 | Player 1, Player 3, Player 4, Player 7, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10, Player 11 | Player 5, Player 6, Player 12 |
| 2nd half, 10–20 min | Player 2 | Player 1, Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 9, Player 10, Player 12 | Player 7, Player 8, Player 11 |
| 2nd half, 20–30 min | Player 2 | Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 7, Player 8, Player 11, Player 12 | Player 1, Player 9, Player 10 |
Minutes for each player
- Player 1: 50 min
- Player 2: 50 min
- Player 3: 50 min
- Player 4: 50 min
- Player 5: 50 min
- Player 6: 50 min
- Player 7: 40 min
- Player 8: 40 min
- Player 9: 40 min
- Player 10: 40 min
- Player 11: 40 min
- Player 12: 40 min
Made with futbolisland.app. Change at the next stoppage your league allows; the times are targets.
Sharing a 9v9 game
9v9 is played at U11 and U12 in the US, usually as two halves of 30 minutes. Players at this age can hold a position for longer, so many coaches change every seven or ten minutes instead of every five. The planner cuts each half into equal blocks from the interval you choose.
Eleven- and twelve-year-olds notice who plays more. A printed plan, shown to the team before kick-off, ends most of the arguments before they begin.
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 9v9 substitutions
How often should I substitute in 9v9?
Every seven to ten minutes is common at U11 and U12. That gives three or four blocks in a 30-minute half.
How do I share time between twelve players in 9v9?
Three players sit out in each block. Over a game of six ten-minute blocks, some players are on for four blocks and some for five. The planner picks who gets the extra block; swap the names next week so it evens out over the season.
Does the plan keep the same goalkeeper?
You choose. One goalkeeper for the whole game, or a new goalkeeper each period so that more players learn the position.
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
- 9v9 lineup builderPut the starters on a field diagram
- Soccer playing time calculatorA fair substitution plan with equal minutes for every player
- 7v7 soccer substitution rotationEqual playing time for a 7v7 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.