Football3: Agree, Play, Talk It Over

A coed, no-referee soccer game in three halves: teams agree on fair play rules, play, then debrief with a student mediator. The score adds goals and sportsmanship points, building dialogue and conflict-resolution skills.

How to play

1. Make 4 coed teams of 5 plus 5 mediators; set up two 30x20 m (33x22 yd) fields with small goals.
2. Agree (4 min): each pair of teams sets three rules of their own with their mediator, such as 'everyone touches it before we score'.
3. Play (2x5 min) with no referee: in a dispute, the players involved talk for 30 seconds and decide how to restart; the mediator only takes notes.
4. Talk (3 min): in a circle, each team rates from 0 to 3 how well both teams kept the agreement.
5. Add goals and sportsmanship points; rotate opponents and mediators for a second game (8 min).

Rules

• Breaking an agreed rule costs sportsmanship points.
• Only the players involved settle a dispute; everyone else waits.
• Mediators never whistle: they ask and take notes.
• Safety: no slide tackles and no hard shots within 3 m (10 ft) of anyone.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: be a mediator or play with a 3-second protected zone on the ball.
• Shy students or students with autism: use sentence-starter cards and rate in writing.
• Highly skilled players: may not score until every teammate has touched the ball.

Learning goals

• Negotiate fair play rules and keep them without a referee.
• Resolve disputes through dialogue during play.
• Rate their own and others' sportsmanship honestly.

Equipment for a class of 25

• soccer balls: 2
• small goals: 4
• pinnies: 10
• cones: 8

Teacher tip

Act out a sample dispute before starting so students see it takes seconds to settle. Pick well-respected students as the first mediators.

More activities like this

More main activities for Middle School