James, in my opinion, yes, it is too early but that is just my personal view. 

The only positional information I would be giving to u8s would be about space and that would just be in the form of questions

EG "is it easy or hard to dribble the ball when there are lots of kids near you?"

From your strikers point of view, if he wants to go join in, then thats great - half the battle is getting the kids to love getting the ball / winning it back

Hi James, 

At this age children will naturally be drawn towards the ball as they don't yet have a good grasp of abstract concepts such as space and time. This will improve over the next 3-5 years as they develop physically, cognitively and technically. I think the focus with your team should be on creating a really positive and welcoming environment so the boys love coming to training and matches. Encourage them to stay on the ball in games and combine with others when necessary. In training focus on 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 practices to maximise touches of the ball and 1v1 duals. 

Hi James,

This is my first season managing a U8 mixed ability side and I can say they will definitely respond to tactics. This will actually develop on it's own, e.g. some players are more comfortable staying back, while others will stay up top.

I started very simply: having a dedicated defender. Later on, the boys took on the idea of playing a diamond shape. Now we are 3/4 through the season, I have started encouraging more of a box shape in a bid to get the goalie to play it from the back (most teams we come across are instructing their goalie to boot it up field, which is something we were doing too frequently for my liking).

I have also observed that some teams have taken us to the cleaners simply because they are organised and press as a unit. So that in itself is evidence that positions and tactics can be coached at U8.

Hi James Bate 

Thank you for posting your question and I can reassure you that you are not alone in feeling this way. 

Also, great to see some good interaction with other coaches in the answers too.

I think the focus for this age and your players should be fun first, your players want to play and enjoy themselves so this is where the focus should be.

Try and relate your training/matches to focus on the 4 corner model: Technical/Tactical, Physical, Social and Psychological. If all sessions cover the 4 corners then you will be challenging players and giving them the tools to learn but also have fun. When playing games remember to give all players equal playing time and rotate positions/roles too. This will help challenge your players further and also help them gain an even better understanding of football and positions within teams.

Useful link: https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles/resources/2022/The-FA-4-Corner-Model

In terms of information during matches, make sure to be positive and promote players to stay on the ball and problem solve for themselves. My question to you would be what's the worst that can happen if your highest players comes into his half?

Let your players play and see if they can problem solve for themselves, guide them to find a solution but see if they can find the answers.

Hope this is helpful. Let me know how you get on.

Thanks, Will

Great question James and good feedback from others.

This article is quite old now but thought may be of interest www.thefa.com/.../to-stick-or-twist-141213

Hi James,

For me, at the foundation, they should be having lots of ball-rolling time. Think about when you were 8, what did you want to do?

Also, they have the rest of their life to learn tactics.