Thieving Magpies

Focus

Hard Running.

Skills

Shepherd, Crumb.

Purpose

This drill required a lot of hard running, teamwork and communication. Players must strategise defensive and offensive movements in order to win and defend the football.

Players

8⁺

Ages

6⁺

Balls

5⁺

Cones

Distance (max)

30m

Setup
Form teams of 3, each has a cone or 'homebase' on the point of a 30m square. Based on numbers, you could also have pairs instead of 3's, or make a triangle or pentagon shape, providing the cones are an equal distance apart. All footballs available are placed in the middle.
Step 1
The idea is for your team to get as many footballs back to your homebase as possible, and keep them from being stolen by other teams.
Step 2
The initial whistle will see everyone sprint to get one of the balls in the centre.

One or all players on a team can leave their homebase at any time to retrieve a ball

Once a player gathers a ball cleanly, they cannot be touched

Players with a ball must immediately return to their homebase and place the ball alongside the cone
Step 3
Once there are no more balls in the middle, everyone's balls are fair game for every other team to steal. Teams can decide to keep players at their homebase to defend the balls they've collected by shepherding any approaching player. Optionally, junior coaches may wish to remove the shepherding player to avoid collisions.

Teams with a few balls may decide to keep one or more players at home to defend them. For example team (A) have chosen to leave nobody home (unwise if they had footballs), team (B) have left 2 players home, whilst teams (C) and (D) have left 1 player to defend.

Teams may also choose to rotate who goes out collecting, and who stays home defending, to avoid fatigue
Step 4
Continue for 5 minutes, then blow the whistle. Stop and count who has the most balls at their homebase plus in their possession. They score a point.

Repeat as many times as required.