Retreat Line - U9, U10, U11, U12

Hello Teams,

It has been brought to our attention that many of our U9, U10, U11, and U12 teams are not implementing the Retreat Line strategy endorsed by Soccer Nova Scotia.

We all need to take ownership in educating our membership to implement this tool in every game your team plays in, as it clearly benefits the way teams are approaching the game and accelerates development.

What is the Retreat Line?

The Retreat Line is exactly what it sounds like - a line that the offensive team must stay behind when the defending keeper has the ball. The retreat line will come into play when the ball has gone out for a goal kick or when the goalkeeper has the ball in his/her arms.
 
All opponents must be behind the retreat line and cannot cross the retreat line until:

• the moment the keeper has played the ball from a goal kick OR,
• has released the ball from their hands when in possession

The purpose of the Retreat Line is to encourage player development and decision making with the ball. It emphasizes appreciation of possession, educating players on the value of ball control, and enjoying the ball rather than fearing it. Our hope is to make the Retreat Line not only a part of the league but a part of every game your teams play in.

Please review the links to get a better understanding of how your team should be implementing this coaching strategy.

Thank you to those that have been using this coaching technique, and with your help we hope to see it being utilized more frequently in the future.

http://www.cislns.ca/files/retreat_line2.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGHGY-tdgz4
http://www.soccerns.ns.ca/coaches/long-term-player-development-ltpd/retreat-line/