RULE 1
5 v 5. ONE GOALIE EACH.
Use four field players and one goalie per team. Rotate waiting players after a goal or short timed shift.
Teacher-facing · Playground Fix · Grades 4–8
THE FOOT HOCKEY FIX™
A small-sided 5 v 5 playground game with small goals, feet-only field players, one goalie per team and no body contact.
10–20 minSoft low-bounce ball · 8–12 cones · 2 small goals or cone gates8 rule momentsNo student accounts
Why this exists
Teach the close call before recess.
Small-ball games become unsafe when too many players chase one ball or when contact rules are vague. Foot Hockey Fix shrinks the field, limits teams, protects the goalie crease and makes the restart language predictable.
Start with one agreed version
Mark a compact playing area, two small goals and two goalie creases. Play 5 v 5 including one goalie per team.
Freeze the hard moment
The projected training shows a short playground scenario, freezes at the exact decision point and gives the class three possible calls. Everyone thinks; one randomly chosen Call Crew makes the official decision.
Transfer the language outside
Use a compact 5 v 5 format with small goals, feet-only play and clear goalie/crease rules to reduce playground collisions and disputes. The screen is the rehearsal. Recess is the destination.
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The shared rule set
Eight moments students can actually remember.
The Fix is intentionally not a professional rulebook. It teaches the moments most likely to stop this schoolyard version, then gives students one neutral sequence for restarting play.
RULE 2
FIELD PLAYERS USE FEET ONLY.
Dribble, pass and shoot with the feet. No hand play by field players.
RULE 3
GOALIE HANDS STAY IN THE CREASE.
Only the goalie may use hands, and only while inside the marked crease.
RULE 4
USE A SMALL SCHOOL-APPROVED SOFT BALL.
A soft low-bounce ball is preferred. Use a tennis ball only where school policy permits it.
RULE 5
STAY ON YOUR FEET. NO BODY CONTACT.
No slide tackles, checking, pushing, grabbing, or kicking through another player’s feet.
RULE 6
BALL OUT? KICK-IN.
The other team places the ball on the sideline and passes it back in. Defenders give space.
RULE 7
BALL THROUGH THE SMALL GOAL = SCORE.
A goal counts when the whole ball crosses the goal line between the markers.
RULE 8
GOAL? CENTRE RESTART.
After a goal, both teams reset and the team that conceded starts with a centre pass.
How the class runs it
WATCH → FREEZE → CALL → LOCK → PLAY.
The teacher can run the whole activity from one projected screen. Students do not need devices, logins or accounts. If the class makes a poor call, the moment replays and the rule is repaired before it is locked into the final outdoor play card.
Use the indoor training once when the game is new, then return only when the same close call starts consuming recess again. A successful Playground Fix should gradually become unnecessary because students can start, rotate, settle ordinary disputes and keep playing without a teacher standing beside the game.
Equipment
Soft low-bounce ball · 8–12 cones · 2 small goals or cone gates
Outdoor setup
Mark a compact playing area, two small goals and two goalie creases. Play 5 v 5 including one goalie per team.