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Maths In Jobs

Be a junior football coach for a day maths challenge

An imaginative role-play challenge where children use formations, timings, scores, averages and training plans like a real football coach.

Quick answer

You can be a junior football coach for a day by using maths to plan your team’s training, keep score, work out averages, and choose the best formation – all while having fun and learning important maths skills.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to use maths to plan a football team’s training, keep score, work out averages, and choose the best team formation – just like a real football coach. Success signs:
  • You can count how many players are in each formation
  • You can work out how many goals your team scored
  • You can calculate the average number of goals per game
  • You can plan a training session using time and groups

Why this matters

Football is full of maths! Every time you play, you use maths to count scores, work out how long a match lasts, plan your training, and even choose the best team formation. When you become a junior coach, you’ll use even more maths to help your team succeed. This helps you see how useful maths is in real life – not just in school!

How it works

To be a junior football coach, you need to understand:
  1. How many players are in a team (formation)
  2. How to count goals and keep score
  3. How to work out averages (like average goals per game)
  4. How to plan training using time and groups

Examples you can see

Let’s imagine you are the coach of a football team with 11 players. This is the most common number in a football team. You can make a table to show how many players are in each position:
Position Number of Players
Goalkeeper 1
Defenders 4
Midfielders 4
Strikers 2
This is called a 4-4-2 formation. That means 4 defenders, 4 midfielders, and 2 strikers. Now let’s say your team played 3 games. In the first game, they scored 2 goals. In the second game, they scored 3 goals. In the third game, they scored 1 goal. You can work out the average number of goals scored per game:
  1. Add the goals together: 2 + 3 + 1 = 6 goals
  2. Divide by the number of games: 6 ÷ 3 = 2 goals per game
So your team scored an average of 2 goals per game.

Try it as a mini adventure

You are now the junior coach of a football team! Your adventure starts now. Adventure: Be a Junior Football Coach You are in charge of a football team with 11 players. You must plan a training session and keep score for 3 games.
  1. First, you need to decide on a team formation. Choose one from the table below.
  2. Next, you will plan a 30-minute training session. You have 5 minutes for warm-up, 10 minutes for drills, and 15 minutes for a small game.
  3. Then, you will keep score for 3 games. Game 1: 3 goals. Game 2: 1 goal. Game 3: 2 goals.
  4. Finally, you will calculate the average goals per game.
You can draw your team formation or write down your answers. It’s a fun way to use maths and pretend you’re coaching a real team!

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Thinking that 11 players can’t be split into 4-4-2 formation.
    Why it happens: Children may think all groups must be the same size.
    Fix: Remember that a team can have different numbers of players in each position – that’s what makes a formation special!
  • Mistake: Forgetting to divide when calculating an average.
    Why it happens: Children may add up the numbers but forget to divide by the number of games.
    Fix: Always remember to divide the total by the number of things you are averaging.
  • Mistake: Mixing up the order of operations when planning training.
    Why it happens: Children may think warm-up, drills, and game are all the same time.
    Fix: Write down the time for each part of training and check that it adds up to your total time.

Parent and carer guide

As a parent or carer, you can help your child by:
  • Encouraging them to draw their team formation or use blocks to show the number of players
  • Letting them count and score goals in a pretend game
  • Practising the average calculation together using their own scores or toys
  • Helping them plan a training session using a timer or stopwatch
  • Reinforcing that maths is useful in real life, not just in school

Practice questions

  1. How many players are in a 3-5-2 formation?
  2. If a team scored 4 goals in one game, 2 goals in another, and 3 goals in a third, what is the average number of goals per game?
  3. If a training session lasts 20 minutes and includes 5 minutes for warm-up and 10 minutes for drills, how many minutes are left for a game?
  4. Which formation has more defenders: 4-4-2 or 3-5-2?
  5. How many players are in a 5-3-2 formation?
Answers:
  1. 3 + 5 + 2 = 10 players
  2. (4 + 2 + 3) ÷ 3 = 9 ÷ 3 = 3 goals per game
  3. 20 - 5 - 10 = 5 minutes
  4. 4 defenders in 4-4-2, 3 defenders in 3-5-2 – so 4-4-2 has more
  5. 5 + 3 + 2 = 10 players

FAQ

What is a football formation?

A football formation is how the players are arranged on the field. It tells you how many players are in each position, like defenders, midfielders, and strikers.

How do I work out the average goals scored?

Add up all the goals scored, then divide by the number of games. For example, 2 + 3 + 1 = 6 goals, then 6 ÷ 3 = 2 average goals per game.

Why do coaches use maths?

Coaches use maths to plan training, keep score, choose the best team formation, and understand how well their team is doing.

Can I use maths in other sports?

Yes! Maths is used in basketball, rugby, cricket, and many other sports. You can count scores, measure distances, and work out averages.

How can I practice being a coach at home?

You can plan a pretend training session, keep score for a game, or draw your team formation. You can even use toys or blocks to act out the positions.