On March 17th and 18th, 2025, an exclusive workshop was held at Red Star Belgrade for the coaches of the club’s younger youth teams.
Peter Schreiner presented the new DFB concept for children’s soccer, both in theory and practice. The focus was especially on the innovative approaches of Skillshirtz and FUNino, which were new to many of the participating coaches.
The demonstration group – the U9 team of Red Star Belgrade – was highly motivated and technically well-trained. The players had a good understanding of English, so the coach rarely needed to provide translations – a big advantage for the smooth execution of the practical sessions.
Practical Workshop Topics:
1. Small Sided Games / Fun Games
- Car Race – A dribbling game with space-finding elements
- Policeman – A creative dribbling challenge
2. FUNino
- Introduction to rules
- Game formats: 3v0, 3v1, 3v3 on four goals
- Objective: Overcome space quickly with minimal passes
3. Skillshirtz
- Find the Group
- Twin Catching
- Twin Chasing
- Focus: Perception, quick reaction, and joyful movement
Policemen – Dribbling Game
FUNino – 3 vs 0 – Overcome space quickly with minimal passes
FUNino Principle – Let the Children Find the Solution
A special focus of the workshop was on player-centered coaching. Peter Schreiner used guided questions to help players develop tactical understanding on their own:
“Where should I play the ball if I want to overcome space quickly?”
The children found the answer themselves: Not backward, not directly to the player – but perfectly timed into the run!
The result: A significantly higher success rate in 3v1 attacking situations.
Cognition in Children’s Soccer – Training with SKILLSHIRTZ®
Another key part of the practical session was the use of SKILLSHIRTZ®. This new multifunctional training tool provides targeted cognitive stimuli and enhances players’ speed of action, perception, attention, reaction, and anticipation.
Peter Schreiner showed how to effectively integrate cognitive elements into soccer training through simple, engaging exercises:
Skillshirtz Games:
- Find the Group – Players quickly identify their group and respond accordingly
- Twin Catching – A reaction-based tag game in pairs
- Twin Chasing – Anticipation and quick transitions in movement games
The children clearly enjoyed the fast-paced and challenging activities and carried them out with great focus. The exercises proved to be an effective and playful way to develop essential skills for the modern game.
Media Coverage and Outlook
Before the workshop, Peter Schreiner was interviewed by the Red Star Belgrade TV team about his presentation and his perspective on modern children’s soccer.
Looking ahead:
The next workshop is already being planned – this time for the U10 to U12 age groups.
