Balanced 5-a-side teams

What makes a 5-a-side game uneven?

With ten players on court there is nowhere to hide a bad split. What usually tips it:

• One player who changes everything. With five per side, the group's best player is a fifth of their team. If the second-best lands with them too, the game is decided before kick-off.
• Fitness. The court is small and play never stops: pressing, tracking back, changing pace. A team with all the runners overwhelms the other in the last minutes.
• The goal. Many groups have no fixed keeper and take turns. If one team has someone who can really keep, it's like playing with an extra player.
• Few substitutes. With one sub or none, the team that tires first can't freshen up.

Why isn't a single rating enough in 5-a-side?

With so few players, two teams can have the same "average rating" and play very differently: one with three attackers and nobody defending, the other the opposite. In an 11-a-side game that evens out; in five-a-side it doesn't.

That's why it helps to rate each skill separately and balance all four at once. There's more detail in the guide to making balanced teams.

How does Teamix handle it?

The group's admins privately rate each player from 1 to 10 on physical, defence, attack and vision. Teamix uses the average and looks for splits where all four skills and positions come out similar on both sides.

• Goalkeepers. If you have keepers, mark up to two: one goes to each team, and the stronger one to the weaker side. If you take turns in goal, you don't need to mark any.
• Pairs. If two players need to be on the same side, mark them and they will be.
• Several options. Teamix suggests several different splits and the group votes through the public link, no account needed.

An example split

Ten players, taking turns in goal. One of the options Teamix might suggest:

5-a-side questions