Football Lineup Generator
Free football lineup generator for junior coaches. Enter your squad and formation and it builds a fair lineup for each half, with even playing time and substitutions worked out.
What does a football lineup generator do?
How to use this lineup generator
- Add your squad. Tick must play for anyone who has to start or has missed out recently.
- Choose the format that matches your grade — 5, 7, 9 or 11 a side.
- Set how many periods you want to split the game into. More periods means more even playing time but more substitutions to manage.
- Generate, then copy or print the team sheet.
How the half maths works
The number of on-pitch slots in a match is fixed: positions × halfs. Sharing them between your squad is simple division, and it is what decides whether an even split is even possible.
| Squad size | Halfs each | Even split? |
|---|---|---|
| 11 players | 4 | Yes — identical for everyone |
| 13 players | 3 or 4 | No — 5 players get one extra |
| 14 players | 3 or 4 | No — 2 players get one extra |
| 16 players | 2 or 3 | No — 12 players get one extra |
| 18 players | 2 or 3 | No — 8 players get one extra |
This is why a rotation that looks unfair often is not. With 11 positions there is no arrangement that gives an awkward squad size identical time — the best any coach can do is keep the gap to a single half, and rotate who carries it from week to week.
Positions in this format
| Format | Positions |
|---|---|
| 11 a side — 4-4-2 | GK · LB · CB1 · CB2 · RB · LM · CM1 · CM2 · RM · ST1 · ST2 |
| 11 a side — 4-3-3 | GK · LB · CB1 · CB2 · RB · CM1 · CM2 · CM3 · LW · ST · RW |
| 9 a side — 3-3-2 Common NZ format for Year 7–8. | GK · LB · CB · RB · LM · CM · RM · ST1 · ST2 |
| 7 a side — 2-3-1 Common NZ format for Year 5–6. | GK · LB · RB · LM · CM · RM · ST |
| 5 a side | GK · DEF · MID1 · MID2 · ST |
For what each position actually does, see football / soccer positions explained, and the football / soccer rules of the game for formats and timings.
Last reviewed: September 2026. Formats follow the junior grades used in New Zealand — always check your own competition handbook, which takes precedence.
Common questions
How do you work out fair playing time in junior football?
Split the match into equal periods and treat each one as a block of playing time. If you play two halves with a squad of 14 and 11 on the pitch, there are 22 slots for 14 players, so most get 2 halves and some get 1. Splitting the same game into quarters gives 44 slots and much finer control. This tool shows you the effect of that choice before the game.
Is this for football or soccer?
Both — they are the same sport. New Zealand Football uses "football", and plenty of parents and coaches still say "soccer". The formats and positions in this tool are the ones used in NZ junior grades.
Does it handle goalkeepers properly?
Goalkeeper is treated as a position in the list, so somebody always fills it. Because the tool balances total playing time rather than time per position, a keeper may be rotated out into an outfield role. If you want a fixed keeper, set their preferred position to GK and it will be matched whenever they are on.
Can I save the lineup?
The tool itself needs no account and saves nothing — copy or print it and you are done. Saving lineups, tracking who has played what across a season, and emailing the team sheet to parents are what a free Squaddie account adds.
More for your team
Football / Soccer rules
Formats, positions, timing and the junior variations, with the governing bodies they come from.
Football / Soccer positions explained
What each position does on the court or field, and where players are allowed to go.
Football / Soccer team management app
How Squaddie handles lineups, rotations and playing time for football / soccer teams.
One game sorted. Now do the season.
Squaddie remembers who has played what, so every week's rotation starts from what actually happened last week — not from a blank page.
Get started freeFree forever for your first team · No credit card
