Last Updated on: 23rd October 2026, 03:25 pm
Halloween Football Games
Fun Halloween Training Ideas For Kids
Halloween football games could help keep your players engaged this October. It’s getting colder and wetter, so attendance can start to drop. A spooky-themed training session is a great way to get more people involved and excited about training. Halloween football games and challenges add fun to your sessions while still focusing on football skills. We’ve put together a few ideas to get you started. From dribbling through a pumpkin patch to escaping zombies, these Halloween football games bring a seasonal twist to familiar training exercises. They can be adapted for different ages and abilities, making them ideal for junior football teams and youth training sessions.
Planning a Halloween Training Session
It’s not just the Halloween football games. There are plenty of other ways to get players into the spooky spirit and make the session one to remember. You could consider:
- Halloween Dress Code – Encourage players to wear orange and black or come in simple fancy dress. Keep it safe and make sure costumes don’t restrict movement or vision.
- Spooky Music – Create a Halloween playlist to play during the warm-up or between activities. It’s an easy way to set the mood.
- Use Themed Team Names – Give teams spooky names like the Zombies, Ghosts or Monsters for shooting challenges and small-sided matches.
- Halloween Props on the Pitch – Add a few spooky touches to your equipment. Add a few simple decorations to your session, turn your footballs into pumpkins or add cobwebs to your goalposts. You can even carve a few pumpkins and have them lit up throughout the session.
- Give Treats for Good Work – Give out Halloween treats or small prizes for effort, teamwork, creativity and good sportsmanship. Check for allergies and dietary requirements before handing out sweets.
- Hand out Tricks – If anyone misbehaves, you can also hand out a trick or give them a forfeit (e.g. walking around the pitch like a zombie or running through a series of obstacles while howling like a wolf.)
- Halloween-themed snacks – Bring some spooky-themed food and drinks for the end of your session. Check out these spooky recipes for inspiration.
- Halloween Team Photo – Finish with a spooky team photo. Add a few Halloween props and share the picture with parents or on your club’s social media.
- Halloween Quiz – Run a quick Halloween or football-themed quiz before training or during a break. Split players into teams and award points for correct answers.
Whatever you choose, keep the session fun and engaging. The Halloween theme should add something extra to training while keeping players active, developing their football skills and enjoying themselves. Plan Halloween football games that everyone will enjoy.
Halloween Football Games
One of the easiest ways to keep players interested is to give familiar drills a spooky twist. Refer to footballs as pumpkins, goals as spiderwebs and slalom poles as witches’ brooms. To keep things simple, you can just adapt what you’re already doing. Alternatively, introduce some new Halloween football games. We’ve included a few below for inspiration.
Ghostbusters
Focus: Dribbling, close control, spatial awareness and reactions
Equipment: One football per player, cones and bibs
Set-Up:
- Mark out a rectangular playing area.
- Pick two players to start as the Ghostbusters. Give them each a bib to wear.
- Give all other players a football. They are the ghosts.
Instructions:
- Players dribble around the area, keeping the ball close to their feet.
- The Ghostbusters try to tag other players or knock their footballs out of the playing area.
- If a player is tagged or loses their ball, they put on a bib and become a Ghostbuster.
- Continue until only one player remains with their football.
- Give points to the last player standing and the Ghostbuster who caught the most ghosts.
Coaching Points:
- Encourage players to keep their heads up and look for space.
- Use small touches when opponents are nearby.
- Change direction to escape pressure.
- Protect the ball with the body when necessary.
Progressions:
- Reduce the playing area to make it more challenging.
- Ask players to use their weaker foot.
- Add another Ghostbuster to increase the pressure.
Pumpkin Patch Dribbling
Focus: Ball control, dribbling, listening and quick reactions
Equipment: One football per player and cones
Set-Up:
- Scatter cones around the playing area to create a pumpkin patch.
- Give every player a football and find enough space for them to dribble safely.
Instructions:
- Players dribble around the pumpkin patch, avoiding the cones.
- When the coach shouts “Pumpkin!”, players stop the ball beside the nearest cone.
- When the coach shouts “Spooky!”, players perform a skill before continuing to dribble.
- Keep changing the calls to test how quickly players react.
Coaching Points:
- Keep the ball close and under control.
- Encourage players to use both feet.
- Look for open spaces rather than following other players.
- React quickly while maintaining control of the ball.
Progressions:
- Introduce new commands, such as a turn, a change of direction or a change of pace.
- Give players a time limit to reach a cone.
- Award points for good control or successfully completing a skill.
Witch’s Cauldron
Focus: Passing accuracy, receiving, communication and teamwork
Equipment: Footballs, cones and coloured markers or bibs
Set-Up:
- Create several small passing gates using pairs of cones.
- Place coloured markers or bibs in a central area to represent the ingredients for a witch’s cauldron.
- Divide players into small teams, with a ball for each team.
Instructions:
- Players work together to pass the ball through the gates.
- Each successful pass through a gate earns the team one ingredient.
- A player collects an ingredient and returns to their team before the next player takes a turn.
- The team that collects the most ingredients within the time limit wins.
Coaching Points:
- Pass with the correct weight and accuracy.
- Receive the ball with the body positioned to play the next pass.
- Communicate with teammates.
- Keep the ball moving rather than rushing the pass.
Progressions:
- Make the passing gates smaller.
- Require players to use their weaker foot.
- Add a passive defender to make passing more challenging.
Monster Smash Shooting Challenge
Focus: Shooting accuracy, finishing and fun
Equipment: Footballs, cones, goals and either hanging piñatas filled with sweets or cardboard cut-outs of ghosts and monsters.
Set-Up:
- Hang the piñatas or cardboard targets securely from the goal crossbar, making sure they are at a suitable height for the players.
- Mark out a shooting area with cones.
- Give each player a football and make sure everyone knows where to wait for their turn.
Instructions:
- Players take turns shooting at the hanging targets, trying to hit a ghost, monster or piñata.
- Award points for hitting a target, with extra points for smaller or more challenging targets.
- If using piñatas filled with sweets, let players collect their treats at the end of the session.
- Keep score individually or in teams, depending on the age and ability of the players.
Coaching Points:
- Encourage players to look up and pick their target before shooting.
- Focus on accuracy rather than just power.
- Get players to practise using both feet.
- Encourage everyone to cheer each other on.
Progressions:
- Move the shooting line further back to increase the challenge.
- Use different-sized targets to award different points.
- Ask players to dribble around cones before taking their shot.
- Introduce a team challenge to see how many targets the group can hit in a set time.
Safety Note: Make sure anything hung from the goal is securely attached and doesn’t create a hazard. Use lightweight cardboard cut-outs, supervise shooting and keep everyone behind the shooting line while a player takes their turn. If using piñatas, check the goal and hanging method can safely support the weight, and save breaking them open until the shooting activity has finished.
Trick or Treat Agility Challenge
Focus: Agility, dribbling, coordination, shooting and finishing
Equipment: Footballs, cones, agility ladders or hurdles if available, goals and Halloween challenge cards
Set-Up:
- Create an agility course using cones, hurdles or other suitable training equipment, finishing with a shot at goal.
- Place a supply of footballs at the start of the course.
- Prepare Halloween-themed challenges for players who miss their shot.
Instructions:
- Players take turns dribbling through the agility course, weaving between cones and navigating any obstacles.
- At the end of the course, players take a shot at goal.
- Treat: If they score, they earn a point for themselves or their team.
- Trick: If they miss, they pick a Halloween challenge card and complete the forfeit before returning to the queue.
- Continue until everyone has had several turns or the time runs out. The player or team with the most points wins.
Coaching Points:
- Keep the ball close when moving through the agility course.
- Use quick changes of direction to navigate obstacles.
- Regain control of the ball before shooting.
- Focus on shooting accuracy rather than just power.
- Encourage teammates and celebrate goals.
- For younger players, make the challenges funny rather than punishing.
Halloween Challenge Ideas:
- Walk like a zombie to the next cone and back.
- Do your best monster dance for five seconds.
- Perform five keep-ups.
- Dribble around three cones using your weaker foot.
- Give your best ghost impression.
- Perform a skill move before rejoining the queue.
Progressions:
- Make the agility course more challenging by adding extra obstacles.
- Require players to finish with their weaker foot.
- Introduce different target areas in the goal for bonus points.
- Award extra points for completing the course without losing control of the ball.
Keep Players Engaged
Planning spooky training sessions is a great way to get players to sessions. These Halloween football games give coaches simple ways to practise dribbling, passing, shooting and teamwork while keeping players engaged. The key is to keep the activities enjoyable, inclusive and suitable for your players. You want everyone to finish the session with a smile.
Check out more of our football games for kids for ways to keep young players engaged all year round.
Tags: football games, Football training, football training drills, Halloween, Halloween games, themed football games, youth football