Indoor Football Games, Sorted by Room
Indoor football games, sorted by which room you've actually got tonight.
For a long time indoor football at ours meant one rule only, no kicking near the telly, which ruled out more than it allowed. This page sorts five real games, already built and playable, by the room or space you've got, each one built for indoor play with a soft ball and no need to shout.
Pick your room
Five Games, Sorted by Room
These are five indoor football games for kids that already exist on this site, each matched to a room or a kind of indoor space, not to a specific age or skill level. Find the room you've got below, then follow the link.
Got a hallway? Hallway Dribbling Game Ideas turns that oddly-shaped strip of floor into an actual course. It uses the narrowness on purpose instead of fighting it, so the ball stays roughly where you want it.
Got a living room and a soft ball? Living Room Football Games uses the furniture you already own as goals and targets. The sofa stays exactly where it is.
Not sure which ball to use indoors? Soft Ball Indoor Football is not a game but the page that answers which ball to use, and it is worth reading before any of the five. Getting the ball right takes away a lot of the risk.
Got a small room and a keen goalkeeper? Indoor Goalkeeper Reaction Game puts one child in goal, reacting to a ball that's thrown or rolled, not kicked. It's quieter than it sounds and works in a small space.
Got a wall you can use indoors? Indoor Wall Pass Game turns a blank stretch of wall into a rebound rally between two people. No goal needed, just a wall and a soft ball.
In a flat with neighbours below? Sock Ball Target Passing uses a rolled-up sock and soft fixed targets, with near-zero rebound. It's the one to pick when the downstairs neighbours are home.
The numbers behind a wet day
Why Indoors Is Worth Getting Right
The UK averages around 159 days a year with at least 1mm of rain, according to the Met Office's UK climate series for 1991 to 2020, so indoor options are a recurring need, not an occasional one.
A 2011 study of rainfall and physical activity in 1,794 British children found that on the wettest days, children did 9.4 fewer minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity and were sedentary for 13.6 more minutes than on dry days.
That comes from one English county, one season (April to July 2007) and an age band of 9 to 10, which only overlaps the very top of this site's 5-to-9 range, and rainfall was measured some distance from the schools studied. It shows a real, quantified effect for that sample, not a guarantee for any one family.
The one rule that matters
Indoor Football Without Breaking Anything
If there's one habit worth taking from this page, it's this: pick the room-matched game above rather than trying to fit an outdoor game indoors. The five games listed here were each built for indoor play and soft equipment from the start, not squeezed in afterwards, so nothing about them assumes a garden's worth of space or a full-size ball.
A proper outdoor kickabout is brilliant, but it doesn't fold down neatly to fit a landing or a lounge just because the weather's turned. Clear the space the way the safety note above describes, keep to a soft ball, and let the room decide which of the five games you're playing tonight. That's really the whole trick: match the game to the room instead of squeezing an outdoor game into it. It saves the negotiating and it saves the ornaments.
What's still to come
Want the Fuller Collection?
These five games are the room-by-room slice of a bigger set. The full Indoor Rainy Play collection organises the same ideas differently, and it's the better starting point if you want the whole picture instead of just tonight's game.
Two more ideas are still on the way: a balloon-based option for the gentlest possible indoor play, and a taped-out dribbling course for a room with a bit of open floor. Neither is built yet, so there's nothing to link to today, but they're coming.
For now, the five games above cover a hallway, a living room, a small room with a goalkeeper, a wall and a flat with neighbours below between them.
Quick answers
Common Questions About Indoor Football Games
What's a good indoor football game for a small flat?
Sock Ball Target Passing is the quietest option, with near-zero rebound. It's the safest bet for downstairs neighbours.
How do we play indoor football without breaking anything?
Clear breakables from anywhere the ball could travel or bounce back to first, use a soft ball, and pick the room-matched game above instead of trying an outdoor game indoors.
What ball should we use indoors?
See Soft Ball Indoor Football for the full answer. A rolled-up sock also works well for the quietest games.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three more directions if tonight's game isn't quite the fit.
Want the fuller Indoor Rainy Play collection?
The full hub organises this same set of games by wet-day scenario rather than by room.
Go to Indoor Rainy PlayGot a wall or fence outside instead?
Take it outdoors and use a wall or fence the same way, once the rain's stopped.
Go to Wall Rebound First TouchTonight's five minutes
Pick the game that matches your room.
Clear anything breakable first. The other four games are still here on the next wet day.