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Football · Australia · Tactics

⚽ Tactics board · Football · Australia

Build your formation, draw your movements and sequence your steps. Export to PNG or GIF, share with one link. How does it work?

Tactics board Build, draw, animate and share your move.

~14 min read

Tactics board mode · Football

A tactic can't just be told. It has to be shown — and it has to move.

GIF

The next-generation tactical whiteboard, right in your browser.

You've got a clear idea in your head — a pressing trigger, a worked corner, a three-man build-up — but the moment you try to explain it, you end up with magnets sliding off, a corner of the board wiped at half-time or a three-minute voice note nobody listens to. TeamBranch's tactics board fills exactly that gap.

In a few minutes you turn an idea into an animated diagram: you drop in your real eleven, draw the movements, chain the steps and export a GIF ready to send to the team's WhatsApp group, post on your socials or keep for the next session. No £200 software to install, no account to create: you open the page, place your eleven, draw, export.

Clean line pitch Real players + photos GIF & PNG export Free, no sign-up

Headline feature · animated GIF

Your diagram becomes a moving animation, step by step.

Most whiteboards stop at a still image. TeamBranch animates your move. It works like an animation: each step is a keyframe, and the tool plays them in sequence. You set up the starting situation, draw the first movement, then add a step — it automatically copies the positions and lines from the previous one, so you only move what changes.

Three to five steps are enough to tell a corner, a build-up or a pressing trigger. One click on “Animated GIF”, you pick your format — Standard, Landscape (X / Facebook), Square (Instagram) or Story / Reels / TikTok — and the tool replays each step (~0.8s per frame), adds the watermark and downloads the file. Need a still image? The same menu also exports a high-resolution PNG.

▶ Generate an animated GIF⤓ Export as HD PNG

Storyboard · 1 step = 1 keyframe▶ GIF

Step 1 · kick-off

Step 2 · switch

Step 3 · cross

▶GIF
4 steps

Export · share

4steps

~0.8sper frame

4formats

£0to pay

Coach · grassroots, youth, 11-a-side, futsal

Prep your set piece, send the GIF

You're working on a corner or a pressing pattern, you generate the GIF and send it to the team's WhatsApp group. Your players turn up to training already having seen the movement. The whiteboard that never gets wiped at half-time.

TrainingSet pieceWhatsApp

Fan · analyst

Illustrate your breakdown instead of a wall of text

You argue “here's how this team should defend that 3-5-2” with a clear visual rather than a wall of text. An animated diagram is worth a thousand tweets: you show the block, the switch of play, the pressing zone, and the debate is off.

Analysis3-5-2Debate

Content creator · TikTok, Insta, X

An animated breakdown in the right vertical format

You put out an animated tactical breakdown in Story / Reels / TikTok format, with the players' real faces, in two minutes. A weight-optimised GIF that sends fast, ready for 9:16. The football content that stops the thumb in the feed.

9:16ReelsReal photos

Player · captain

Clear up a free-kick set-up

You get everyone on the same page before a free kick or a corner. Who picks up the runner, who drops to the penalty spot, who stays back for cover: one share-as-view-only diagram, and the instruction is crystal clear for the eleven.

Free kickSet-upShared link

A century of systems of play, from the WM to the gegenpressing.

A formation isn't just numbers: it's an idea of football. From Herbert Chapman's WM in the 1920s to Klopp's counter-pressing, every era invented its own way to occupy space. On TeamBranch's tactics board you can replay each of these systems, annotate them and animate them to understand — or teach — why they work.

1925–1950 · The origins

The WM, the pyramid and the bolt

The 1925 offside law changes everything: at Arsenal, Herbert Chapman invents the WM (3-2-2-3), the first truly modern system. The ball is no longer a matter of individual genius but of collective structure. The 2-3-5 pyramid of the 19th century gives way to thought-out lines.

Across the way, Pozzo's Italy wins two World Cups with the Metodo, and Switzerland theorises the verrou — the ancestor of the libero. On a tactics board these set-ups read at a glance: who covers, who presses, who stays.

1960–1990 · The great schools

Catenaccio against total football

Two philosophies clash. Helenio Herrera's Inter pushes catenaccio to its peak: ultra-tight defence, libero, counter-attack. At the opposite end, Cruyff's Ajax and the Netherlands invent total football — every player can fill every role, pressing becomes a weapon.

Then comes Sacchi's zonal Milan in the 1980s: high defensive line, compact block, collective offside. Three ideas, three ways to draw the same eleven pieces — exactly what a tactics board lets you compare side by side.

2008–2026 · Modern football

Tiki-taka, gegenpressing, blocks

The tiki-taka of Guardiola's Barça and Spain 2008-2012 turns possession into a defensive system. In reaction, Klopp imposes the gegenpressing: win the ball back within six seconds of losing it, where the opponent is most vulnerable.

Today the vocabulary is everywhere: low block, mid block, trigger pressing, three-man build-up, half-spaces. The tactics board puts these concepts within everyone's reach: you don't need a badge to show where to set your line and when to press.

Toolbox

Every drawing tool on the tactics board.

A static set-up tells you nothing. What turns a line-up into a readable game plan is the lines: runs, passes, dribbles, shots, zones and notes — each in the colour of your choice. Here's the visual grammar of the board.

Player run

The run. Trace a player's path from one position to the next. It's the tool that brings the next step to life: run in behind, drop back, peel off.

Pass

The delivery. Link two players to show a pass, a one-two, a switch of play. The line tells you who feeds whom.

Dribble / carry

The ball at feet. A wavy line for the dribble or the carry: the difference from a pass is instantly clear.

Shot

The finish. A bold arrow towards goal to show the strike, the volley or the header at the penalty spot.

Pressing zone / block

The space. Mark out a pressing zone, a defensive block, an area to shut down. Essential for explaining a collective trigger.

Text annotation

The keyword. Drop a written marker — “press here”, “cover”, “back post” — straight onto the pitch. And Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y to undo-redo stress-free.

Tactical glossary

The words to know to talk football tactics.

Pressing: Going to press the player on the ball high up the pitch to force a mistake. High press (on the build-up), trigger press (on a pass to one side), all-out press. The attacking weapon without the ball.
Low / mid / high block: The team's height without the ball. Low block = defend near your own box. Mid block = in midfield. High block = smother the opponent in their half. The central dial of any tactic.
Build-up: Playing out clean from the back. Three-man build-up (the 6 drops between the centre-backs), two-man, through the keeper. This is where modern games are won — and where the best diagrams are drawn.
Set piece: Corner, free kick, penalty, throw-in, goal kick. The phases where the tactics board shines: you place every player to the inch, draw the runs, and everyone knows their job.
Transition: The switch moment between attack and defence (and back). The attacking transition = the counter-attack; the defensive transition = the recovery run. The most decisive seconds of a match.
Half-space & wing: The zones of the pitch. The wing hugs the touchline; the half-space is the zone between wing and centre, the playground of modern playmakers. Width and depth let an attack breathe.
Zonal vs man-marking: Zonal = each player defends a space. Man-marking = each follows an opponent. Mixed = a bit of both, especially on set pieces. The choice is shown better than it's explained.
Switch & playing wide: Switching the ball to the other side to stretch the opposition block. A big switch of play opens the far wing: the pass arrow on the board says it in a single line.
Half-pitch views: Zoom in on the attacking or defensive third to work on the zone that matters. Handy for detailing a corner or a build-up without the noise of the rest of the pitch.
Formation: The team's skeleton: 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2… Seven set-ups in one click. Switch system whenever you like, your players keep their identity, only the positions adjust.

Step by step · from idea to GIF

How to generate an animated GIF of your tactic.

The headline feature, broken down. It works like an animation: each step is a keyframe, and the tool plays them in sequence automatically on export. Three to five steps are enough to tell a corner, a build-up or a pressing trigger.

Set up your starting situation

Pick your formation, place your eleven and the opposition, put the ball in the right spot. That's your step 1, the zero moment of the move.

FormationPlayersBall

Draw the first movement

Trace the pass, the run, the switch: everything that describes the opening of the action. Pick the colour for each type of line.

PassRunZone

Add a step

Below the pitch, click “+ step”. It copies the positions and lines from the previous one: you only have to move what changes.

+ stepAuto-copy

Repeat for each key moment

One step = one key moment. Push a player forward, move the ball, add the shot. 3 to 5 steps tell the whole action.

Key momentsHistory

Click “Animated GIF”

Pick the format — Standard, Landscape, Square, Story. The tool replays each step, adds the watermark and downloads. All that's left is to post.

GIFHD PNGShare

“

Football is complicated because it's simple. The hardest part isn't having the idea — it's getting eleven players to understand it at the same time.

The tactics board — exactly the gap this tool fills

Every phase of play you can draw and animate.

9 situations · no sign-up

⛳

Attacking set piece

The worked corner

Place your players to the inch in the box, trace the crossing runs, the block, the player at the near post and the pull-back to the penalty spot. Animate the sequence: taker, run, flick-on, finish. The corner your strikers know by heart before training.

1 Taker2 Block3 Flick-on

Corner · 3-4 stepsGIF ready

🧱

Defensive set piece

Defending the corner & the free kick

Show the marking (zonal, man or mixed), who picks up the runner, who guards the posts, who sits on the edge of the box. The free-kick set-up with the wall, the number of men, and the player who breaks out. Everyone on the same page.

M WallP PostsZ Zonal

Defence · markingView-only

🔺

Build-up

The three-man build-up

The 6 dropping between the two centre-backs, the full-backs pushing on, the keeper in the play. Animate the build-up step by step to show how to break the opposition's first press and find the free man. The phase that wins modern games.

6 DropGB KeeperL Full-backs

Build-up · 4 stepsGIF ready

🔥

Off-the-ball movement

The pressing trigger

Draw the pressing zone, the trigger (the pass to one side), who jumps on the man on the ball, who shuts the passing lanes, who covers behind. Animate the collective movement so the whole team presses on the same cue. The attacking weapon without the ball.

9 Jump⚑ Trigger⬛ Zone

Press · zoneGIF ready

↩

Transition

The lightning counter-attack

From the turnover to the strike in seconds: trace the first vertical pass, the runs in behind, the overload, the cut-back. Animate the speed of execution. Ideal for showing how to exploit an opposition block that's out of shape.

↯ Vertical11 Run→ Cross

Transition · 4 stepsGIF ready

🤝

Head-to-head

Your block against the opposition

The board handles both teams: add opposition markers, move them, give them a photo. You stage a real head-to-head — your set-up against their 4-2-3-1 — instead of only showing your own block. Perfect for prepping a specific opponent.

US UsVS Them📷 Photos

2 teams · oppositionScouting

🥅

Futsal & 5/7/8-a-side

The futsal rotation

The pitch has a margin around the lines: you can place a player or the ball off the pitch (throw-in, corner, behind the goal). Ideal for futsal, 5, 7 or 8-a-side: rotations, pivot, block, closing down the last man. Adapt the number of players to your game.

PI Pivot↻ RotationF Closing down

Futsal · small-sidedMargin included

🧒

Football academy · youth

The training drill

Diagram a drill or a session exercise for your U9s to U17s: keep-ball, triangle play, dribble-pass-shoot. Create custom players with photos of your club's kids so they recognise themselves. The animated session plan parents understand too.

U Youth+ Custom player▲ Triangle

Youth · coachingSession plan

🎙

Content creation

The breakdown for social

Analyse a goal, a phase from a big match, or “here's how to beat this team”. Players' real faces, vertical format for Story / Reels / TikTok, a light GIF that sends fast. The animated tactical breakdown that turns an opinion into shareable content.

9:16 Vertical📷 Real players▶ GIF

TikTok · Insta · XSocial format

7 systems in one click

Switch formation without redoing everything.

Seven set-ups available: 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, 3-4-3, 5-3-2. Switch system whenever you like — the players already placed (name + photo) keep their identity, only the positions adjust. The roles are colour-coded by line (goalkeeper, defence, midfield, attack) for instant reading.

4-3-3

Standard

4-4-2

Classic

3-5-2

Wing-backs

4-2-3-1

No. 10

4-1-4-1

Compact

3-4-3

Attacking

5-3-2

Defensive

⚙

Free

6 phase templates · 1 click to start

4-step attacking corner

Taker, block, crossing run, back-post finish. Ready to animate as a GIF.

▶

Three-man build-up

The 6 drops, full-backs high, keeper plays out. Break the first press.

▶

High press with triggers

Zone, cue, the 9 jumps, lanes shut. Whole team on the same beat.

▶

Direct free kick & wall

Number of men, wall height, dummy taker, screened run.

▶

Lightning counter-attack

Turnover, vertical pass, overload, cut-back. 4 steps.

▶

Low block & transition

Defend near your box then break out. Ideal against stronger sides.

▶

Visual dictionary

The 12 tactical concepts you can illustrate in two minutes.

From pressing to offside, every big idea in football is drawn better than it's explained. Here are the most searched-for concepts — and they become crystal clear the moment you animate them on the tactics board. Place your eleven, draw, animate, share.

High press

Without the ball

Going to press the opposition build-up in their own half. Drawn with the zone + the strikers stepping up.

gegenpressingtrigger

Low block

Defend deep

Two compact lines near the box. Ideal against stronger sides. The height of the block is shown in a single line.

mid blockcompact

Possession

With the ball

Keeping the ball to pin and move the opponent. Triangles, width, overloads. Tiki-taka in pictures.

tiki-takatriangle

Counter-attack

Attacking transition

Striking fast after a turnover: vertical pass, overload, depth. The quickest phase to animate.

transitionvertical

Build-up

Playing out

Playing out clean from the back. The 6 drops, keeper in the play. Breaks the press.

play outthe 6

Defensive recovery

Defensive transition

Getting back into shape after a loss: who slows it, who tracks back, who covers the depth. The critical seconds.

recovery runcover

Set piece

Dead ball

Corner, free kick, penalty. The board's favourite playground: place to the inch, runs traced out.

cornerfree kick

Marking

Zonal / man

Zonal (a space), man (an opponent) or mixed. The defensive choice compared in two diagrams.

zonalman-marking

Width & depth

Occupying space

Stretching the opposition block in height and width. Wingers holding width, the 9 running depth. Letting the attack breathe.

half-spacewing

Switch of play

Change of wing

Switching the ball to open the far wing. One long pass line, and the space appears.

switchplaying wide

Offside line

Trap

Pushing the defensive line up at the right moment to trap the attacker. The back four stepping up in sync.

high lineoffside trap

Futsal & small-sided

5/7/8-a-side

Rotations, pivot, closing down. Margin around the lines for throw-ins. Adapt the number of players.

futsalrotation

Export · animated GIF & high-res PNG

A format for every platform, in one click.

The export menu offers the animated GIF (replaying your steps) and the high-resolution PNG (a still for a thumbnail or print), each in the right ratio. Landscape for X / Facebook, square for Instagram, vertical for Stories, Reels and TikTok. The GIF is weight-optimised to send fast by message.

Standard GIF

16:10 · animated

Full board

Landscape GIF

16:9 · animated

X · Facebook

Square GIF

1:1 · animated

Instagram post

Story GIF

9:16 · animated

Story · Reels · TikTok

HD PNG

High resolution

Thumbnail · print

Landscape PNG

16:9 · still

Banner · article

Square PNG

1:1 · still

Instagram post

Story PNG

9:16 · still

Story · poster

Frequently asked questions

Everything about the football tactics board.

A pick of the questions most asked on Google and in our user messages.

How do I make an animated GIF of my tactic?

Every step you add below the pitch becomes a keyframe of the animation. You set up your starting situation, draw a movement, click “+ step” (it copies the positions and lines), move what changes, and repeat. Then you click “Animated GIF” and pick the format. The tool replays each step (~0.8s per frame), adds the watermark and downloads the GIF. The more steps you create, the more detailed the movement.

Is the TeamBranch tactics board really free?

Yes, completely. Line-up, drawings, steps, PNG and GIF export, replay link: no sign-up and no payment. No £200 software to install, no account to create. You open the page, place your eleven, draw, export. Make as many tactics as you like.

Can I put real players on the pitch?

Yes. Tap a marker to open the search and drop in a real player — their photo and position arrive automatically. You can also create a custom player (one of your club's kids, a mate) with their own image. Roles are colour-coded by line — goalkeeper, defence, midfield, attack — for instant reading.

Can I place the opposition too?

Of course. Add opposition markers, move them, give them a photo: you stage a real head-to-head, not just your own block. Ideal for prepping a specific opponent — your set-up against their 4-2-3-1, for example — or for scouting work.

Which formations are available?

Seven, in one click: 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, 3-4-3, 5-3-2. Switch system whenever you like: the players already placed (name + photo) keep their identity, only the positions adjust. You can also move each player freely for a bespoke set-up.

What drawing tools does the board offer?

Six families, each in the colour of your choice: player runs, passes, dribbles/carries, shots, pressing or block zones, and text annotations. That's what turns a static set-up into a readable game plan. With a full history and the Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y shortcuts to undo/redo stress-free.

How do I animate several phases of play?

Every step you add becomes a frame of the animation. The new step automatically copies the positions and lines from the previous one: you only have to move what changes (push a player forward, move the ball, add the shot). Three to five steps are usually enough to tell a corner, a build-up or a pressing trigger. The tool chains them automatically on GIF export.

Which format should I pick for social media?

Landscape for X / Facebook, square for an Instagram post, vertical (9:16) for Stories, Reels and TikTok, or Standard for the full board. The GIF is weight-optimised to send fast by message. Need a still image? The same menu also exports a high-resolution PNG — perfect for a thumbnail or a diagram to print.

Can I place a player or the ball off the pitch?

Yes. The pitch is drawn in clean lines (sharp at any size, dark mode included) with all the markings — boxes, centre circle, penalty spots, arcs, goals and corner arcs. Because there's a margin around the lines, you can place a player or the ball off the pitch: throw-in, corner, behind the goal. Handy too for futsal and small-sided football.

How do I share my tactic with my team?

You save your tactic and get a view-only replay link: the person plays the sequence back step by step. You can also export the GIF or the PNG and send it straight to the team's WhatsApp group, post it on your socials, or keep it for the next session.

Are my tactics public?

Only if they're complete enough: a tactic with at least 7 players joins the feed and the country's best XI. Otherwise it stays private and editable, and your share link stays view-only. You stay in control of what's visible.

Does the board work on a phone?

Yes, it all happens right in the browser, on desktop and mobile alike — nothing to install. It's actually the headline use case: you prep your move, generate the GIF, and your players watch it on their phones before training. The half-pitch views (attacking or defensive third) help you zoom in on the zone that matters on a small screen.

Does it work for futsal, 5, 7 or 8-a-side?

Yes. The margin around the lines and the freedom of placement let you adapt the board to every format: futsal (rotations, pivot, closing down the last man), 5, 7 or 8-a-side, Thursday-night five-a-side. You diagram rotations, blocks and set pieces just like in 11-a-side.

Can I use it to coach youth players?

Absolutely. Diagram a drill or a session exercise (keep-ball, triangle play, dribble-pass-shoot), create custom players with photos of your club's kids, and generate an animated session plan that players and parents grasp at a glance. The whiteboard that never gets wiped, for the academy.

Are there other modes besides football?

Yes. TeamBranch offers boards and line-ups for many sports — handball, rugby, basketball, volleyball, water polo — each with its own pitch, positions and terminology. The football tactics board mode is the most complete for animating a phase of play and exporting it as a GIF.

Is the tactics board available in Australia?

Yes. The football tactics board is available everywhere, in each country's language, Australia included. You build the team of your choice — national side, club or your own team — draw your phases and export your GIF, with nothing to install.