Entering your team in a football tournament

The short version

Ask whether it is sanctioned, because it affects you

Sanction is the organiser's responsibility, but it matters to the entering club as well.

The FA's current tournament process runs through the Competition Portal and includes the competition rules, key officials, FA policies and documentation, and insurance information. County FA guidance also warns that playing in unsanctioned football can affect the insurance protection an affiliated team expects.

Ask which County FA or affiliated association sanctioned the event and, where available, for the sanction confirmation or reference. If the organiser cannot clarify the event's sanction status, do not pay until you have a clear answer. If insurance cover matters to your club, confirm the position with your club secretary, County FA or insurer before entering.

Check affiliation and eligibility with your club secretary as well, particularly around the change from one playing season to the next. Make sure the tournament states whether its age groups refer to the season just finished or the one about to start.

Check the format is right for this season

England Football's FutureFit changes took effect from the start of the 2026/27 season. 3v3 was introduced at Under 7, smaller formats are kept for longer through the pathway, and 11v11 is now introduced as the maximum format from Under 14.

Check the advertised format for your age group against the current pathway. Our England age group rules guide sets it out.

The published formats are maximum permitted formats. A tournament can use something smaller, so a smaller-sided format is not automatically a problem.

At the youngest ages, check how the competition section is being run. Under 7 is non-competitive and trophy events are not permitted, while Under 8 to Under 11 can run permitted trophy events with winners and published results.

If something does not match the pathway, ask before entering. It may be a permitted smaller format, or the event information may simply need updating.

Check the football on offer is actually deliverable

There is a maximum amount of football an individual child may play in one day, and the limit varies by age group. It is a player limit rather than a team limit.

Ask for the match length as well as the minimum number of games. Then work out the most football any one child in your squad could realistically play, including possible knockout or plate matches if you progress. Keep that child's total within the current daily maximum for the age group.

A small squad matters because the same players may need to play more minutes. A larger squad and genuine rotation can change an individual child's total, but the limit still follows the child.

The current daily maximums for each age group are on our tournament organising guide alongside the 2026/27 format map.

What to ask before you pay

A clear entry pack should answer most of these. If something important is missing, ask before you pay.

• The date, venue with postcode, arrival time and expected finish time.
• The format, match length and minimum number of games planned.
• Whether knockout, plate or classification rounds could add games beyond that minimum.
• Which playing season the advertised age groups refer to.
• The intended playing level or standard, in plain language. If the organiser has declared a level, treat it as a guide and ask if you are unsure whether it suits your team.
• Squad-size limits and player-eligibility rules, including whether a player can appear for more than one team.
• The entry fee, what it covers, and any other expected cost such as spectator admission or parking.
• What happens if the event is cancelled, postponed or materially changed, and what happens if your team withdraws. Get the terms in writing before you pay.
• Whether referees are appointed by the organiser or supplied by clubs.
• The pitch surface and any footwear restriction.
• The entry deadline and what actually confirms your place: submitting the form, organiser acceptance, cleared payment or another step.
• Who the organiser contact is and who the safeguarding or welfare contact will be on the day.

Check who you are paying and keep the payment confirmation. If the bank details do not match the named club, company or organiser, ask for an explanation before sending money.

The photography job that belongs with your team

A tournament should tell you whether official photography or filming is planned and how images may be used. Your team then needs to deal with the parental permissions and any child-specific restriction.

• Tell parents and carers what the tournament's photography arrangements are as soon as you receive them.
• Check that your club or team holds the parental permissions needed for the use the organiser has described, particularly if images will be published or shared publicly.
• Tell the organiser privately if a child must not be the subject of close-up official photography or filming. You do not need to explain why.
• Agree the identification arrangement before the day so it can be applied from the first match. Keep that restriction separate from permission to publish or reuse an image: they are different things.

On the day

• Find first aid and the safeguarding contact before your first game.
• Check the schedule and know your pitch numbers and kick-off times.
• Keep player emergency contact details accessible.
• Know what the organiser has said about severe weather, postponement or shelter.
• Follow the tournament's published squad and eligibility rules. If you need an exception or clarification, agree it with the organiser before the day.

The standard youth competition rules give the appointed referee the decision on whether an individual pitch is fit for a match, subject to any determination by the local authority or ground owner. The tournament's sanctioned rules should make the wider arrangement clear.

If something goes wrong

For anything about a child's welfare, speak to the event safeguarding contact. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. You do not have to be certain before raising a concern, and you can also use your own club welfare officer, County FA Designated Safeguarding Officer or the FA safeguarding route.

For a dispute about the running of the event, raise it with the organiser on the day and in writing afterwards. If the issue concerns the conduct or rules of a sanctioned competition and cannot be resolved through the organiser's published process, ask the sanctioning County FA or association what reporting or complaint route applies.

For a refund or credit, start with the cancellation terms you were given at entry, then ask the organiser for its position in writing. A written term is not necessarily the whole legal answer.

Elsewhere in the UK

Sanction, affiliation and formats are set separately in each nation. Start with the association that covers you.

• England: The Football Association and your County FA.
• Scotland: the Scottish Football Association.
• Wales: the Football Association of Wales.
• Northern Ireland: the Irish Football Association.

Find a tournament

Browse tournaments by age group, date and location, with filters such as format and organiser-declared level where available, and see which age groups still have spaces. Entry and enquiries go directly to the organiser.

A FindMeFootball listing does not mean we have sanctioned, approved or verified the tournament. Sanction remains a matter for the relevant football association and County FA, and the checks on this page are still yours to make.