Your first match day as an Under 7 to Under 11 football manager

Before the day

• Registration. Rule 18(A) of the Standard Code says a player must be registered with the competition and approved before playing. A paper form on match day is a route only where your league allows it, and the rule sets conditions for it, so it is not a way round registration. Before you pick your squad, ask your club secretary whether every child is cleared to play, so you never field a child who is not. Our guide to player registration explains the stages.
• Match details. Rule 20(C) says a home club officer gives the match officials and the opposing club officer the location, kick-off time and kit colours in advance. Find out who does this at your club, and whether that is you.
• The referee. Rule 23 says referees are appointed in the way the competition’s committee approves, and that if no official referee turns up, the clubs agree on one. Under 14s cannot referee, and 14 to 16 year olds can only referee younger age groups. At Under 7, England Football’s 3v3 guidance (opens in a new tab) says no match officials are needed, with one adult facilitator per pitch. Our guide to mini soccer rules explains who can referee and what they do. Ask your league or club how referees are arranged for your age group.
• Emergency contacts. Rule 18(A) says a player’s parent or guardian emergency contact details must be available at matches and training the player attends. Bring them.
• Medical information. The FA’s medical guidance (opens in a new tab) says clubs should keep in touch with parents about any conditions or needs, and describes a medical consent form for when a parent is not present, with a new form recommended each season. If a child needs medication, such as an inhaler or an adrenaline auto-injector, check the plan agreed for that child with your club and their parent. The guidance says the child brings it to each session, a nominated person named in the club’s plan holds it so it is available when needed, and a child who attends without their medication should not be allowed to train or play.
• Your club’s emergency plan. The FA’s medical guidance says it is important for coaches to have access to and understand their club’s Medical Emergency Action Plan. Ask your club for it, and if it does not have one, ask who is responsible for writing it. Check where the first aid kit is. England Football Learning has a free online course on medical emergency action plans (opens in a new tab).
• Kit. The FA’s handbook says shin pads, covered by socks, are compulsory. Our guide to youth football kit and equipment covers the rest.

Who does what

Leagues and clubs split match day jobs in different ways, so ask your club secretary who does each of these for your team:

• sending the venue, kick-off time and kit colours to the other team and any referee (Rule 20(C) gives this to a home club officer);
• arranging the referee, or the adult facilitator for an Under 7 3v3 game;
• bringing match balls, bibs, goals and the first aid kit;
• being the first aider or the lead for the club’s emergency plan on the day;
• sending the result, and marking the referee where there is one.

Do not assume your league uses a particular app or form. Ask what yours expects.

From arrival to kick-off

These are our practical suggestions for a first match, not FA requirements. Your club may have its own routine.

1. Arrive in good time, so you are not rushed.
2. Find the pitch, the toilets, the first aid kit and the way an ambulance would get in.
3. Introduce yourself to the other team’s manager and the referee or facilitator.
4. Check the team sheet or squad list your league uses, and that every child is cleared to play.
5. Walk the pitch with the adult responsible for it and look for anything that could hurt a child.
6. Check shin pads and socks over them. Where your format has a goalkeeper, check their top is a different colour.
7. Tell the children and parents your plan for who starts and when each child comes on.

On the day

• Format and pitch. The format, pitch size, ball size and retreat line depend on the age group. Our guides to mini soccer rules and age group rules in England set them out.
• Playing time. The FA’s handbook says every player should get equal playing time where possible, with at least 50% of each game as best practice. It also says no child should go over the maximum playing time for their age in one day, and that the club and/or the parent or carer are responsible for that. These are recommendations and limits, not a minimum any child is owed. Our guide to playing time has the detail.
• Keeping track. Note when each child goes on and comes off, or ask another adult to, so you can share the time out as you planned. Your league’s rules and our playing time guide cover how substitutions work.
• Talking to the referee and the other team. Keep it calm and polite, and raise any problem with the other manager or the referee at a break, not across the pitch.
• If something goes wrong. If a child is hurt, stop and follow your club’s emergency plan. The match can wait.
• Captains. Rule 20(H) says each team identifies a captain, who supports discipline on the pitch.
• The touchline. The Standard Code requires clubs to follow the RESPECT programme where the competition adopts it. Our guide to the Grassroots Code and touchline behaviour covers what that means for you and your parents.

If a child is hurt

Follow your club’s Medical Emergency Action Plan if it has one. The FA’s medical guidance (opens in a new tab) says:

• after a head injury, watch for red-flag signs such as loss of consciousness, worsening consciousness, memory loss or repeated vomiting, and refer the player to a healthcare professional or call 999 if required;
• a player with a suspected concussion is removed from the pitch straight away and not allowed to return until appropriate treatment has been given. The FA’s concussion guidelines (opens in a new tab) say the player must not return to activity that day, and that any return to football follows a graduated programme;
• the injury and what was done are recorded on The FA’s player injury report form, completed by the club’s first aider, and shared only with those who need to know. The form records whether a player was sent home with a responsible adult.

Our guide to concussion in grassroots football explains what happens next. The FA strongly recommends first aid education for coaches each year and recommends its free concussion course every year.

After the match

• Results. Rule 21(D) says that from Under 7 to Under 11, clubs and competitions may collect results and grading tables but must not publish them, except for trophy events.
• Sending the result. Rule 21 lets the competition set how and when results are sent, for example by phone, text, email, FA Full-Time or the FA Matchday app. Ask your league secretary what yours expects, and who at your club sends it.
• The referee. Where there is a referee, Rule 23 says clubs mark them on the competition’s form. Ask your club how it does this.

Before you leave

• Check every child has gone home with their parent or the adult their parent arranged.
• If a child was hurt, make sure the injury form is done and the parent knows what happened.
• Send the result, or check the person responsible has.
• Tell your club about anything that needs following up, such as an injury, a complaint or a problem with the pitch.

If you have a concern about a child

Know who your club’s welfare officer is before your first match. In England, a concern about a child can go to any of these:

• The club or league welfare officer.
• The County FA’s Designated Safeguarding Officer.
• The FA’s safeguarding team.

You do not have to report through the club first. If your concern is about someone at the club, you can go straight to another route. You can also contact the NSPCC helpline, instead of or as well as these. If you think a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, contact your local authority’s children’s social care. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

Our guides to the club welfare officer and safeguarding in grassroots football explain more.