Choosing a holiday football camp
Camps cover an enormous range. At one end is an hour of coaching on a Tuesday morning. At the other is nine to five for a week, with lunch, in the holidays, where the camp is doing the job childcare would otherwise do.
There are two questions worth separating. Is this good football, and is this a safe place to leave my child for a day? A camp can be strong on one and thin on the other.
Childcare regulation differs across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the rules on which providers must register are detailed and carry exemptions. This page explains what to ask. Your provider and the regulator for your nation can tell you what applies to them.
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First, understand what kind of provision you are booking
Some holiday football camps are primarily coaching sessions. Others provide longer-day care during the school holidays as well as football. That distinction can matter, but the rules are not identical across the UK and the name a provider gives itself does not settle whether it needs to be registered.
Activity-based sports provision can be exempt from childcare registration in some circumstances. The exact rules depend on where you live, the children's ages, how the provision operates and which exemptions apply.
So do not assume that a football camp must be registered, and do not assume that calling itself a coaching camp means it does not need to be.
If registration matters to you, particularly because you want to use childcare support, ask the provider whether it is registered or approved, with whom, and under what type of provision.
Is the provider registered, and does it matter?
Childcare providers are registered by a different body in each nation.
Who registers childcare providers in each UK nation
| Nation | Registration and oversight |
|---|---|
| England | Ofsted (opens in a new tab) |
| Scotland | The Care Inspectorate (opens in a new tab) |
| Wales | Care Inspectorate Wales (opens in a new tab) |
| Northern Ireland | The Early Years Team (opens in a new tab) at the relevant Health and Social Care Trust |
Whether a particular camp has to register depends on the ages of the children, how long they are there, how many days it runs, and the nature of what is provided. There are exemptions, including for activity-based provision, so a football camp is not automatically required to register.
Registration means the provider is subject to the requirements and regulatory oversight that apply to that type of registered childcare. It is not a rating of the football coaching, and it is not a guarantee that nothing can go wrong.
Registration can also matter for how you pay, because some forms of childcare support (opens in a new tab) require a registered or approved provider. If that applies to you, ask before you book rather than after.
The straightforward question to ask is: are you registered or approved, with whom, and under what type of provision? A provider offering holiday childcare should be able to tell you clearly whether it is registered or approved and with whom. A provider running an hour of coaching may not need to be registered at all, which is fine, and is a reason to be clear about what you are booking.
What to check before booking
Most of this is a single email. A well-organised provider should be able to answer these questions clearly.
Questions to send a camp before you book
- Who is coaching, what qualifications do they hold, what safeguarding or background checks apply to the people working with the children, and have those checks been completed?
- How many adults are there per child, and what happens if somebody calls in sick?
- What first-aid cover is on site?
- What are the arrangements for dropping off and collecting, and who is allowed to collect my child?
- What happens at lunch, and is food provided or brought?
- What happens in bad weather, and is there indoor space?
- How do you handle allergies, medication and medical needs?
- What is the refund or cancellation policy if my child is ill?
Our guide to safeguarding in grassroots football explains what those checks are and who to speak to if something worries you. The same practical questions are worth asking of a club as of a camp, and how to choose a grassroots football club covers those.
Age and ability mix
Age and ability mix can make a big difference to whether a camp suits your child, and it is easy to check in advance.
Ask how the groups are organised, whether by age, by ability or otherwise, and what the numbers usually look like. If the advertised age range is wide, ask how children are divided during the day.
Tell the provider your child's level and ask which group or type of session would suit them.
Warning signs
None of these means a camp is bad. Each is a reason to ask another question before paying.
- Vagueness about who is actually coaching, or about their qualifications and checks.
- No clear collection procedure.
- Claims about scouts attending, exposure or progression. A holiday camp is a holiday camp, and our guide to football trials covers how to check an approach that goes further than that.
- Payment requested by bank transfer to a personal account, with no invoice or booking confirmation.
- No named contact and no address, only a social media account.
- Reluctance to say whether they are registered, in either direction. Not being registered can be perfectly correct. Being evasive about it is different.
Find a football camp near you
Search holiday football camps and other grassroots events by location, age group and date. Check the organiser-declared details and confirm anything important with the provider before booking — FindMeFootball does not assess camp providers.
If your child has not played before, our guide to when a child can start playing football covers where to begin.
Common questions
Can I use childcare support to pay for a football camp?
It depends on the scheme and the provider. Some forms of childcare support require the provider to be registered or approved and may have other eligibility conditions. If you plan to use childcare support, check both the scheme rules and whether the camp can accept it before you book.
Does Ofsted registration mean the camp is good?
No. Registration means the provider is subject to the oversight that applies to that type of registered childcare. It says nothing about the quality of the coaching, and the same applies to the arrangements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
My child is nervous about going. What can I do?
Ask whether they can attend for a single day first rather than a full week, and whether a friend can be put in the same group. Both are common requests.
Is a camp run by a professional club better?
Not automatically. A professional-club camp may offer a good experience, but the same practical questions still apply: who is delivering the session, how children are grouped, what safeguarding arrangements apply and what the day actually includes.
How much notice do I need?
If you need the camp for childcare rather than simply as an optional football activity, check availability early and make sure the hours and cancellation terms work for you.