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Grassroots football key dates for 2026/27

This page lists the national dates in the 2026/27 grassroots season that a parent, coach, team manager or club volunteer in England might plan around. Fixtures, breaks and cup rounds are set by each league rather than nationally, so your league and club are the place for those.

We only list a date once a primary source has published it. Where a date matters but has not been announced yet, it is listed below with where it will be published, rather than guessed.

Dates are added when they are confirmed. The log at the bottom shows what was added and when.

Information checked on

A blank calendar with one day circled in amber, pinned to a wooden noticeboard on a post, a football at its foot, and a goal and a row of cones behind.

Silent Support weekends

England Football has confirmed two national Silent Support weekends (opens in a new tab) for youth football this season.

  • 14 and 15 November 2026
  • 13 and 14 March 2027

Leagues choose whether to take part. At participating matches, spectators applaud good play but do not shout or call out, and coaches can still encourage their teams. Some leagues are also piloting more frequent Silent Support weekends this season, so yours may run extra ones. England Football’s Silent Support page (opens in a new tab) explains how the weekends work.

Club and league administration

1 June 2026: affiliation, sanction and registration opened for 2026/27. The FA’s key dates notice (opens in a new tab) opened club affiliation, competition sanction and referee registration for the season on 1 June, and made player registration available for leagues to open. These are dates for club and league volunteers rather than the start of matches. Our guide to player registration explains how registration works.

For rules and formats that changed this season, see our guide to rule changes for 2026/27.

Dates to check later

Some important dates are not national, or have not yet been published. We do not estimate them.

  • Fixtures, breaks and cup deadlines. These are set by each league and competition, so there is no single national date. Our guide to how youth football leagues work explains who decides what. Check your league or club for the dates that apply to your team.
  • Looking ahead to 2027/28. The FA has not yet published its next affiliation and registration opening dates. The 2026/27 dates appeared in its key dates notice (opens in a new tab) on its Grassroots Technology support site, which is the place to check. If England Football announces national Silent Support weekends for 2027/28, those dates will also be added when confirmed.

Elsewhere in the UK

The dates on this page are for grassroots football in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their grassroots game through their own associations, so check those for dates there.

Common questions

When does the grassroots season start and finish?

There is no single national start or finish date for matches. Each league sets its own fixtures within the season. Ask your club or league for the dates that apply to your team.

Does every league take part in Silent Support weekends?

No. Leagues choose whether to take part, and some are piloting extra weekends this season. Ask your league or club before the weekend.

Why are so few dates listed?

Because we only list dates that have been confirmed. Fixtures, breaks and cup deadlines are set locally, and national dates for next season have not been announced yet.

Update log

  • 25 September 2026: page first published with the confirmed national dates for the 2026/27 season.