Taking a junior football team to a tournament abroad

The short version

1. Talk to your County FA before you book, and ask for its form and its deadline.
2. Complete The FA’s application to play against foreign clubs. For a grassroots club, your County FA approves it, and it must reach The FA at least 28 days before the first match.
3. Get written consent from a parent or carer for every player under 18, and a head teacher’s permission for any child who will miss school. Check with the school before you book.
4. Plan the trip’s safeguarding: who travels, who is the welfare contact, rooms, first aid, emergencies, and a contact at home.
5. Check passports, entry requirements and insurance for the trip.

Getting The FA’s consent

The FA’s Section 33 application forms (opens in a new tab) in its 2026/27 Rules are how a club asks to play against non-English opposition or outside England, to meet FA Rule B and FIFA’s regulations on international matches. There are two forms. One is for clubs in the Premier League, EFL, Women’s Super League or Women’s Championship. The other is for everyone else, which covers grassroots clubs.

• Deadline. The form must be received by The FA at least 28 days before the match, or before the first match of a series or tournament.
• County FA approval. If your club is not at Steps 1 to 4 of the National League System, your County FA signs the form to approve it before it goes to The FA.
• Your County FA’s own deadline. County FAs can ask for the form earlier than 28 days, because they have to approve it first. West Riding FA (opens in a new tab) asks for it at least 60 days before the match. London FA (opens in a new tab) asks clubs to send the form to London FA, which checks it and forwards it to The FA, and says The FA may ask for more information. Ask your own County FA what it needs and when.
• Two separate permissions. The FA’s Rule B (opens in a new tab) requires every club involved to be affiliated to The FA or to another FIFA member association, and a match outside England to be authorised both by The FA and by the football association of the country where it is played. Your club’s form deals with The FA’s side. The host country’s authorisation is the organiser’s matter, on its own timetable, so ask the organiser whether the tournament has it before you commit.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are outside England, and Rule B has no blanket exemption for them. Some County FA pages say one-off fixtures against teams from those nations do not need permission. Check the exact fixture and where it is with your County FA before you rely on that.

Consent from parents and schools

The FA’s application form for grassroots clubs has a section for any match or tournament that involves youth teams. By signing it, the club confirms that:

• it has written consent from a parent or carer for each participant under 16, and no one under 16 will play without it;
• it has written permission from the head teacher where a school-age player would miss term time. That is The FA’s condition; whether the absence is authorised is the school’s decision, so ask the school before you book;
• it will follow The FA’s safeguarding children policies and procedures, and the NSPCC’s safe sport events, activities and competitions (opens in a new tab) guidance;
• it has an adequate safeguarding plan, on-site emergency procedures and first aid in place.

The FA’s travel, trips and tournaments guidance (opens in a new tab) goes further and says to get specific written permission for each activity a child may take part in, and to keep the signed forms safely. The form’s rule is for players under 16, but 16 and 17 year olds are still children, so get written permission from a parent or carer for every player under 18. Collect medical information and emergency contacts for every child at the same time.

Safeguarding on an overnight trip

The FA’s travel, trips and tournaments guidance (opens in a new tab) sets out what to plan for when a team stays away. Among its points:

• Anyone directly responsible for children on behalf of the club needs an in-date FA DBS check.
• Make clear who the welfare officer or designated contact is on the trip, and name someone at the club who is not travelling as a point of contact at home.
• With a group of boys, there should always be a male member of staff; with a group of girls, there should always be a female member of staff.
• Adult-to-child ratios depend on the children’s ages, the activities and any additional needs. The FA’s guidance refers to its separate guidance note on ratios.
• Beds must be single, and staff and players must not share a room. The guidance says children aged 12 or younger ideally share a twin or triple room, that staff bedrooms should be spread out, and that if the group is over three floors there should be at least one adult room on each floor.
• If players will stay with host families, plan how you will supervise them remotely.
• A qualified first aider and an up-to-date first aid kit must always be there.
• Have a way to record incidents and the action taken, and a procedure for reporting concerns about a child’s welfare.

For a trip abroad, the same guidance adds: check whether visas, vaccinations or Global Health Insurance Cards are needed, keep passports and return tickets secure, carry the local emergency services details and medical information for every child and adult, and think about language and local customs, including clothing.

Passports and travel documents

GOV.UK’s foreign travel checklist (opens in a new tab) says to check that each passport meets the entry requirements of the country you are visiting, which may include being valid for a set period after the trip, using the Foreign Office’s travel advice for that country. It also says that if you are travelling with children, check whether you need extra documentation. A player travelling without their parents may need a letter of consent or other papers for the country or the airline, so check this for every child well before you book flights.

Insurance

The FA’s guidance says to make sure your insurance covers you abroad and that you may need extra cover, such as medical cover. It lists public and civil liability, personal accident and vehicle cover, including breakdown, as things to check. Separately, the NHS says a UK Global Health Insurance Card (opens in a new tab) is not a replacement for travel insurance. Ask your club’s insurer what your current policy covers outside the UK, and ask your County FA if you are unsure what affiliated football requires. Ask the tournament organiser what, if anything, its own cover includes for visiting teams.

What the host tournament covers, and what it does not

The tournament’s own rules set its format, age groups and match rules. Read them before you enter, and check the age groups line up with your players’ ages. The FA’s consent, your parents’ consent, your safeguarding plan and your insurance stay with your club. The FA’s form puts them there, whatever the tournament provides.

These are our suggestions, not rules. Questions to ask an organiser before you book:

1. Is the tournament approved by the football association of the country it is in?
2. What are the age groups and formats, and how are players’ ages checked?
3. Where will the team stay, and who else will be in the accommodation?
4. What medical cover is on site, and who is the tournament’s safeguarding contact?
5. What happens to your booking if The FA does not give consent or the event is cancelled?

If a concern comes up

Before you travel, make sure every adult on the trip and every parent at home knows who the welfare contact is. Wherever the trip is, 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 on the trip, you can go straight to another route. If you cannot contact the welfare officer or the County FA’s Designated Safeguarding Officer, The FA’s guidance (opens in a new tab) points to the NSPCC helpline. If you think a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, contact children’s social care for the area where the child lives. If a child is in immediate danger abroad, call the local emergency number; in the UK, call 999.

Our guide to safeguarding in grassroots football explains how safeguarding works in clubs.

Bringing a team from abroad to your tournament

If you are organising a tournament in England and a team from another country wants to enter, The FA’s Section 33 forms say to contact The FA’s sanctioning team, as well as getting the tournament sanctioned through your County FA. Our guide to getting your tournament sanctioned covers the County FA side.

Finding a tournament abroad

Before entering a tournament abroad, check with the organiser that the event has the necessary authorisation from its country’s football association. An event listing does not establish that authorisation, and your club still needs The FA’s consent before the team plays. Our team manager tournament checklist covers the rest of the preparation.