Which age group and format is my child in?

Youth football is organised differently in each of the four UK nations. Choose a nation, and this will tell you the age group, the maximum format, the ball size and the rules that apply.

Rules checked: England, Scotland and Wales 10 August 2026 · Northern Ireland 9 August 2026

Check an age group

Where does your child play?

Choose a nation to begin. The four nations group players differently, so the next question changes.

All England age groups

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Maximum format, ball size, pitch and goals by age group, England, 2026/27
Age group	School year	Age on 31 August	Maximum format	Ball size	Pitch	Goals
Under 7	Year 2	6	3v3	Size 3	10m x 15m to 15m x 20m	around 120cm x 75cm (about 4ft x 2.5ft)
Under 8	Year 3	7	5v5	Size 3	no figure in our guide	12ft x 6ft
Under 9	Year 4	8	5v5	Size 3	no figure in our guide	12ft x 6ft
Under 10	Year 5	9	7v7	Size 3	no figure in our guide	12ft x 6ft
Under 11	Year 6	10	7v7	Size 3	no figure in our guide	12ft x 6ft
Under 12	Year 7	11	9v9	Size 4	73m x 46m (recommended)	16ft x 7ft
Under 13	Year 8	12	9v9	Size 4	73m x 46m (recommended)	16ft x 7ft
Under 14	Year 9	13	11v11	Size 5	82m x 50m (recommended)	21ft x 7ft (24ft x 8ft is permitted)
Under 15	Year 10	14	11v11	Size 5	91m x 55m (recommended)	24ft x 8ft (21ft x 7ft is permitted)
Under 16	Year 11	15	11v11	Size 5	91m x 55m (recommended)	24ft x 8ft
Under 17	Year 12	16	11v11	Size 5	100m x 64m (recommended)	24ft x 8ft
Under 18	Year 13	17	11v11	Size 5	100m x 64m (recommended)	24ft x 8ft

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All Scotland age groups

Scotland groups by year of birth, and the 2015 and 2014 cohorts change format during the year. The move dates are the earliest dates, and each move is conditional on finishing the current fixtures.

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Scottish FA Player Journey maximum formats by year of birth, 2026
Year of birth	Turns in 2026	Maximum format	Maximum squad	Ball size
2020	6	4v4 and multi-game	6	Size 3
2019	7	4v4	6	Size 3
2018	8	5v5	7	Size 3
2017	9	7v7	10	Boys size 4, girls size 3
2016	10	7v7	10	Boys size 4, girls size 3
2015	11	7v7, moving to 9v9 from 1 June 2026	10 at 7v7, then 14 at 9v9	Size 4
2014	12	9v9, moving to 11v11 from 1 May 2026	14 at 9v9, then check league rules at 11v11	Size 4

Clubs are welcome to print it and pin it up.

All Wales age groups

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Maximum format, squad, ball size and playing time by age group, Wales, 2026/27
Age group	Academic year	Age on 31 August	Maximum format	Match-day squad	Ball size	Playing time
Under 6	Year 1	5	4v4	8	Size 3	Games up to 10 min, 40 min in total
Under 7	Year 2	6	4v4	8	Size 3	Games up to 10 min, 40 min in total
Under 8	Year 3	7	5v5	10	Size 3	Games up to 15 min, 50 min in total
Under 9	Year 4	8	5v5	10	Size 3	Games up to 15 min, 50 min in total
Under 10	Year 5	9	7v7	14	Size 4	Games up to 20 min, 60 min in total
Under 11	Year 6	10	7v7	14	Size 4	Games up to 20 min, 60 min in total
Under 12	Year 7	11	9v9	18	Size 4	70 min, two halves of 35
Under 13	Year 8	12	9v9	18	Size 4	70 min, two halves of 35
Under 14	Year 9	13	11v11	16 to 18, set by Area Association	Size 5	70 min, two halves of 35
Under 15	Year 10	14	11v11	16 to 18, set by Area Association	Size 5	80 min, two halves of 40
Under 16	Year 11	15	11v11	16 to 18, set by Area Association	Size 5	80 min, two halves of 40
Under 17	Year 12	16	11v11	16 to 18, set by Area Association	Size 5	80 min, two halves of 40

Clubs are welcome to print it and pin it up.

All Northern Ireland age groups

The Irish FA publishes no official rule that turns a date of birth into an age group, so this table is by age group only. Under 14 is shown as "check your league" because the published guidance does not confirm a format.

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Format, ball, goals and playing time by age group, Northern Ireland
Age group	Format	Ball	Goals	Playing time
Under 6 and Under 7	3v3	Size 3, soft touch	5ft x 3ft	Round robin or festival, minimum four games of 10 minutes
Under 8	5v5	Size 3	12ft x 4ft	Minimum four games of 12 minutes
Under 9	5v5	Size 4	12ft x 4ft	Minimum four games of 12 minutes
Under 10 and Under 11	7v7	Size 4	12ft x 6ft	One game of three 15-minute periods
Under 12	9v9	Size 4	16ft x 7ft	Two halves of 25 minutes
Under 13	9v9	Size 4	16ft x 7ft	Two halves of 30 minutes
Under 14	Check your league	Size 5	Check your league	Two halves of 35 minutes
Under 15 and Under 16	11v11	Size 5	24ft x 8ft	Two halves of 40 minutes
Under 17 and Under 18	11v11	Size 5	24ft x 8ft	Two halves of 45 minutes

Clubs are welcome to print it and pin it up.