English Schools' Football Association

What another exciting season it promises to be following the announcement that PlayStation will continue as the sponsor of our Under 12 to Under 15 National Competitions. With PlayStation’s support we hope to be able to enhance our already excellent portfolio of cup competitions. The partnership also comes with some added bonuses such as a football themed photo competition and the ‘Tie of the Round’ roadshow that will visit several schools across England throughout the season, including a personal appearance from a Premier League footballer. More details will be available soon via www.esfa.co.uk or www.playstationschoolscup.com.

Danone will continue as the sponsor of the 4 x Under 11 Primary Competitions, which will promote their active lifestyle and healthy living CSR project, 'East like a Champ'. The winners of last season's Under 11 Inter-Association Trophy, Lewisham PSFA and two players from the runners-up, Dacorum PSFA, will represent England at the Danone Nations World Cup which is being held in Sao Paolo, Brazil, from Wednesday 12 November - Sunday 16 November. What a once a life time experience this will be for the young boys involved - I am sure that the fantastic memories that will be created from this trip will remain with them forever.  I hope they savour every moment!

The ESFA is also extremely grateful for the continued support offered by the Premier League. Their sponsorship has really helped raise the profile of the ESFA Under 16 Schools' Cup, so we look forward to forging even closer links with, what is arguably, the greatest football league in the world, over the coming years.

National Cup Draws:  All ESFA National Cup draws can be viewed at www.esfa.co.uk/competitions

Arranging National Cup matches: The deadline dates for completing each round are published online, in the handbook and on the wall-chart sent out with the handbooks. The deadline dates must be strictly adhered to. Failure to comply with the deadline dates may result in your School / College / Association being removed from the competition. Extensions to deadline dates will only be granted in exceptional circumstances by the ESFA National Competitions Department. Any requests for an extension to a deadline date must be made via email detailing the reasons why the match cannot go ahead on time or if you have any issues regarding your fixtures please contact us via one of the competition administrators:

Inter-Association Cups: darren.alcock@schoolsfa.com
Schools’ Cups (Boys) ed.mitchell@schoolsfa.com
Schools’ Cups (Girls) sarah.kearney@schoolsfa.com
Small Schools’ & B Team Cups dominic.ellam@schoolsfa.com

If you would like to appeal any decision made by the National Competitions Department you can do so by emailing the National Competitions Manager - darren.alcock@schoolsfa.com

Rules: The complete rules for the competitions are published online at www.esfa.co.uk/rules and printed in the handbook. You will need to refer to the ‘General Competition Rules’ and also the rules stated under the specific competition title. Please pay particular attention to the age qualifications for each competition; we have had to withdraw a number of teams in the past because of this, which obviously causes disappointment to the young players concerned.

Appointing Match Officials: The appointment of Match Officials is the responsibility of the ‘home’ team. Your local Referees’ Association Secretary or County Schools’ FA / FA Referees’ Officer may be available to assist with the appointment of Match Officials. If you are unable to appoint a neutral and qualified referee, then you must inform your opponents before they travel as a matter of courtesy. Teamsheets are available to download from www.esfa.co.uk. The forms should be completed and submitted to the match referee at least fifteen minutes before kick-off. The ESFA will occasionally request teamsheets to check on player eligibility.

Discipline: Discipline in Schools’ Football is split into two separate categories: (1) Representative Football and (2) Inter-School Football. Therefore, if a player is dismissed from the field of play for a standard red card offence whilst representing his / her District or County SFA, then the suspension will only apply to representative football competition matches (Inter-District or Inter-County). Moreover, if the player is sent off whilst playing for his / her school football team, then the suspension will only apply Inter-School competition matches. Remember, any suspensions issued will be MATCH BASED (competition matches only). Further misconduct offences (e.g. Improper Conduct – including assault, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, indecent, abusive language or gestures and discrimination) may carry a ‘time based’ suspension and will apply to all football (Youth and School). For more information refer to the Discipline Section of the website. (www.esfa.co.uk/discipline)

Important notice regarding Academy / Centre of Excellence Players: A rule change relating to players registered in the Programme for Excellence was passed at the ESFA AGM in June. In ESFA National Individual School/College competitions, a maximum of three players who attend the same FA Licensed Academy/Centre of Excellence run by a club that employs contract players can participate in a match. This rule now only applies to schools / colleges that are officially partnered with a professional club academy or centre of excellence. In the Open Schools’ Cup there are no restrictions on the number of academy / centre of excellence players that can be fielded by a school in a fixture regardless of whether they are partnered with a professional club academy /centre of excellence.

Mixed Football: The FA has amended its rules to extend the age at which mixed football is allowed from the U15 age group to the U16 age group. The FA requested this change in order to allow further research into mixed football at this older age group during the 2014-15 playing season. The resolution was fully supported by The FA Board, FA Executive and FA Council and the result means that girls and boys will be able to play in the same teams up to and including School Year 11.

Repeated Substitutes at Under 18 level: During Season 2014-2015 the ESFA will continue to partake in a trial instigated by The Football Association to allow the repeated substitutes rule to be applied at Under 18 level.

9 v 9 Football (The FA Youth Review): As you will already be aware, The FA’s Youth Review is now implemented nationally. If you are unsure how the changes affect schools’ football go to www.esfa.co.uk/coaching. An advisory document has been produced by The FA and ESFA and can be downloaded from http://www.esfa.co.uk/news/?2013/07/29/153047/FA_Youth_ReviewSchoolsFootball.

From the start of September 2014, the maximum format of football to be played at the Under 12 (Year 7) age group is 9 v 9. Therefore, the English Schools’ FA has amended its rules accordingly and the Under 12 National Cups will be organised using the 9-a-side format. The correct size goalpost recommended by The FA is 16ft x 7ft, but 21ft X 7ft can also be used.

9 v 9 Goalpost Funding: The Football Foundation Board has approved a request from the English Schools’ Football Association (ESFA) for a £650,000 grant towards the purchase of 9v9 goalposts, so that its member schools can satisfy FA mandated criteria for youth football. The Football Foundation’s grant award will be combined with the ESFA’s partnership funding contribution of £100,000, providing an overall budget for the Scheme of £750,000.

The scheme opened for applications from 12am on Tuesday 26 August and will close on 30 October 2014. Applications will only be accepted from schools affiliated to the ESFA. Each school will be limited to 50% of the cost of one set of 9v9 goalposts, up to a maximum grant of £500. Information regarding the application process will be sent to you via email at the start of September.
For more information or to make an application for funding visit http://www.footballfoundation.org.uk/funding-schemes/youth-football-goalposts/

3G and 4G Football Turf Pitches (FTPs): The FA has changed the standard code of rules regarding the use of 3G FTP’s. The rules will become effective from 2014/15 season and provided a football turf pitch (FTP) has been tested and appears on The FA Register it will be allowed to be used for match play in all competitions outside the National League System (NLS) i.e. Step 7 and below including Women’s and Youth Football.

A copy of the test report will need to be sent to The FA so they can review and determine if the pitch is suitable for competitive play. If suitable the pitch will be added to the national register and the facility operator, County FA and Leagues will be notified of this. If not suitable then the site should not be used for competitive play until remedial work has been undertaken and another test performed. NB a pitch may still be suitable for training even if it is deemed unsuitable for match play. If a pitch needs to be re tested and this is not done on the same day, there will be an additional charge.

The pitch will need to be tested every three years to remain on the register.

If you think a pitch has already been tested, then please send the certificate or test information to the FA (facilitiesinfo@thefa.com) and if approved the pitch will be added to the register. The FA will remind operators of the need to re-test approximately 6 months before the due date.

The FA FTP Register can be viewed at – http://3g.thefa.me.uk/

Football Kit: The use of a full black football strip is becoming an increasing cause of concern – it is not permitted at this level of football. If you are seeking to purchase a new football strip for your school, please ensure that you do not acquire black shirts, as this colour is reserved for match officials only. All football shirts must be numbered.

Coaching Bursaries: I remind you that if you wish to undertake an FA Level 1, 2, 3 or age appropriate Coaching Qualification, you can receive a significant discount from the cost of the course as long as you are a full time teacher. This bursary scheme has also been expanded to support both teachers and students to gain basic Referee and FA Medical Coaching Qualifications. For more details on this scheme visit www.esfa.co.uk/coaching

Munich Trophies Football Fives: The ESFA initially run these Year 7 boys’ and girls’ competitions via our member Local District Schools’ Football Associations. This indoor tournament is specifically designed to take place during the winter months when day light hours are at a premium and outdoor playing conditions are generally quite poor. The local tournaments feed into Regional and National Rounds. Entry forms for these competitions are available from your District Secretary (go to www.esfa.co.uk/associations or email comeptitions@esfa.co.uk)

Futsal: The National Youth Futsal Festival was established in Partnership with The FA to provide a national showcase event that could inspire young people to take-up and play Futsal on a regular-basis. The aim and intention of the Festival is to not just provide a one-off Futsal event that young people enjoy and then forget, but to provide a goal to encourage schools, clubs and young people to play Futsal throughout the year with the climax being the opportunity to attend the National Futsal Festival Finals in June.

The ESFA in partnership with the FA organise a series of Regional Festivals around the country, with most teams entering the regional stages after qualifying through local county competitions and festivals. These festivals take place between February and May which provide qualifiers for the Regional finals held over eight regions during May and early June.

The festivals are open to both boys and girls and cater for U10, U12s, U14s and U16s. To find out more about how you can enter and be involved in The FA National Youth Futsal Festival please contact your local County Schools’ FA or County FA or tweet @FAYouthFutsal

Finally, I take this opportunity of wishing you and your students the very best of luck for the forthcoming season.

Best regards,

Darren Alcock
National Competitions Manager
English Schools' Football Association