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Football Tournament Rules Template

A complete, copyable rules document for grassroots and youth football tournaments. Fill in your details on the left and the full text updates instantly — player eligibility, squad sizes, match duration, tie-breakers, discipline and a code of conduct.

10 sections covering eligibility to protests
Tie-breaker order you can reorder or edit
Copy to clipboard or download as a text file
Written for grassroots and youth cups

Your tournament details

Every field is optional — leave blanks to fill in later.

Tournament name

Organiser / club

Age group

Players on pitch

Max squad size

Half length (min)

Competition format

Substitutions

Tournament contact

Your rules document

TOURNAMENT NAME — TOURNAMENT RULES
Organiser: [Club / organiser name]
Age group: U12
Format: Group stage followed by knockout rounds

1. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY AND REGISTRATION
1.1 All players must be registered with their club and eligible to play in the U12 category. Age is determined by the player's age on 1 September of the current season.
1.2 Each team must submit a squad list of no more than 14 players before its first match. Players not on the submitted list may not play.
1.3 A player may represent only one team in the tournament. Playing for a second team results in forfeiture of the matches concerned.
1.4 Team managers must be able to produce proof of age and registration on request.
1.5 Fielding an ineligible player results in a 3–0 loss for the match in question, at the organiser's discretion.

2. TEAMS, SQUADS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
2.1 Matches are played 9 v 9, including the goalkeeper.
2.2 A team must have at least the number of players required by the competition format present to start a match. Otherwise the match is awarded to the opponent.
2.3 Substitutions are rolling and unlimited, made with the referee's permission at a stoppage in play.
2.4 Each team must wear matching kit. Where colours clash, the team listed second on the fixture list changes or wears bibs.

3. MATCH DURATION AND FORMAT
3.1 Group matches consist of two halves of 10 minutes with a short half-time interval.
3.2 Teams must be at the pitch and ready to play at the published kick-off time. A team arriving more than 5 minutes late may forfeit the match.
3.3 Kick-off times are indicative; the organiser may adjust the schedule to keep the tournament running and will inform teams of any change.
3.4 Knockout matches that are level at full time go straight to penalties (five kicks each, then sudden death) unless extra time is stated on the fixture list.

4. SCORING AND LEAGUE TABLES
4.1 Three points for a win, one for a draw, none for a defeat.
4.2 Where a match is awarded because of a forfeit or ineligible player, the result is recorded as 3–0.

5. TIE-BREAKERS
Where two or more teams are level on points, the following criteria apply in order:
5.1 Goal difference.
5.2 Goals scored.
5.3 Head-to-head result between the tied teams.
5.4 Fewest disciplinary points (yellow card = 1, red card = 3).
5.5 Fewest goals conceded.
5.6 Penalty shoot-out, or a coin toss where a shoot-out cannot be staged.

6. DISCIPLINE AND SANCTIONS
6.1 A player shown a red card is dismissed for the remainder of the match and suspended for the team's next match as a minimum.
6.2 Two yellow cards in the same match count as a red card.
6.3 Two yellow cards across separate matches result in a one-match suspension.
6.4 The organiser may extend a suspension or remove a player, coach or team from the tournament for serious misconduct.
6.5 Referee decisions on matters of fact are final.

7. CODE OF CONDUCT
7.1 Players, coaches and spectators are expected to respect the referee, opponents, volunteers and the venue at all times.
7.2 Coaching is positive and from the designated technical area only. Spectators remain behind the marked line.
7.3 Abusive, discriminatory, threatening or intimidating behaviour results in immediate removal from the venue and may lead to the team being disqualified.
7.4 Smoking, vaping and alcohol are not permitted in the playing or team areas.
7.5 Teams are responsible for clearing litter from their bench and changing areas.

8. SAFETY, SAFEGUARDING AND MEDICAL
8.1 Shin pads are compulsory. Jewellery must be removed. Goalkeepers must wear a distinguishing shirt.
8.2 Each team must have a named responsible adult present for the duration of the tournament.
8.3 First aid is available on site. All head injuries follow the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle; a player suspected of concussion takes no further part in the tournament.
8.4 Photography and video are permitted only in line with the organiser's safeguarding policy.

9. WEATHER AND ABANDONMENT
9.1 The organiser may shorten matches, reduce the format or abandon the tournament for safety reasons.
9.2 If a match is abandoned after half-time, the score at the time of abandonment stands.
9.3 Refund arrangements in the event of cancellation are stated in the entry terms.

10. PROTESTS AND DISPUTES
10.1 Protests must be raised with the tournament organiser in writing within 30 minutes of the match ending.
10.2 The organiser's decision on any matter not covered by these rules is final.
10.3 By entering, teams accept these rules in full.

Tournament contact: [Name, phone, email]

Always check your national or county association's regulations — small-sided formats, refereeing and safeguarding requirements take precedence over this template.

What every tournament rules document should cover

Most disputes on a tournament day come from three things nobody wrote down: who was allowed to play, how long the matches were meant to be, and how teams level on points get separated. Publishing rules before registration opens removes almost all of it.

Send the finished document to every club when you confirm their entry, and put a copy on your public tournament page so coaches can check it from the pitch side. Once fixtures start, the tie-breaker section is the part managers read most — keep it short and unambiguous.

Eligibility

Age cut-off date, squad list deadline, one-team rule and the sanction for fielding an ineligible player.

Match rules

Format, half length, kick-off punctuality, substitutions and what happens if a team is short.

Tie-breakers

A single ordered list — points, goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head, discipline, penalties.

Conduct

Respect for officials, technical area rules, spectator behaviour and the consequence for abuse.

Rule settings by age group

The rules that change most between age groups are the format, the half length and the squad size. English youth football runs 5v5 at U7–U8, 7v7 at U9–U10, 9v9 at U11–U12 and 11v11 from U13 upwards. Tournament halves are shorter than league halves because you are fitting several matches into one day — these are the settings most one-day UK cups use.

Age group	Format	Typical tournament half	Squad size	Rule to spell out
U7–U8	5v5	2 × 7 min	8	Retreat line and no headers
U9–U10	7v7	2 × 8 min	10	Rolling substitutions, no offside enforcement
U11–U12	9v9	2 × 10 min	12	Pitch size and goal size used
U13–U14	11v11	2 × 12 min	14	Offside applied, cautions carry over
U15–U18	11v11	2 × 15 min	16	Suspension after two cautions in the cup

Half lengths are the common tournament settings we see, not a governing-body requirement — confirm formats, maximum playing time and heading guidance with your county FA or national association before you publish.

Once the half length is fixed, check the day actually fits with the fixture maker and price the day with the cost-to-run guide.

Frequently asked questions

Rules written? Now run the cup.

CupHelp handles registration, groups, fixtures, live scores and standings — and your rules sit on the same public tournament page every club can open on their phone.

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Football Tournament Rules Template

Your tournament details

Your rules document

What every tournament rules document should cover

Eligibility

Match rules

Tie-breakers

Conduct

Rule settings by age group

Frequently asked questions

Is this football tournament rules template free to use?

What should a tournament rules document cover?

How do tie-breakers usually work in group stages?

Do these rules replace my national association's regulations?

Can I publish the rules on my tournament page?

Rules written? Now run the cup.