What is changing about youth football?
A range of changes will be introduced focusing on how football is experienced at different stages of the player pathway including the formats experienced and the rules played to. Changes will include the introduction of a new Youth Development Framework which will provide a clear approach to maximise children’s experience of football. Within this specific changes will be made to playing opportunities from 2026/27 onwards including:
- The introduction of 3v3 as the entry format for players at U7s focused upon maximising their engagement with the game and delivering through a model that provides the best introduction to football.
- Smaller formats are proven to drive increased levels of physical activity and maximise the technical actions experienced by players so we will ensure that players get to experience smaller formats for longer as they transition through the pathway. This will see 11v11 introduced at U14s.
- Changes to game restarts so there’s more ball in play time, and more complex rules will be added as players go into secondary education.
Our ambition for the future is to explore more ways to make children’s experience of the game even greater. We will continue working with the game to develop changes to give children more chances to play in different ways. We’re exploring how we structure seasons, deliver competition and use the football formats to keep players playing and enjoying the game for longer. There will be further consultation and information to come about this.
Support for all key stakeholders will be provided to ensure that all changes are implemented smoothly and successfully.
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