Grassroots Football Formats by Age 

Your 2026/27 Season Cheat Sheet

If you’ve spent the last few weeks trying to work out whether your U10 is playing 7-a-side or 9-a-side this season, you’re not alone, there are new changes and it’s one of the questions we see our community asking time and time again since the FA’s FutureFit changes landed. 

We covered the why behind FutureFit in detail in our full breakdown, but sometimes you just want the quick answer: what does my child actually play this season? So here it is — one table, every age group, no scrolling through FA paperwork required.

The 2026/27 formats at a glance

If your child is playing the same format as last season, that’s expected as most of the changes affect kids moving up an age group, not those staying put. The FA calls this “delayed progression” with each format now being played for an extra year before stepping up, giving players longer at each stage before the pitch (and the game) gets bigger.

Is U10 7v7 or 9v9?

7v7. U10 stays at 7-a-side for a second season under the new rules, the step up to 9v9 now happens at U12, not U10.

Is U11 7v7 or 9v9?

Still 7v7. U11 is the second of two years at 7-a-side before moving up to 9v9 at U12.

How many a side is U9 football?

5-a-side. U9 stays at 5v5 rather than stepping up to 7v7 as it used to — that move now happens at U10.

Is U13 9v9 or 11v11?

9v9. Full 11-a-side football has moved back a year to U14, so U13 plays a second season at 9v9 before stepping up.

When does 11-a-side start now?

U14 — a year later than before. It used to start at U13.

What else changed alongside the formats

The formats aren’t the only thing that moved this season. A few other changes worth knowing about:

• Deliberate heading has been phased out of match play across the primary school age groups (roughly U7–U11).

• U7 matches now run without a goalkeeper, a referee or substitutes and every child plays the whole game.

There's been a lot of talk about this and mixed opinion and we go through the reasoning behind all of this, what it means for coaches and clubs, in our full FutureFit breakdown.

One less thing to worry about

Formats change with the season, but a few things about matchday never do, laces still come undone at the worst possible moment, and a kit bag or sock still goes missing at least once a season!!!  

If that sounds familiar, it’s worth a look at our Laceeze Bands and Defiance accessories range, built to survive a season of 7v7, 9v9 or whatever your child’s currently playing.

Got a question about what your child’s club is doing this season? Drop us a line at support@laceeze.co.uk or DM @laceezedefiance.