Friendlies

Affiliated Clubs may play each other in organised friendly/pre-season fixtures. These matches are great for getting ready for the next season and developing players. They fall outside of the respective Teams’ Sanctioned League competitions however, so the responsibility to ensure Teams and Match Referees are correctly affiliated falls onto the Clubs themselves.

To support this, all friendly fixtures hosted by a Northumberland FA Team must be sanctioned by the County FA.

A Team’s Affiliation lasts for one football season (from 1^st July to 30^th June the following calendar year). When playing friendlies in July in particular, it is important Teams ensure both themselves and their opponents have fully completed their Affiliation for the new season.

Having checks where required, and a record of friendly fixtures, makes it easier for ourselves to support Clubs, Match Officials, and participants when and if required. 

• It is the responsibility of the home team to submit a Friendly Sanctioning Form.
• Open-age/Senior friendly fixtures are auto-approved, however it is the competing teams' responsibility to ensure they are affiliated and the referee is FA Registered. Spot-Checks take place and teams found playing unaffiliated will be charged.
• All Youth Football friendly sanction requests are checked by Northumberland FA.
• Due to the volume of sanction requests, you must submit your sanction at least two working days before the fixture. Please be aware, any requests after this time will NOT be sanctioned. We advise sanctions are submitted earlier where possible as this will allow you time to make changes if they are required.
• You will receive a confirmation email when your friendly has been sanctioned.

The online Friendly Sanctioning Form can be complete HERE. Friendly fixtures are free to sanction.

All Friendlies:

Both Teams and the Match Official must be affiliated.

Youth Friendlies:

In addition to the above, the match official must also hold a valid FA DBS and FA Safeguarding Children Certificate.

Need to check if a Friendly has been Sanctioned? You can view all upcoming NFA Sanctioned Friendlies HERE.

Friendlies & Tournaments Outside of Northumberland FA

Playing a friendly or entering a tournament played outside of Northumberland FA (Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, and Northumberland)?

Please complete our ‘Out of County Friendly/Event Information Form’ HERE. As different County FA’s can deal with friendlies and tournament sanctioning differently, this ensures we have a record of games being played by our affiliated Teams and Clubs. This helps us provide support if and when needed for any matters related to these games.

Hosting Tournaments & Festivals

Hosting Tournaments, festivals, and events that include more than two teams competing against each other over one-day, or across multiple days/weeks, are required to be sanctioned as a Tournament or Festival. Affiliated teams may only participate in FA/CFA sanctioned tournaments. Sanctioning of activity helps facilitate safe provision for all participants.

Hosting a Tournament can be a great way to bring teams and the wider community together, allow players to try football in different formats, provide volunteer opportunities, support charity, and provide fun & safe competition. All of which facilitate the many benefits of team sport, and football in-particular.

To further support this ethos, and the participants within the game, we have reviewed and renewed our Tournament & Festival Sanction Application Form. To complete the form you will need;

• Name, date(s), venue(s)
• If you are a Charity or Organisation, that isn’t an affiliated Football Club or Sanctioned League, your Charity or Company Number.
• Names of Event Organisers including Even Welfare Officer who will be the point of contact for anyone with Welfare Concerns related to the event, and support any vulnerable adults or anyone under the age of 18 who may participate or be in attendance.
• Entry fee(s)
• A copy of the Event’s Rules that have been/will be supplied to participating teams to upload. Rules should include playing formats e.g. 7v7, 11v11 etc and match time length. Please review the FA Standard Code of Rules for Youth Football if running a Youth Tournament or Festival, as rules for maximum playing formats and playing times per day exist.
• A copy of the Lead Organisation’s Public Liability Evidence of Cover Document which provides evidence that of a minimum of £10million of Public Liability insurance for hosting football activity/events.

Note: Affiliated Club's Public Liability Insurance for Affiliation will likely cover hosting a tournament, however, please check your club's policy, including reviewing exclusions. NFA will only assess if the insurance covers football activity for affiliated teams. NFA will not assess if the policy covers other activities that may also be part of the wider event, so Event Organisers must check if exclusions apply with their insurance cover.

Great events need great planning. We also need time for staff to review Sanction applications, particularly during the summer period.

The form must be submitted 14-days prior to the event taking place along with all supporting documentation. However, we strongly recommend this form is submitted at least 28-days before the event date. This will allow any corrections, or resubmissions made before the 14-day deadline if required. Having tournaments sanctioned 14-days prior will also Clubs, participants, and Match Officials to check in advance of their event that it is correctly sanctioned and make alternative arrangements e.g. find/arrange other events or other friendlies if required.

Complete the NFA Tournament & Festival Sanction Application Form HERE.

When approved, the Lead Organiser will invoiced the Tournament & Festival Sanction Fee of £25. Payment of this fee completes the Sanctioning process.

Do I need to complete the Friendly or Tournament & Festival Sanction Form?

If it is 2 Affiliated Teams, playing a one-off match outside of their League Competitions or County Cup Competitions, it is a friendly.

If it is a series of fixtures, on one-day, involving 3 or more teams, it is a Tournament or Festival.

If it is a series of fixtures, across multiple days, involving 3 or more teams that form part of a Competition, it is a Tournament or Festival.

If it is a series of fixtures, over any time-period, involving 3 or more teams where an Entry Fee is charged, it is a Tournament or Festival.

What formats can be played?

For youth football, maximum playing formats are set to support player development and enjoyment of the game. Players, based on their age on 31^st August for that season, can play the max format of the age-group they are at, and the max format of the age-group one-year above.

For example, in 2023/24 season, a player aged 9 years-old on 31^st August 2023, would be able to play U10 Football, with the max format of 7v7, and one-year up U11 Football, with the max format of 9v9. This means an U10 team, where all the players were 9 years-old on 31^st August 2023, could play 7v7 friendlies and 9v9 friendlies. This is particularly useful for teams who want to practice 9v9 with offsides for the first time to aid player development before the team officially moves from U10s to U11s on 1^st July, for example, ahead of school summer holidays.

The full table from the FA Standard Code of Rules, including playing formats and pitch/goal/ball sizes can be found below:

What are the maximum playing times allowed for junior football?