Competition Rules 2024-2025
ESFA UNDER 18 SCHOOLS’ TROPHIES (BOYS & GIRLS)
INTRODUCTION
The rules stated below shall be in addition to those entitled “General Competition Rules”.
1. NAME
- ESFA Under 18 Schools’ Trophy for Boys
- ESFA Under 18 Schools’ Trophy for Girls
2. ENTRIES
- The Trophies shall be offered for annual competition to schools in affiliated membership with the English Schools’ Football Association.
- Schools entering this competition will not be allowed to enter the Under 18 Colleges’ Trophy.
- Schools must have at least one hundred students / scholars under statutory school age on roll.
3. ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
Only bona-fide scholars receiving full time education in accordance with the Education Acts who are on the roll of a school affiliated to the ESFA and who are over the age of 15 years and under the age of 18 years at midnight between the previous 31st August and 1st September shall be allowed to take part in this competition (Year 11 to 13). Students on courses based upon day-release are ineligible to take part in this competition. Students that have enrolled at a school or college as part of a football academy programme are ineligible to participate in this competition, save for the ESFA Under 18 Elite Schools’ & Colleges’ Cup.
4. THE COMPETITIONS
- The matches shall be played on a cup tie principle and shall take precedence over all other school games.
- The draws will be published on the ESFA website (www.esfa.co.uk) and will be arranged so that the travelling by the away team is kept to a minimum.
5. DURATION OF MATCHES
The duration of each match shall be 45 minutes each way. If it is deemed inadvisable to play for 90 minutes, the Secretaries of the competing teams and the Referee may decide that the duration of play shall be no less than 80 minutes (40 minutes each way).
