Move More Cheltenham District Football League 2024/25 LARGE SCHOOLS

Match Rules

1. Matches are eight-a-side and 20 mins each way
2. Roll on/off subs
3. Home team to supply ref and match balls (size four)
4. No off-sides
5. All free kicks are direct
6. Shin pads must be worn
7. Win=2pts, draw=1pt and loss=0pt

The Competition (Large Schools)

In the Large School competition there are four groups of four and teams play each other home and away. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the final stages next term – Spring 2025. Winners of A + B and runners-up of C + D will form one group and Group C + D winners and runners-up from A + B make up the other.

THE CUT OFF DATE FOR THIS WILL BE FRIDAY 31ST JANUARY.  

Teams: Selected from Years 5/6 mixed gender.

Teams that do not qualify will play in a Plate Tournament which will be made up from the third placed teams of A + B and the 4^th placed teams of C + D for one group and Group C + D 3^rd placed teams and 4^th placed from A + B making up the other.

Finals to be played late on the 8th April 2025.

The no heading rule will be implemented. To ensure player welfare and mitigate against potential health risks linked to heading the ball. A number of local youth leagues have introduced this rule also.

What is a deliberate header?

A deliberate header / heading will usually involve a player moving their head and / or body:

• Towards the ball and / or
• Into the path of the ball When judging if a header is ‘deliberate’, account should be taken of whether the player had the time / opportunity to avoid the ball.

This will be influenced by:

• The speed of the ball
• The distance between the ball and the player when it is played by another player or rebounds from the goalpost or crossbar etc.

Law Changes 

Deliberately heading the ball is an offence punishable by an indirect free-kick. The indirect free-kick is taken at the point where the ball was deliberately headed.

• Where a player of the defending team deliberately heads the ball in their own penalty area, the indirect free-kick is taken from the penalty mark

Deliberately heading the ball is not a cautionable (yellow card) or sending off (red card) offence, unless it:

• Stops or interferes with a promising attack (yellow card)
• Denies the opposing team a goal or obvious goal-scoring opportunity (red card)
• Occurs often enough to be considered ‘persistent misconduct’ (yellow card)