From the start of the 2026/27 season, England Football will be launching a new, progressive framework for grassroots youth football in England, which aims to further improve the experience for young players across the country - giving them more time on the ball, more time on the pitch and increasing their physical activity levels.

Over the past two years, England Football have been working with stakeholders across the grassroots game to explore the future of youth football, alongside the physical and technical impact of the current formats on young players. This comprehensive consultation process has been enhanced by a study into playing formats for youth players in other European nations and is complemented with their own research and testing within the grassroots game across England.

In partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, England Football have studied more than 400 grassroots games, from Under 6s to 14s level, which has allowed them to better understand the technical and physical returns of different playing formats for young players, plus the impact of proposed adjustments.

From the 2026/27 season, they will be introducing the following changes, and they’ll shortly deliver a series of comprehensive workshops and tools to support all coaches, clubs and leagues across the country to further understand the changes which will be implemented:

* A new 3v3 entry format for the youngest players in the pathway at Under 7s level, fielding three players on each side, to maximise engagement and provide the best introduction to football.
* Each format will be played one year later as players transition through the pathway, including 11v11, which will move from Under 13s to Under 14s level.
* Greater alignment with schools, children playing smaller formats with simplified rules throughout primary school, before progressing to 9v9 and more complex rules at secondary school.
* Evolved laws of the game which are age-appropriate and best support the overall development of the young player. For example, amendments have already been made to game restarts for Under 7s to 9s to increase ‘ball in play’ time.

A new ‘Future Fit: Digital Content Hub’ has been launched to help the grassroots football community with these changes in advance of implementation from the 2026/27 season, and the workshops will take place across the country in March and April 2025. The hub will be continuously updated over the next 18 months, to ensure the latest information is available to the grassroots game. Specific details around the implementation of formats, including 3v3, will also follow as part of this.

FA Director of Football Development, James Kendall, said: “We are excited about these new changes, which follow a two-year period of consultation with the grassroots game. Our approach is about evolution, not revolution, helping to increase the levels of engagement, physical activity, skill development and the volume of technical actions for every player.”

“Together with the County FA network, we are fully committed to working closely with all those involved in delivering grassroots youth football, providing the support needed to implement these changes across the country.”

England Football’s ‘Future Fit: Digital Content Hub’ for the future of youth football in England can be accessed by following this link.