Competition Sanctions
Hosting A Tournament?
All tournaments, festivals, friendlies and competitions must be sanctioned. This includes summer tournaments, mid-week competitions and charity games.
It is important to recognise that an unaffiliated tournament, friendly or competition renders a club’s insurance invalid, with participating teams and referees at risk of not being covered by their existing public liability or personal accident cover. Unaffiliated competitions are also not governed by the Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA's disciplinary process which means players, coaches and referees are potentially at risk.
To ensure that you do not void your team's insurance, or enter a tournament where the coaches have not been checked for a DBS, your tournament must be sanctioned by your local County FA. Registered Match Officials are only permitted to officiate in sanctioned tournaments.
- Permitted to use registered referees (registered referees are not permitted to officiate in un-affiliated football)
- Coverage under club public liability insurance
- County FA approval of rules
- Promotion of your tournament via our website
- Ensure that the tournament meets club / Sheffield FA safeguarding requirements
In order to sanction your tournament, we will need:
- A completed tournament sanctioning form - download HERE
- A copy of your competition rules
- A competition sanction fee - £25
All of this information must be sent at least 28 days before your event. This allows us time to process your form and discuss any issues with the tournament rules.
Your sanction form and competition rules will be verified by a relevant staff member.
Please note: Tournaments, friendlies or competitions involving children aged under 6 will not be sanctioned.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about competition sanctioning, please get in touch.
Sanctioned Competitions 2024-25
Download The FA's Tournament Guide
The following guidelines are intended to help you organise a successful festival or tournament that will run effectively and efficiently.