⚽ Forestdale Football Club Season Opener Tournament 2026/27
We are excited to welcome you to the Forestdale FC Season Opener Tournament. Please read the information below carefully before arriving on the day.
Please note: ** 26/27 Season age groups **
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📅 DATE & SCHEDULE
Sunday 6th September 2026
Morning Session — 8:30 AM meet time U7s, U9s, U11s
Afternoon Session — 1:00 PM meet time U8s, U10s, U12s
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📍 VENUE
Forestdale Football Club Layhams Road, Keston BR2 6AR
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🚗 PARKING
£5 per car — paid parking inside the ground. Please follow instructions from tournament marshals on arrival.
Free parking is available on nearby roads: King Henry Drive, Warbank Crescent, and Warbank Close. From these locations, walk through the alleyway on Aragon Close to access the ground.
⚠️ Important: No parking is permitted outside the main gate off Layhams Road. Layhams Road leading to the ground is a private road — parking is strictly prohibited. 🚨 Any vehicles parked on Layhams Road will be towed.
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🚌 PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Take the 64 or 130 bus to Redstart Close, then walk to Aragon Close (CR0 0AT). Follow the road until you reach an alleyway — walk through it to reach the Forestdale FC car park.
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🎟 ON THE DAY
💳 Payments: Cash and card accepted at the gate and all stalls ☕ Drinks: Available at the Bar — white building between the car parks 🌭 Food: Available from the Hut — green building on the grass
🐶 Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times 🚭 No smoking anywhere on site
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🏆 TOURNAMENT FORMAT
All age groups (U7–U12) will play a group stage followed by knockout rounds. Each team plays every other team in their group once.
✅ Win = 3 points ⚖️ Draw = 1 point ❌ Loss = 0 points
Drawn knockout matches will be decided by a best-of-five penalty shootout, with sudden death if still level.
🥈 Finalists receive medals 🥇 Winners receive medals and a trophy
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📖 MATCH FORMAT & RULES
All matches follow FA rules for the 2026/27 season. Full FA guidelines: https://www.englandfootball.com/play/ways-to-play/mini-socc
U7s, U8s & U9s — 5-a-side — 15 minutes U10s & U11s — 7-a-side — 15 minutes U12s — 9-a-side — 20 minutes
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⚙️ AGE GROUP REGULATIONS
U7, U8 & U9 — 5v5 | Ball Size 3 No offside | No throw-ins | Pass or dribble in | Back pass rule applies | Corners | Retreat line | Power play | No deliberate heading*
U10 & U11 — 7v7 | Ball Size 3 No offside | No throw-ins | Pass or dribble in | Back pass rule applies | Corners | Retreat line | Power play | No deliberate heading*
U12 — 9v9 | Ball Size 4 Offside applies | Throw-ins | Back pass rule applies | Corners | No retreat line | No power play | No deliberate heading*
*If deliberate heading occurs, an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team.
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We look forward to welcoming you to Forestdale FC. See you on the 6th! ⚽