Football Rules
Two teams try to score more goals than the other by getting the ball into the opposing net.
11 v 11 on a full pitch (5-a-side and 7-a-side are common casual variants); two 45-minute halves.
- •1 goal = 1 point on the scoreboard
- •League table: 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss
- •Tiebreaker: goal difference, then goals scored
- •Offside: an attacker can't be nearer the goal line than the second-last defender when the ball is played to them
- •A foul inside the penalty box gives the attacking team a penalty kick
- •Two yellow cards in one match, or one red card, sends a player off for the rest of the game
Choosing a format for your group
The rules above describe eleven-a-side, but most casual football is played five, six or seven a side, and the differences matter. Five-a-side usually has no offside, a size 4 ball, rolling substitutions and a rule against entering the goal area, which is why a full-pitch player's instincts often work against them in a cage.
Seven-a-side sits between the two, typically keeping offside but shortening the pitch and the halves. Pick one format and describe it precisely in your league rules, because half the arguments in casual football come from two players applying conventions from two different formats.
Deciding the table before the season
Three points for a win, one for a draw is close to universal, and the tiebreak order is where leagues differ. The standard is goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head, and it is worth publishing that order at the start rather than discovering you need it on the final day.
Some casual leagues invert it and use head-to-head first, on the reasoning that beating the team above you should count for more than running up a score against the bottom side. Either is defensible; only deciding it in advance is.
Common questions
How long should a casual football match be?
Two forty-five minute halves is the full-pitch standard, but most casual leagues shorten it. Five-a-side is commonly two twenty-minute halves, and seven-a-side two thirty-minute halves, which fits a one-hour pitch booking including warm-up and changeover.
Do you need a referee?
Five-a-side is routinely self-officiated because fouls are obvious at that scale. Eleven-a-side really needs a referee, mainly because offside cannot be judged by the players involved in it. Local county FA channels are the usual place to book one.
How many players do you need for a season?
Register about 50% more than you field. A five-a-side team wants a squad of eight, and an eleven-a-side side wants sixteen or more, because attendance in casual football settles at roughly three quarters of the roster once work and injuries take their share.
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