Get Ready for the New Season
Got questions ahead of the new season? Here’s where to find the answers on everything from changes to the laws of the game through to discipline processes and more
With so much to get sorted as you prepare for a new football season, it can be hard to stay on top of all the details. To make life a little easier we’ve pulled together a number of useful resources for anyone looking to be up to date with the latest rules, regulations and guidance relating to grassroots football, including significant changes to Sin Bins and new rules on heading in Youth Football.
If you’ve got a burning question and don’t quite know where to look for the answer, the chances are it can probably be found following one of the links below. We'll keep updating this page as more information is released, so do keep checking back for updates.
Changes to the Laws of the Game
The FA have produced a summary of this year’s key law changes to help prepare clubs, managers, players, referees and spectators for the new season.
New Heading Rules in Youth Football
Heading is to be phased out from youth grassroots football matches up to the Under 11 age group over the next three seasons, starting with Under 7 to Under 9 in the 2024-25 season. As a result in those age groups, deliberately heading the ball becomes an offence punishable by an indirect free kick and when the whole of the ball passes over the touchline, on the ground or in the air, instead of a throw-in, a pass-in/dribble-in is awarded.
The FA Handbook
The essential guide to the rules and regulations of football, The FA Handbook has been published every year since 1895, excluding the war years, and is an invaluable companion to people involved in football at all levels.
Updated for 2024-25, any Rules and Regulations published in the electronic Handbook will now be in force. The electronic version of the Handbook has a number of useful features, including a search facility and the ability to generate a PDF of any section.
THE FA HANDBOOK 2024-25
FA Technology Support
For even information and resources on how to get the most out of FA systems, from Full Time to the Matchday app take a look at the FA Grassroots Technology Support Portal and YouTube Channel which are packed with helpful tips and advice including useful videos that walk you through how to do many common tasks.
Grassroots Disciplinary Guide
The Grassroots Disciplinary Guide is an online interactive reference guide designed to aid Leagues, Clubs and Players throughout the season, covering teams at Step 5-6 of the NLS and below and teams at Tier 3 and below of the Women's Pyramid.
It is a useful guide to explain the disciplinary process the changes that have taken place over the last few years - including match based discipline, temporary dismissals, sanction guidelines, competition specific cautions and mandatory minimum sanctions.
GRASSROOTS DISCIPLINARY GUIDE 2024-25
Sanction Guidelines
In an ever-changing world of football, it is important that The FA and County FAs move with the times to provide a safe, enjoyable environment for players, referees, and all participants alike, whilst maintaining the need for a fair and transparent disciplinary process for all involved. The aim of this publication is to provide guidance on the types of sanctions a Disciplinary Commission can impose, whilst also covering key topics such as Education Sanctions, Ground Bans and Mitigating/Aggravating factors.
This document will serve as a useful guide for Participants to have an awareness of likely sanction should the case against them be found proven.
COUNTY FA DISCIPLINARY SANCTION GUIDELINE 2024-25
Sin Bin Changes
As part of The FA's commitment to tackling poor behaviour in the game and creating a positive football environment, they have reviewed the regulations regarding Sin Bins and implemented significant changes ahead of the new season. As a result from the 1st July 2024 onwards, a player receiving a yellow card for dissent will incur the same fee as any other yellow card (in addition to them being sent to the sin bin), and a player receiving two yellow cards for dissent and/or other offences will be dismissed from the field of play and not permitted to return.
More About CHANGES TO SIN BINs
Appeals Guidance
This document is designed to provide clubs and players with essential information when appealing a County FA decision to The FA. If a Club or individual wishes to appeal, we recommending reading through this document before submitting the intention to appeal.
COUNTY FA AND LEAGUE APPEALS FAQS
Adding Suspension Matches
Please see a link below to guidance of how you can add players suspension matches to help ensure that players suspensions are cleared so they are eligible to play in upcoming fixtures.
Guidance on Dealing With Discrimination for Match Officials
Everyone at every level of the game should have an enjoyable experience participating in football. Referees play a vital role in this work, partly by sanctioning any discriminatory words and/or actions. But what exactly is discrimination, what actions should you take and where does your responsibility begin and end?
County Cup Competitions
In preparation for the start of the new campaign, the individual cup pages will be updated with details of fixtures as the draws are made for each competition. The rules for all of our Cups, including the four new Boys Trophy competitions, have been updated and full versions can be downloaded from the Rules and Documents page of the Cup and Competitions section of this site.
Of course if the answers you seek can’t be found above, we’re always here to help.
You can email contactus@hertfordshirefa.com or call us on 01462 677622.