**The FA's new grassroots structure, FutureFit, starts this season — and if your club hasn't already updated its age-group setups, this is the week to do it. **
What's actually changing
The headline change: U7s move from 5-a-side to 3-a-side. U9s, U11s, and U13s hold at their current formats (5v5, 7v7, and 9v9 respectively) rather than progressing up as they previously would have. U4-U6s remain unaffected in the non-competitive play phase, and U14s and above continue at 11-a-side as before.
Why the FA made the change
The stated aim is more time on the ball and more time on the pitch per player — smaller formats mean fewer players competing for the same ball, which generally means more touches and more involvement for every child on the pitch, not just the strongest players.
What this means for club admin
- Age-group format labels need updating wherever your club records them — team sheets, registration forms, internal records
- Pitch/session planning may need adjusting — a 3v3 U7 session needs different space than the 5v5 sessions coaches are used to running
- Communicate the change to parents early — a parent hearing "your child's team now plays 3v3" without context might assume something's gone wrong, when it's actually a considered FA-wide update aimed at benefiting their child
The practical takeaway
Update your records now, before the first fixtures of the season, rather than mid-season once someone notices the mismatch. It's a small admin job today that avoids a confusing conversation in October.
Formatio's registration and team setup reflects age-group format automatically, so this kind of season-to-season change updates in one place rather than across a dozen spreadsheets. See how it works at formatio.club.