FairPlay Coach
FairPlay Coach
Quick-reference FA rules for U13 – U14 — match duration, substitutions, pitch size, ball size, and equal playing time guidance.
Try the Free Rotation App →The move to 11-a-side at U13 is a major milestone. Full-size pitches, full-size goals, a Size 5 ball, and two halves instead of four quarters. The game now looks and feels like adult football — but the FA's Player Development Model is clear that this is still an age where the primary aim is development, not results.
FA guidance: fair distribution of playing time across the season is expected. Coaches should track cumulative minutes to ensure no player is consistently benched.
At U13–U14, squad rotation becomes harder to enforce without data. With only 5 substitution slots in many league formats and 16 players on the squad, cumulative season fairness — not just single-match fairness — becomes the real challenge. Coaches who don't track minutes often find that their strongest players have accumulated 80% of the pitch time by December.
FairPlay Coach tracks match-by-match and season-cumulative minutes for every player in your squad. For 11-a-side formats, the match history view shows each player's total pitch time across the season — giving you the data to balance minutes proactively, not reactively after a parent complaint.
Try It Free — No Account Needed →FA guidelines recommend 2 halves of 35 minutes each (70 minutes total) for U13 and U14. This is a significant change from the 4-quarter format used at U7–U12.
Most U13–U14 leagues allow up to 5 rolling substitutions, with players able to re-enter the field. However, rules vary between leagues — some competitions apply stricter limits. Always check your specific league regulations.
A Size 5 (full adult-size) football is used at U13 and above. This is the same ball size used in professional and adult grassroots football.
Yes. U13 and above play with full-size goals (7.32m × 2.44m). This is one of the key physical differences from 9-a-side, which uses smaller goals.
Yes. The full FA offside rule applies at U13 and U14, the same as in adult football.
With only 5 substitute slots and 16 players, some players will inevitably miss a match or come off the bench. The key is tracking cumulative minutes across the full season and proactively rotating players who have had less pitch time in recent matches.