Fixtures & Format

In order to maximise your playing time on the pitch we will be playing the following formats for each age group:

• U7 & U8 – 6 teams will play a round robin tournament of 12-minute one-way matches. The winner of the group will be declared the tournament winners and the 2^nd placed team will be declared the runners-up. There will be no knock out matches at these age groups.
• U9/11/13/14 – 6 teams will play a round robin of 10-minute one-way matches. The top two teams will then play a final to be declared the winners/runners up. 3^rd and 4^th placed teams will play off for 3^rd place and 5^th and 6^th placed teams will play off for 5^th place.

All our fixtures, results and league tables will be available via our online Score Centre. This can be accessed by going to www.pitchscores.co.uk and will be available approximately 1 week before the event itself. Our event team will be updating these throughout the day you can keep track via your phone.

• U7,8 will play 5v5 (Squad of 10)
• U9,11 will play 7v7 (Squad of 12)
• Under 13/14 will play 6v6 (Squad of 12)

Arrival

• On arrival players and coaches should make their way to the Player entrance located opposite the 3G. A member of Pitchside Football staff will be there with your welcome pack. This includes a copy of the fixtures and your coaches and players wristbands.
• Morning session teams should aim to arrive between 8.30am and 9.15am.
  • From 9.15am teams will gather at the tunnel area ready for you to walk out onto the pitch with your team names called out. On entry to the pitch you’ll line up for your official team photograph by our photography team. After this you are free to make your way to your pitches ready for first kick offs at 9.30am.
  • Tunnel times: 9.15am (U8 teams), 9.20am (U14 teams), 9.25am (U13 teams).
• Afternoon session teams should aim to arrive between 1.30pm and 2.15pm.
  • From 2.15pm teams will gather at the tunnel area ready for you to walk out onto the pitch with your team names called out. On entry to the pitch you’ll line up for your official team photograph by our photography team. After this you are free to make your way to your pitches ready for first kick offs at 2.30pm.
  • Tunnel times: 2.15pm (U7 teams), 2.20pm (U9 teams), 2.25pm (U11 teams).
• A member of staff at the tunnel area will register you as being in attendance.

Team Sheets

• All teams are required to submit an online team sheet prior to the event. This will be used to organise wristbands and ensure we have enough medals available for the day. Minor changes can be made on the day by speaking to a member of the event staff on arrival, however please contact us before the day where possible.
• Strictly no academy players allowed to play in this competition. Any team found to be playing an academy player may be disqualified.
• Teams are based on 2023/24 age groups.

Access to the Pitch

• There will be 4 pitches marked out on the stadium pitch. These will be made up of temporary markings in the form of tape lines and flat cones. This allows us to ensure we leave no external markings on the pitch itself.
• As there will be limited space on pitch, we are operating a wristband access only policy. We will be issuing all players and up to 3 coaches with wristbands for access to the pitch. These will be given out on arrival in your welcome pack. You will be asked to submit your team sheet 3 days before the event to allow us to organise this. (Obviously should you have any late changes you can just let us know and we’ll organise as we can after this date).
• Access to the pitch will be via the gates next to the “Dugouts” which will be manned with our event staff. You are free to enter and exit the pitches via these gates throughout the day upon showing your wristband.
• Players and coaches will also have the option to visit the home and away changing rooms. These will be open throughout the day for your team to have photos and maybe even a quick team talk? Simply ask a member of staff at the tunnel entrance for more information.

Medals & Presentation

• All players who attend the event will receive either a participation medal, runners up medal or winner’s medal. The winning team will also receive a tournament winner’s trophy to take and keep. After your final game please make your way to the presentation area where our team will be on hand to issue you with your awards on our Pitchside presentation stage.
• Please listen out to stadium announcements throughout the day as we have a tight schedule for both games and presentation.

Photography

• We have our onsite photography team Photeam (www.photeam.co.uk) taking action shots and official photos throughout the day. Match day photos will be available including commemorative framed photos of your special day.
• We may also be videoing and recording matches throughout the day. If you have any concerns please let a member of staff know on arrival or via email before the day.
• Any recorded matches may be uploaded to our YouTube channel and we’ll be posting photos and videos via our social stream throughout the day and days afterwards.

On the Day Expectations

• We want everyone to enjoy their day out with us and as such we expect that all teams are responsible for all persons within their party. Our staff should not be expected to police your own spectators and we reserve the right to ask anyone who causes disruption or disregard to the festival nature of the day to leave.

These rules are ‘tournament rules’ and are in addition to the ‘Laws of association football’, ‘The laws of mini-soccer football’, ‘Walking Football Laws of the Game’ and ‘Beach Soccer Laws of the Game’ where applicable. A copy of these Laws can be downloaded from the FA website.

Rule 1 – COMPETITION NAME

i) The name of the Competition shall be the:
Pitchside Football – Score at the Stadium Tournament – Lincoln City
ii) The competition shall be affiliated to Lincolnshire County Football Association.
iii) The Competition will comprise teams in the following age groups:
U7-U14 (based on 2023-24 season)

Rule 2 – ENTRY TO COMPETITION

i) Entry to the competition is by invitation of the Management Committee.
ii) Any team withdrawing from the competition after having accepted the invitation for entry will forfeit its entry fee, unless otherwise directed by the Management Committee.

Rule 3 – MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The competition shall be governed by a Management Committee who shall be responsible for the running of the competition. The Management Committee’s decision on any of the Competition Rules, or on any matter not covered by the rules, shall, subject to Rule 9 and 10, be final and binding.

Rule 4 – QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS

i) All players must be registered with the competition on the Competition Registration Form available for download from the website.
ii) No player who is under a County FA or any Affiliated Organisation suspension is eligible to play in the competition.
iii) No player who is registered for an academy is allowed to compete. A registered player for an academy in this context means they have a signed contract with a professional club.
iv) In the event of player ineligibility proof of age may be required. This can be in the form of your Whole Game team sheet or identifiable documentation.
v) No player who has not attained the age of 6 will be allowed to play.

Rule 5 – TEAMS

i) A maximum number of players per team are set out below and no player shall play for more than one competing team. All players must be within the correct age group.

• U7 – 5v5 (10 players)
• U8 – 5v5 (10 players)
• U9 – 7v7 (12 players)
• U11 – 7v7 (12 players)
• U13 – 6v6 (12 players)
• U14 – 6v6 (12 players)

ii) In the event of a colour clash the second named team shall change colours. No team shall wear black or very dark shirts.

Rule 6 – SUBSTITUTES

Substitutes will be on a roll-on/roll-off basis with the permission of the referee.

Rule 7 – MATCH RULES AND FORMAT

i) The competition will be played on a “Festival” League basis for all age groups.
There will be 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a defeat.
In the event of two or more teams having the same number of points their position shall be decided on:
(a) goal difference (b) goal scored (c) Head to head (d) deciding match/es played under the conditions as laid down by the Management Committee
ii) All teams will play a maximum of:

• U7/8 60 minutes per day
• U9/10 90 minutes per day
• U11/12/13/14/15/16 120 minutes per day

iii) All teams shall be at their designated pitch 5 minutes prior to kick-off times and the referee shall order the match to commence on time. Failure to arrive at your pitch in good time may forfeit the match.
iv) In knock-out matches where the score is equal at the end of full-time matches will be decided by the taking of penalties in accordance with the Laws of Association football. For small sided games this will be 3 penalties followed by sudden death. For all other formats this will be 5 penalties followed by sudden death.

Rule 8 – REFEREES

Registered Referees shall be appointed to matches. Referees will wear black uniforms.

Rule 9 – PROTESTS AND APPEALS

i) All questions of eligibility, qualifications of players or interpretation of the Rules shall be referred to the Management Committee within 15 minutes of the game or decision being made.
ii) Any dispute occurring between teams in the competition shall be referred to the Management Committee whose decision shall be final and binding on all parties.

Rule 10 – MISCONDUCT

i) Referees shall report to the County Football Association all case of serious misconduct (ie. Breaches of Law 12 or of FA Rule and/or Regulation).
ii) Cautionable offences should be reported to the Competition Management Committee who shall record such against the name of the player, who should they receive two cautions in the competition should be excluded from the next applicable fixture.
iii) Any player who has been sent from the Field of Play for an offence covered in above shall be banned for the next match. If a player commits an offence deemed to be ‘assault’ or cause serious injury they will be expelled from the tournament.

Rule 11 – POWERS OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Any other Rules or issues that are not contained in the Rules will be dealt with and covered by the Management Committee.

RULE 12 – SAFEGUARDING, PHOTOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Our safeguarding, photography and social media policies and procedures can be found on our website:

• https://pitchsidefootball.co.uk/safeguarding/
• https://pitchsidefootball.co.uk/policies/ 

Small sided specific rules

All age groups will play to The FA’s mini soccer rules. This includes:

• Goalkeeper cannot pick up a pass back
• Throw ins will be mandatory for all age groups
• Retreat line will be used at goal kicks (U7-10 age groups only)

The LNER Stadium, Lincoln

• The LNER Stadium has been the home of Lincoln City Football Club, also known as the Imps, since 1895. The club’s nickname is taken from the legendary Lincoln Imp, found turned to stone by an angel in the rafters of Lincoln Cathedral.
• Founded in 1884, the Imps were officially named as an amateur association despite playing as a team since the 1860s. The club’s most famous former player is Graham Taylor, who also managed Lincoln City between 1971 and 1977.
• We hope you enjoy your visit to Lincoln and enjoy the tournament at The LNER Stadium! We are really grateful for Lincoln City for allowing us to work with them to provide such a great experience for the grassroots community.

Car Parking

• The LNER Stadium has limited parking situated directly outside the stadium, please car share where possible. If the car park is full alternative paid parking is available within the city centre.
  • LNER Stadium, Sincil Bank, Lincoln LN5 8LD (Approx 50 spaces – LIMITED SPACES – CAR SHARE WHERE POSSIBLE)
  • Central Car Park, MelvilleStreet, Lincoln LN5 7BP (1,000 spaces – 12 minute walk)
  • Tentercroft Street, Lincoln, LN5 7DB (380 spaces – 10 minute walk)
  • Lucy Tower Street, Lincoln, LN1 1XL (420 spaces – 20 minute walk)
• Reserved parking for 1 coach vehicle per team will be available in the RED zone of the LNER stadium (next to the 3G pitches). On arrival, please follow the attendant’s instructions who will check off each vehicle.
• Afternoon teams should not arrive until AFTER 1.30pm to allow for morning session teams to vacate the car park.
• Note – Pitchside Football & Lincoln City staff will NOT tolerate any abuse in regards to the parking arrangements and admittance may be refused in these cases.

The Venue

• Access to the venue for spectators will be via turnstile E1 (closest entrance to the main car park) which is located in the East corner of the stadium.
• There will be a £3 charge for adults and £1 for Under 16’s. Please note this is a TICKET ONLY event on request of Lincoln City. You can purchase your spectator tickets via Lincoln City’s website. Your ticket will only be valid for either the AM or the PM session. If you would like to attend both sessions you will need to purchase a ticket for both.
• There will be no charge for your players and up to 3 members of your coaching team. Coaching staff and players will enter via the player entrance between 8.30 and 9am and 1.30pm and 2pm only. Outside of these times they must enter via E1.
• The stadium will open at 8.30am for players, teams and spectators. Should you need to leave the stadium for any reason you can receive a stamp to gain re-entry from the exit turnstile.
• After the first session all spectators will need to leave the venue and re-enter at 1.30pm with an afternoon ticket if required.
• The afternoon session will open from 1.30pm.
• Food and drink will be available inside the stadium from the stadium staff. No dogs will be allowed inside the stadium (except guide dogs) and strictly NO alcohol to be brought into the stadium. You will be seated in the SRP STAND ONLY. Strictly no spectators are allowed to enter the field of play for any reason. They should speak to a member of staff should they need to enter the field of play and permission will only be granted under exceptional circumstances.
• Please use the bins provided and let’s leave the venue as we started with at the start of the day.