2026 SCI Football Tournament Information

How A Typical SCI Youth Football Festival Works

DAY 1 – DAY OF ARRIVAL

Arrive at your chosen resort anytime from 12.30pm onwards. Check in for accommodation generally starts at 4pm, where SCI Staff will be in attendance. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy the various facilities & entertainment at your leisure. There will be a team managers' meeting at most festivals on the day of arrival – the time of this will be advised prior to the festival. In some cases, with modern day technology, we may decide not to have a team managers' meeting at a resort and full details will be issued to team leaders at least 7 days prior to the event.

DAY 2 – THE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT BEGINS

The football festival will begin on Saturday where each team will generally play either a morning or afternoon session of football. All 7-a-side teams can expect to play between 3 to 6 matches on Saturday, all 9-a-side teams can expect to play between 3 to 5 matches on Saturday, & all 11-a-side teams can expect to play between 2 to 5 matches on Saturday.

The length of all matches will depend on the final format of the festival. SCI will group each teams matches as close together as possible so that you are not at the football ground all day. This will enable all members of your party to enjoy the extensive facilities at your chosen holiday resort.

Take a look at our explanation video to show you how an SCI Weekend looks.

DAY 3 – THE TOURNAMENT CONTINUES

The tournament continues with all age groups being played to completion. All teams will play between 2 to 5 games on Sunday depending on the final format of the festival. This will be supplied to you around 7 days prior to the event. Once the football is complete, all teams will then be invited to attend the SCI Celebrity Presentation Evening, where all teams go up on stage & receive an individual competitors Medal from a famous footballing personality. Of course there are individual Winners & Runners-Up trophies for teams that have finished 1st & 2nd in all age groups, plus the SCI Fair Play Award Trophy for the most sporting team, as well as the SCI Mitre Ultimatch Cup which will be presented to the winning team in each age group.
PLEASE NOTE: In accordance with the Laws of the game from the FAW (Football Association of Wales) the U8 – U11 age groups at SCI 2026 in Prestatyn/Rhyl will be non-competitive and results will not be recorded. All players will receive a quality participation trophy instead of a medal to celebrate taking part in the festival at the SCI Celebrity Presentation on Sunday evening at Lyons, Robin Hood Holiday Park.

DAY 4 – DAY OF DEPARTURE

No football is played on the day of departure, & all accommodation must be vacated by 10am.

*The above details are only a guideline as to how the festivals operate & may be subject to change.

SCI Youth Football Festivals – Your Questions Answered

TEAM QUALIFICATION

SCI Youth Football Festivals are officially sanctioned by The Football Association, The Scottish Youth Football Association and The Football Association of Wales.

In order to participate all teams must be affiliated to a County, Area, National or School Football Association and must be playing together as a team on a regular basis throughout the season, such as in a league, we do not accept teams that are put together for a weekend, nor do we accept RTC's (Regional Talent Centre's).
In accordance with FA rules, boys who are currently registered with an FA Premier League or Football League Academy are not permitted to take part in SCI Youth Football Festivals 2026.

‘Representative’ sides are not permitted to enter SCI Football Festivals.

Girls who are registered/signed with a Emerging Talent Centres (ETCs) or Professional Club Academy are permitted to participate in SCI Youth Football Festivals, providing they are currently a registered player for the team participating in SCI Youth Football Festivals, and they have approval from the ETC or Academy to participate in grassroots football.

Girls who are signed to a Professional Game Academy (PGA) team at the time of the festival (May 2026) are not permitted to participate in SCI Youth Football Festivals.

SCI can be contacted on paul@scievents.co.uk if you would like any clarification on the eligibility of players for a festival.

SCI Football Festivals is for grassroots teams of all abilities.

Any team participating in a festival outside their own country must obtain permission from their Home National Association to participate. For example, this includes teams from Scotland, Northern Ireland & Ireland playing in festivals in England & Wales and teams from Wales playing in festivals in England.

Guest Players - Boys Teams can bring Guest Players not signed to there team, however these must not be Academy Players signed to a FA Premier League or Football League Academy.

All accommodation units are to have at least 1 adult in them and there is to be a minimum ratio of 1 adult to every 3 children in all groups.

TEAM REGISTRATION FEES

All teams must pay a team registration fee in order to participate:

All 5-a-side age groups (max. Squad 10 players) - £150
All 7-a-side age groups (max. Squad 12 players) - £155
All 9-a-side age groups (max. Squad 16 players) - £165
U/13's – U/14's – 11-a-side (max. Squad 18 players) - £210
11-a-side Under 15's Boys (max. Squad 18 players) - £240
All team entry fee's are non-refundable

(Assistant Referee's provided for all Boys under 15's matches)

See Offers Page for details of Half-Price Entry Fees!

Our Offers

AGE QUALIFICATIONS

Under 7's Born on or after 1st September 2018
Under 8's Born on or after 1st September 2017
Under 9's Born on or after 1st September 2016
Under 10's Born on or after 1st September 2015
Under 11's Born on or after 1st September 2014
Under 12's Born on or after 1st September 2013
Under 13's Born on or after 1st September 2012
Under 14's Born on or after 1st September 2011
Under 15's Born on or after 1st September 2010

Teams travelling from Scotland, Ireland and The Rest of Europe will play in an age group 1 year above their respective own age group due to the birth date qualifications of The Football Association & The Football Association of Wales.

Boys & Girls are only permitted to play in the same team in the under 16's age group and below in England and Wales.

TEAM & PLAYER REGISTRATION

All teams are required to complete an official SCI Youth Football Festival Team Registration Sheet 2026. The team sheet must be submitted to SCI Football Festivals at least 4 weeks prior to the festival.

The name and date of birth of all players in the team squad must be entered - You then must bring proof of ID for each player to the tournament to show that they are the correct age. Team Cards from the Whole Game System or Wales Comet ID's are accepted also. SCI Youth Football Festival Team Registration Sheets will be accepted with supporting evidence in the form of an official league identification card, Whole Game System Sheet or Wales Comet ID's or a passport is provided and signed off by an SCI Festival Official. Guest players are eligible (see conditions above). Only players registered before the Festival commences will be eligible to play. Additional players cannot be registered after the team's first match has started. Only players on the SCI group accommodation form can take part in the festival; there will be no exceptions. If a player is found to be breaking this rule then both teams that he or she has played for will be disqualified from the festival.

BOOKING YOUR ACCOMMODATION

It is a condition of entry to an SCI Youth Football Festival that travelling/touring teams book accommodation for all members of their party through and in conjunction with SCI Youth Football Festivals and that the whole party stays at the Holiday Park/Hotel listed on this website. Any player staying in accommodation that has not been provided by SCI Football Festivals will not be permitted to play in the festival under any circumstances.

IMPORTANT:With the exception of local teams invited into the festival at the discretion of SCI Youth Football Festivals, people not booking their accommodation through and in conjunction with SCI will NOT BE PERMITTED to play in the football festival, attend the presentation evening and, in some instances, access to the football pitches, even as a spectator, may be denied.

How to Book:

Visit Our Website: Go to www.sci-footballfestivals.co.uk.
Register Your Team: Click the "Book Now" button and register your team for the tournament. Please make sure you select the right format for your age group as these can vary from festival to festival.
Pay Your Team Entry Fee: Secure your spot by paying the team entry fee online today!
Booking Accommodation: Once SCI approves your booking (Team Entry as per above), you will be sent an email with your Team Pin on, you can then book your accommodation through our new SCI Accommodation Booking Portal. You have a maximum of 3 weeks from when you pay your team entry fee to book your accommodation on the online Accommodation Booking Portal, No accommodation is reserved unless SCI has received the deposit payment of £50 per bed for the unit of accommodation you wish to book - So the deposit for a 4 berth Unit is £200 for example. The sooner you book the accommodation, the more options and choices there will be. SCI will only guarantee space for your team for 3 weeks. All Team entry fee's are non-refundable if you have taken more than 3 weeks to book accommodation and the event becomes full.
- Accommodation Deposit: £50 per bed booked - Please note all team entry fee's and accommodation deposits are non-refundable
- Final Balance: Due 10 weeks prior to the event.
- All accommodation units are to have at least 1 adult in them and there is to be a minimum ratio of 1 adult to every 3 children in all groups.

TROPHIES & MEDALS

There are superb individual Medals for every player at every SCI Youth Football Festival.

Winners & Runners Up trophies will be awarded to players along with the SCI Championship Trophy for the Winning team to keep. All other players will receive the individual SCI Competitor medal. There is also the Prestigious SCI Fair Play Award for each age group which is voted for by the tournament referees.
PLEASE NOTE: In accordance with the Laws of the game from the FAW (Football Association of Wales) the U8 – U11 age groups at SCI 2026 in Prestatyn will be non-competitive and results will not be recorded. All players will receive a quality participation trophy instead of a medal to celebrate taking part in the festival at the SCI Celebrity Presentation on Sunday evening at Lyons, Robin Hood Holiday Park.

LOCAL TEAMS

Teams from the local area where the festivals are staged are permitted to apply to participate by returning a team registration form and the appropriate team registration fee.

However all local team entries are at the invitation & discretion of SCI. SCI cannot guarantee a place for local teams until numbers of travelling / touring teams are finalised in each age group when applications from local teams will be assessed and accepted on a first-come first-served basis.

As such, travelling / touring teams may well play against local teams who are not staying in accommodation at the event's designated Holiday Park, at an SCI Youth Football Festival.

More Information

TOURNAMENT RULES +

A full set of tournament rules is available from SCI 7 days prior to the event, once they have been sanctioned by the respective County Football Association.

TOURNAMENT RULES -

MATCH OFFICIALS +

All SCI Youth Football Festival matches are refereed by independent match officials qualified by their respective County Football Association.

MATCH OFFICIALS -

FOOTBALL PITCHES +

All SCI Youth Football Festival matches take place on grass pitches with changing, toilet & catering facilities and are situated near to your Holiday Park. In some cases we may use 3G or 4G surfaces weather depending.

FOOTBALL PITCHES -

TRANSPORT +

Prices DO NOT include any transport between the Holiday Park and the football pitches.

TRANSPORT -

OFFICIAL SCI YOUTH FOOTBALL FESTIVAL MATCH BALL: MITRE ULTIMATCH +

Ultimatch. The most popular academy match ball , earning it's reputation for providing performance, feel and reliability over many years. The non woven PU provides excellent durability and feel on either grass or astro turf. Available in sizes 3, 4 and 5, the Ultimatch brings exceptional Mitre match performance to all ages.

OFFICIAL SCI YOUTH FOOTBALL FESTIVAL MATCH BALL: MITRE ULTIMATCH -

OFFICIAL SCI YOUTH FOOTBALL FESTIVAL EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER +

Ranger Photography & DE Photos. Ranger Photography & DE Photos will be photographing the majority of the festivals for SCI in 2025. They will take photos of the players & teams at the football pitches and at the presentation evening.

The photographs will be available to buy at the festival and online after the festivals.

For details of the official photographer for each venue in 2026 please see the SCI Schedules page on this website for official details just prior to the festival you are attending.

OFFICIAL SCI YOUTH FOOTBALL FESTIVAL EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER -

SCI EVENT FIRST AID COVER +

SCI Youth Football Festivals provide fully qualified First Aid Personnel who can be located at the Control Point. They are available to deal with any issues that cannot be dealt with by the Team First Aider.

SCI EVENT FIRST AID COVER -

CHILD PROTECTION +

SCI Youth Football Festivals follow and support Football Association guidelines on Child Protection. SCI recommend that all participating clubs have a Child Protection policy.

CHILD PROTECTION -

RESPECT BARRIERS +

SCI is committed to following FA Guidelines on youth football and with this in mind we are continuing to utilise respect barriers at all of our 2026 SCI Youth Football Festivals. This will create a great playing atmosphere for all players to enjoy their football in.

RESPECT BARRIERS -

COACH DRIVER ACCOMMODATION +

SCI are unable to provide free accommodation for coach drivers. This applies to all of our 2026 resorts.

COACH DRIVER ACCOMMODATION -

ISLE OF WIGHT FERRY +

Teams are now responsible for booking there own ferry crossings to the Isle of Wight for 2026 - book your ferry early for the best prices!

ALL TEAMS MUST BOOK THEIR ACCOMMODATION THROUGH SCI FOOTBALL FESTIVALS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 2026 SCI FOOTBALL FESTIVALS. Entertainment passes & SCI Wristbands are included in the accommodation prices. All accommodation units are to have at least 1 adult in them and there is to be a minimum ratio of 1 adult to every 3 children in all groups.

SCI Football Festivals 2026