We will do our very best to give you the most competitive fixtures we can. By that we mean we will pair you with teams of similar ability where both teams will need to play at their very best in order to win. Sometimes we get this wrong or other circumstances mean that one team may not be performing at its best.

Fairplay is about recognising that the teams are not fairly matched and instead of pressing on regardless until the final whistle with a game that is not benefiting the development of either team, both team’s coaching staff look at ways to change the game so that both teams continue to benefit from the experience.

It does not mean that one team should add players or the other should take players off in the hope that this will even up the teams. It requires creative thinking by both sets of coaches working together to come up with training ground routines that can be inserted into the game to add new challenges so that both teams can develop their skills at the appropriate level.

The BMSL pr0vides four seasons in one. Each mini-season lasts for 7 weeks with one or two weeks between each where fixtures will not be scheduled. Each team in the BMSL can expect to have between 20 and 28 scheduled fixtures in a full season.

We operate a ladder at each age group, which sees teams split into ability groups where the teams play each other once during a mini-season. At the end of the mini-season, each team’s performance is studied, and where necessary teams move up or down the ladder so that they can find more competitive games.

Matches are played on Sunday morning. Our normal kick-off time is 10.30 am, although teams can agree to play at other times if the home team has to share their pitch with other teams.

Game playing time at Under 7 and Under 8 is 40 minutes while playing time at Under 9 and Under 10 is 50 minutes. Team administrators can agree to reduce the amount of playing time if it is in the best interest of the players. Games must not exceed these maximum playing times.

The vast majority of our clubs, as the name would suggest, come from within Bedfordshire. We can also have clubs that are located in Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, or Hertfordshire.

The pitches for Under 7 and Under 8 should be between 30 yards and 40 yards long and between 20 yards and 30 yards wide.

The pitches for Under 9 and Under 10 should be between 50 yards and 60 yards long and between 30 yards and 40 yards wide.

Where a marked pitch is too big, cones or other suitable markers can be used to reduce the size of the pitch to acceptable parameters.

Where a suitably marked pitch is unavailable, cones or other suitable markers can be used to mark the boundaries of the playing area.

The recommended size of goals is no larger than 12′ x 6′. We have no objection to other sizes being used so long as they are safe and the same for both teams. We also do not object to jumpers being used as goalposts. 🙂

As per FA rules, all ages must use a size 3 ball.

Yes, we will accept new teams throughout the season.

You will need to affiliate the team with your County FA. Once the team is available in FULL-TIME we will be able to provide fixtures.

The entry fee for a full season is £40 per team.

The entry fee for teams joining after New Year is £20 per team.

Clubs will be invoiced once the team has been affiliated with your County FA and is ready to start playing fixtures.

Yes, as a Charter Standard league, member clubs need to be FA accredited. If your club is not FA accredited you may still enter teams on the understanding that you apply for accreditation before they start playing.

Once accredited, you will need to undertake an annual health check to maintain your accreditation.

No, we do not require a club deposit on joining.

There are no limits to the number of players that can be registered to a team. However, we ask that you only take the FA permitted squad size to a game so that each player can get a minimum of half the available game time.

For Under 7 and Under 8, the maximum match day squad size is 10 players.

For Under 9 and Under 10, the maximum match day squad size is 14 players.

Yes, you will need to register your players via the Whole Game System before they play.

For the season 2021/2022, it will be a requirement for all affiliated football to register players, with an email address.

Yes, a player can be registered to any number of teams within your club, so long as they meet the age restrictions for the team’s age group.

No, each club is responsible for securing its own pitch allocation.

No, we do not charge a fee to register players.

Your fixtures are available on FULL-TIME or in the MATCHDAY app. In addition, you will receive a FULL-TIME email on Monday when you have a fixture scheduled for the following Sunday.

If there are any changes made to the fixture, you will receive a FULL-TIME email.

If you are not receiving the fixtures email from FULL-TIME you should:

1. Make sure that they are not being sent to your junk folder.
2. Check that you have the correct email on your WHOLE GAME account.
3. Verify your email address in FULL-TIME using the menu option: Email > Email Address Verification.

If this does not resolve the problem, please contact us so that we can investigate.

If your contact details do not appear on the FULL-TIME fixture email, this will be because you are not flagged as the primary Team Administrator for the team. Only one person’s contact details per team can be shown in the email. If you would like to be that person, please contact us to let us know.

The home team must contact and confirm the fixture with the away team by Tuesday evening no later than 9.00 pm.

Ideally, confirmation should be done in person over the phone. If you need to leave a voice mail make sure you ask your opposition to confirm receipt of your call. Likewise, make sure that you get confirmation of receipt if you use text or instant messenger.

If you have not confirmed the fixture by Thursday, the away team is free to make other arrangements.

Team administrators will receive an email from ULL-TIME every Monday detailing their fixtures for the next 7 days. This email will have the contact details for the opposition team.

Alternatively, a list of contacts can be found on Microsoft Teams.

The home team must confirm arrangements with the away team by Tuesday 9.00 pm. If they have not confirmed arrangements with you, you should try to contact the club secretary of the home team to find out the arrangements.

If you have been unable to confirm arrangements with the home club by Thursday, you are free to assume the fixture will not go ahead and make alternative arrangements if you wish to do so. If alternative arrangements are made you should log in to FULL-TIME and cancel the fixture. If you have arranged an alternative fixture you must let us know by emailing the details to fixtures@bmsl.org.uk.

If the home team contacts you subsequently, the decision as to whether the fixture takes place is at your discretion.

To be added in as an SMS result contact in FULL-TIME, you will first need to have your mobile number listed on your WHOLE GAME account. You can check this by selecting the “my account” tab on the left. If you need to enter your mobile number click edit details under your photograph.

You will also need to be listed as a Team Official.

You should then contact us so that we can set you up to receive a text at the start of each fixture.

You must notify us of your result so that we can monitor your progress and if necessary make adjustments to the teams you are playing in order to provide you with the most competitive games possible.

Results can be notified by using one of the following methods:

1. Recording each goal during the game using the MATCHDAY app.
2. Logging into FULL-TIME after the match and selecting the menu option: Result > Fast Result Entry.
3. Replying to the FULL-TIME Match Result SMS text.

After each fixture, you are required to submit a match report. This can be done in FULL-TIME or via the MATCHDAY app.

As soon as you know that you are unable to fulfill a fixture you must inform your opposition so that they can make alternative arrangements if they wish.

You must also postpone the fixture using FULL-TIME or the MATCHDAY app. If your match is canceled at the last minute, you can also reply to the FULL-TIME Match Result SMS text.

You can reschedule postponed fixtures to one of the weeks between mini-seasons if your opposition agrees otherwise, the fixture will be canceled. If you do reschedule a game please let us know by emailing fixtures@bmsl.org.uk.

Yes, although we do not encourage it. If your team is unable to find competitive games at the highest level in their age group, we can discuss whether it would be in the players’ best interest to move up an age group.

Please note that any players in the team who are themselves playing up a year will no longer be able to play for the team.