ESF26 is a touring festival. Accommodation for your whole group, including players, club officials and families/spectators, must be booked through ESF Events. Individuals who are not booked through ESF Events are not part of the event and do not have permission to attend the playing venues as a player, official or spectator, or to attend the presentation ceremonies at Butlin’s and Haven. If members of your group (players, club officials, spectators) attend the event but have not booked accommodation through ESF Events, the team will not be permitted to participate in the festival.
The only exception to this is ‘local’ teams, who may be invited to participate in the festival by ESF Events to ensure the best possible format in each age group (see Local Team Applications section below).
1 – 4 May 2026
U7, U8: 5-a-side
U9, U10: 7-a-side
U11, U12: 9-a-side
U9, U10, U11 Girls: 7-a-side
U12, U13, U14 Girls: 9-a-side
8 – 11 May 2026
U7, U8: 5-a-side
U9, U10: 7-a-side
U11, U12: 9-a-side
U9, U10, U11 Girls: 7-a-side
U12, U13, U14 Girls: 9-a-side
5-a-side: Max squad size = 10 players
7-a-side: Max squad size = 14 players
9-a-side: Max squad size = 16 players
£140 per 5-a-side team
£170 per 7-a-side team
£200 per 9-a-side team
Or Club Registration Fee (unlimited teams) = £450
Register before 31 August 2025 and save 50% on the Registration Fees above.
Friday: No football is played on the day of arrival, so teams can relax and get settled into accommodation (check in should be from 4pm – Butlin’s & Haven will confirm with guests prior to your break) and enjoy the evening’s entertainment. A briefing meeting for Group Leaders & Coaches will take place on Friday evening at 8PM.
Saturday & Sunday: There’s an electric atmosphere around the pitches as the action starts and ESF kicks off. All teams will play group stage matches on both days. Where required, knock out matches will take place following the group stages. Teams should expect to play 5 – 8 games over the weekend, depending on the festival format and how for the team progress in the festival. The celebrity presentation will take place on the Sunday afternoon/evening.
Monday: No football is played on the Monday. Teams therefore have the option of travelling home on the Sunday evening or Monday. Check Out is 10am on Monday and guests must leave the holiday centres by Midday.
Each guest who has booked accommodation through ESF Events will receive an ESF26 wristband when they check in at Butlin’s and Haven. Please be aware that the ESF Events wristband is required to attend the playing venues as a player, club official or spectator, attend the presentation ceremony at Butlin’s, and enter evening entertainment venues at the Holiday Centres.
ESF26 wristbands are not available to purchase separately. If you are not booked through ESF Events, you are not part of the event and do not have permission to attend the playing venues as a player, official or spectator, or to attend the ESF presentation ceremonies.
A final briefing email will be sent to the Group Leaders of all participating teams approximately 7-10 days before each festival takes place. The final briefing will include fixtures, schedules and the festival rules, which have been sanctioned by the appropriate National Football Association. At this stage, the ESF App will also go live, displaying all festival fixtures and schedules. Search ‘ESF Football’ in your App store to download the App. Teams should expect to play 5 – 8 games over the weekend, depending on the festival format and how for the team progress in the festival.
ESF26 Bognor Regis is staged at a selection of playing venues in the Bognor Regis area.
Teams/clubs are responsible for transport from Butlin’s to the playing venues. Felpham Community College is walking distance from Butlin’s, no parking is available so all team must walk to the venue. The Arena Sports Centre is approximately 2.5 miles from Butlins and require transport, both venues have parking available.
Playing venues are subject to change.
ESF is a festival for grassroots teams of all abilities. 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.
Academy teams affiliated to professional clubs and ‘representative’ sides are not permitted to enter ESF26.
Boys who are signed with an FA Premier League or Football League Academy at the time of the festival are not permitted to participate in ESF26.
Girls who are registered/signed with a Emerging Talent Centres (ETCs) are permitted to participate in ESF26, providing they are currently a registered player for the team participating, and they have approval from the ETC to participate in grassroots football. Please note, girls registered with an ETC cannot participate in ESF26 as a ‘Guest Player’. Girls who are signed to a Professional Game Academy team (for example, Arsenal, Manchester Utd) at the time of the festival are not permitted to participate in ESF26.
If you have any questions regarding the eligibility of your team or individual players, please contact ESF Events for clarification prior to registering your team.
| Age Group | Born on or after | Born Before |
|---|---|---|
| U14 | 1 Sep. 2011 | 1 Sep. 2013 |
| U13 | 1 Sep. 2012 | 1 Sep. 2014 |
| U12 | 1 Sep. 2013 | 1 Sep. 2015 |
| U11 | 1 Sep. 2014 | 1 Sep. 2016 |
| U10 | 1 Sep. 2015 | 1 Sep. 2017 |
| U9 | 1 Sep. 2016 | 1 Sep. 2018 |
| U8 | 1 Sep. 2017 | 1 Sep. 2019 |
| U7 | 1 Sep. 2018 | 1 Sep. 2019* |
*In accordance with FA rules, once a player has turned 6 years of age they will be permitted to participate in the U7 age section at ESF26.
Teams are permitted to register a maximum of two ‘guest players’ for the festival. ‘Guest players’ are players who are not currently registered with your club. They must produce documentary evidence to your club secretary to prove that they are the correct age and they must bring these documents with them to the festival.
All players will receive a custom designed ESF26 medal at the presentation ceremony as a memento of ESF26. In addition, there are high quality team awards for the festival Runners-Up and Champions, plus Fair Play, Magic Moment and Player of the Tournament awards presented in each age group.
PLEASE NOTE: The FAW have previously stated that all teams from Wales in the U7-U11 age groups must participate on a non-competitive basis, in line with FAW regulations. The FAW may also stipulate this for ESF26. If so, U7-U11 teams from Wales can participate in the Group Stages of the festival, playing games on the Saturday & Sunday, but they cannot progress to the Playoff Stages (Semi Final & Final) on the Sunday afternoon and cannot be presented with the festival Runners Up or Champions awards.
Professional First Aid cover is provided at all festival playing venues.
Teams from the local area where the festivals are staged are permitted to apply for entry by returning the Team Registration Form. However, we cannot guarantee a place in the festival until the numbers of touring teams are finalised in each age group. At this stage, if additional teams are required in a given age group for the good of the festival, applications from local teams may be accepted by ESF Events.
PLEASE NOTE: If you require any further information or clarification regarding the tournament information detailed above, please call 01664 566360 or click here to email ESF Events.
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