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Complete Guide to Starting a Kids Football Club
Starting a kids football club is one of the most rewarding projects you can do for a local community. Creating a space where children can come together to celebrate their love of football, learn new skills, and socialise in a safe environment can have a huge positive impact on young lives. Whether you’re driven by a passion for youth development, a desire to create more opportunities in your local area, or simply want to offer children a safe space to play and grow, launching a club requires more than just love of the game.
At the heart of every successful kids football club is a commitment to safety, inclusion, and community spirit. This includes prioritising safeguarding, alongside practical considerations like securing funding, recruiting players, and affiliating with local football associations. With careful planning you can create an environment where children can build confidence, teamwork skills, and a lifelong love of football.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to grow an existing initiative, in this guide we will walk you through the essential steps required to start a kids football club, helping you get moving in the right direction.
How to start a kids football club
Starting a club from scratch can feel like a big step, especially if you’ve never run a sports organisation before. From securing pitches and finding volunteers to considering safeguarding responsibilities and affiliation requirements, there’s a lot to think about. With the right planning and support, setting up a kids football club is easily achievable and incredibly rewarding. Below we have broken down the process of getting started into easy-to-follow steps, detailing everything you need to know to get your club up and running.
1. Decide on your club’s goals and vision
Before anything else, it’s important to first clarify why you want to start the club, what age groups you’ll serve, and whether you’ll focus on development or competition.
Some kid’s football clubs start as a fun way to teach children a new skill and encourage healthy extra-curricular activities, whereas some start with the intention of becoming part of a league to compete in. At this stage you should decide whether the club will be a community organisation, or a non-profit, to determine how you will get funding.
When it comes to age groups, keep in mind that the FA rules state that both girls and boys can play on the same team together up until they are 18 years old. However, you may wish to separate them at an earlier stage due to physical development differences, and how this can affect matches. Head over to our blog on getting your daughter involved in sports early for insight on how you can appeal to all genders and ages groups.
2. Organise your budget and finances
The key to success is to ensure that you are operating within your means financially. Therefore you need to have a realistic budget in place that covers everything from affiliation fees and pitch hire to equipment, insurance, and kits. Consider how you will cover these costs, whether it be through player subscriptions, fundraising events, sponsorships, or grants.
3. Choose a club name and colours
One of the most important parts of this process is to pick a club name, choose team colours, and shape your club’s identity, so that you can spread the word and make your team easily identifiable when advertising your club to potential players.
4. Spread the word and appoint key officials
You will need to get the word out there to recruit players, as well as team members, and volunteers. There are many ways to do this such as posting on social media, community groups, talking to local schools, and parents to gauge interest. Make sure to include the many benefits of youth football in your advertising to help entice parents.
Creating a football club can be an intensive process and having a team that can help with admin, run training sessions and organise matches will help ensure the club’s success.
You will also need to appoint key officials including a chairperson, secretary, treasurer, and club welfare officer.
5. Recruit coaches
Finding a team of enthusiastic adults who are willing to help coach the team, even without formal coaching experience can help you get started, then they can get qualifications as the team grows. It’s important to make sure everyone working on your team has the necessary DBS checks and safeguarding training.
6. Affiliate your club
You’ll need to affiliate your club to your local County FA so you can enter official competitions and access insurance and support. This involves registering your club and officials through The FA’s systems.
7. Secure facilities and equipment
Ensuring you have a pitch ready for training and matches, and making sure you have all of the equipment you need ready is vital to getting started. You can pay to hire pitches at local schools, sports centres, or with a local council.
8. Register players
Once you have enough interest from children wanting to take part, it’s time to get them registered to the team officially. Set up a simple player registration process, and hold an introductory meeting or taster session so parents and players can meet the coaches, and volunteers and learn about your club’s plans.
9. Enter competitions and fixtures
Once your club is affiliated and organised, with a great team of children eager to get started, you can enter your club into appropriate leagues or friendly programmes to get matches going. Make sure that you are communicating schedules clearly with parents and coaches, and that you have organised processes in place for matchdays.
10. Maintain and grow your club
As the season progresses, it’s important to review how things are going financially, organisation-wise, and in terms of player engagement. Keep recruiting volunteers, and seeking funding opportunities, thinking about future age groups or additional teams.
How much does it cost to start a kids football club?
In the UK, starting a kids football club typically costs between £2,000-£10,000 in the first year, depending on your scale and ambitions. Along with essential start-up costs, pitch hire, team kits and equipment, you will also need to pay for the following:
- FA affiliation fee
- Insurance
- DBS checks for coaches
- Coaching qualifications
- Team kits
- League registration
- Referee fees
To cover costs, most clubs charge for weekly sessions, or larger amounts for per terms. There are also ways you can help keep costs down through fundraising, recruiting volunteers, and certain grants available for grassroots clubs from organisations like The Football Foundation, County FA and Sport England. For further information on gaining financial help for setting up a club, head over to our blogs, ‘fundraising ideas for your grassroots football team’ and our ‘comprehensive guide to grants, sponsorships, and fundraising for your sports team’.
What equipment does a kids football club need to get started?
Ensuring you have the right equipment from day one makes a huge difference. Although you don’t need to buy everything at once, with a solid foundation of essential items, you can create a safe, fun and effective environment where young players can learn and enjoy the game. Below we have broken down the key bits of equipment you need when getting started.
Essential playing equipment
At the heart of any football club is the basic playing equipment. A selection of football sizes is essential, with the ball sizes matched to the appropriate age group - size 3 for under 8s, size 4 for ages 8-12, and size 5 for older children. For more information on which size ball is best for your players, head to our blog on ‘how to choose a football for your team’ for guidance. A reliable ball pump with spare needles is also a must to keep sessions running smoothly.
Goals are another essential if the field you’re hiring doesn’t have them, or if they’re too far apart for younger players. Pop-up or foldable designs are ideal for grassroots clubs as they are easy to transport and store.
Football kits
Matching team kits play an important role in creating a strong sense of identity within a kids football club. When children wear the same jerseys and socks as their teammates, it can create a feeling of belonging, that boosts confidence, encourages teamwork and makes new players feel more comfortable, especially if they are joining for the first time. From a practical point of view, matching kits also make organisation easier, and allow players to be quickly identified on the pitch by coaches, referees and parents.
Team kits don’t have to be expensive, many grassroots clubs start out with simple jerseys in club colours and add shorts or socks later as budgets allow.
Here at Avec Sport we have a wide range of junior teamwear available to choose from that can be personalised with names, numbers and sponsors to help build a recognisable club identity within the local community. Find out more about our customisation options with our Team Avec+ scheme that offers bulk discounts and fast kit ordering for teams.
Safety gear
Safety should always be a top priority when working with children. Ensuring you have a fully stocked first aid kit is essential for dealing with minor injuries, and it should always be accessible during sessions and games. Shin guards are also mandatory for matches and strongly recommended for training, so having a few spare pairs in different sizes can be very helpful.
Training equipment
An equipment bag or a handy storage solution also helps to keep everything organised and reduces setup time. Training cones are also a necessity to help set up drills and pitch boundaries, as well as training bibs in multiple colours to help coaches quickly divide players into teams. Whistles and stopwatches will also be useful for training and on match-days.
While not essential at the very beginning, there are optional extras that can enhance the overall experience as the club grows. Items like scoreboards, corner flags, or additional coaching resources can add variety to training and improve organisation. These can be introduced gradually as participation increases and budgets allow.
How do I affiliate a kids football club with my local FA?
Affiliating your kids football club with the local FA is essentially what makes your club official. It connects you to the organised game and unlocks the support, protection, and opportunities that comes along with it.
Affiliation allows your club to enter FA-sanctioned leagues and competitions, which most grassroots football operates under. It also provides public liability insurance for your club, protecting you, your volunteers, and players if something goes wrong. For parents, this affiliation can be a great sign of trust, as it shows your club meets recognised standards for safeguarding, coaching, and player welfare.
This also gives you access to FA and County FA support that includes guidance on safeguarding, coach education and qualifications, disciplinary processes, funding opportunities, and development programmes. It also ensures your club follows consistent rules, codes of conduct, and safeguarding frameworks, helping you to create a safe, professional environment for children.
To affiliate your kids football club with your local County FA you need to complete the official club affiliation process each season. In order to do this there are a few key steps you need to follow.
Prepare your club details
Before you start, make sure you have all of the basic club information ready so you can easily get started on the process, this information should include:
- Your club name
- Details of your home ground
- Details of your key officials i.e. Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Welfare Officer
- A safeguarding declaration
- Public liability insurance details
Log in to the FA Clubs Portal
Affiliation is managed online through the FA’s Clubs Portal which you can find at Clubs.TheFA.com. You’ll need to create an account to set up your club’s profile, add your teams and all relevant officials, and complete the affiliation form within the portal.
Accept safeguarding and other declarations
As part of this process you will be asked to accept a safeguarding declaration, and any other relevant statements for the kind of football you’re affiliating for, in this instance, grassroots youth football. This confirms that you understand and will adhere to safeguarding responsibilities and other standards expected of you as a club.
Pay any affiliation fees
Each County FA sets its own affiliation fees, which you can pay directly via the portal. The price will vary depending on whereabouts you are in the country, however, it is typically between £75-150 paid annually. Make sure to check with your County FA for the exact deadline and fee amounts.
Submit the form and await confirmation
Once you have paid and submitted the form, your County FA will process the affiliation. Once it has been approved, your club becomes officially affiliated, which allows you entry into FA-sanctioned competitions, access to insurance and support, and recognition within the local football community.
What safeguarding requirements must a kids football club meet?
One of the most important factors to consider when creating a kids football club is the safety of the children. In the UK, every affiliated club is expected to adopt a safeguarding children policy and procedures that aligns with The Football Association’s guidance. These robust safeguarding policies are in place to not only keep the children protected, but to also give parents confidence and reassurance that their children are in safe hands.
These policies prioritise keeping children protected from harm, abuse, neglect, bullying and discrimination both on and off the pitch. They ensure that all members of the club go through thorough DBS checks, and that all adults are trained in safeguarding before any activities take place. Parents should expect there to be clear procedures in place for any reporting concerns that may arise, and trust that the club promotes a culture where safeguarding is taken seriously by everyone involved.
From a legal compliance standpoint, there are several mandatory safeguarding requirements for both club volunteers and officials that must be in place:
- Club Welfare Officer (CWO): Every youth club should appoint a named Welfare Officer who has an enhanced FA DBS check and has completed recognised safeguarding training.
- DBS Checks: Anyone aged 16 or over in a role that involves unsupervised contact with under-18s, for example, coaches, team managers, first-aiders, volunteers etc. must all hold an enhanced DBS check that’s accepted by The FA. We would also recommend that these are renewed every 1-3 years.
- Safeguarding Training: All coaches and managers should complete FA-approved safeguarding children courses and a safeguarding for committee members course for key officials like the chair and secretary.
- Safer Recruitment: Youth clubs must follow safer recruitment processes that involve thoroughly checking references, verifying DBS status, and not allowing individuals to work unsupervised with children until all checks are in place.
- Accessibility & Reporting: Clubs should make it easy for both children and parents to know who to contact with any safeguarding concerns, and have channels in place to report concerns to the Welfare Officer, the County FA Safeguarding Officer, or appropriate authorities.
Meeting these above requirements helps to ensure your club not only complies with national governance standards, but it also helps to build trust with families by showing that children’s safety is at the heart of everything you do.
Equip your club with Avec Sport
With everything you need to know about creating a club in place, it’s time to ensure you have the right equipment to get started with. Here at Avec Sport we have a wide range of junior team kits and football accessories that will support your team from the get-go.