How to start a Sunday league football league team

Q: What is a Sunday league?

A Sunday league is an organised beginner-level football league that takes place on Sunday rather than the more traditional Saturday. Although this type of football is inclusive to all ages, it has gained a reputation as ‘pub football’ as teams generally consist of people who get together in the same pub, with the pub often sponsoring the team. However, this isn’t always the case, and some Sunday leagues include those who also play at a proficient level on Saturdays.

Q: What level of football is Sunday league?

Accessible to everyone, Sunday league is considered to be a beginner level of football, but it’s important to note that these don’t form an official part of the English Premier League system and generally aren’t considered to be positioned at a set level. Instead, Sunday league teams are regulated by governing bodies based throughout the country, known as County Football Associations.

Q: Can a Sunday league team get promoted?

Though Sunday league teams don’t form an official part of the English Premier League system - there’s the option for these to switch to being a Saturday team and work their way up through the league from there. There’s also the opportunity for teams to play Sunday League football competitively, with a national FA Sunday Cup, which has been running ever since the 1960s.

Q: How much does it cost to set up your team?

From paying one time fees for sending your application to your local FA (prices can vary from county to county) to the registration fees that come with joining your local league (around £80-£100 per year) there are a few costs to consider when setting up your team. Although there is no definite answer on exact costs, you’ll need between £130 to £180 for registration fees. You’ll also need to consider the expenses of hiring out a pitch for trails, but this can again vary depending on quality and location.

There’s no getting around it, setting up a Sunday football league team requires a lot of hard work and determination, but the rewards and payoff are always worth the effort. Bringing with it a whole range of benefits for both you and your squad, the experience is a great way to get involved with your community, giving you the chance to compete against other local teams and to watch your team develop and grow.

However, starting a Sunday football league team may feel intimidating, from the administrative tasks to hiring club officials, so we’ve created this blog to help you through each step of the process. Whether you’re completely new to Sunday football leagues or already have a grasp of the basics, come with us as we take you through every step from beginning to end.

What is a Sunday league?

A Sunday league is a beginner-friendly football league that takes place on a Sunday rather than the more traditional Saturday. A Sunday league is accessible to anyone of all ages and skill levels, and is designed to bring the fun of football to more people. These leagues can be found across the UK but don’t form an official part of the English Premier League system and generally aren’t considered to be positioned at a set level. Instead, Sunday league teams are regulated by governing bodies based throughout the country, known as County Football Associations.

How to start a Sunday league team?

A lot goes into creating your own Sunday league team and you might find yourself unsure of where to start. From the creativity that comes with deciding the perfect team name and identity to finding and recruiting players to take part each week - there are many tasks to be checked off the list. So, to help, we’ve set up a step-by-step list of things you will need to do to kick your Sunday football league off the ground.

Step 1 - Choose a team name and identity

A great place to start to help ease you into your admin duties is deciding on a team name and identity. This is one of the more fun tasks of starting your Sunday football team as you get to put your creativity into motion and there’s a lot of freedom that comes with this step. However, it’s more than just freedom and creativity, it’s a very important part of how people will remember and view your team.

When choosing a name, consider something unique and memorable, something that’s too complicated or too plain may make it hard for your team to stand out. Both your name and crest should be unique to your team, consider elements that represent something meaningful for your team.

When deciding on your team's crest, you should pick a simple design that ties in with your team's name. Something simple yet bold will work best. Remember to check that the name and crest you come up with aren’t already being used by another team, you can check this online.

To go along with your crest, you will need to think about the colours of your team's kit. You’re going to want reliable and high-quality football kits that represent your team's colours and what you stand for. Here at Avec Sport, we have a wide variety of colours and styles to help you find the perfect kit for your team. We will also customise your kit with your team's logo so you can make it unique to your club and feel like professionals stepping onto the pitch each Sunday!

Step 2 - Appointing officials

It’s normal that, at first, you will be managing most of the administrative tasks on your own but after a while you might find the workload becoming overwhelming or unmanageable. To keep the running of the club smooth (and fun) this is when you should start looking into hiring club officials to help ease off some of the workload. You should be looking to hire around 2-3 people to take on these tasks. Not only will it make your life easier, but Sunday football leagues in the UK are required to have appointed club officials such as managers and treasurer.

These club officials will handle everything from keeping track of your team's finances to ensuring that the team complies with any relevant regulations. You should be looking to hire people for the following roles:

Manager - A manager is one of the more physically demanding roles and will require actively working with the team on and off the pitch to help enhance their skills and boost morale. The roles of a football manager include anything from acting as the main point of contact for 1-on-1 training sessions to choosing the lineup for each match and much more. For this role, you will want to look for someone with plenty of experience in football training and great communication skills.

Secretary - A secretary will oversee most of the general admin duties such as confirming matches, reporting scores, and executing day-to-day administrative and organisational tasks which include keeping the treasurer and manager up to date on changes or adjustments to schedules. A natural organiser with great communication skills is your best bet for this position.

Treasurer - A treasurer will be responsible for overseeing the club’s finances. This will include handling the collection of money from players and sponsors, pitch hire fees, and ensuring that through this, the club doesn’t exceed its spending limit. As someone who’ll be dealing with money, you’ll want someone who’s good with numbers and organisation for this role.

Step 3 - Recruit players

You can’t have a Sunday league team without the players, and finding the right players that align with your team's ideals and commitments is very important. While you only need 11 players for a game, you will want to find around 20 people overall for your team to fill in dropouts or absences.

How to recruit players for your Sunday league team

There are a few different ways you can recruit players, and one of the easiest ways to do this is to hold trial sessions. This will help you monitor the performance of each player and decide on the most suitable ones for your team. You should get input from all three officials as well and if done carefully, this will help give your team the best chance of success in future matches.

Get the word out - Before you can hold the trials you will need to get word out about them first. We recommend advertising it as much as possible because the more people you can get to show up the more chances you have of finding the right people for your team. You can advertise your trials through social media, putting up posters around the area and in community centres, and posting in online football groups and forums.

Hold trials - Once enough people have shown an interest, it’s time to start holding the trials. For this, you will need to ensure a suitable training space which will require pitch hire, equipment, goalposts and more, though most of the things you need are usually included in the pitch hires. You (or the manager if this role is assigned to someone else) will need to plan a suitable strategy and drills for the day of the trials so you can put the players to the test and see what they’re capable of to find the best matches for your team.

Once you’ve chosen your players after the trials, make sure to get in contact with them as soon as possible to let them know they’ve been successful and invite them to join your team. You might want to start a group on social media with all of your players invited so that they can communicate with each other easily to build friendships and camaraderie - while also giving you an easy way to share news.

Step 4 - Register your team with the league

To become an official Sunday league team, you’ll need to register with your local county football association. Doing this will not only cement the legitimacy of your club, but also provide you with invaluable access to the local footballing community. They will also make sure all rules and regulations are in place to ensure fairness and reliability within your team.

How to register your Sunday league team

You can register your Sunday football league team online by visiting the County FAs page on the official FA website to find out who your local football association is. From this website, you will be able to find who the relevant contacts are and you can send your club details and application form to them.

The application process usually includes information such as your proof of registration with the local FA, contact details for club officials and general information including your club name and colours, so make sure you have everything ironed out before this.

Once registered, you will gain access to a list of local leagues and you can use this to apply and get your team involved in local matches.

Step 5 - Register your players

Your final job is to register each of your players with your local county FA. You will need to provide some general information on each player and this will help determine their eligibility. Once your players have been approved, you can start competing in your chosen league!

How much does it cost to set up a Sunday league?

Prices can vary from county to county, however, while there is no set number - we hate a vague answer and have done our best to provide a guideline! To help you understand the costs involved with setting up a Sunday football league we’ve included a list below of all the fees you can expect to pay during this process.

There is a one-time fee for sending your application to the FA (The price will depend on your local area)
The registration fees that come with joining your local league (around £80-£100 per year)
The cost of hiring out a pitch for trails, but again, this can vary depending on quality and location.

Once you start collecting membership fees and attracting sponsors, then the club will be able to fund everything from pitch hires to equipment such as footballs and water bottles for your players on its own. If you want to learn more about all the ways you can attract a sponsor to fund your club's activities you can read our blog on attracting a sponsor for your grassroots football team.

Can a Sunday league get promoted?

Sunday football leagues aren't a part of the English Premier League system, however, there’s the option of switching from a Sunday league to a Saturday league and working your way up from there if you decide to.

There’s also the opportunity for teams to play Sunday League football competitively as there’s a national FA Sunday Cup, which has been running ever since the 1960s.

Get reliable football kits for your Sunday league team

Ready to start your Sunday football league team? You’re going to need some reliable football kits that will provide your players with comfort and durability but also stand out enough to help attract sponsors.

Here at Avec Sport, we have a wide range of premium football team kits, with a huge selection of colours and customisable options available, so you can get something unique for your Sunday league team.