Player Registration
Guidance for registering OYFL players through Club Portal, including deadlines, squad limits, transfers and cancellations.
The following notes are guides to registering your players for the 2026–27 season.
If you have any questions, please contact
Debbie Moore, League Registrations Secretary
Full FA guidance on registering players through Club Portal
ON THIS PAGE
2026–27 registration deadline: 31 March 2027
ACCESS
Registrations are completed through Club Portal
Club officials who have access to carry out player registrations are:
- Chair
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- CWO
Anyone else who needs access should be added to the club officials list as Player Registration Officer.
Anyone given the Player Registration Officer role will be able to access all player registrations for the club.
HOUSEKEEPING
Before starting registrations
- Ensure your teams are assigned to the OYFL for the new season.
- Detach players who have left your team/club, as they may be registering elsewhere.
- Remove players from any team that has folded.
- Remove players from teams they will not play for in the new season if switching teams within the club.
Only submit registrations for players who have confirmed they are playing for you this season. Do not assume everyone from last season will be joining, and do not submit all previous players without checking.
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
To register a player in the OYFL, their registration record must contain the following.
FAN (FA Number): if the player has never been registered, a FAN will be generated when a new player record is created. If they have played before, they should already have a FAN.
Player name: ensure the player's name is spelt correctly, and avoid data-entry errors such as including middle names in the surname field.
Passport-style photo. The photo should
- Show only the player's head and shoulders
- Face forwards
- Contain no hats
- Contain no sunglasses
- Contain no other people
- Not be a scan of a passport page
A new photo is required each season for players registering at U10, U13 and U17.
Date of birth: check against identification and ensure it is correct.
Full address, including postcode.
Gender: male or female.
Mixed-gender teams: Mixed-gender teams are permitted in OYFL from U7 to U18.
Consent to play. Consent can be
- Online: valid for five years.
- Offline: must be completed each season.
Online consent for players under 16 requires a connected parent/carer FAN record.
ID verification: a club official must verify the player's date of birth by seeing one of the following.
- Birth certificate
- Passport
- Medical card
- School ID
- Driving licence (Under 21s only)
Contact / parent connection: players aged 16 and above require an email address. Players aged 6 to 15 require a connected parent/carer FAN record.
Do not use a manager/coach as the connected parent/carer unless they are actually the child's parent/carer.
Nationality must be recorded.
ADDING A NEW PLAYER
When adding a new player to the club list
- 1
Check for a previous club
Check whether the player has played for another club previously.
- 2
Search by FAN
If yes, use their FAN to search for them. Some players may have more than one FAN due to historic data-entry errors; County FAs can merge duplicates.
- 3
Check the spelling of the name
Incorrect names can prevent successful searches.
- 4
Check the date of birth
Historic data-entry errors may also prevent successful searches.
If you cannot find a player who should already be in the system, check their details carefully and contact your County FA for assistance.
WEEKEND MATCH CUT-OFFS
To be eligible to play that weekend, a player's registration must be completed by:
- Saturday fixture — 9pm Thursday
- Sunday fixture — 9pm Friday
MINIMUM SQUAD NUMBERS
Each team must register at least the minimum number of players one week before the start of the season.
Please do not leave this until the last minute.
| Format | Minimum players |
|---|---|
| 3v3 | 3 |
| 5v5 | 5 |
| 7v7 | 7 |
| 9v9 | 9 |
| 11v11 | 11 |
MAXIMUM SQUAD NUMBERS
At any one time, a team can register a maximum number of players as follows.
| Format / Age | Maximum players |
|---|---|
| 3v3 | 14 |
| 5v5 | 14 |
| 7v7 | 14 |
| 9v9 | 18 |
| 11v11 | 21 |
| U17–U21 | 25 |
DUAL REGISTRATION
The OYFL has adopted the FA rule on dual registration. A player is only permitted to register for more than one club where the teams in which the player plays are not in the same age group.
CANCELLATION REQUESTS
If a player registration needs to be cancelled
- Go to the All Players tab in Club Portal.
- Search for the player using the filters.
- Open the player and select the Registrations tab.
- Use the tick box to select the registration to be cancelled.
- Click Cancel Registration.
- Click Start Cancellation.
- Select the reason for cancellation.
- Click Submit to League.
- Click Confirm.
If a registration was submitted in error and is still pending League approval
DISPENSATION
A player may be able to obtain FA dispensation to play down a year. Clubs should contact their County FA for assistance where they believe dispensation may apply.
Dispensation may be granted where a child
- Has a disability
- Has a significant physical developmental delay (SPDD)
- Has mental health or chronic illness
- Is schooled no more than one year behind their prescribed age group and would be placed at a substantial disadvantage if required to play in their prescribed age group
Player dispensation lasts for one season only and must be renewed each season.
The application is made by the parent/carer through FA My Account
TRANSFERS
The approaching club must follow the transfer process. There is no form and no transfer fee.
- 1
Notice of Approach
The approaching club must send a 7-day notice of approach by email to the player's current club, stating that they wish to approach the player with a view to transferring them. A copy must also be sent to the League Registrations Secretary.
Waiver 1: the current club may waive the 7-day notice period by replying to the approaching club by email and submitting a cancellation request for the player's current registration. If the cancellation is processed by the League, the approaching club can submit the new registration and it will be handled as a standard registration.
- 2
Submission
On Day 8, the approaching club can submit a registration request through the player registration system. This triggers the transfer process.
- 3
League starts the transfer
The League confirms the start of the transfer process in the Player Registration system. This alerts the current club.
- 4
Objection window
Starting the transfer triggers a 3-day objection window. The current club may object by emailing the League Registrations Secretary and stating the reason.
Note: non-return of kit is not a valid reason for objecting to a transfer, although players leaving a club are expected to return club kit.
Waiver 2: if the current club did not waive the original 7-day notice period, it may waive the 3-day objection window by submitting a cancellation request. If approved, the new registration is then handled as a standard registration.
- 5
Transfer approved or rejected
Once the 3-day objection window has ended, and assuming no valid objection has been received, the League completes the transfer: the player's registration with the current club is cancelled and the new registration is approved. Where an objection is received, for example because the player has decided not to move, the League will speak to both clubs and either reject the submission or determine whether the objection is valid.
Important transfer rules
- Once transferred, a player cannot be transferred again for 28 days, except with special permission from the League.
- If an approach is rejected, the approaching club cannot approach the same player again in the same season.
- An approaching club cannot approach another player in the same team at the same time unless exceptional circumstances apply, e.g. twins.
- An approaching club cannot approach another player in the same team for 28 days after an earlier notice of approach.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE
The deadline for registration for the 2026–27 season is 31 March 2027.