First Year Boys 7-a-Side Football Tournament

<p>Welcome to the <strong>First Year Boys 7-a-Side Football Tournament 2026. </strong> A one-day football festival created specifically for First Year students.</p><p><br></p><p>This tournament has been designed to give schools a competitive, enjoyable and well-organised football experience where <strong>every team remains involved throughout the day</strong>. Rather than teams being eliminated after the group stage, every school progresses into a trophy competition, ensuring that every team has something meaningful to compete for until the final whistle.</p><p>The tournament is proudly hosted and managed through the <strong>Football Friendlies</strong> platform, allowing schools to access fixtures, results and live league tables in one place.</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Tournament Information</strong></h2><p><br></p><p><strong style="letter-spacing: 0.01rem;">Date:&nbsp;</strong>Tuesday, 13 October 2026</p><p><strong>Venue: </strong>Seanchoill Sports Complex</p><p><strong>Address: </strong>Corbally Road, Parteen, Co. Clare, V94 NX51</p><p><strong style="letter-spacing: 0.01rem;">Category:&nbsp;</strong>First Year Boys</p><p><strong>Tournament Capacity: </strong>16 Teams</p><p><strong>Format</strong>7-a-Side Football</p><p><strong>Squad Size:&nbsp;</strong>Minimum 7 players / Maximum 10 players</p><p><strong>Entry Fee: </strong>€ 95 per team</p><p><strong>Guaranteed Matches: </strong>Minimum of 4 matches per team</p><p><strong>Schools may register more than one team</strong>, subject to tournament availability.</p><p><br></p><h3><strong>What's Included in the €95 Team Entry</strong></h3><p><br></p><p>Each registered team receives a complete tournament experience, including:</p><p><br></p><ul><li>⚽ <strong>A minimum of 4 guaranteed matches</strong> for every team.</li><li>🏆 <strong>Four trophy pathways</strong>, meaning every team progresses beyond the group stage and continues competing.</li><li>🏆 <strong>A trophy for the winning team</strong> in each of the four tournament pathways.</li><li>🥇 <strong>Winner's medals</strong> for players on each trophy-winning team.</li><li>🥈 <strong>Runner-up medals</strong> for the teams reaching each final.</li><li>📅 <strong>Professionally organised fixtures and match scheduling.</strong></li><li>📍 <strong>Allocated match times and pitch numbers</strong> so schools know where and when they are playing.</li><li>📊 <strong>Live league tables</strong> throughout the tournament.</li><li>⚡ <strong>Live results and tournament progression.</strong></li><li>📱 <strong>Online tournament access</strong>, allowing teachers, students, staff and parents to follow their school's progress remotely.</li><li>🏅 <strong>A full tournament journey</strong>, from the group stage through to the Champions, Premier, Challenge or Development Trophy pathway.</li><li><br></li></ul><p>The aim is to provide considerably more than a series of matches. Each school receives a <strong>structured, competitive and digitally supported tournament experience from registration through to the final presentations</strong>.</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Tournament Schedule:</strong></h2><p><br></p><p>The tournament has been structured to allow schools to travel, compete and return within the school day.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Activity: Time:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Team Arrival &amp; Registration <strong>9:00 am – 9:45 am</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Tournament Briefing <strong>9:45 am</strong></p><p><br></p><p>First Kick-Off <strong>10:00 am</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Group Stage Matches <strong>10:00 am – 12:00 pm</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Break &amp; Knockout Preparation <strong>12:00 pm – 12:20 pm</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Trophy Pathway Matches <strong>12:20 pm – 1:00 pm</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Trophy Finals &amp; Third Place Matches <strong>1:00 pm – 1:50 pm</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Medal &amp; Trophy Presentation <strong>1:50 pm – 2:15 pm</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Departure <strong>Approximately 2:30 pm</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Schools should plan travel arrangements around these times. A detailed fixture schedule, including pitch allocations, will be provided before the tournament.</p><p><br></p><h2>Competition Format:</h2><p><br></p><p>The tournament begins with a <strong>group stage</strong>, where teams compete within their allocated groups. Following the group stage, <strong>every team progresses into a trophy pathway</strong> based on its finishing position within the group.</p><p><br></p><h3>Trophy Pathways:</h3><p><br></p><p><strong>Group Finish Competition</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>1st Place </strong>🏆 <strong>Champions Trophy</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>2nd Place </strong>🥈 <strong>Premier Trophy</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>3rd Place </strong>🟢 <strong>Challenge Trophy</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>4th Place </strong>🌟 <strong>Development Trophy</strong></p><p><br></p><p>This format rewards strong performances during the group stage while ensuring every school continues to play meaningful matches throughout the tournament.</p><p>Every pathway has its own knockout competition and final. The winner of each final will receive a trophy and winner's medals, while the finalists will receive runner-up medals in recognition of reaching their respective final. Every team is guaranteed a minimum of four matches.</p><p><br></p><h2>Playing Rules (Tournament Summary)</h2><p><br></p><p>The competition will follow a simple and player-friendly format designed for First Year football.</p><p><br></p><h3>Key Rules</h3><ul><li>Matches will be played <strong>7-a-side</strong>.</li><li>Each team may register <strong>7–10 players</strong>.</li><li><strong>Roll-on, roll-off substitutions</strong> are permitted throughout the match.</li><li>Coaches may substitute players at any time during play, subject to the referee's permission.</li><li>All players are encouraged to receive meaningful playing time during the tournament.</li><li>Full tournament rules, including match duration, disciplinary procedures, tie-breakers and knockout regulations, will be issued to all participating schools before the tournament.</li></ul><p><br></p><h2>Fixtures, Results &amp; Live League Tables:</h2><p><br></p><p>All tournament administration will be managed digitally through <strong>Football Friendlies</strong>. Approximately <strong>one week before the tournament</strong>, registered schools will receive access to:</p><ul><li>Group allocations.</li><li>Full fixture schedule.</li><li>Match kick-off times.</li><li>Pitch allocations.</li><li>Tournament progression.</li><li>Knockout pathways.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>During the tournament, results will be entered live by tournament organisers and league tables will update automatically after every match. This allows schools to follow their progress in real time throughout the day.</p><p><br></p><h2>Follow Your School Live:</h2><p><br></p><p>One of the unique features of this tournament is the live tournament experience. Teachers will be able to share the tournament page with colleagues, students and parents, allowing those who cannot attend to follow the competition online.</p><p><br></p><p>Supporters will be able to view:</p><ul><li>Live fixtures.</li><li>Live results.</li><li>Live league tables.</li><li>Knockout progression.</li><li>Trophy finalists.</li><li>Final winners.</li></ul><p>Every school's tournament journey can be followed from the opening fixture through to the trophy presentations.</p><p><br></p><h2>Registration:</h2><p><br></p><ul><li><strong>Entry Fee:</strong> <strong>€95 per team</strong></li><li><strong>Maximum Teams:</strong> <strong>16</strong></li><li><strong>Category:</strong> First Year Boys</li><li><strong>Format:</strong> 7-a-Side</li><li><strong>Minimum of 4 guaranteed matches per team</strong></li><li><strong>Trophies and medals included</strong></li><li><strong>Schools may register multiple teams</strong> (subject to availability).</li><li><br></li></ul><p>Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis through the Football Friendlies registration system. Once registration closes, fixtures will be generated automatically and published approximately one week before the tournament. We look forward to welcoming schools for an exciting day of football, where every team plays, every result matters, and every school stays involved from start to finish.</p>