South Bucks Mini Soccer Conference

Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)

Interesting questions sent in via our feedback form.

Where can I play football?

Team Manager contact details

Team sizes for Under Eight year olds

When can I start playing in football matches?

Can my team join the SBMSC?
Should teams and players be forced to clear fixture backlogs?

Liability Insurance

Sponsorship and breweries
I can only get old fixture listings

Where can I play football?

Find out which Football Clubs are most convenient for you to train at simply by looking at our maps. Some teams have websites for you to find out more online, otherwise try sending a feedback form to us and we will try to make contact for you. Players please make sure your parent knows that you are applying.

Some clubs no longer have spare places in some age groups, and getting a place at training does not guarantee you a place at fixtures in some clubs. Ask the Team Manager about his policy.

Where are Team Manager contact details?

We do not release contact details for mail shot purposes, instead this web site is able to carry advertising. We've not got contacts listed on the web site because it's considered bad practice (in the Internet industry) to publish name, address or phone numbers on the Internet. This is due to various privacy, fraud and security scams that people have been victims of in the past (though none of our members I hasten to add!). Age Group rep contact details are sent in a hardcopy pack to registered Team Managers. If you are a Team Manager that hasn't received this pack please let us know using the feedback form.

Can Under 8 year old teams play six a side matches?

SBMSC has elected to use the 6 a side format in its games in age groups up to Under 8. (though 5 a side has actually turned out quite a good game for some clubs. Timid players can no longer "hide" and have had to work harder and surprised everyone with they could achieve). More about team sizes ...

When can I start to play in football matches?

Under FA Laws*, players that were under 6 years old at the start of the season (31 August) are not allowed to play matches this season. The SBMSC does not organise fixtures for under six year olds. (*see FA Mini Soccer Law 3) More about age eligibility ...

Is it too late to join this season? - I've only just got my team going?

The SBMSC allows new teams to join at two points in the year: registering in June for a September start or registering in November to start in January. To join your club needs to apply before a deadline which is published on this website around the date of the twice yearly General Meetings, and your team needs to meet certain other requirements including affiliation to a county F.A.  Read our constitution or Enquire about joining

Should teams and players be forced to play their fixture backlog despite cold weather?

No. There is absolutely no pressure on Team Managers to play their fixtures or clear their backlogs because the South Bucks Mini Soccer Conference (SBMSC) is non-competitive and so all team Managers are permitted to cancel fixtures without any penalty or loss of prestige. SBMSC has guidelines about abandoning matches in adverse weather.

What club insurance cover does the SBMSC provide?

None. A club's insurance is often through the Berks and Bucks FA or direct with an insurance company, but not via the SBMSC.

Can my team have its shirts spronsored by a brewery?

No, the FA regards alcohol-related sponsorship inappropriate for children's football. Any strip should observe all recognised advertising standards and in particular those laid down by the Advertising Standards Authority. The inclusion on or incorporation in any item of clothing or equipment of anything distasteful, threatening, abusive, indecent, insulting, racist or otherwise ethically or morally offensive is prohibited (FA handbook 1999 - 2000 season page 227, regulation D1). Regulation D4 also excludes any product or service or other activity which is detrimental to the welfare, health or general interest of young persons (alcohol is included in this category).

I can only get old fixture listings

If you only get the fixtures for an earlier half of the season your browser may have stored the previous version on your PC. for a quick solution press the refresh button on your browser or hold down "CTRL" button on your keyboard then presss the "F5" key and this should do the trick.

If the problem persists on other pages and other websites and you've got Microsoft IE then a long term fix is to click Tools>>Internet Options. Then in the "General" tab click "Settings" then unselect "never" by selecting either "automatic" or "On every visit to page" .