Double header fixture format

For U7 to U10 age groups, each club sends two teams to a SBMSC fixture. Four games are played in total. Two mini soccer pitches neatly fit on to one full sized football pitch and by using two adjacent mini soccer pitches no team is left standing around.  For practical details of the fixture format see guidelines for pre-match preparations. The home team provides both sets of goals. The SBMSC has a procedure for team managers to agree and set up fixtures, here.

U11, U12, U13 nine-a-side games are more conventional single game where one team plays another team once, and so the rest of this page does not apply.

Two equal strength teams

Each club brings two equal strength teams to play against the other club’s two equal strength teams. This means that each club has to have a squad large enough to run two teams at the same time.

Only enough players for one team?

Clubs which only have one team are encouraged to buddy up for the season with another club which also only has enough players for one team. So between the two clubs there are enough players to run a squad large enough for two teams to play games in SBMSC fixtures.

The match

For the first half of the fixture, the Home ‘A’ team plays a game with the Away ‘A’ team while the Home ‘B’ plays a game with the Away ‘B’. Then there is a short break and  one club swaps pitches. Next the final pair of games is played.  That means Home ‘A’ plays Away ‘B’ and Home ‘B’ play Away ‘A’ team. (We name teams A and B for convenience here, but remember the teams have to be equal strength).

The game duration and pitch size varies between age groups – see the Rules for more detail. Small sided games are played to maximise ball contact time and develop skills that players can use for the whole of their playing life. Players are supported and encouraged and through our Parent’s Code Of Conduct, parental, coach and manager input is minimised. This allows the children to enjoy their football and learn skills for the game in a beneficial way. The games are to supplement training and coaching sessions, not replace them.

Sadly, sometimes the weather is too bad to play – the SBMSC has guidelines for these circumstances. We are a friendly league so there is no penalty for abandoning fixtures. Referees do not need to be qualified.

After the match

To reduce pressure and encourage use of all squad players results are not published in the media. Following agreements at the 21 Nov 2000 General Meeting, scores are monitored for internal management purposes only.

Each team marks the opposing team for fair play, by rating player, supporter and team manager sportsmanship. Fairplay ratings are posted as part of the Fairplay scheme and at the end of the season the best rated team in each age group is awarded a prize.