How to Book
1. Make a Provisional Booking – Contact ESF Events and, subject to availability, we will reserve your team(s) a place for up to 2 weeks free of charge.
2. Register Your Team/Club – Download, complete and return the ESF 2024 Team Registration Form with the appropriate Team/Club Registration Fee, or call ESF Events on 01664 566360 to register your team over the phone. You will then be emailed a Confirmation of Booking. Please note, Team/Club Registration Fees are non-refundable for teams who cancel their booking.
Download ESF 2024 Registration Form
3. Book Accommodation – Once the club is registered, for teams attending festivals at Butlin’s, ESF Events will email the Group Leader a unique accommodation booking link for your team. Group Leaders simply forward this email to your parents, who can then book accommodation for their family/friends on the ESF Events section of the Butlin’s website, through the accommodation booking link.
For teams attending the Ayr festivals, the Group Leader will be emailed an accommodation booking form to book units for your whole party.
Your party will be given an Accommodation Booking Deadline by ESF Events, which is normally 3 weeks after your Team/Club Registration has been accepted. A deposit of £30 per person is required to book accommodation. The final balance for accommodation is due 10 weeks before the festival takes place.
IMPORTANT: Accommodation for your whole party, including players, families, coaches and supporters, must be booked through ESF Events. If members of your party book alternative accommodation, which is not through ESF Events, the team will not be permitted to participate in ESF 2024.
Festival Itinerary
Friday: No football is played on the day of arrival, so teams can relax and get settled into accommodation (check in should be from 4pm – Butlin’s & Haven will confirm with guests prior to your break) and enjoy the evening’s entertainment. A briefing meeting for Group Leaders & Coaches will take place on Friday evening at 8PM.
Saturday & Sunday: There’s an electric atmosphere around the pitches as the action starts and ESF kicks off. All teams will play group stage matches on both days. Where required, knock out matches will take place following the group stages. Teams should expect to play 5 – 8 games over the weekend, depending on the festival format and how for the team progress in the festival. The celebrity presentation will take place on the Sunday afternoon/evening.
Monday: No football is played on the Monday. Teams therefore have the option of travelling home on the Sunday evening or Monday. Check Out is 10am on Monday but you do not have to leave the resort until Midday.
Festival Rules, Fixtures & Final Briefing
A full final briefing email will be sent to the Group Leaders of all participating teams 7-10 days before the festival takes place. The final briefing will include fixtures, schedules and the festival rules, which have been sanctioned by the appropriate National Football Association. At this stage, the ESF Score centre will also go live displaying all festival fixtures and schedules on the ESF app which you can download here.
Qualification/Eligibility for ESF
ESF is a festival for grassroots teams of all abilities. All teams must be affiliated to a County, Area or School Football Association. Centre of Excellence and Academy teams affiliated to professional clubs and ‘representative’ sides are not permitted to enter ESF 2024. Please contact ESF Events before registering if you have any questions regarding the eligibility of your team(s).
In accordance with FA rules, boys who are currently registered with an FA Premier League or Football League Academy are not permitted to participate in ESF 2024.
In accordance with FA rules, girls who are registered with a Emerging Talent Centres (ETCs) and Girls Development Centres (GDCs) are permitted to participate in ESF 2024, providing they are currently a registered player for the team participating in ESF 2024, and they have approval from the ETC or GDC to participate in grassroots football. Please note, girls registered with an ETC cannot participate in ESF 2024 as a ‘Guest Player’.
Please contact ESF Events if you have any questions regarding the eligibility of any of your players.
Team/club registration fees
- 5-a-side = £129 per team (inc. VAT)
- 7-a-side = £159 per team (inc. VAT)
- 9-a-side = £189 per team (inc. VAT)
Or Club Registration fee (unlimited teams)= £399 (inc. VAT)
Team/Club Registration fees are non-refundable should you cancel your booking.
We’re proud to support the NSPCC at ESF 2024. £5 will be donated to NSPCC (Registered Charity Numbers 216401 and SC037717) for each team that registers to participate in ESF 2024. Over £45,000 has been donated to the NSPCC through this scheme.
Player Registration
All teams will be required to complete a Player Registration Form, which includes the full name and date of birth of each player to be registered for ESF. These forms will be verified by your club secretary to confirm that all details are correct. The ESF committee will retain a copy of this form in the event that it should be necessary to follow up a query about a player’s age. Teams are also required to bring either league registration documents or appropriate identification (copy of passport or birth certificate) for all players to the festival as proof of age.
Age qualification dates
English Venues
At venues under the jurisdiction of the English FA, the following age qualifications apply. Boys and girls are permitted to play together in all age groups.
| Age Group | Born on or after | Born before |
|---|---|---|
| U14 | 1 Sep ’09 | 1 Sep ’11 |
| U13 | 1 Sep ’10 | 1 Sep ’12 |
| U12 | 1 Sep ’11 | 1 Sep ’13 |
| U11 | 1 Sep ’12 | 1 Sep ’14 |
| U10 | 1 Sep ’13 | 1 Sep ’15 |
| U9 | 1 Sep ’14 | 1 Sep ’16 |
| U8 | 1 Sep ’15 | 1 Sep ’17 |
| U7 | 1 Sep ’16 | 1 Sep ’17* |
*In accordance with FA rules, once a player has turned 6 years of age they will be permitted to participate in the U7 age section at ESF 2024.
Scottish venue
At the ESF 2024 festivals in Ayr, the following age qualifications apply in accordance with SYFA rules and regulations. Boys and girls are permitted to play together in all age groups.
SPECIAL DISPENSATION: At the ESF festivals in Ayr, where National Associations employ different age group qualification dates (i.e. 1st September as per the English FA), their domestic age levels will be accepted. Therefore an English U12 team would play in the U12 section at the ESF festivals in Ayr.
| Age Group | Born on or after |
|---|---|
| U12 | 1 Jan ’12 |
| U11 | 1 Jan ’13 |
| U10 | 1 Jan ’14 |
| U9 | 1 Jan ’15 |
| U8 | 1 Jan ’16 |
Maximum Squad Sizes
In 5-a-side age sections, a maximum of 5 substitutes can be listed in a playing squad. In, 7-a-side and 9-a-side age sections, a maximum of 7 substitutes can be listed in a playing squad.
Guest Players
Teams are permitted to register a maximum of two ‘guest players’ for the festival. ‘Guest players’ are players who are not currently registered with your club. They must produce documentary evidence to your club secretary to prove that they are the correct age and they must bring these documents with them to the festival.
Trophies & Awards
All players will receive a quality award as a memento of ESF 2024. There are also individual awards for the full squad of the winners and runners-up, and a champions trophy for the winning team in each age group. The ESF Fair Play Awards and ESF Magic Moment Award are also presented in each age group.
PLEASE NOTE:
In accordance with the Scottish Youth Football Association rules, the U8 – U12 age sections at the ESF 2024 festivals in Ayr will be played on a friendly, round robin basis, and results will not be recorded. All players will receive a quality participation award from a football celebrity to celebrate the achievements of all the children.
The FAW have previously stated that all teams from Wales in the U7-U11 age groups must participate on a non-competitive basis, in line with FAW regulations. The FAW may also stipulate this for ESF 2024. If so, U7 – U11 teams from Wales can participate in the Group Stages of the festival, playing games on the Saturday & Sunday, but they cannot progress to the Playoff Stages (Semi Final & Final) on the Sunday afternoon.
Kick off times & pitch locations
To ensure you have as much time as possible to enjoy your holiday, the earliest kick-off will be 9.30am and matches are played within a close proximity of the holiday centres.
Transport
Teams are responsible for organising their own transport to and from the pitches whilst at the festival. At the Ayr festival, there is an ESF bus service between the Holiday Park and the football pitches for which weekend passes are available to purchase for £6 per person.
ESF Grand Finale
The ESF Grand Finale is an invitation only event which is free of charge to participating teams. A £200 deposit is required from all teams to confirm their attendance. This deposit payment will be refunded to all teams who attend the Finale, but is non-refundable to teams who, after confirming their attendance, do not attend. Due to the limited spectator areas and facilities at St George’s Park, a maximum of 2 additional guests (adults or children) will be permitted to attend the ESF Grand Finale with each participating child. The festival is played on 3G pitches at St Georges Park.
PLEASE NOTE:
In accordance with SYFA guidelines, the U8-U12 age sections at ESF 2024 in Ayr are played on a non-competitive, friendly basis, so teams in these age sections cannot qualify for the ESF Grand Finale at St George’s Park.
The FAW have previously stated that all teams from Wales in the U7-U11 age groups must participate on a non-competitive basis in all ESF festivals taking place in England & Scotland, in line with FAW regulations. The FAW may also stipulate this for ESF 2024. If so, U7 – U11 teams from Wales cannot qualify for the ESF Grand Finale at St George’s Park.
Watch out – scouts about
Scouts from some of the biggest clubs in the UK have been spotted at ESF. These include Leicester City, Arsenal, Manchester Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Celtic, Newcastle, Spurs, Everton, Manchester City and many more.
Exchange of pennants
Although not compulsory, it is customary for teams to exchange a pennant or small memento before each game, in keeping with the spirit of the festival.
Child protection
ESF Events support the Football Association’s Child Protection Policy. For a copy of the ‘Child Protection and Practice Handbook’ call the FA/NSPCC Child Protection Hotline on 0808 800 5000. All ESF tournament organisers are DBS checked. Click here to view the ESF Events Safeguarding policies
Referees
Independent, qualified referees are appointed for all festival matches. They are paid match fees by ESF Events and are accommodated free of charge, with meals provided on a half board basis.
Local teams
Teams from the local area where the festivals are staged are permitted to apply for entry by returning the Team Registration Form. However, we cannot guarantee a place in the festival until the numbers of touring teams are finalised in each age group. At this stage, if additional teams are required in a given age group for the good of the festival, applications from local teams will be accepted on a first-come first-served basis.
ESF Wristbands
You will be allocated one wristband for each member of your party booked through ESF Events. Please be aware that people without a wristband will not be able to participate in the festival, attend the presentation ceremony or enter entertainment venues at the holiday centres.
Accommodation
IMPORTANT: Accommodation for your whole party, including players, families, coaches and supporters, must be booked through ESF Events. If members of your party book alternative accommodation, which is not through ESF Events, the team will not be permitted to participate in ESF 2024.
The only exception to this is ‘local’ teams who are invited to participate in the festival to ensure the best possible format in each age group.
Once the club is registered, for teams attending festivals at Butlin’s, ESF Events will email the Group Leader a unique accommodation booking link for your team. Group Leaders can simply forward this email to the parents in your group, who can then book accommodation for their family/friends on the ESF Events section of the Butlin’s website, through the unique accommodation booking link. For teams attending the Ayr festivals, the Group Leader will be emailed an accommodation booking form to book units for your whole party. Your party will be given an accommodation booking deadline by ESF Events, which is normally 3 weeks after your Team/Club Registration has been accepted. A deposit of £30 per person is required to book accommodation. The final balance for accommodation will be due no later than 10 weeks before the festival take place.
Accommodation will be allocated strictly on a first-come first-served basis. All sizes and grades of accommodation are subject to availability. If you select a particular size or grade of accommodation which is no longer available, you will be offered the nearest alternative. Accommodation will always be available once your registration has been accepted, providing your party book their accommodation by their accommodation booking deadline, but we cannot guarantee your first choice of accommodation.
UNOCCUPIED BEDS: In cases where a unit of accommodation is booked leaving unoccupied beds, a full subsidy will be charged. For example, if 3 people book a 4 berth unit of accommodation, they would have to pay for 4 people.
Infants under the age of 2 years, who go free if you bring along your own cot, do not count towards the occupancy of a unit. At all Butlin’s resorts you can hire a cot for a fee of £10 (linen is not provided) or pay a supplement if an infant under 2 sleeps in a bed. At Haven Craig Tara you can hire a cot for a fee of £7 (linen is not provided).
For full Terms & Conditions of the holiday centres, which are accepted by all guests when booking to attend ESF 2024, and full details of accommodation and facilities at the holiday centres, please refer to www.butlins.com and www.haven.com and the ESF accommodation booking information, which is emailed to Group Leaders.
Accommodation Deposits & Final Balance
Accommodation deposits at all venues are £30 per person. The final balance will be due no later than 10 weeks before the festival takes place.
Dining Plans at Butlin’s Resorts
Half Board Dining Plans at Butlin’s include breakfast and evening meal. Evening meal is included on the day of arrival, but not if you arrive after the restaurant is closed. Breakfast is included on the day of departure. Meal times are scheduled so they don’t clash with your fixtures and you’ll save 20% by booking in advance compared to the on Resort cost.
Cashback at Haven Craig Tara, Ayr
Put the following number of people in an accommodation unit and get Cashback from ESF Events at the ESF festival at Haven Craig Tara, Ayr.
| No of people in unit | 7 | 8 |
| Cashback per unit | £50 | £100 |
Free places
Teams attending ESF 2024 qualify for one free place for every 25 paying guests booked through ESF Events. For example, 25+ paying guests = 1 free place, 50+ paying guests = 2 free places, etc.
The value of the free place is equal to the cheapest grade of accommodation booked by the members your group.
PLEASE NOTE: Accommodation bookings made after 24 November 2023 will not qualify towards the free place offer.
On 24 November 2023, ESF will review the accommodation bookings for all teams and calculate the number of free places each team qualifies for, and the value of the discount.
Group Leaders will be contacted by ESF Events to confirm which accommodation unit(s) they would like the discount to be applied to.
Adult to child ratios
There is a minimum adult to child ratio of 1 to 2 at all Butlin’s resorts and 1 to 3 at Haven. At least one responsible adult over the age of 21 must occupy each unit of accommodation.
Insurance
The 2024 ESF Festival of Football is covered for ‘Public Liability’ insurance by ESF Events Ltd. However, this does not cover individual teams or ‘person to person’ public liability, personal accident or injury whilst attending the festival. We strongly recommend that all participating teams, if they are not already covered, take out insurance cover for these risks. We also strongly recommend all members of your party take out appropriate holiday insurance.
Team/Club Cancellation
If you need to cancel your Team/Club Registration at ESF 2024, the Group Leader for the booking must email info@footballfestivals.co.uk to notify ESF Events that the Team/Club are withdrawing from the festival.
PLEASE NOTE: Team/Club Registration Fees that have been paid will not be refunded to Teams/Clubs who cancel their registration.
Accommodation Cancellation at Butlin’s Resorts
It may be necessary to cancel your break due to illness, accident or change of circumstances. If you have taken an insurance policy you will need to contact your insurers directly.
If you’ve taken out Butlin’s Holiday Protection and need to cancel your break, you’ll need to email Butlin’s Customer Care team holidayprotection@butlins.com as soon as you can.
Cancellation charges:
If you have Butlin’s Holiday Protection and you are cancelling for sickness, redundancy, jury service or bereavement:
- Two days (48 hours) or more – Full refund minus a cancellation charge of £65 per accommodation unit and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
- Two days (47 hours, 59 minutes) or less – 30% refund of your total holiday cost and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
If you have Butlin’s Holiday Protection and you are cancelling for any other reason:
- 70 days or more – Full refund minus a cancellation charge of £65 per accommodation unit and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
- 69-43 days – 70% refund minus a cancellation charge of £65 per accommodation unit and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
- 42-29 days – 50% refund minus a cancellation charge of £65 per accommodation unit and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
- 28-8 days – 10% refund minus a cancellation charge of £65 per accommodation unit and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
- 7 days or less – no refund
If you have not taken Butlin’s Holiday Protection and you cancel your break, Butlin’s will not issue a refund and you will need to claim back through your holiday insurance provider.
Accommodation Cancellation at Haven (Craig Tara, Ayr)
It may be necessary to cancel a unit of accommodation due to illness, accident or change of circumstances. If you have taken a private insurance policy you will need to contact your insurers directly.
As soon as you know that you need to cancel a unit of accommodation, the Group Leader for the booking must contact ESF Events on 01664 566360 or email info@footballfestivals.co.uk
Cancellation charges are calculated from the date ESF Events receive the Group Leader’s instruction to cancel a unit of accommodation, as detailed in the table below:
| Length of time before the start of the festival | Cancellation charge |
|---|---|
| 70 days or more | Deposits |
| 69 – 43 days | 30% plus deposits |
| 42 – 29 days | 50% plus deposits |
| 28 days or less | 100% |
Cancellation charges are calculated based on the start date of your break. Accommodation Deposit payments are non-refundable and non-transferable in all circumstances. Any refunds due will be paid from ESF Events via bank transfer, bank account details to be provided by the Group Leader of the booking.
Behaviour & conduct while on tour
It is a condition of participation in ESF 2024 that you agree to accept the authority and decisions of the ESF Events organisers in attendance at the festival. It is the responsibility of the Group Leader and adults in the party to ensure the behaviour of all members of your party is acceptable at all times at the festival. The ESF Code of Conduct will be forwarded to all Group Leaders prior to the festival. This Code of Conduct must be accepted and adhered to by all members of your party whilst in attendance at the festival. In extreme cases of unacceptable behaviour, the Holiday Centre Management & ESF Events reserve the right to terminate a holiday whereby part or all of a team may be required to leave the premises without refund. Clubs will be charged for any damages caused by members of their party. Misconduct while at the holiday centre, or at the festival itself, may also be reported to the appropriate Area or National Governing body by ESF Events, for further disciplinary action to be taken as deemed appropriate.
Event Organisers
The ESF Festival of Football is organised and staged by ESF Events Ltd (Company Registration Number 7695303).
Registered Address: ESF Events Ltd, 18A Park Lane, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 0PT
Tel: 01664 566360. Email: info@esfevents.co.uk
Please note – Calls made to ESF Events Ltd may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes.
Photography/Video
By registering your team(s), you agree that ESF Events may, if appropriate, use any photograph and/or video taken by the official event photographers at ESF 2024 of individual players or teams, in the ESF Festival of Football marketing literature, website, Social Media platforms and advertising. If you would not like photography and/or video of your players or teams to be used for this purpose for any reason, you must notify ESF Events via email prior to the festival taking place.
Event cancellation/curtailment
In the unusual event that there are insufficient entries in an age group to go ahead with the event, ESF Events will attempt to offer a suitable alternative for your team. If there is not an alternative option which is acceptable for your group, and you wish to cancel your booking, Team/Club Registration Fee and any accommodation payments made by your group will be refunded in full. Whilst every effort will be made to complete all scheduled fixtures at the festival, ESF Events cannot be held responsible for the curtailment of a festival due to adverse weather conditions or the decision of other teams to withdraw from the festival.
Data Protection
ESF Events will use the personal information that you provide to process your booking and provide your tour. We may also need to pass your information to third party service providers such as Butlin’s and Haven. The Group Leader for each booking has the authority to discuss all accommodation bookings made under the team booking with ESF Events and representatives from the holiday centres if required. It is the Group Leaders responsibility to inform all other members of your party what information you are providing, and what we may use it for.
Please note – Calls made to ESF Events Ltd may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes.
Force majeur
We do not accept liability for any loss, damage or expense arising from a change or cancellation to your tour which occurs due to unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and that of our suppliers. Such events would include, for example, war, threat of war, riots, civil strife, pandemics, industrial disputes, terrorist activity, fire or adverse weather conditions, natural or nuclear disaster, decisions of Football Associations or similar events beyond our control.
Complaints procedure
In the event that you experience problems with any element of your tour, you must advise the ESF Events festival organisers on resort in writing, so that we can attempt to resolve the problem at once. If the problem cannot be resolved at the festival, we will ask your Group Leader or nominated Coaches to complete a complaint form, following which ESF Events will undertake a full investigation on your return from the festival. If you fail to take either of these steps, it will affect our ability to investigate your complaint and may impact the way your complaint is dealt with. In the event of any dispute arising between us, the dispute will be governed by the laws of England & Wales under the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts. Complaint forms must be submitted in writing within 28 days of the festival.
Click here to view the full ESF Events complaints policy
ESF Events cannot be held responsible for:
- The conduct, behaviour and actions of other teams attending ESF 2024.
- The decision of teams not to fulfil a scheduled fixture at the festival.
- Loss of property and damage to property/vehicles at the holiday centre or festival pitch venues. Vehicles are driven to and parked at festival venues at the owners risk.
Financial protection
The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for ESF Events Limited number 5165 and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for:
- Non-flight packages
Please note that:
• Bookings with and payments made directly to Butlins are not covered by ABTOT.
• Bookings not purchased directly with ESF Events Limited as Principal to the contract are not covered by ABTOT.
ABTOT cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package. In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company.
You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/contents/made
You can find out more about ABTOT here: https://www.abtot.com/
Website/Marketing literature accuracy
To the best of our knowledge, all information contained on this website and in all ESF Events marketing literature is accurate at the time of publication/print. Please be aware that there may be occasions when the facilities listed at the holiday resorts are modified or unavailable due to factors beyond our control.
