2025-2026 Youth Football Competitions Regulations

Regulations to govern the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) 2025-26 Youth Football Season

1 – Age Groups

a) Boys’ Competitions: U9 (co-ed), U11, U13, U15 and U17

b) Girls’Competitions: U9 (co-ed), U11 (Girls Development League – by FIFA), U13, and U17

2 – Starting Date

a) The first round will kick off on 31 January 2026; the Technical Department will issue the fixtures for all competitions as soon as CIFA receives final confirmation of participants.

3 – Players and Team Officials’ Registration - FIFA Connect

a) All team officials and players must complete their online registration in order to be eligible to participate in the CIFA youth matches.

b) CIFA requires a minimum of 5 business days to clear a player to play after the registration is submitted to the CIFA via Connect Platform, the CIFA reserves the right to approve registrations in a shorter period of time, if the time allows.

4 – Youth Players Registration and Transfer Windows

a) This item applies only for players not registered to play senior competitions, under 17 or lower age level.

b) The domestic transfer deadline (not needing international transfer) is 31 March 2026.

c) The registration for new players’ deadline is 31 May 2026.

d) For players needing international transfer, the deadline is 31 January 2026. Note that the timeframe for approvals may vary and CIFA does not have control over the ITCs’ clearance as it depends on other national associations, CIFA therefore cannot guarantee the ITC approval if the ITC request is submitted after 24 January 2026.

e) For any CIFA youth competitions, new players registration, domestic or international transfers will not be accepted at any circumstance outside the registration and transfer windows as the system will be locked for these transactions.

f) Players and team officials can access the FIFA Connect Platform/CIFA Portal for registrations and download of documents by following the below link:

https://www.caymanislandsfa.com/registration

5 - CIFA Administrative Fees

a) In the event a youth player moves from one club (“Former Club”) to a new club (“Receiving Club”), the Receiving Club is obligated to immediately pay a KYD 50.00 administrative fee to CIFA via EFT or club’s account deduction. CIFA will deposit 75% of the administrative fee (KYD 37.50) to the Clubs’ Development Fund and will distribute to the clubs as soon as practicably possible after the completion of the players’ movement process of the player.

b) The Receiving Club should not charge the administrative fee to the new player or parent, CIFA shall open disciplinary procedures against the club that does not comply with this clause.

c) CIFA will charge a KYD 400.00 administrative fee for any protests or appeals a club may lodge at CIFA. CIFA will not move the complaint forward until the club has made payment of the KYD 400.00 administration fee to CIFA. Payment of the administrative fee must be made on or before the deadline of the protest or appeal and failure to do so will result in the protest of appeal to be nullified.

d) All administrative fees must be paid to the CIFA by EFT to the CIFA dedicated KYD account at the Cayman National Bank, the process will only be moved forward after the payment is received by CIFA.

6 - Eligibility to Play Youth Competitions

6.1 Maximum Roster

a) A maximum of twenty-five (25) players may be registered for each youth boys’ and girls’ teams for the entire season, except for players leaving the team on transfer to another club, no replacements will be allowed.

6.2 Limit for New Players from Other Clubs

a) There will be a limit for the entire season of three (3) male and three 3 female transferred players to be added to the receiving club’s team sheet, therefore six (6) will be the maximum of transferred players to be added to the receiving club’s team sheets for the Youth Competitions.

b) Clubs will not be allowed to include more than three (3) transferred players from any one club in the Youth Competitions team sheets for the entire season.

6.3 Number of teams from the same club for the same competition

a) There will be a maximum of 2 teams from the same club to play the same competition, in the same age level and same gender, if a lower age level is not available or not possible to be organized, CIFA can allow a club can enter one more team with players only eligible to play the age level not offered (example, if CIFA cannot organize U13 boys competitions, a club can enter a third team in the U15 boys competitions with only under 13 players in the list).

7 – Youth Competitions’ Format and Age Categories

a) Maximum and minimum age categories:

a. Boys and girls Under 9 – for players born between 1 July 2016 and 31 December 2020

b. Boys and girls Under 11 – for players born between 1 July 2014 and 31 December 2018

c. Boys and girls Under 13 – for players born between 1 July 2012 and 31 December 2016

d. Boys Under 15 – for players born between 1 July 2010 and 31 December 2014

e. Boys and girls Under 17 – for players born between 1 July 2008 and 31 December 2012

b) Format and regulations:

Boys and girls Under 9

a) Co-ed.

b) 5v5 matches.

c) Matches on alternate Saturdays.

d) Field size 30x20 yds.

e) Footballs number 4

f) Match time: 4 periods of 8 minutes.

g) Minimum of 8 registered players.

h) Maximum of 25 registered players

i) Unlimited and rolling substitution.

Boys Under 11

a) 7v7 matches.

b) Matches on alternate Saturdays.

c) Field size 50x35 yds.

d) Footballs number 4

e) Match time: 3 periods of 15 minutes

f) Minimum of 10 registered players

g) Maximum of 25 registered players

h) Unlimited and rolling substitution.

FIFA U11 Girls Development League

a) 7v7 matches.

b) Matches on alternate Saturdays.

c) Field size 50x35 yds.

d) Footballs number 4

e) Match time: 3 periods of 15 minutes

f) Minimum of 10 registered players

g) Maximum of 25 registered players

h) Unlimited and rolling substitution.

Boys Under 13

a) 9v9 matches.

b) Matches on Sunday morning.

c) Field size: half field.

d) Balls number 5.

e) Match time: 3 periods of 20 minutes.

f) Minimum of 12 registered players

g) Maximum of 25 registered players

h) Unlimited and Rolling substitutions

U13 Girls League

a) 7v7 matches.

b) Matches on alternate Saturdays.

c) Field size 50x35 yds.

d) Footballs number 4

e) Match time: 3 periods of 15 minutes

f) Minimum of 10 registered players

g) Maximum of 25 registered players

h) Unlimited and rolling substitution.

Boys Under 15

a) 11v11 matches.

b) Matches on Saturday.

c) Field size: full field.

d) Balls number 5.

e) Match time: 2 periods of 35 minutes

f) Minimum of 18 registered players

g) Maximum of 25 registered players

h) Unlimited and rolling substitutions.

Girls Under 15

a) 9v9 matches.

b) Matches alternate on Thursdays.

c) Field size: half field.

d) Balls number 5.

e) Match time: 2 periods of 35 minutes.

f) Minimum of 15 registered players.

g) Maximum of 25 registered players.

h) Unlimited and rolling substitutions.

Boys Under 17

a) 11v11 matches.

b) Matches on Mondays.

c) Field size: full field.

d) Balls number 5.

e) Match time: 2 periods of 45 minutes

f) Minimum of 18 registered players

g) Maximum of 25 registered players

h) Unlimited and rolling substitutions.

Girls Under 17

a) 11v11 matches.

b) Matches alternate on Thursdays.

c) Field size: full field.

d) Balls number 5.

e) Match time: 2 periods of 45 minutes

f) Minimum of 18 registered players

g) Maximum of 25 registered players

h) Unlimited and rolling substitutions.

8 – Matters Not Provided For

a) All matters whether of procedure, line of appeal or otherwise whatsoever not provided for under these rules shall be dealt with and settled by or in the manner and by the CIFA Youth Committee and confirmed by the CIFA Executive Committee where it is applicable.

This document is effective from start of the competitions and supersedes any other CIFA document for avoidance of doubt.