How long are the matches?

Question

Accepted Answer

SAFA's grassroots material suggests these match lengths for a tournament, depending on the format and the time available:

Age	Match length
6-8 years	2 x 15 or 2 x 20 minutes
9-10 years	2 x 20 or 2 x 25 minutes
11-12 years	2 x 25 or 2 x 30 minutes

A 7v7 match should last no more than 45-50 minutes in total.

When many teams play in one tournament, individual games are shorter (for example 10-15 minutes for 6-8 year olds), so that the day's total stays within the recommended playing time. At festivals, games are short rotations of 5-15 minutes between small-sided matches and skills workshops.