How do sin bins work in Sunday league football?
Rule- England
- England Football
- FA Handbook 2026-27
- Adult football
- Open age (16+)
- Sunday league
- Grassroots
- 2026/27
- Players
Sin bins (temporary dismissals) are mandatory in English grassroots football up to Step 5 of the National League System (and Tier 3 and below in women's football), which includes Sunday leagues.
- Only for dissent, by word or action. A caution for dissent must go through the sin bin; other cautions are normal yellow cards.
- The referee shows a yellow card and points to the touchline. You leave the pitch for 10 minutes (8 minutes in youth football).
- You can't be replaced while in the sin bin. Once the time is up you can come back on at a stoppage, or a substitute can replace you if your team has substitutions left.
- You can only be sin binned if it's your first yellow card. A second yellow card in the match means a red card.
- If you commit another offence while in the sin bin, you get another yellow (or a red) and can't return or be replaced, so your team plays a player short.
- If sin bins leave a team with fewer than 7 players, the match is abandoned.
- A sin bin counts as a caution towards your season total and carries the normal caution processing fee (£12).
Added 21 Oct 2026