Referee's Guide to Football Australia MiniRoos Club Football Ages 5-11 2026

• Players: 4-a-side with no goalkeeper, maximum of three substitutes.
• Field: 30m x 20m.
• Goals: 2m wide x 1m high (pop-up goals preferred; poles or markers also suitable).
• Ball: size 3.
• Duration: 20 minute halves, with a minimum 5 minute half-time break.
• Penalty area: none required.

Up to 8 pitches fit on a full-size football pitch. Portable goals must be anchored securely to the ground (sandbags or pegs are recommended).

Source: Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules, https://www.miniroos.com.au/club-resources

• Players: 7-a-side including a goalkeeper, maximum of four substitutes.
• Field: minimum 40m x 30m, best practice 45m x 35m, maximum 50m x 40m.
• Goals: 3m wide x 2m high.
• Ball: size 3.
• Duration: 20 minute halves, with a minimum 5 minute half-time break.
• Penalty area: 5m deep x 12m wide.

Up to 4 pitches fit on a full-size football pitch. Pop-up portable goals are preferred but poles or markers are also suitable, and portable goals must be anchored securely to the ground.

Source: Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules, https://www.miniroos.com.au/club-resources

• Players: 9-a-side including a goalkeeper, maximum of five substitutes.
• Field: minimum 60m x 40m, best practice 65m x 45m, maximum 70m x 50m.
• Goals: 5m wide x 2m high.
• Ball: size 4.
• Duration: 25 minute halves, with a minimum 5 minute half-time break.
• Penalty area: 10m deep x 20m wide.

Up to 2 pitches fit on a full-size football pitch, or 1 pitch can be set up penalty box to penalty box. Cones, markers or painted lines are all suitable. Portable goals must be anchored securely to the ground (sandbags or pegs are recommended).

Source: Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules, https://www.miniroos.com.au/club-resources

The national rules state there is no offside rule in Coles MiniRoos Club Football for Under 6-7 and Under 8-9. Game Leaders should strongly discourage children from permanently standing in blatant offside positions.

The Under 10-11 page of the national rules does not include an offside section, so it does not set an offside rule at that level.

Source: Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules, https://www.miniroos.com.au/club-resources

The national MiniRoos rules do not use a retreat line; they set fixed distances that opponents must keep at restarts.

• Start and restart after a goal: pass to a teammate from the middle of the halfway line, all players in their own half, opponents at least 5 metres away. The ball must touch a teammate before a goal can be scored.
• Goal kick (ball crosses the goal line last touched by the attackers, Under 8-11): taken from anywhere in the penalty area. Opponents stay at least 10 metres outside the penalty area until the ball is in play, and the Game Leader should not restart until they are. The ball is in play once it is kicked directly out of the penalty area.
• Corner kick (Under 8-11): taken from the corner arc, opponents 5 metres away, and a goal may be scored directly.
• Throw-in (Under 8-11): both feet on or behind the line, both hands, ball delivered from behind and over the head; no goal directly from a throw-in. Under 6-7 have no throw-in: an opponent of the last toucher places the ball on the line and passes or dribbles it in, with opponents 5 metres away.

Source: Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules, https://www.miniroos.com.au/club-resources

• Under 6 and 7: there are no goalkeepers. The Game Leader discourages children from permanently standing in front of the goal.
• Under 8 to 11: the goalkeeper may handle the ball anywhere in the penalty area. To restart after a save or gathering the ball, they must throw or roll it from their hands, or play it from the ground with their feet, within 6 seconds. They may not kick or drop kick the ball directly from their hands. Opponents stay at least 10 metres outside the penalty area until the ball is in play (when it leaves the area, or, at Under 10-11, when the goalkeeper places it on the ground).
• An indirect free kick is awarded if the goalkeeper handles the ball after a teammate deliberately kicked it to them.

Source: Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules, https://www.miniroos.com.au/club-resources

All handball, fouls and misconduct are punished with an indirect free kick, with opponents at least 5 metres from the ball. Fouls are: kicking or attempting to kick, tripping or attempting to trip, jumping at, charging, striking or attempting to strike, or pushing an opponent; tackling from behind to gain the ball; contact before touching the ball; holding; spitting at an opponent; deliberate handball; dangerous play; and impeding a player's progress.

• Under 6 and 7: most fouls come from lack of coordination, not intent, so give advantage to the attacking team and play on. For a deliberate or serious act, explain to the child they have done the wrong thing and should not do it again, then award the free kick. There is no penalty area at this level.
• Under 8 to 11: a deliberate or serious foul or handball inside the penalty area is a penalty kick from an 8 metre mark, with only the goalkeeper in position and all others outside the area and at least 5 metres behind the mark.

Source: Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules, https://www.miniroos.com.au/club-resources

Shin guards must be worn by all players without exception, and the Game Leader should check every player is wearing them.

Substitutions: players may be rotated on and off at any time. A coach or parent may substitute while the ball is in play, provided the player is off the field before the substitute goes on. Equal playing time is a priority so all players, regardless of age, gender or ability, get on the field. Substitutes with space on the sideline should be encouraged to set up small-sided games or practise skills in a designated area without interfering with play.

Source: Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules, https://www.miniroos.com.au/club-resources

Results may be recorded only to place teams in appropriate leagues so every player has an enjoyable experience. Under no circumstances are match results published publicly by Member Federations, local associations or clubs. Points tables do not exist at any MiniRoos age group (Under 6 to Under 11).

Source: Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules, https://www.miniroos.com.au/club-resources

Football Australia's XI Standards of Respect apply to players, coaches, match officials, club officials, parents and spectators alike. Two directly cover abuse of officials:

• Standard II: "We respect the referee's decision." Officials may make mistakes, but people do not question their integrity, abuse or belittle them.
• Standard V: people do not engage in or tolerate offensive, insulting or abusive behaviour or language, and do not intimidate or abuse opponents or officials.

For MiniRoos, the Game Leader's job includes making sure team officials and parents create a safe, enjoyable and positive environment for the children, and Standard IV asks adults to give only positive encouragement from the sideline. Standard XI asks everyone to call out poor behaviour. Abuse that breaches these standards can be pursued through the National Complaints Procedure (see the question on reporting).

Sources: https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/member-protection/xi-standards-respect and the Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules.

Conduct complaints (abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination or safeguarding concerns) are handled under Football Australia's Member Protection Framework and its National Complaints Procedure, which you can download from https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/member-protection/complaints-procedure. That page has a flowchart, FAQs and a link to contact your state Member Protection Information Officer (MPIO).

Match results themselves are only recorded to help place teams in suitable leagues, are never published, and there are no points tables, so a serious conduct issue should go through the complaints procedure rather than being left to the competition.

Sources: https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/member-protection-framework and the Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules.

Follow Football Australia's rule: "If in doubt, sit them out." A player with a suspected concussion must be removed from the match immediately, and examined by a medical practitioner before returning to play.

• Signs you may see: dazed or stunned, clumsy movement, slow answers, confusion about the game, score or opponent, forgetting instructions, can't recall the hit or fall, mood or behaviour changes, loss of consciousness (even briefly).
• Symptoms the child may report: headache, nausea, dizziness, blurry or double vision, sensitivity to light or noise, feeling foggy, or "not feeling right".
• Neck injury suspected: do not move the player; stabilise the neck until medical personnel assess them.
• The player must not take any further part in training, matches or other sport that day, even if they say they feel better, and should not be left alone.
• Seek emergency medical help for worsening headache, repeated vomiting, excessive drowsiness, seizures, slurred speech, weakness or numbness, or loss of consciousness.
• Under-19s need at least 14 days symptom-free at rest before full contact training and at least 21 days from the injury before match play, following the graded return-to-play steps.

Sources: https://footballaustralia.com.au/community-sports-concussion-guidelines (Community Sports Related Concussion Guidelines, April 2025) and the Coles MiniRoos National Playing Formats and Rules.