Garden City Tournament [Saturday 6th June] in memory of Mike Gradwell
June 6, 2026 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Welcome to the Mike Gradwell Memorial Tournament to be held at Ron Groves Park on 6th & 7th June 2026.
Please register at the control tent at the Clubhouse on arrival!
U7, U8, U10, U11, U12, U13 will consist of 8 teams in 1 group stage, Top 4 teams qualify for 2 semis, then final.
U9s will consist of 16 teams. which will have 8 team in 2 separate seeded groups, followed by a knockout then final
Schedule will be available via the Tournify App.
Saturday 6th June:
U7 & U8s
7:45am – Gates open
8:15am – Manager’s meeting
8:30am – First kick off
12:15pm – expected completion of final
U9s
12:15pm – Gates open
12:45pm – Manager’s meeting
13:00pm – First kick off
16:45pm – expected completion of final
GARDEN CITY F.C. TOURNAMENT RULES
6th & 7th June 2026
Ron Groves Park, Maple Avenue, Kidlington, Oxon OX5 1HN [what3words /// //timed.download.corrosive].
For further information, please email Andy – andydarley@me.com
We hope you have a successful and enjoyable tournament!
Playing Rules
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All games in the group stages will be 8 minutes one way.
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All age groups will be 6 aside with a maximum matchday squad of 8.
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Second named team will change their tops if the referee deems fit in the case of a colour clash.
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Match balls will be provided by Garden City Referees and 1st named team will kick off. All match balls will be FIFA approved and the correct size for age category – no training balls to be used.
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All decisions by the referee are within the FA Guidelines and will be final.
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All games to be kicked off prompt to the specified times on the Tournify website, any team late by more than 2 minutes will forfeit the game to a result of 3-0 and three points awarded to the opposing team and any team found to be manipulating this rule could be liable to disqualification.
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The first named team will choose ends to play from.
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All goal kicks must be taken from the back line [excluding u7s and u8s who use the edge of the area].
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Pass in and dribble in rule applies for u7s and u8s football.
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Keepers cannot kick from their hands. [excluding u7s and u8s].
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No team can score direct from kick off. If they do score from a kick-off the goal will be disallowed and the game restarted by a goal kick.
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Back passes are not allowed. If the goalkeeper controls the ball with their hands from a back pass, then this will result in a direct free kick to be taken from the edge of the goal area.
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All teams must comply with the 2024/2025 FA League rules and regulations.
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Goal sizes will be 12ft by 6ft for all age groups.
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Tables will be produced regularly by the control point and available for viewing on screen and via the Tournify link for the tournament.
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Points will be awarded as follows: 3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss.
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Head-to-head result will be used to decide a table position, if two teams are level on points at the end of the group stage, then goal difference, then total goals scored. If still no team can be promoted via this format 3 penalties will be taken by each team. If still level after 3 penalties, then players 4-6 will each take a penalty on a sudden death format. If the match is still undecided after all 6 players have taken a penalty kick, then it continues sudden death with players taking a second kick. If a player has been removed because of misconduct (by the referee) or a team has insufficient players (injury etc.) before the penalty shootout, the other team must nominate another player (or players) to be withdrawn to balance up player numbers for the shootout.
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Any player who receives a yellow card will miss the next match in the tournament. Any player who receives a red card will no longer take part in the tournament.
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Any team or member of a team (including coaches, helpers and guardians) abusing any team member, referee, player or organiser, will be asked to leave the tournament and the whole team will be removed.
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There will be a Managers Meeting and registration of attendance at the control point 15 minutes before first kick off for a briefing on the rules and regulations. Team registration sheets must be completed and handed in 15 minutes before the managers meeting. Please ensure that you allow plenty of time to ensure that you can attend failure to register will mean a failure to start the match and the above late team penalty will apply, you must bring a completed team sheet with you.
Results
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All results will be updated as quickly as possible at the control point. Results are updated as soon as the referee hands his match ticket in.
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All results will be published via the Tournify app and available on smart phone and screens around the ground.
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Any result that is in question will be reviewed by the Control Tent and the team of referees.
Knockout Stages
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The knockout rules for semi-finals and finals will be the same as group matches.
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If scores are level 5 minutes of extra time will be played in the event of a draw and then penalties taken in the same format as the group stage above.
Trophies
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Winners and runners up of all age groups will receive trophies, to be kept by recipients/clubs (not returned).
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Participation Medals will be awarded to all u7 teams.
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Academy and Centre of Excellence Guest Players
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No team is permitted to play any Academy players or Centre of Excellence players unless they have been released and signed for the relevant team they are playing for at the tournament. If you intend playing any ex-Academy or Centre of Excellence player, the control point must see their league signing on form before you commence your first game.
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The player who has been released from any Academy or Centre of Excellence must have played in their relevant league for the team they are playing for prior to the tournament taking place and evidence provided on or before 1st June 2025.
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Each team will be permitted to have two guest players per team who may not be any of the above and must be clearly identified on the team sheet.
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If a team is found to be playing Academy or Centre of Excellence player/players, the whole team will be disqualified from the Tournament.
Committee and Appeals
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Any appeals should be put into the control point within 5 minutes of the game finishing.
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Any appeal decision made by the committee is final.
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The management committee will resolve any queries not covered by these rules.
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The management committee has the right to change the rules at their discretion.
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Participation medals awarded to them at the control tent. Please bear in mind there are 2 age groups in each time session, so we ask you to clear the area as soon as possible after receiving medals and trophies.
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Every Manager will be issued with a rubbish bag on reporting to the control tent and is expected to take their rubbish with them on departure.
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Garden City risk assessment is available for anyone at the Control Tent, please ask for the Control Tent Lead.