As part of the development of the Dispensation process, the FA are piloting A new categories to support children to play football.

The category Talent Development is to give the best opportunity to develop as a player that is within the talent system (girls) or has been recently released (boys).

Please note to apply under the Talent Development category there is a series of evidence required to apply. You can find the template files within the What Supporting Evidence do I Require for Player Dispensation? article.

Eligible examples

Female – FA Licensed Talent Pathway Clubs / Centres

Talented female players within an FA Girls’ Emerging Talent Centre (ETC), an FA Professional Game Academy (PGA), or an affiliated team within a club that holds an ETC / PGA license may be granted dispensation to support their continued development as a player.

Female - Playing down in mixed

Female players that wish to play an age group down in a mixed/boys team for their development.

Male - PL/EFL Academy release

Talented male players recently released from a PL/EFL Academy may be granted dispensation to support their continued development as a player.

Non Eligible examples

Friendship

A player wishes to play out of their prescribed age group in order to play with their friends.

Physical Stature

A player wishes to play in an older age group because they are more physically matured than their peers. (This is in non-eligible because what classifies someone as more physically mature is not feasible to deduce within grassroots football).  

Talent Development (but non-ETC / PL or EFL Academy release)

A player is perceived to be talented and wishes to further their development by playing out of their prescribed age group, but they are not currently (in the case of the female pathway) or recently (in the case of the male pathway) part of a recognised talent pathway.

Close in Age

A player is close in age to being eligible to play in another age group (i.e. player is born in August

Mental Health

Applications related to considerations around mental health should be attributed to the Mental Health & Chronic Illness category.

To stay with existing team 

A player is already playing up a year and the whole team which have been together for a number of seasons have decided that the team should play-up as they have won the league in the past 2 seasons without losing a game. The team manager has not realised that the unintended consequence is that the player already playing up can now no longer play within this team and the player and parents would like them to do so.