Premier League academy playing-time guarantees vary by age band and are subject to fitness: at least half the playing time across the season from Under 9 to Under 11, half of it from Under 12 to Under 14, and from Under 15 at least 20 matches with at least 50% of the game in each.
The floor for each age band
Here is the minimum for each age band.
| Age group | What the club must ensure |
|---|---|
| Foundation phase, Under 9 to Under 11 | At least half the playing time across the season, reasonably spread out |
| Under 12 to Under 14 | Half the playing time across the season, reasonably spread out |
| Under 15 to Under 16 | At least 20 matches, playing at least 50% of the game time in each of them |
The younger bands use a season-long playing-time floor. Under 15 to Under 16 switches to a count of qualifying appearances rather than the same minutes-based approach.
How the rule is counted across a season
For Under 9 to Under 14, compliance is checked by looking at a player's playing time over the whole season and working out the average. He does not have to play half of every single match.
The minutes also have to be spread relatively evenly across the fixture programme. A club cannot leave a player's involvement until the end of the season and then try to reach the average in one late block of fixtures.
Under 15 to Under 16 works differently. In that band the guarantee is still subject to fitness, but it is not built from a season-long minutes average; it is built from matches in which the player reaches the threshold for participation, and that threshold is at least 50% of the game time.
What counts and what does not
In every band the calculation covers matches in the relevant games programme and any additional matches the club organises. The fitness condition still applies throughout.
If a foundation phase player is allowed to play for a grassroots team, those matches do not count towards his playing-time calculation. Grassroots football can sit alongside academy football at that stage, but it does not reduce the academy's own minimum obligation.
School football and grassroots football
School football and grassroots football sit under different rules. The permission to play for a school is separate from the permission to play grassroots football, and it is the grassroots matches that the playing-time calculation leaves out.
In the foundation phase, a player may train and play for teams at grassroots level outside the academy system if the club gives prior approval. That approval is made on an annual basis and takes account of the individual player's circumstances, his development plan, the club's philosophy and any conditions imposed by The Football Association.
From the youth development phase, which begins at Under 12, registered academy players are not permitted to train and play grassroots football. School football remains available in both phases, including a school representative county side.
FAQ
Do Premier League academy players have guaranteed minutes?
Yes, but the form of the guarantee changes by age band and always depends on fitness. Up to Under 14 it is a season-wide playing-time floor; at Under 15 and Under 16 it becomes a match-count rule with a per-match threshold.
How many games do academy players have to play in a season?
Only the Under 15 to Under 16 band is set out as a number of matches. The minimum is 20, and each of those matches counts only if the player is on the pitch for at least 50% of the game time.
Can an academy player still play for his school?
Yes. A player in either the foundation phase or the youth development phase may play for his school team, and he may also play for a school representative county side.
Can academy players play grassroots football?
Foundation phase players may do so with prior club approval, and that approval is given annually. Once a player is in the youth development phase, registered academy players are not permitted to train and play grassroots football.