The boots are coming back out, WhatsApp groups are filling up with availability excuses and Sunday League football is getting ready for another season.
But the start of the 2026/27 grassroots football season also brings some changes to the Laws of the Game that players, managers and referees should know about.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has introduced a number of measures aimed largely at reducing time-wasting and keeping matches moving. The new Laws came into effect from 1 July 2026, with The FA highlighting the changes ahead of the new season.
And while Sunday League competitions can use permitted grassroots modifications and their own competition rules, several of the changes could be very noticeable on pitches around the country this season.
Taking ages over a throw-in could cost your team possession
Perhaps the most Sunday-League-friendly change of the lot concerns throw-ins.
Under the new rules, if the referee believes a team is deliberately delaying a throw-in, they can signal the start of a visible five-second countdown.
Fail to take the throw before the countdown finishes and the throw-in is awarded to the opposition.
Importantly, this doesn't mean every throw-in suddenly has to be taken within five seconds. The countdown begins when the referee decides a team is unfairly delaying the restart.
So taking a few seconds to find a team-mate is fine.
Walking 20 yards down the touchline while repeatedly pretending you're about to throw it probably isn't.
Waste time over a goal kick and you could concede a corner
There's an even bigger potential punishment for delaying a goal kick.
Again, the referee can begin a five-second visual countdown when they judge that a team is deliberately wasting time.
If the goal kick still hasn't been taken when the countdown ends, the opposition are awarded a corner kick.
That should provide a fairly strong incentive for goalkeepers and defenders to get on with things.
It follows the introduction last season of the eight-second restriction on goalkeepers holding the ball in their hands. If a goalkeeper exceeds that limit, the opposition can also be awarded a corner.
The direction is pretty clear: football's lawmakers want the ball back in play more quickly.
Substituted players now have ten seconds to get off
Slow substitutions are another target.
Once the referee signals for a substitution, the player being replaced should now leave the pitch within ten seconds, unless there is a legitimate reason they cannot do so, such as an injury or safety issue.
If they take too long, the substitution still goes ahead — but the replacement cannot immediately enter the pitch. Instead, play restarts and the substitute has to wait until the first stoppage after a minute has elapsed before coming on.
For professional football, this is clearly aimed at the familiar sight of a player slowly walking towards the opposite side of the pitch in the 89th minute.
In Sunday League, where return substitutes are commonly permitted depending on competition rules, it could make substitutions something teams need to organise a little more efficiently.
Injury stoppages could mean a minute on the sidelines
There is another change players may quickly notice.
Generally, when a player receives treatment on the pitch — or their injury causes the referee to stop play — they must leave the field and wait for one minute after play restarts before returning.
There are exceptions. These include goalkeepers and certain situations where an injury resulted from an offence for which an opponent was cautioned or sent off.
The idea is again to reduce unnecessary stoppages while ensuring genuinely injured players can receive proper assessment and treatment.
For Sunday League managers, it makes having substitutes available even more valuable. Playing several minutes with ten men because you've arrived with exactly eleven players is unlikely to improve anyone's Sunday morning.
The rules around jewellery and accessories have changed
There is also a significant change to player equipment.
Previously, the Laws contained a blanket prohibition on jewellery and specifically stated that covering jewellery with tape was not permitted.
The 2026/27 wording instead focuses on whether an item is dangerous.
Accessories can now be permitted where they are not dangerous and are safely and securely covered. Anything considered dangerous must still be removed.
The referee still has the final responsibility for player safety, so this shouldn't be interpreted as permission to turn up wearing anything you like.
Accidentally kicking a penalty twice has been clarified
Remember Julián Álvarez's controversial penalty against Real Madrid in the 2024/25 Champions League, when his standing foot accidentally touched the ball as he slipped?
The Laws now formally distinguish between an accidental and deliberate double touch.
If a penalty taker accidentally kicks the ball with both feet, or the ball immediately touches their non-kicking foot or leg:
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if the penalty goes in, it is retaken;
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if it doesn't go in during normal play, the defending team receives an indirect free kick.
During a penalty shoot-out, an unsuccessful accidental double-touch counts as a missed penalty.
A deliberate second touch remains an offence.
Given the condition of some Sunday League penalty areas by January, this one may eventually prove rather useful.
Some things aren't changing just yet
One change that has received attention is the introduction of the "only the captain" approach, designed to reduce groups of players surrounding referees.
However, this is not becoming compulsory for all competitions until 1 July 2027.
Individual competitions may have their own rules and initiatives around player behaviour before then.
And that's an important point generally: grassroots football permits certain modifications to the standard Laws, including areas such as return substitutions, temporary dismissals and match duration. Teams should therefore always check the rules issued by their own league or County FA.
A new season, but Sunday League remains Sunday League
None of these changes are going to transform Sunday mornings completely.
There will still be late drop-outs. There will still be arguments over whether the pitch is playable. Someone will still forget the match balls. And the player who promised they're "five minutes away" will still somehow be at home.
For many players, Sunday League is also just one part of the weekend's football and entertainment — whether that's watching the professional game, checking scores, or playing fantasy football.
But on the pitch, the 2026/27 changes could make games noticeably quicker and reduce some of the most obvious opportunities for wasting time.
For players, the easiest advice is simple: get on with restarts, get off promptly when you're substituted and listen to the referee.
For managers, it's worth spending five minutes before the first competitive match making sure the squad knows what's changed.
Because discovering the new goal-kick rule when your goalkeeper's five-second countdown ends and the opposition are suddenly lining up a corner probably isn't the ideal way to start the new season.
