The FA stipulate what they feel is the maximum suitable playing time for a child in any one day. This will vary according to age. They also stipulate the minimum and maximum duration of games.

It is up to individual coaches to agree on the format of the games within these guidelines. For instance at U11 you could play one game of 30 minutes each way (maximum per half). Alternatively you could play two games of 20 minutes each half (minimum) and still not exceed maximum playing time of 80 minutes.

Sometimes the league will stipulate the duration of the game.

Mark