Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

WHO CAN ENTER THE CHELSEA CUP?

All clubs, academies, and teams are welcome to participate in the Chelsea Cup. Our goal is to give as many clubs and teams the opportunity to take part and compete.

WHAT'S THE ADDRESS FOR THE TOURNAMENT?

Games will be played at Edithvale Recreation Reserve and Edithvale Common Reserve

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PLAYERS PER TEAM ALLOWED?

U7: 10 players - 5 Players on the field plus up to 5 on the bench
U8-U9: 12 players - 7 players on the field plus up to 5 players on the bench.
U10-U13: 14 Players - 9 players on the field plus up to 5 players on the bench.
U14-U17: 18 Players - 11 players on the field plus up to 7 players on the bench.

Please note this is the maximum amount of players you will be able to register online.

WHAT IS THE PROOF OF AGE POLICY?

Each coach/team manager will be required to collect 100 points of ID for every one of their participating players and have copies of these documents at the tournament. If you are asked to provide proof of a player’s age you must do so with appropriate documentation that can be in the form of any of the following:

Passport (100 points)
Driving licence or Learner’s Permit (100 points)
Birth certificate (50 points) plus any of the following:
> Student card with photo ID issued by the school (50 points)
> A recent school photograph with the name clearly shown (50 points)
> Current library card with a photo (50 points)

Team Managers are entitled to submit ID checks for individual players on opposition teams. Any requests must be done with Event Staff and not directly with the opposition team. Please try to notify event staff before kick-off where possible.

The procedure for ID Checks that must be followed is:

1. The Team Manager is to approach the nearest event staff member and notify them that you would like to formally request an ID Check on a particular player(s).

2. An official ID Check form will need to be completed. A $50 admin fee will be charged

3. Once the payment has been made, the Team Manager shows the receipt to the staff member. Event staff will conduct the ID check with the team in question.

4. If the player in question provides all necessary documentation, and is found to be of the correct age, the $50 will not be refunded and proceeds will be donated to charity.

5. Should the player in question not provide the necessary documentation, or is found to be overage, the $50 will be refunded and that player will either not be allowed to play if the game has not started, or your team will be provided with the points if it is deemed as a forfeit.

Digital or printed copies of the required documents will be accepted provided they are in colour, clear and legible. Please ensure a team official has this available at each match if requested by tournament staff.

Any teams that are found to be providing incorrect documentation or purposely playing older players to gain an unfair advantage will receive a 0-3 loss for any games the older players participated in. The ineligible players will also be disqualified from the tournament and offending teams may be disqualified from the tournament and other affiliated events. These actions may also jeopardise the participation of other teams from the same club at future affiliated events at the discretion of Tournament Management.

ARE TEAMS ALLOWED TO REGISTER OVERAGE PLAYERS?

Overage players will only be allowed in limited circumstances. For a player to be eligible for dispensation, they must hold an eligible FV dispensation for the 2025 season

CAN I BRING MY OWN MARQUEE FOR MY TEAM?

Teams are welcome to bring marquees however they must not be placed within any playing surface within Edithvale Reserve.

Please ensure all BYO marquees are safely and strongly secured to the ground. The venue is quite open and high winds are common. The tournament will not be responsible for damaged, lost or stolen marquees.

Please remember to SLIP, SLOP, SLAP and keep hydrated.

DOES THE TOURNAMENT HAVE THE NECESSARY INSURANCE FOR PLAYERS IF INJURED?

The tournament does not offer player accident insurance cover to any participant.

Players, parents and coaches choose to participant in the tournament at their own risk and will be liable for the costs that arise from suffering an injury whilst participating in the event. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure participants are adequately insured including ambulance coverage.

We do however have Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance.

WILL MY TEAM GET A REFUND IF WE NEED TO WITHDRAW FROM THE COMPETITION?

Before the event

As a general rule, we don’t provide refunds for teams who withdraw from the competition. If there are extenuating circumstances, please contact us as soon as possible so we can try to work out a solution. Please note an admin fee may apply if a refund is processed.

During or after the event

Refunds will not be provided for matters concerning referee's decisions or any other similar matters. Refunds will not be provided to teams that are expelled from the competition due to a breach of the code of conduct.

During or after the event

Refunds will not be provided.

If there are extenuating circumstances, please contact us as soon as possible so we can try to work out a solution.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE TOURNAMENT IS POSTPONED OR CANCELLED. WILL OUR TEAM GET A REFUND?

Under these circumstances, the tournament organisers reserve the right to either retain the registration fee for the revised dates or to refund the registration fee after deducting an administration fee for costs already incurred for the organisation of the tournament which could not be recovered from third parties.

Should this occur teams will be contacted directly and provided with options.

***The tournament organisers are in no way responsible for injury or economic loss which may arise in the case of acts of terror, war, warlike events, civil war, revolution, pandemic, disease outbreaks or civil disturbances or because of the actions of the authorities, strikes, lockouts, blockades or similar events.**

WILL THERE BE FOOD AND DRINKS AT THE VENUE?

The event will be fully catered. Full canteen services + food trucks will be operational near all the fields serving delicious hot food and drinks (hot and cold), as well as yummy treats for those with a sweet tooth. Please support the local caterers.

BBQs will also not be allowed in the venue.

ARE THE REFEREES FULLY ACCREDITED?

All referees will be fully accredited for all official games.

In 2025, Chelsea Cup will have no linespeople in any match and offside decision-making will lie solely with the on-field referee. This has been common practice in European junior tournaments for many years.

Official referees may be appointed as Assistant Referees in Grand Final matches if available

WHO DO I CONTACT FOR HELP?

You can contact us via email info@sportsgroup.melbourne or our social media channels any time and we will respond to you within 24 hours.

CANCELLATION OF THE TOURNAMENT DUE TO FORCE MAJEURE*

In the event that the tournament can’t be held or is postponed due to events beyond the control of the tournament organisers (force majeure*) or due to events that are not attributable to wrongful intent or gross negligence or the tournament organisers, the tournament organisers cannot be held liable by the delegations for any damages, costs or losses incurred, such as transportation costs, accommodation costs, costs for additional orders, financial losses etc. Under these circumstances, the tournament organisers reserve the right to either retain the entire registration fee for the revised dates or to reimburse the delegations after deducting costs already incurred for the organisation of the tournament and which could not be recovered from third parties.

**The tournament organisers are in no way responsible for injury or economic loss which may arise in the case of acts of terror, war, warlike events, civil war, revolution, pandemic, disease outbreaks or civil disturbances or because of the actions of the authorities, strikes, lockouts, blockades or similar events.**