The new Selkent Leagues are live, and Northumberland Heath Rec in Slade Green is already buzzing on Saturday mornings. Slade Green Knights offers grassroots football in Erith, Bexley and surrounding areas – from our soccer school for 4–7 year olds, to junior teams at every age group, and men’s and ladies squads. With the new season just around the corner, now’s the perfect time to get involved. We welcome players of all abilities and are always looking for new talent.

Finding the right club and getting into a team can feel daunting, so here’s a quick run-down of how football works locally:

Ages 6–8: Mini Soccer
Played on a 40 x 30 yard pitch with 5-a-side teams. The focus is on fun and learning, with rules like kick-ins instead of throw-ins, no heading, and defending teams retreating to the halfway line for goal kicks. Matches are two games of 10 minutes each way – 40 minutes in total, which feels like a marathon for young legs.

Ages 9–10: Mini Soccer (Still)
At Under 9 the pitch gets bigger (60 x 40 yards) and games move to 7-a-side. Rules stay the same but there’s more space and longer matches at 25 minutes each way.

Ages 10–13: 9-a-Side
This is where offside is introduced. Matches are on an 80 x 50 yard pitch with 9 players per team. Heading is allowed, throw-ins are back, and the retreat rule is removed – giving players a taste of pressing and more tactical play.

Ages 13–18: 11-a-Side
From Under 13, players step up to 11-a-side on slightly smaller-than-full pitches before moving to full adult size.

The FA continues to refine the game to give players the best experience at every age.

At Slade Green, all teams are run by coaches who have completed training in safeguarding and first aid, and hold DBS background checks. We have FA Level 1 and UEFA C (previously Level 2) qualified coaches in the club.

We still have spaces in some Slade Green Knights teams for the coming season – whether you want to join a squad or just train, get in touch and be part of it. All details are on the Contact tab: https://www.sladegreenknightsfc.com/contact.