Free football for 10 to 16-year-olds at Court Recreation Ground, three days a week to 31 March 2027. Each session takes 21 players, confirmed a day ahead.
Free football sessions for 10 to 16-year-olds began at Court Recreation Ground in Epsom on Monday. They run three days a week and are booked to continue until 31 March 2027. There is no charge, and each session takes 21 players.
Epsom and Ewell Borough Council announced the programme on 21 August. It is open to young people aged 10 to 16 who live in the borough. The sessions are delivered by YOUfF, the Young Ones United Football Foundation, and there are monthly mentoring sessions alongside the football. (Council news release, 21 August 2026)
The timetable the council release does not give
The council says only that sessions run “three days a week at Court Recreation Ground, with dedicated sessions for different age groups and genders”. YOUfF publishes the actual split on its own site:
- Monday: Years 6, 7 and 8
- Tuesday: Years 9, 10 and 11
- Friday: girls in Years 7 to 11
All three run from 4pm to 5pm. YOUfF gives the ground’s postcode as KT19 8SB. (YOUfF, What We Do)
Court Recreation Ground sits just north of the town centre, past the station, and is the borough council’s own open space. Do not confuse the council programme with YOUfF Ballers Club, which the same organisation runs at the same ground on Friday evenings from 8pm to 9pm for ages 17 and over.
How to get a place
Spaces are capped at 21 a session, so turning up unannounced is not the route in. The two sources differ slightly on notice, and the organiser’s is the tighter one:
- The council says participation “will need to be confirmed in advance via the YOUfF Instagram Poll”.
- YOUfF’s own Epsom and Ewell page says places “will need to be confirmed 24 hours in advance”. (YOUfF, Epsom & Ewell Community Football)
New players also have to complete a registration form. That can be returned by email or handed in at the session itself. The poll runs on YOUfF’s Instagram account, @y.o.u.f.f. Questions about the programme go to the council’s community development team at cdevelopment@epsom-ewell.gov.uk.
The mentoring is the other half of it
Participants can also join monthly life lesson mentoring sessions at St Barnabas Church in Epsom. Yasha Tobias-Browne, founder of YOUfF CIC, said young people would “learn life skills, learn about qualifications and pathways that can genuinely help shape their futures”.
Councillor Clive Woodbridge, chair of the council’s Community and Wellbeing Committee, said the programme gave young people “a positive and supportive environment in which to improve their wellbeing and build their confidence”. The council places it under its Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which targets physical activity levels and health inequalities in the borough.
Who is actually running the sessions
YOUFF CIC is a local organisation rather than a national contractor. Companies House records it as a community interest company limited by guarantee, company number 16349739, incorporated on 28 March 2025 and registered at an address in Epsom. Its stated activities are sports and recreation education, educational support services, operation of sports facilities and sport club activities. (Companies House)
Its other strand of work is in schools, with pupils it describes as disengaged or at risk of permanent exclusion.
What it means for you
If your child is 10 to 16 and lives in the borough, the session is free and the only barrier is the 21-place cap. Register first, then watch the Instagram poll, and confirm the day before rather than on the day.
If you are looking for the girls’ session, it is the Friday one, 4pm to 5pm, for Years 7 to 11. It is the only session in the week set aside for girls.
If you are 17 or over, the council programme is not for you, but Ballers Club on Friday nights at the same ground is.
One thing we could not confirm today: neither the council nor YOUfF says whether sessions run on the August bank holiday, Monday 31 August. Check the Instagram poll before travelling.
For other things going on locally, see our guide to things to do in Epsom. If you are driving to the ground, our parking in Epsom page covers the town centre car parks and their charges.
Have your say
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