Trialists
English Veterans FC
Player and trialist eligibility
EVFC manage representative teams at over 50’s, 55’s, 60’s, 65’s, 70’s and 75’s.
Players and trialists must be male and they must be English (holders of a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland passport with a substantial period of residency in England).
They must be over the age of the team they represent – this applies to friendlies as well as internationals. There should be no exceptions unless specific tournament rules allow or perhaps to replace a goalkeeper who has withdrawn at extremely short notice and only then with prior consent from the opposition.
They are expected to be playing regular ‘running’ football – ideally 11 a-side, 80/90 minute games in accordance with the IFAB Laws of the Game and with a team that is affiliated with a County Football Association – there is some flexibility with players in the older age groups because they are less likely to be able to satisfy this requirement.
They are expected to be playing for their County and/or their Veterans League representative team if such teams exist.
Invitation to trial
Some players are invited to trial after they have been recommended by their Club, County or Veterans League representative Manager or have impressed when playing against England Veterans for their County or League representative side.
Some are recommended by current players and staff who have seen them play and understand the standard and commitment required.
A few unseen players are accepted for trial after they have made a request (usually via the EVFC Facebook page) and they can prove they have played a good standard and more importantly, are still playing competitively.
Trials
Trials are arranged when they are warranted and by invitation only. They are conducted in various ways dependent on the number of participants, the facilities available and the budget.
On occasion, trials are organised where both teams (Lions v Roses) are made up of trialists and perhaps some current players. The Over 50’s and 70’s favour this approach.
Other times, a game is organised where a team predominantly made up of trialists will play a County or League representative side or take part in a tournament. In these instances, the team of trialists invariably play under the name of ‘All Counties FC’ rather than ‘England’. The Over 60’s and Over 65’s prefer this format and run the rule over the opposition players at the same time.
Sometimes, trialists may simply be included in an England ‘friendly’. The Over 55’s prefer this approach.
Recently, the Over 60’s, 65’s and 70’s have introduced England Veteran ‘A’ teams. This is predominantly to give players on the fringe or coming back from injury a further chance to impress but they do also provide another vehicle for assessing trialists.
On occasion, an unseen trialist may be invited to play in an England ‘friendly’ but this is rare. We feel that no player should pull on an England shirt before they have been watched and suitably impressed playing for their club, league or county or in a trial we have organised.
Selection
To be selected for England Veterans, the Manager needs to consider the trialist to be better than those players he already has in the squad who play in the same position(s).
The standard of football is high and the current squads do contain former professional and semi-professional players although that isn’t a prerequisite.
Recommending players for trial
Players cannot recommend themselves for trial. They can register their interest if there is an open invitation published on this website or our Facebook page, otherwise recommendations must come from:
- The Manager of their County representative team if such team exists
- The Manager of their Veterans League representative team if such team exists
- The Manager of their Veterans Football Club
- Current players or staff
Before recommending a player for trial, the Club, County or League representative Manager must be comfortable that they excel when compared with others in the squad.
The Manager should provide the player’s name, date of birth, county of residence, mobile, number, email address, preferred playing position, current team and the league they play in and name of the most senior team hey played for when in their prime.