About the ACES Nationals

Nineteen years of showcasing the best junior grassroots football talent in the country.

The ACES team are looking forward to the 2027 Nationals and the nineteenth anniversary tournament.

It seems like yesterday that we hosted the first ACES tournament way back in 2009. Little did we believe that it would grow into the national tournament that it has. Recent years have seen a great tournament with over 340 teams attending. Demand for places was high in all age groups, but particularly the Girls groups.

Teams from all corners of the country attended giving them the opportunity to play against opposition they wouldn't normally get chance to meet.

The 2027 event will once again bring together 14 age groups over three weekends in June, attracting upwards of 400 teams to compete from across Great Britain and abroad all looking to leave Nottingham as Nationals champions.

The first ACES tournament kicked off in Leicester in 2009, hosting 20 league champions from 20 different towns and cities all competing for the National title. Now nineteen years on it has grown to be the event in junior grassroots football.

The vision of the event has always been about attracting the best of the best in junior grassroots football. Because of this, teams have to be invited to the tournament specifically by the ACES Nationals team. Fully sanctioned by the Football Association, the event is an exciting date in the junior football calendar for both boys and girls teams of 14 different age groups. The youth tournament is ultimately a celebration of junior football. It's a fantastic opportunity for teams to showcase a range of young talent in an exciting battle for the ACES Nationals title.

It's also a great networking tool for managers and coaches to present their teams on a national scale in a friendly and safe environment.

See Previous Event Videos

Tournament Weekends

Weekend 1 — Sat 12 – Sun 13 June
Weekend 2 — Sat 19 – Sun 20 June
Weekend 3 — Sat 26 – Sun 27 June

Age group allocations to be confirmed.

Our story since 2009

From 20 teams in Leicester to the country's premier junior grassroots tournament

2009

The first ACES

The inaugural tournament kicks off in Leicester with 20 league champions from 20 towns and cities competing for the national title.

2015

A girls' tournament joins

Girls' age groups are added to the programme, growing the ACES into a celebration of the whole junior game.

2019

300+ teams a year

Demand soars across all age groups, with the tournament settling at the superb Riverside Sports Complex in Nottingham.

2027

The 19th edition

Fourteen age groups over three weekends in June, attracting upwards of 400 teams from across Great Britain and abroad.

Nottingham University Riverside Sports Complex

University of Nottingham's Riverside Sports Complex, Lenton Lane NG7 2SA