What age did you let ds go to football match with friends (at stadium in small city/ large town)

[Tmoto]

needing a benchmark of what is appropriate

I would let him go now at 13 if he asked. In our large town.

It would depend on the game for me.

It would depend on who was playing, where and who the friends were.

Depends upon the stadium's policy, surely? Some say unaccompanied minors have to be 13, some 14, some 16.

It depends how easy it is to get to. DS went to see Sheffield United at 16 with mates - it's about 2 hrs away by train. He wasn't necessarily a Utd fan - just keen to see a 'proper' football match in a stadium. We are in a rural village and they are really not 'street smart'.

I was slightly anxious about how they would get to stadium from train station, etc - but one of the lads has relatives in Sheffield and was quite confident about it, so I didn't say anything. They were fine.

Ok thanks. I hadn’t thought of checking policy. He is 14 now and definitely wouldn’t get lost getting there. Mates are fairly sensible I think so perhaps not unreasonable

I work for a football club, you can't go in without an adult until you're 14. I think this is the policy for all Premier League clubs but not sure about other leagues.

I'd have probably let my son go from aged 13 if he was with sensible friends.

I just googled and can’t find much online about age restrictions so maybe need to phone the club.

Premier league is 16 without an over 18. But ignoring that I would let them at 14 depending on the match in questions.

Is it EPL or a lower league? I know ManU and Arsenal are 14+ and LFC is 16+ (these are the ones my son asked to attend) it seems that most of the upper leagues publish the ages.

At our league 2 club, those 14 and under have to be accompanied by an adult over 18.

I used to go by myself/with a friend at 14/15 in a large town. It was fine and all standing then and 95% pissed up blokes.

My friend's son is 14 and goes to watch York city on his own or with mates. We live in a nearby town.

My club (League 1) is under 14, so they'd be OK if they are all 14. I'd take factors such as whether it is a Saturday or evening kick-off, local derby etc into consideration too.

Look under "book tickets" - mine has all the categories with asterisks etc saying who can go in what category, age restrictions etc,

It’s a lower league match. Yes I would say only Saturday afternoon not evening

Has he been to matches before? If not I'd take him to one first, make sure he knows how to find a seat etc there, what to do in an emergency as they do happen. We did Twickenham for the Rugby and it was all very easy to get around but very crowded, getting there early made a big difference too.

If he is an experienced match goer to then 14+ seems reasonable to go with friends if they are sensible.

Yes, I was assuming he's been before, or his mates have. Otherwise it can be a bit confusing finding the right turnstiles, avoiding the away end etc. Emergencies can happen and it can be very crowded entering and leaving the ground and at half time. Also being aware of how to act around opposing fans, not to do anything that could be seen as winding them up outside the ground. I avoid wearing club colours if it is potentially a heated game or I am using public transport.

13
dd goes with her friends or with her 16 year old sister. There are loads of people she knows there both adult and peers and I know she will be fine