Host a tournament in London
MCC needs three venues in London, one each for the North, East and South-West grounds. A venue that hosts a ground runs a full tournament of up to 128 amateur teams over five weeks in April and May 2027, with the format, the fixtures, the entries and the prize fund supplied. If you operate artificial pitches anywhere in Greater London, this page explains what hosting involves.
What a London venue takes on
A London ground has to fit a four-team group stage, then the playoffs, into three April weekends and the playoff dates that lead to the 9 May final. Matches sit in 40-minute slots, so a site with four or five small-sided pitches gets a 128-team ground through its weekend hours comfortably, and a smaller site can still host one at the 64-team minimum. Floodlighting matters less than it does for a winter league, because the round starts after the clocks change.
Which part of London is still open
The three London grounds are allocated by area: North London from Finsbury Park and Tottenham out to Enfield and Barnet; East London from Stratford and Hackney through Barking and the Docklands; South-West London across Wimbledon, Kingston, Richmond and Putney. The live cards on the London city page show which of the three has a confirmed venue and which is still open to owners. A venue applies for the area it sits in.
How a venue applies
The pitch owner application covers the venue, its pitches and surfaces, the hours it can offer on the fixture dates and who runs it. MCC confirms one venue for each London ground and signs an agreement with it; from then on the London page carries that venue's name and the teams choosing that ground see where they will play. The contact page on this site takes questions about a particular site.
Questions from London venues
How many pitches does a London ground need?
Enough to play a 128-team group stage over three weekends in 40-minute slots. Four or five small-sided pitches is comfortable; a site with fewer can still host a ground of at least 64 teams.
Can a venue outside zone 2 host?
Yes. The grounds are areas of Greater London, not inner boroughs. A site in Enfield, Barking or Kingston fits its area as well as one in Hackney or Wimbledon, and most teams will prefer the one nearest home.
Who supplies the teams, the referees and the prizes?
MCC does. Captains enter their teams on this site, the referees, assistants and fourth officials come from the join page rather than from the clubs, and the $20,000 that goes to each London Pitch Champion is part of the published prize fund, not the venue's cost.