Affiliation

Affiliation acts as a quality assurance and as a safety net to help protect players, clubs, officials and administrators throughout the game.

The vast majority of football throughout the country is played at a local level for personal enjoyment. Before embarking on forming a new Club, the following questions should be asked:

- Are there enough potential players?
- Are there enough volunteers to take care of Club organisation and administration?
- Do you have available funds to start a Club?
- Have you been accepted into a League?

STRUCTURE OF THE GAME

Introduction
A good working knowledge of the structure of the game is important and avoids misunderstanding concerning the roles of the various organisations. The game of Association Football in England is organised, controlled and governed by The Football Association whose offices are situated at Wembley Stadium, PO Box 1966, London SW1P 9EQ.

It is played under the laws of Association Football, which are controlled by FIFA and the international Football Association Board. The rules and regulations of the Football Association detail the manner in which football is controlled and administrated throughout the country. The object of the rules and regulation is to enable the game to be governed throughout the country in a uniform manner.

County Football Associations
There are 43 geographical County football Associations, as well as the football associations of the Amateur Football Alliance, the armed forces and the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, each of which is affiliated to The Football Association. The organisation and control of the game played in each County Football Association and members of the council are able to help any league, club or individual with any problem that may arise. The work of each association is carried out by committees and boards, which are responsible to each council.

Leagues and Clubs
Once a club is accepted into membership of a County Association, it is required to abide by the Rules of The Football Association, league or competition and may be fined and/or otherwise disciplined if it breaches these rules. It is important to appreciate that in most cases, league officials are honorary officers and that a poorly run club causes a great deal of additional work for all concerned.

A club secretary, in particular, must have a good working knowledge of the rules of all organisations of which the club is a member. In the most serious cases of maladministration, a club may be expelled from its league, or in cases where breaches of The Football Association rules have occurred, its affiliation may be suspended or withdrawn (cases are generally subject to a right of appeal, but where a decision is taken at a General Meeting there is often no appeal).

Code of conduct
It is important to remember that football is supposed to be fun as well as a competitive sport. Players, officials and spectators should abide by the Code of Conduct for Football, copies of specific codes of conduct for players, officials and coaches are available from the Hampshire FA.

SETTING UP A CLUB

Affiliation
All clubs should affiliate to their respective County Football Association (Hampshire FA). It is through affiliation that the family of football is brought together and correct standards and discipline are maintained.

Affiliation acts as a quality assurance and as a safety net to help protect players, clubs, officials and administrators throughout the game.

The major benefits from affiliation to your County Football Association include:

- Being part of the structure of the National Game from grass roots upwards
- Eligibility to participate in County F.A. competitions
- Discipline and Fair Play
- Opportunities to apply for grant aid and funding from The Football Association
- Access to information and advice from:
- Hampshire FA personnel
- F.A. Regional Football Development Manager
- F.A. Regional Facility Manager
- Opportunities to acquire suitable public liability and personal injury insurance cover for your club, team and players.
- Access to F.A and County F.A. publications and resources
- Opportunities to participate in F.A. football development schemes
- The opportunity to make your club’s views known on the future development of the game to both its County football Association and The F.A.

Constitution – Appointment of the Club Officials
Clubs must appoint a Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary to enable the club to function effectively within the F.A. Rules and Regulations.

It is also mandatory to produce a list of costs to run your team throughout the season, which will help you create a budget of income and expenditure for the season. This must be submitted to the Hampshire FA by the 1st August every season and a template will be enclosed with your clubs affiliation forms.

Players – Registration, Eligibility, Discipline, Child protection and Coaching
It is important that clubs are fully conversant with the rules of each competition that they may wish to enter. All discipline at grass roots is administrated by the Hampshire FA and the secretary of the club is responsible for ensuring that all players are eligible to play.

If the clubs have any doubts about eligibility, for example suspensions, they should contact the Hampshire FA’s Disciplinary Department for details. For youth teams, it is important to observe The F.A. Child Protection Policy, Practices and Procedures. An official of the club should attend an F.A. Child Protection and Good Practice course.

Insurance – Public Liability, Personal Injury and Other policies
Clubs are urged to obtain adequate insurance cover for their players in case of injury or accident while playing or travelling to matches.

Please note that as part of your Affiliation with Hampshire FA it is mandatory for a Club to have public liability insurance. If you do not wish to accept the public liability offered by the Hampshire FA then you will need to provide a copy of this insurance which covers at least 5million indemnity, as per the County Handbook.

A brief summary of what the public liability covers, more information can be made available by contacting the Hampshire FA.

Cover includes:
• Club social and fundraising events up to 1,500 attendees(1) but excluding hazardous events such as firework displays, driving events, bouncy castles, sailing, anything at height (e.g. bungee jumping).
(1)Cover can be extended to include football tournaments and selected other events that exceed 1,500 attendees. Please contact Linaker (Western) Ltd for details.
• Property Owner’s Liability, including cover for spectator stands, temporary or permanent (excludes operators of licensed premises.)
• Liability for loss of or damage to premises hired, leased or rented to you for the purpose of your business
• Member to member liability for any member of an insured club whilst engaged in club activities but excluding any active participation in the sport. This cover applies in the event of one individual member of the club making a claim against the club or another member.
• Referees/match officials whilst refereeing County affiliated competitions, including any stand-in referees. (Covers all levels of football in Wales and below Step 2 in England)
• Volunteers of the insured club/league whilst acting on behalf of the club/league.
• Products Liability – club memorabilia, programmes, food and drink sold or supplied.
• Special Third Party Property Damage Extension for windows/windscreens. Excess is reduced to just £25 with a £2000 limit per policy period.
• First Aid. Administering of First Aid is included for club members other than when such persons are indemnified under a Medical Malpractice or other insurance.

Affiliation – County Associations and Leagues
Clubs will need to affiliate to a parent County Football Association (Hampshire FA) and the appropriate league they wish to join. For contact details of local leagues please see page 8 & 9.

Fixtures – Leagues and Cup Competitions
Fixtures are administrated by the appropriate League/Competition, which advises clubs of forthcoming matches. If it is a home match, the club secretary must arrange hire of a pitch; notify opponents and officials of kick-off time and location of venue. For away games, inform your own team of venue, kick-off time and make transport arrangements for players. All County Football Associations run cup competitions, which give an opportunity for teams to play against clubs from different leagues or divisions.

Remember competitions often use different rules so check with your League/Competition Handbook for details.

Kit and Equipment
Purchase suitable equipment prior to the start of the season and ensure you have sufficient equipment for all teams in your club. The necessary equipment will include playing strip, first aid kit, nets and balls.

Please note that approval must be given from a Hampshire FA Council Member or personnel at the Hampshire FA Offices of sponsorship on all playing Shirts/Shorts/Socks in accordance with FA Rules.

Please also note that Clubs must not wear dark coloured kits as per FA Rules & Regulations.

Results/Public Relations/Press
Ensure you comply with competition regulations by passing on the results of your matches. This helps with administration, and also allows results to appear in the local media, teletext or the internet.

Pitches
You should apply to the relevant Local Authority, Parish Council or Private Ground Authority to hire a ground for matches.

Please note that pitch hire charges vary greatly and you must take great care about terms and conditions of hire.

Finance, Fund Raising and Bank Accounts
As a new club, it will be important to raise funds quickly to cover the essential expenditure such as affiliation fees, league membership fee, pitch hire charges (which often must be paid well in advance) and kit. Decide the fee for members’ annual subscription and at which bank or building society to open an account in the club name.

Make sure that signatories of the account keep the members fully informed, through the treasurer, of any expenditure and how much is in the account.

Always remember that every member of a club is likely to be a joint owner of any assets of the club, but also jointly liable for all or part of any debts. Clubs should therefore consider suitable insurance and seek advice from appropriate league, competition or County Football Association representatives. It is also important to make provision for how any cash, kit or other assets will be dealt with if the club ceases to exist.

Other Items
Some of the other key items which require attention include:

- Club colours (Clubs are not permitted to wear black or dark colour clothing)
- Training facilities
- Match Fees
- Annual general meeting

Once the foregoing items have been decided, the club’s rules can be drawn up for adoption at the first annual general meeting. It is advisable to arrange for this meeting to be held in May or June. A copy of suggested standard club rules can be found from Hampshire FA.

Club Officers
There will be a need for club officials to run the club and you should try to appoint a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. Try to avoid press ganging someone who does not want the responsibility and remember that family members of players may well be interested in the posts. It is also required that all Clubs have a Child Welfare Officer in place (see page 14).

Club Name
The name selected should be one that is unique to the individual club. Hampshire FA will not permit a club to use the same or similar name as one already affiliated as this may lead to confusion.

Which League to Apply to for Membership
Application for membership to a league or other competition must be made as soon as possible. Most leagues begin to formulate their divisions for the following season during April and May, and it is suggested that a new club makes initial contact with the league or other competition of its choice during February or March.

New clubs may well be disappointed if they leave their application any later than this. The most important consideration before applying is to establish which day the club wishes to play football, (i.e. Saturdays, Sundays or midweek).

List of Contacts for Local Leagues:
Aldershot & District (Sat) Bryan Sheppard Tel: 01256 398865
Aldershot & District (Sun) Steve Yeomans Tel: 01252 512729 
Andover & District (Sat) Gordon Hopkins Tel: 01264 363124
Andover & District (Sun) John Austin Tel: 01264 359274
Basingstoke & District (Sat) Pat Charman Tel: 01256 882501
Basingstoke & District (Sun) Alan Blenkarn Tel: 01256 332691
Bournemouth (Sat) & (Sun) Daren Hills Tel: 01202 490000
Bournemouth Youth Jenny Linford Tel: 01202 516870
City of Portsmouth (Sun) Dudley Howard Tel: 02392 786030
City of Southampton (Sun) Hazel Andrews Tel: 02380 438371
City of Southampton Youth Euan Webster Tel: 02380 866250
Eastleigh & District Mini Soccer David Verrall Tel: 07976 273090
Gosport & Fareham (Sun) Mick Drage Tel: 02392 353501
Hampshire County Womens Debbie Sowton Tel: 02392 387247
Hampshire County Youth Derek Harris Tel: 02380 486877
Hampshire Disability League Sacha Nicholas Tel: 01256 853018
Hampshire League 2004 Dave Munday Tel: 02392 383160
Hampshire Premier League George Mason Tel: 02392 589333
Havant (Sun) Keith Goldring Tel: 02392 476180
Isle of Wight (Sat) Kenneth Morris Tel: 01983 882118
Isle of Wight (Sun) Roger Harvey Tel: 01983 863141
Isle of Wight Youth Ray Fleming Tel: 01983 740113
Meon Valley (Sun) Debbie Sowton Tel: 02392 387247
Mid Solent Youth Steve Cox Tel: 02392 264487
New Forest Girls Youth Graham Moores Tel: 02380 284684
North East Hants Youth Roger Moon Tel: 01635 230582
Peter Houseman Youth Tim Stagg Tel: 01189 815674
Portsmouth Royal Dockyard (Sun) Brian Mill Tel: 02392 250518
Portsmouth (Sat) Ernie Walker Tel: 02392 359634
Portsmouth Youth Paul Adams Tel: 02392 477812
Solent Ronald Feltham Tel: 01329 823459
Southampton & District (Sun) Ray Agius Tel: 02380 346836
Southampton (Sat) Rod Sutherland Tel: 02380 864828
Southampton Tyro Youth Colin Cameron Tel: 07593 214675
Testway Youth Roger Smith Tel: 01264 737373
Winchester (Sat) & (Sun) John Kirby Tel: 01962 880552
Winchester Girls 6 a side league Kerry Elkins Tel: 01962 883181

CLUB ADMINISTRATION – MAKING THINGS GO RIGHT

Club Officials
The business and affairs of a club are generally managed and conducted by a committee consisting of the officers, the managers of the various teams and a number or ordinary members (usually players or supporters).

Normally the officers of the club are a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Honorary Secretary, and/or Honorary Treasurer. In addition to these positions, a club may also have additional officers (e.g. a Fixtures Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Press Officer, and Social Organiser). Officers are usually elected at the annual general meeting and hold office until the next AGM. Ordinary committee members are also usually elected at the AGM.

Committee meetings are generally held on a monthly basis to deal with club business. The committee is responsible for the control of the club and the pursuance of its objectives as stated within the rules of the club. Club officers are also responsible for the day-to-day operation of the club within their specific areas of responsibility. All officers should be required to make a report at each committee meeting. In this way the committee can keep proper control of the club’s activities.

One person should not try to fill more than one of these functions as teamwork in the organisation of a club is as essential as teamwork on the field of play. As clubs progress up the leagues, a greater number of duties/responsibilities may have to be undertaken by the club and additional officers may be required (e.g. someone to produce a match day programme or a specialist Fixtures Secretary).

Football Workforce
To help you get more people involved in your club, The Football Association has set up the Football Workforce. This important new programme from The Football Association recognises the value of volunteers to the development of football at every level of the game.

The Football Workforce is a programme that aims to:
- Build a skilled, well supported volunteer
- Workforce, who enjoy undertaking clearly
- defined roles and responsibilities and whose
- work is recognised and valued throughout the
- organisation and beyond.

For a free copy of the Football Workforce information pack and folder please write to: Football Workforce, The Football Association, Wembley Stadium, PO Box 1966, London SW1P 9EQ or call the Football Workforce

Chairperson
Although generally speaking, the Chairperson does not have specific duties, he or she will oversee the work carried out by the other officers and preside over committee meetings.

Secretary
General
The position of Secretary is, without doubt, the most important in the club. The Secretary is the official contact between the club and any competition/County Football Association and therefore The Football Association. The County Football Association will correspond with the Secretary rather than other club officials.

The Secretary duties will also include
- Affiliation. Each established club is required to renew its affiliation to THE Hampshire FA each year. A form for this purpose is despatched to each club and it is advisable to complete the form and return it with the appropriate fees to the Hampshire FA office on or before 1st June in any season.
- League Membership. In most cases established clubs will be sent membership renewal forms by league or other competition in which it competes.
- Correspondence. All correspondence must be dealt with without delay. This is most important for any disciplinary matters.
- Club records. The maintenance of comprehensive club records is essential. The following information needs to be accurately maintained.
- Minute book. The minutes provide an official record of the club’s affairs.
- Financial records. Financial records must be kept to record income and expenditure, and any assets (e.g. vehicles) or liabilities (e.g. any loans). This information shall be provided by the Treasurer. All normal Inland Revenue and customs and Excise requirements will need to be met, in so much as they apply.
- Players’ register. An up-to-date record of the names, addresses and dates of birth of all past and current club players and officials must be maintained. Registration forms must be obtained, correctly completed and forwarded to the appropriate competition officer, within the prescribed time, as set out in the competition rules.
- Transfers. Clubs wishing to sign a player registered with a club playing in the same league must refer to the rules of transfer as determined by the league.
- Contract players. A contract player is a player who has a signed a standard F.A. contract which must be lodged with the Football Association to make it valid. Players who have signed for clubs as players under written contract are not permitted to play for any other club while the contract remains in force. If a club is to claim compensation for the transfer of any player, that player must be under written contract or have been offered re-engagement in accordance with F.A. Rules.
- Notification. Notify all leagues and competitions in which your club competes of any change of any officers.
Hampshire FA must also be informed in writing of a change in Secretary, Treasurer or Chairperson.

Secretary match duties
In respect of match duties the Secretary must ensure that:
- Date, venue, colours and timings. Opponents and match officials are notified of the exact location, time of kick-off and colours (shirts, shorts and socks). Maximum notice should be given (competition rules generally give details of minimum notice required). If there is a clash of colours, arrange for the away team to change (N.B. some competitions may require home team to change colours). Make certain that the goalkeepers’ jerseys are a different colour from those to be used by both teams. Some competitions permit notification to be made by telephone. Others require notification in writing. Check the rules to avoid problems, which may lead to fines. Telephone contact has its advantages as a rapport can be established with other clubs, but can lead to confusion and/or disputes at a later date. It is better to confirm any telephone arrangements in writing immediately whenever possible.
- Knock-out competitions. If involved in a knock-out competition, check the rules relating to qualification of players, number of substitutes allowed and method of obtaining a result if the match is drawn (i.e. extra time, replay or kicks from the penalty mark).
- Travelling time. When travelling to away matches, sufficient time must be allowed to arrive without causing a late kick-off. The home team should arrange for the dressing rooms to be opened at least one hour before the game.
- Match balls. Match balls which meet the requirements of Law 2 of the Laws of Association Football have to be provided. The competition rules may state how many match balls need to be provided, but at least two should be available.
- Match Officials. Confirm appointment of Referee. If a Referee has not been appointed, arrange for a club member (preferably a qualified Referee) to be available to take charge.
- Arrange for someone to greet the Referee and make him/her feel welcome
- Submit team sheet to match officials and opposition when required by rules of competition.
- Ensure that the Referee is paid promptly after the match (always obtain a receipt) according to competition rules.
- If possible appoint competent Club Assistant Referees. Some competitions permit substitutes to act as Club Assistant Referees. But it is neither advisable nor desirable.
- Results. Ensure that the result is telephoned to the league or the competition secretary as soon as possible after the match. The rules of the competition will state the time by which a result must be notified. If the club competes in more than one league/competition, make sure that a match return card is completed and submitted to the competition within two days after the match. Insert the details required and ensure the Referee is marked correctly on his/her performance.
- Disciplinary procedures. Responding to disciplinary matters issued by the County Association is strictly the responsibility of the club. It shall be the duty of the club Secretary and the player or official involved, within 14 days of the date stated on the notification, to ensure that the Association Secretary receives such information as may be demanded. Failure to do so may lead to further action being taken against the club and/or the player or official. Club secretaries are advised to refer to the full disciplinary procedures in their County F.A. Handbook.
- Hospitality. Provide appropriate hospitality for opponents and match officials according to club custom or competition requirements.

Treasurer
The Club Treasurer has a key role to manage and administer finances for the club. The additional issues that require the Treasurer’s attention are as follows:
- The income and expenditure record and balance sheet must be presented to the club’s annual general meeting and considered there by the members.
- A cash book and all vouchers must be retained by the club for at least two seasons preceding the current season to be available for production to the Hampshire FA whenever required. The Inland Revenue or other bodies may require more.
- A financial statement must be prepared which must be verified each year by an appropriately qualified person. A copy of any financial statement must be forwarded the Hampshire FA on or before 1st August in every season.
- When a new club official with the authority to sign cheques is appointed, the bank must be notified without delay and a new bank mandate must be completed.
- It is very important to check the dates by which all County Football Association, league or other competition fees are due, as fines may be imposed for late payment.
- All clubs should operate a separate bank or building society account for the transaction of club business.

Fund-raising
Clubs should contact their The Hampshire FA for details of any F.A. grants and loans and other funding opportunities available from The Football Association or other sources.

Insurance
As previously mentioned, insurance is very important. Clubs should have insurance cover for their officials and players in case of injury or accident while travelling to matches or playing football. Please note, it is mandatory for every affiliated Club to have public liability insurance (See page 6 for further details).