THE FIRST STEPS
A large percentage of Clubs which are members of County Football Associations are Junior Status Clubs. Many of them begin life through the enthusiasm of one or two individuals and have to start from scratch. No matter how humble the beginnings, it is essential to conform to certain regulations from the outset. If the Club is properly constituted from the start, a lot of potential problems will be avoided and 2 key questions should be asked?
a) Are there enough willing potential members to take care of the organisational side (officers and committee)?
b) Are there enough potential playing members to be able to regularly field a full side?
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
The minimum requirements should be regarded as Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. Great care must be taken when electing the Officers as the Club will rely heavily on them in the early stages. It is desirable, although not essential, that the Secretary should have had some previous experience of Club administration (not necessarily a Football Club) and that he/she is a non-playing Member. Try and avoid “press ganging” someone who does not want the responsibility and do not forget that wives and mothers of players may well be interested in the post.
CLUB NAME
The name selected should be one that is unique to the individual Club. The County Association will not permit a Club to use the same name as one already affiliated.
WHICH LEAGUE TO APPLY TO FOR MEMBERSHIP
Application for membership to a League 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 of its choice during February or March. New clubs may well be disappointed if they leave their application any later than this.
If a League has a vacancy, an interview will be arranged to which the Club Officers will be required to attend. The Club will be required to demonstrate that it is properly constituted, has sufficient funds and potentially has a sufficient number of Players.
NOTE: Once the Club is constituted, it should apply to the County Association for affiliation it may then arrange friendly Matches. A Club’s affiliation must be renewed by 1 July each year. A League is not bound to accept a Club into membership, and a Club cannot be directed to join a particular League. The most important consideration before applying to a League is to establish which day the Club wishes to play football, i.e. SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS OR MIDWEEK.
PITCHES
Apply to Local Authority, Parish Council or Private Ground Authority to hire a ground for matches. At the time of writing, pitch hire charges vary greatly between the various Local Authorities.
FINANCE, FUND RAISING AND BANK ACCOUNT
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 (often these charges must be paid well in advance) and Kit. Decide the fee for Members’ annual subscription and collect as many subscriptions as possible at this time. Decide at which Bank or Building Society to open an Account in the Club name. Provision should be made for a mandate to be completed and for the current account to be operated on the basis of two out of three nominated signatories. Shop around to get the best terms available and check that charges will not be made when the account is in credit.
OTHER ITEMS
Some of the other key items which require attention include:
a. Club Colours: If chosen carefully, the Club can avoid a clash of colours with possible Opponents, although a change strip is really essential (avoid very dark or black shirts).
b. Training Facilities: Contact Local Schools and Community Colleges for training facilities as their charges are often much lower than Council Leisure Centres.
c. Match Fees: Match fees from players are usually necessary to help fund the club to offset Match day expenses, Pitch Hire, Referee’s fees, Laundry expenses.
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.
There is a 'Set of Club Rules' that was devised by The Football Association for newly formed Clubs. These Rules are sound and applicable with a copy being available for you to download as an attachment on the right handside of this page. This can then be used as a template, assuming that the Club and its members are happy with the content.