Setting up a Club
Ready to start your own club?
The vast majority of football throughout the country is played at a local level for personal enjoyment.
Before embarking on forming a new team, ask yourself the following questions:
- Are there enough potential players?
- Are there enough volunteers to take care of club organisation and administration?
We have separated the process into TWO steps to make sure you're ready for the season ahead:
The spine to any club is their Committee. A club must appoint a Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary to enable the club to function effectively within County FA Rules and Regulations. For any Youth Club, it is also required to have a Welfare Officer in place. We strongly recommend to involve other members to assist in administrative areas of the club.
As a new club it will be important to raise funds to run the club and initially these will probably be from player memberships and subscriptions. Know what costs are involved, many of these are mentioned in the steps below. It is advisable to produce a list of costs to run your team which will help you create a budget of income and expenditure for the season.
The first question the County FA will ask you, if whether you have a league you wish to enter. A list of Middlesex League are listed here. Make contact with League Secretary, let them know your interest in joining. It is important that clubs are fully knowledgeable about the rules of each competition.
Each season any new or existing club is required to Affiliate to its County FA (this is decided by where the home ground is situated). Within this process it is compulsory for all affiliated clubs to be covered by Public Liability Insurance and Personal Accident Insurance. Public Liability can be purchased through your Affiliation, Personal Accident Insurance is explained on the Affiliation page here.
Respect
We Only Do Positive!
The FA's Respect programme provides a series of tools for Leagues, Clubs, Coaches, Players and Parents from grassroots to elite football - to help ensure a safe, positive environment in which to play the game.
A Club needs to establish where they wish to play their Home Games. If the league does not allocate pitches, apply to your Local Authority, other local teams, Parish council or owner of a private ground to hire a pitch. Please note hire charges will vary.
It is now mandatory for all Clubs with Youth Sections to have an appointed Club Welfare Officer. This is also recommended for Adult Club with players Under 18. These will be responsible for Coaches to obtain their DBS checks. For more guidance on this contact safeguarding@middlesexfa.com.
Coaches can learn too! Middlesex FA run a varied amount of courses for Clubs to build their Coaches Qualifications, check here for more details.
See the Club Action Timetable which covers tasks in pre-season, tasks prior to the day of the game, task on the day of the game, discipline and the Club Annual General Meeting (AGM).
is your team prepared for injuries?
Middlesex FA have teamed up with leading sports injury product supplier, Koolpak, to offer clubs discounted prices for essential First Aid items.
Make sure your club is prepared to treat injuries and take advantage of these exclusive discounts today.Rules and Regulations
FA Rules and Regulations ensure fair play in the grassroots game, both on and off the pitch. Find information about the following areas here.
- Laws of the Game
- Discipline
- Safeguarding & Welfare
- Inclusion
