Setting up a club

WANT TO START YOUR OWN FOOTBALL CLUB?

The vast majority of football throughout the country is played at a local level for personal enjoyment so running your own team can be great fun and hugely rewarding.

We are here to help you get set up but, before you start, it is important to have enough players to field a team and volunteers to help with club administration and organisation.

GET IN TOUCH

E: Support@BirminghamFA.com

Phone: 0121 357 4278

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The First Steps for setting up a club...

Clubs must appoint a Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary to enable the club to function effectively within Birmingham FA Rules and Regulations. It is also suggested that other people are appointed to assist in other administrative areas of the club.

As a new club, it will be important to raise funds to run everything. Initially these will probably be from player memberships and subscriptions. It is also 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. You will be required to send in a copy of your club accounts annually.

It is important that clubs are fully knowledgeable about the rules of each competition that they may wish to enter. All discipline at Grassroots is administered by the Birmingham Football Association and the Secretary of the club is responsible to ensure that all players are eligible to play. If clubs have any doubts about player eligibility, for example suspensions, they should contact us for details. For youth teams, it is important to be aware of child protection safeguards. More advice is available from our County Welfare Officer.

It is compulsory for all affiliated clubs in your county to be covered by Public Liability Insurance and Personal Accident Insurance. Details of these can be found with the affiliation information.

THE Second STEPS FOR SETTING UP A CLUB...

A club will need to affiliate to Birmingham Football Association (this is decided by where the home ground is situated and the league it wishes to join).

Please note that it is now mandatory for all clubs with youth sections to have an appointed Club Welfare Officer. This is also recommended for Adult Clubs with under 18 players. Requirements and further information can be found on the Clubs Safeguarding page.

Fixtures are administered by the appropriate competition secretary, who advises clubs of forthcoming matches. If it is a home match, the club secretary must arrange hire of a pitch (unless this is arranged by the league), notify opponents and match officials of the kick-off time and location venue. For away games, arrange to inform your own team of venue, kick-off time and arrange for transport of players. Birmingham Football Association run cup competitions which give an opportunity for teams to play against clubs from different leagues or divisions.

Please make sure you read the relevant rules relating to the league/competition entered to ensure you abide by them. Each league/competition may vary with regard to their requirements. If in doubt contact the league/competition organisers.

Please be aware that Birmingham FA only deal with fixtures relating to their own cup competitions.

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.

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

See below 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).

Ensure you pass on results of your matches to comply with competition regulations. For Birmingham County Football Association competitions, the results need to be advised direct. All clubs are recommended to establish good relationships with the local press to publish results, match reports and possibly just interesting stories about their club. Good PR will help raise the profile of your club, bring in new players and may even attract some sponsorship.

Club Action Timetable...

 

  • Players: Ensure each team has a squad of at least 14 players or the appropriate number for Mini Soccer/Small Sided teams.
  • Affiliation: All club affiliation is to be completed online via the Whole Game System. Existing clubs simply need to login to the portal to complete, whilst new clubs need to contact the office via telephone - 0121 357 4278 - or email support@birminghamfa.com
  • Facilities: Arrange pitch(es) which comply with appropriate league regulations and specifications. It is also prudent to arrange/book training facilities early.
  • Meetings: Organise club/team meetings (eg. Weekly Training, Monthly Management Meeting, AGM). Also attend relevant league or County FA meetings when required.
  • Registration: Ensure all players are registered with the appropriate league (forms will be available from the league). Current photographs may be required.
  • Friendly Fixtures: Arrange fixtures with secretaries of other affiliated clubs and notify the Birmingham FA for approval.
  • Subscription: Set a subscription for players and members to meet your costs for the season. Carry out fund raising (appropriate to the club).
  • Delegation: Club Secretaries/Team Managers should seek support from other members to spread the administrative workload where practical.

 

  • Confirm Fixture eg. kick-off time, colours, directions to ground, availability of pitch with groundsman, match officials.

  • Pitch: Ensure pitch is safe and correctly prepared with nets, flags, markings and access to appropriate changing facilities.
  • Match Officials: Ensure match officials have been paid (home team only).
  • Refreshments: Provide refreshments where appropriate.
  • Medical Bag: Further details can be found on the Pitch Side Medical Bag page
  • Results: Ensure the result card is completed and posted to the appropriate league official to arrive by designated time. Please note the competition may require the result to be confirmed by telephoning the appropriate official. Level of detail on result card (e.g. players, goal scorers, substitutions, injuries etc) will depend on league policy.

  • Disciplinary Procedures: This is an ongoing task throughout the season. The secretary and players must complete and return appropriate documentation with fines. A record should be kept of players discipline and ensure any suspended players do not play.

  • AGM: Arrange AGM and/or presentation evening.
  • A copy of your club accounts must be posted or emailed to the Birmingham FA by the 30th September each season.

Birmingham County FA Payment Options

In recent years Birmingham County FA has been a cashless business, helped by the fact that 98% of our football clubs pay online via the Whole Game System (WGS). However, we appreciate that, due to the pandemic and national lockdowns and the fact that the BCFA office has been closed, there are still customers who wish to pay fines and other invoices by card.

Therefore, we have developed a range of payment options to help, which are all outlined below.

The FA Respect

Respect

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.