So you’re looking at setting up your own club and don’t know where to start.

Here is a step by step guide to helping you achieve your goal.

Constitution – appointment of club officials

Clubs must appoint roles of Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary to carry out key duties. It is vital that you ensure you have enough volunteers and members in your club, to ensure everything runs smoothly throughout the season.

Finance – income and expenditure to run 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. 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.

Players – registration, eligibility, discipline, welfare & coaching

Clubs must understand the rules of each competition that they enter. All discipline at grass roots is administered by the County 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 eligibilities, for example suspensions, they should contact our governance department for details. For youth teams, it is important to be aware of child protection safeguards and advice is available from our Welfare Officer.

Insurance – Public Liability, Personal Injury and other policies

Clubs are to have adequate insurance cover for their players in case of injury or accident whilst playing or travelling to matches.

Affiliation – County Associations & Leagues

A Club will need to affiliate to a County Football Association and the appropriate league it wishes to join. Clubs are recommended to seek advice on suitable league membership from our County Office.

Fixtures – League & Cup Competitions

Fixtures are administered by the appropriate 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 match officials of Kick-Off time and location of venue. For away games, arrange to inform your own team of venue, Kick-Off time and arrange for transport of players. All County Football Associations run cup competitions which give an opportunity for teams to play against clubs from different leagues or divisions.

Pitches – useful contacts & advice

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.

Kit & Equipment

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 strip, first aid kit, nets and balls.

Results / Public Relations / Press

Ensure you pass on results of your matches to comply with competition regulations. All Clubs are recommended to establish good relationships with the local press to publish results, match reports and interesting stories about their club. Good PR will help raise the profile of the club; bring in new players and may even attract some sponsorship.

Contact

For more info about how to setup a club, contact the relevant Football Development Officer at your local county FA.

Here is the link to the County FA’s across England