Be Ready for Affiliation

Be ready to affiliate for the 2020/21 season!

Middlesex FA are pleased to announce that Club Affiliation for 2020/21 will be available from Monday 1st June 2020. With this in mind we have put together some information that will be useful in completing your club affiliation for 2020/21.

How Should You Get Ready?

Before starting the affiliation process all clubs should:

Ensure all invoices from last season are paid
Ensure all player suspensions from last season have been assigned fixtures (unless the suspension is carrying over to next season)

In addition youth clubs also need to:

Check all Coaches have an in date FA DBS and are listed on WGS
Check all mandatory officials are remaining in place (Secretary, Chairman, Treasurer and Welfare Officer)
Check all mandatory officials (Secretary, Chairman, Treasurer and Welfare Officer) have completed the Committee Members Safeguarding course and that it hasn’t expired
Check that the Welfare Officer also has the other mandatory qualifications (FA Safeguarding Children in Football Workshop, Welfare Officers Workshop) and an in date FA DBS

PLEASE NOTE – It remains a requirement that all volunteers carrying out regulated activity with U18s require an Enhanced DBS Check before they commence their role within football. All individuals whose DBS Checks are due to expire between 1 March 2020 and 1 October 2020 will not be required to renew their DBS Checks until 1 year after the scheduled date of expiry. Please do not submit new DBS Checks whilst football activity remains suspended. For the avoidance of doubt, volunteers will not be permitted to carry out regulated activity with U18s until they have obtained a DBS Check. The FA will provide a further update on processing new DBS checks in due course when there is further clarity on when football activity will resume.

Click below to find the online safeguarding courses:

Safeguarding for Committee Members

Safeguarding Children Recertification

We strongly encourage all clubs to access the Player Registration Tab on the Whole Game System and remove any players that are no longer part of your club or have duplicate FANs. If you have any questions or need support please contact discipline@middlesexfa.com.

What Changes Should You Be Aware Of?

Affiliation Fees – We are delighted to confirm the following decisions have been approved to help support you, our clubs, leagues and the wider grassroots game for the 2020/21 season…

Free Club and Team Affiliation
Free entry to all County Cups
Free Public Liability Insurance
Discounted Personal Accident Insurance through UK Global Group

Personal Accident Insurance – Insurance can now be purchased at the end of the Affiliation process on the Whole Game System in the additional products section rather than being purchased in advance of completing the form. Middlesex FA have partnered with a new insurance company called UK Global Group who will be providing discounted Personal Accident Insurance. If you choose to purchase Personal Accident Insurance with a different provider, you must meet our minimum level requirements and must provide evidence of cover before Affiliation can be approved.

The Personal Accident Insurance premiums for registered members of affiliated clubs, including players, committee members and club officials for Season 2020/2021 will be:

Adult teams £57.50
Youth teams (all ages) £15.00

Those teams that require benefits above Scale 1 (£30 weekly/£120 monthly benefit) should contact Fiona Lavery at UKGlobal (fiona.lavery@ukglobalgroup.co.uk or 01252 734539) to discuss specific requirements for a bespoke package.

All Personal Accident Insurance Invoices must be paid by 1^st September unless your League commences earlier.

Club Name Change – It is important to note that from Season 2020/21, Middlesex FA will no longer be allowing clubs to affiliate with the word “Academy” in their Club Name unless the Club meets the following FA definitions…

“Academy means an establishment for the coaching and education of Academy Players operated by a Club in accordance with the requirements of the Professional Game Youth Development Rules”

“Professional Game Youth Development Rules means the Youth Development Rules of the Premier League and/or the EFL (as applicable)

“Academy player means a male player (other than an Amateur Player or a Trialist) who is in an age group between Under 9 and Under 21 and who is registered for and who is coached by or plays football for or at a Club which operates an Academy pursuant to the Professional Game Youth Development Rules, save for a player who:

In the reasonable opinion of the Club which holds his registration has developed technical, tactical, physical and psychological skills of such a level that he would not benefit from participating or continuing to participate in its Academy’s Coaching Programme and Games Programme; and
Is registered as a Contract Player for that Club; and
Is at least 18.”

How Do You Apply?

The affiliation process should be completed via Whole Game System. For existing clubs the affiliation forms will already be populated in the system and you will be able to login and simply edit details that have changed from the season before.

When using Whole Game System your application does not have to be completed in one go. You can always save your progress and come back to it at a later time, which can be particularly useful if you are a large club.

The following video also offers step by step guidance on the process of club affiliation through Whole Game System:

http://www.middlesexfa.com/leagues-and-clubs/club-management/affiliation

What if You Are a New Club?

If you are a new club you will first need to call us on 0208 515 1919 or email affiliation@middlesexfa.com with the following details:

Club Name
Name/DOB/address/telephone/email of the Treasurer/Secretary/Chairman (these can be the same person)

We will then add you to the system and provide you with your login details for Whole Game System.

When Can You Start Your Affiliation?

You can affiliate to the Middlesex FA for the 2020-21 season using the Whole Game System from Monday 1^st June 2020.

Managing Discipline Online?

Middlesex FA discipline is available online, enabling clubs, leagues and referees to process their discipline matters at their own convenience. This is all done online through the Whole Game System. Clubs can acknowledge and pay for discipline cases, leagues can view suspensions and their online statement and referees can upload discipline reports.

Please see below guidance which will assist you with your day-to-day discipline processing…

All clubs will automatically be placed Online for Discipline once the 2020/21 affiliation is completed. If you have any questions regarding this then please email discipline@middlesexfa.com.

How Do You Become FA Charter Standard?

The FA Charter Standard Programme is The FA’s accreditation scheme open to all grassroots clubs and leagues. It aims to raise standards in the grassroots game, supporting the development of clubs and leagues, recognising and rewarding commitment, quality and achievement.

CLICK HERE for further information on becoming FA Charter Standard.

Any Other Questions?

We are here to help. If you have any questions or need some advice please contact the office on 0208 515 1919 or email info@middlesexfa.com and a member of staff will be happy to assist you.