It's time to start preparing for when football is able to resume

To help protect grassroots football from the financial impact of the Coronavirus outbreak, we are pleased to confirm we will be providing all Clubs with free Affiliation and County Cup entry for 2020/21, along with a discount on Public Liability Insurance.

While it is not possible to say when football will be able to restart or what form the season may take, what's certain is clubs will need to have Affiliated in order to play again once it is deemed safe to do so.

With that in mind we've put together some information that will be useful in completing your club's affiliation to Hertfordshire FA for 2020/21, so that you can be ready for when applications open on 8th June 2020 on the Whole Game System.

New Clubs

Any new Clubs will first need to email contactus@hertfordshirefa.com so that we can set up your Club on the Whole Game System for you to affiliate. 

You will need to provide us the name of your Club, along with details (name, date of birth, address, phone number and email) of the Club Secretary, Chairman and Treasurer. Youth Clubs will also need to provide details of a Club Welfare Officer. 

Getting Prepared

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 are listed on Whole Game System and have an in date Criminal Records Check (CRC renewal can take up to 4 weeks so prepare this as early as possible)
• Check all mandatory officials (Secretary, Chairman, Treasurer and Welfare Officer) are remaining in place and have completed the Committee Members Safeguarding Course (and that it is hasn't expired)
• Check that the Club Welfare Officer also has the other mandatory qualifications (FA Safeguarding Children in Football Workshop, Welfare Officers Workshop) as well as an in date CRC

Some may have issues meeting these requirements due to the fact that football has been suspended. Please see the document below “Temporary Changes to Safeguarding Requirements for Affiliation” to see what changes have been made to support affiliations during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Since it can take few months for a Club Welfare Officer to become upskilled, clubs are advised to make an early decision with regards a new CWO. If you have any queries regarding new CWO’s please contact Samantha Carey on 01462 650215 or email safeguarding@hertfordshirefa.com.

Please be aware that The FA only accepts its own CRC and Safeguarding Workshop as they are football specific.

Completing Your Affiliation

The affiliation process should be completed via the Whole Game System by entering your email or FAN along with your password. If you can’t remember your password or do not have a password set up, please follow on the “Have you forgotten your password” link to recover it.

If you are still having any trouble logging into WGS, please follow this guidance and you should be able to claim your account and successfully login in the future.

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.

In terms of Public Liability Insurance, this year there is the option to choose an extra level of protection with Countycover Plus, which includes cover for 'Player to Player' incidents. The brochure linked below has further information to help you decide which option is most appropriate for your club.

Clubs must complete and submit the affiliation on Whole Game System before 31st August to avoid additional charges (see details of fees below). This includes uploading proof of Personal Accident Insurance. Without this being uploaded you will not receive an invoice.

Tips:

• Make sure you add managers to the relevant teams (Adult and Youth Clubs)
• Ensure any FAN records have full details – mobile numbers and email addresses for Full Time and SMS contacts are vital
• Please ensure your ground details are correct

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

Please find below further documentation below to help guide you through the affiliation process:

• Affiliation Fees 2020-21
• Temporary Changes to Safeguarding Requirements for Affiliation
• Extra Team Affiliation Form
• NGIS Public Liability Insurance Brochure
• NGIS Personal Accident Insurance Brochure

Once we have reviewed the affiliation and generated the invoice, you will need to pay the invoice within 14 days - you will then be affiliated to Hertfordshire FA for the 2020/21 season.

**Please note your affiliation will not be completed until your invoice is paid and you have provided proof of Personal Accident Insurance**

County Cup Entry

County Cup entries are voluntary for the 2020/21 season. Teams will not be required to enter our competitions and we will provide free entry for all those choosing to do so.

The Competitions Committee reserves the right to amend the programme of the competitions as necessary due to the ongoing impact of the Coronavirus outbreak, which may include limiting the number of teams from the same Club entering each competition.

Getting in Touch

If you have any queries about affiliation for the upcoming season or how to use Whole Game System please email contactus@hertfordshirefa.com and we'll be happy to help.