Footballs

Club Affiliation 2022-23

Information and guidance for completing the Club Affiliation process for the 2022-23 season

It's time to start preparing for the 2022-23 Season 

As the current season draws to a close it's already time for clubs to start thinking about the next one. Every season all clubs in our county need to affiliate to Hertfordshire FA in order to continue playing football. 

We have put together some information that will be useful in completing your club's affiliation for 2022-23, so that you can be ready for when applications open on 13th June 2022 on the Whole Game System.

New Clubs

Once affiliation opens on 13th June, 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 start the affiliation process. 

You will need to provide us with the following information:

  • Name of your club
  • Details (name, date of birth, address, phone number and email) of the Club Secretary, Chairman and Treasurer
  • Region of home ground (Local Authority)

Youth Clubs will also need to provide details of a Club Welfare Officer. There is some further information below on how to become a new Club Welfare Officer and what qualifications you need to attain before the Club can affiliate.

Further details will be provided on how to get started using the administration system to affiliate the club, once this information is received.

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 FA DBS
  • Check all mandatory officials (Secretary, Chairman, Treasurer and Club Welfare Officer) are remaining in place and have completed the Safeguarding for Committee Members Course (and that it hasn't expired)
  • Check that the Club Welfare Officer also has the other mandatory qualifications (Safeguarding Children Course, Welfare Officers Course) as well as an in-date FA DBS

Please be aware that The FA only accepts its own DBS and safeguarding courses, as they are football specific. You can find details of all The FA safeguarding courses offered through England Football Learning by visiting this page on The Boot Room.

To register to use the online DBS service please complete the Club Registration Form and return by email to FAChecks@TheFA.com.

New Welfare Officers

If clubs are aware that there will be a change in Club Welfare Officer, it's important to ensure that the incoming CWO is upskilled in time. If you have any queries regarding new CWOs please read this Guidance for New Welfare Officers or email safeguarding@hertfordshirefa.com.

Completing Your Affiliation

The affiliation process should be completed via the Whole Game System by entering the email attached to your 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.

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.

Clubs must have completed and submitted the affiliation on Whole Game System before 31st July to avoid additional charges. This includes uploading proof of Personal Accident Insurance. Without this being uploaded you will not receive an invoice to complete the process and will be asked to upload this and resubmit the forms online. 

All teams must have entered a County Cup competition before 4th August.

Tips:

  • Make sure you add all managers associated to the relevant teams
  • 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

Adding New Teams

Once a Club affiliation has been submitted on WGS, changes cannot be made. If Clubs have additional teams to add to their affiliation once its been submitted or completed, please download the Extra Team Affiliation Form and return this to contactus@hertfordshirefa.com.

Affiliation Fees

Having received additional funding in the last two years that allowed us to cover the cost of affiliation fees on behalf of our clubs, we remain committed to supporting them as best we can as we all continue to recover from the financial impact of the pandemic.

We know the rising cost of living means these are challenging times for many and we have worked to keep affiliation fees as low as possible. We are pleased to confirm that they have been held once again at their previous levels, meaning fees are still the same as they were in 2017-18.

Further Guidance 

For more detail on how to complete the club affiliation process in Whole Game System, please visit The FA Grassroots Technology Portal where you will find complete step by step guidance including descriptions and screenshots to help you through every stage of the process. 

Affiliation Guidance Screenshot

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

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 2022-23 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 entry is mandatory for the 2022-23 season. Adult Clubs are required to enter one of the County Competitions, provided one is suitable.

Youth Clubs are required to enter into County Competitions at least one team at each age group in which they are represented. Whilst there is no maximum number of entries this season, we reserve the right to ask to reduce entries if there are more than 128 entries.

The following competitions are being run for 2022-23:

  • Senior Challenge Cup
  • Senior Centenary Trophy
  • Saturday Junior Cup
  • Saturday Intermediate Cup
  • Sunday Senior Cup
  • Sunday Intermediate Cup
  • Sunday Junior Cup
  • Women’s Cup
  • Boys U14 Challenge Cup
  • Boys U15 Challenge Cup
  • Boys U16 Challenge Cup
  • Boys U18 Challenge Cup
  • Girls U14 Challenge Cup
  • Girls U15 Challenge Cup
  • Girls U16 Challenge Cup
  • Girls U18 Challenge Cup (TBC)

All entries must be submitted by 4th August. If the club’s affiliation is not completed, then teams may be excluded from the competition.

Insurance

All Clubs are required to have Public Liability Insurance Cover and Personal Accident Insurance.

In terms of Public Liability Insurance, there is the option to choose an extra level of protection with Countycover Plus, which includes additional cover for 'Player to Player' incidents. The brochures linked above include information to help you decide which options are most appropriate for your club.

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

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.