the fa football development programme football workforce

The FA FootballDevelopment ProgrammeFootball Workforce

The Football Workforce

What is the Football Workforce?

The Football Workforce is animportant programme from The Football Association whichrecognises the value of volunteers to the development of football at every level of the game.

The Football Workforce is aprogramme that aims to:

“Build a skilled, well supportedvolunteer workforce, who enjoyundertaking clearly defined roles and responsibilities and whose work is recognised and valuedthroughout the organisation andbeyond.”

You told us:

“I do it for the love of the game but I wish I had more help”

“In an average week, I give 20 hoursto my voluntary job in football andthat’s after I get home from work!”

“I took the job on because there wasnobody else willing to do it. I wish I’d had somebody to show me what I was meant to do.”

“It would be nice to be appreciated, a thank you doesn’t cost anything”

The Football Workforce will help you to:

• Recruit more volunteers intofootball

• Retain volunteers within the sportand help them to work smarter,not harder

• Recognise and reward the work of all volunteers

The Football Association recognisethat volunteers form the backbone of football in this country, and play a vital role in helping to meet ourobjectives of achieving the highestlevels of participation in the world.The Football Workforce programmewill help ensure that volunteers arerecruited, recognised and rewarded.

The Football Workforce is animportant programme from The Football Association whichrecognises the value of volunteersto the development of football at every level of the game.

The Football Workforce

Who is the Football Workforcedesigned to help?

The Football Workforce is foreverybody working within footballwhether paid or voluntary - we’re allpart of the same team.

The Football Workforce focus will be on volunteers working for footballparticularly at grass roots levels.

The Football Workforce ideas couldbe used by club secretaries, teammanagers, mini soccer organisers,league organisers, in fact, anybodywho works alongside volunteers in football.

Whether you’re running a one-teamclub or administering a large league,volunteering problems are verysimilar but on different scales! TheFootball Workforce suggests ideasthat can be adapted to the smallestor largest club or league.

What will the Football Workforcelook like?

The Football Workforce is aprogramme of information, ideas,packages and products that can helpto provide some practical solutions to everyday volunteering problems.

You told us:

“We just don’t seem to be able toencourage parents to get involved”

“People just don’t seem to realisewhat’s involved in running the club”

“We’re losing out on many potentialvolunteers because they can’t affordto take on jobs without having theirexpenses reimbursed”

“People are afraid to get involved incase they are asked to take on morework than they can manage”

How can we use the FootballWorkforce?

• As a checklist for good practice;how well does your club or league rate?

• To find solutions to problems

• To generate new ideas, newapproaches

• To share good practice - The Football Workforce aims to act as an information exchange

• To access information andresources which you can adapt for use in your own club, leagueor county association

Where will we find the FootballWorkforce information?

Contact your County FA office/Volunteer Co-ordinator, or visit The Football Association website at www.TheFA.com. Get the latestinformation, products, ideas andprogrammes at the touch of a button.

In addition you might wish to takepart on the Effective Football ClubAdministration Programme (EFCA)for courses on Club Administration,Finance, Youth Football, PR,Marketing and Fundraising, SoccerParent Volunteers and ClubDevelopment.

The Football Workforce is foreverybody working within footballwhether paid or voluntary

Recruiting your FootballWorkforce team

1. Start early, don’t wait until yourback’s against the wall!

What jobs need to be done? Make a list. Are some of the jobsgetting too big for one person?Think about sharing out the jobs that demand a lot of time.

2. Define the tasks

What’s involved in each job? Write a brief role description. Behonest. Let people know what youwant them to do, and what they aretaking on. Probably the best personto help with this is the person whodid the job last season! Look at the‘Roles and Responsibilities’ sectionof the pack for some ideas aboutdescribing jobs.

3. Leave time for some pre-seasontraining

Who could do this job? List the skills and experienceneeded. Do they really have toknow about football? What’s mostimportant, skills or experience? How can you help people to gainthe skills they need? Maybe one of the Effective Football ClubAdministration programmes could help?

4. The search is on!

Where will you find somebody with these skills? Use the network,Mums, Dads, friends, within theclub, outside the club? Target yoursearch to find the right person forthe right job. Use your ‘ClubInformation Leaflet’ to gatherinformation about the skills out there within the club, or amongstyour supporters. Look at theexample in your pack.

5. Right through the season

Let people know that they areneeded! Sell the benefits of beingpart of the Football Workforce. Use your club information leaflet to let people know what help youneed. Look at the example in yourpack. People like to be asked! Match jobs to the time that peoplehave to give. They’re much morelikely to stick at it if they’re notoverloaded.

6. The team’s in place as the season begins

Make it easy to join the FootballWorkforce team. Ease people intotheir new jobs with lots of supportfrom their team-mates. Wellsupported new recruits will soonwant to play their full part in theteam. Look at the ‘Getting off to aGood Start’ checklist.

Six smart moves to scoringyour recruitment goals!

Recruiting your FootballWorkforce team

Recruitment Goals What Needs Doing? Who Will Do It? By When?

We need an assistant match secretary and assistant fund raiser

• Decide which parts of the jobs can be done by the assistants

• Write roles and responsibilities

• Advertise the jobs in the newsletter

• Write a club information leaflet and identifypotential recruits

• Plan for a secretary and fund raiser to train uptheir new assistants

Secretary

Secretary

Chairperson

Secretary andFundraiser

End of May

End of May

June and July

July

July and August

Recruitment Goals What Needs Doing? Who Will Do It? By When?

Use the planner below and start planning your own pre-season recruitment programme.

Season begins on: _____________________________________________________________________________

Roles andResponsibilities

Roles and Responsibilities

You told us:

“I really didn’t have any idea what itwas I was being asked to take on.”

“I was given a clear list of my rolesand responsibilities, this made itmuch easier for me to see how myjob fitted in with everybody else on the committee.”

The Football Workforce offers some examples of ‘Roles andResponsibilities’ for typical club andleague positions. Copy the masterRoles and Responsibilities form anduse it to describe jobs within yourclub. It might be helpful to askcurrent post holders to fill in theform, who knows the job better than the person who is doing it?

Having completed this exercise forkey roles, use them to:

• check that there isn’t too muchduplication between jobs, or thata really important task hasn’tslipped through the net.’

• explain to potential volunteerswhat’s involved in each job.

• match potential volunteers to jobsthey will enjoy.

• see how each job links to another,people like to see how their workfits into the bigger picture.

• review the roles within the club orleague. Is this the most effectiveway to get the work done, or arethe roles there because theyalways have been?

• explore the possibility of breakingdown time demanding jobs intosmaller parts.

Please Note: For all adults engagedin football in whatever capacity, it is important to be familiar with The Football Association ChildProtection and Best PracticeHandbook. It is our aim to ensurethat football takes place in a safe,secure and enjoyable environment.For updated information visitwww.TheFA.com/Goal

Look at these examples of roles andresponsibilities.They may not matchthe jobs that exist in your club butthey will provide you with aframework and ideas. Photocopy the‘Roles and Responsibilities’ form anduse it to describe the jobs that areimportant in your club.

These might include:

• Chair

• Vice-Chair

• Secretary (mini-soccer section)

• Secretary (youth section)

• Minutes Secretary

• Treasurer

• Social Secretary

• Handbook Editor

• Publicity Officer

• Volunteer Co-ordinator

• Schools Liason Officer

“I was given a clear list of my rolesand responsibilities, this made itmuch easier for me to see how myjob fitted in with everybody elseon the committee.”

Football Club Roles and Responsibilities for

Who will I be responsible to?

Who will I be responsible for?

What is the role of the...

What sort of tasks are involved?

Tasks will include:

How much time will I need to give to the job?

What else can you tell me about the job?

Copy this Roles and Responsibilities form and use it to describe jobs within your club. It might be helpful to ask current post holders to fill in the form

Example 1: Club SecretaryRoles and Responsibilities

Football Club Roles and Responsibilities for Club Secretary


The Main Committee, through the Chairperson


The Assistant Secretary

What is the role of the Club Secretary?

The main purpose of this job is that of principaladministrator for the club. The Club Secretary carries outor delegates all the administrative duties that enable theclub and its members to function effectively. The ClubSecretary is a pivotal role within the club, with a closeinvolvement in the general running of the club. Thesecretary and their assistant provide the main point ofcontact for people within and outside the club on justabout every aspect of the club’s activities.


As the first point of contact with the club it is helpful forthe secretary to be available to take phone calls duringthe working day. The club is keen to support thesecretary in the use of modern office technology to assistthem in their job. This is a demanding, high profile jobthat has a major impact on the efficient and effectivemanagement of the club. The secretary has contact witha wide range of people from within and outside the club.Representation of the club at outside meetings providesthe opportunity to find out what’s going on at leagueand county level and this could be a platform for futurevolunteering opportunities.


Approximately eight hours each week and many of these will be at weekends and in the evenings.


Tasks will include:

• Attending league meetings• Affiliating the club to the County Football Association• Affiliating the club to the league(s)• Registering players to the league(s)• Dealing with correspondence• Organising and booking match facilities for the season• Organising the club AGM and other club meetings• Representing the club at outside meetings at the

direction of the main committee

Example 2: Youth Team ManagerRoles and Responsibilities

Football Club Roles and Responsibilities for Youth Team Manager


Club Committee


Under-13 age group team

What is the role of the Youth Team Manager?

The main purpose of the job is to ensure that the clubprovides a team to compete in the District Youth Leagueand Cup Competitions. The Manager is responsible forall aspects of activity regarding the age group. TheManager is permitted to engage assistants as required,so long as they meet the membership requirements ofthe club.


The Club requires the minimum FA qualification of theLevel One Coaching Football Award (including first aidaward) for all Team Managers. The Club will assist you in obtaining this award during the season if you do notalready have the qualification. An allowance fortelephone calls is paid. Other Club Officials and TeamManagers are always available for any assistance oradvice. A Club first aid kit will be issued to all teammanagers, which can be replenished on request. The Club provides all playing kit and match and training equipment.


Team activities on match day will, depending on thevenue for the game, take up approximately 4 hours.Coaching and training sessions at the club each week(usually on Tuesday evening) take up around 2 hours.Other duties associated with the tasks outlined above are spread across the week, with telephone calls etc., and will take around 4 hours.


Tasks will include:

Weekly:• Team selection• Organisation of coaching/training at club once

per week• Organisation of transport for team matches• Team kit & equipment (including laundry, parents

usually take turns)• Reporting results to Club Secretary after matches

Monthly:• Team accounts • Monthly Club team managers meeting

Once each season:• End of season report to Club Committee

Example 3: ChairpersonRoles and Responsibilities

Football Club Roles and Responsibilities for Club Chairperson


The Main Committee


Not Applicable

What is the role of the Club Chairperson?

Chair the Committee meetings and AGM.

Assist the secretary to produce the agendas, head the committee in making decisions for the benefit of the whole club including disciplinary matters.


As the Chair of the Club, it is essential you are a strongleader who can be objective. As the supporting officer to the Secretary, it is useful for you to have access to atelephone. You may wish to attend a specific trainingcourse on how to chair/run meetings.


Two to three hours per month for meetings.


Tasks will include:

• Chair committee meetings/AGM• Agree monthly agenda for committee meetings

and the AGM

Example 4: Fund-raising Secretary Roles and Responsibilities

Football Club Roles and Responsibilities for Fund Raising Secretary


The Main Committee


Fund Raising Committee

What is the role of the Fund Raising Secretary?

To raise funds


On average three to four hours each week, but thiscould rise to eight hours around the time of fundraisingevents.


As the fund raising officer it is essential to have goodorganisational skills, innovative, enthusiastic and beprepared to make a regular time commitment. It wouldbe useful if you have completed grant applications.Training courses are available through Effective FootballClub Administration Programme, ‘Marketing andSponsorship’ and Sport England ‘Raising Money’.


Tasks will include:

• Apply for grants/sponsorship or other forms offinancial assistance from organisations such as SportEngland/Football Foundation, Local Authorities orcommercial companies

• To co-ordinate fund raising events, possibly two majorevents per year

• To ensure events and activities are properly licensedwith local authorities/customs and excise

• To promote fund-raising activities in press (wherethere is no PR Officer)

• To ensure that funds are properly accounted for andinformation is passed on to the Treasurer

• Sale of lottery style draws or raffles on a regular basis,probably weekly

Example 5: Media SecretaryRoles andResponsibilities

Football Club Roles and Responsibilities for Media Secretary


The Main Committee


PR/Media Committee (if club has one)

What is the role of the Media Secretary?

To raise the profile of the Club in the local community.

To be available to talk to local media.

Co-ordinate weekly match reports for all teams and agegroups to be forwarded to the local press.

Possibly editor of the match day programme (in larger clubs)


As the media officer, it is essential to have goodcommunication skills and ability to produce coherentmatch reports, press releases etc. Access to a fax,telephone and computer are necessary. Training coursesare available through Effective Football ClubAdministration Programme, ‘Marketing andSponsorship’.


Approximately two hours per week.


Tasks will include:

• Produce weekly match reports for inclusion in thelocal paper

• Produce a club News Sheet twice a season• Co-ordinator production of programme for home

games• Produce general interest stories about the club for

local press• Ensure that the club is featured in locally produced

sports magazines

Example 6: Social SecretaryRoles andResponsibilities

Football Club Roles and Responsibilities for Social Secretary


The Main Committee


The Social Committee

What is the role of the Social Secretary?

The main purpose of this job is to organise social eventsto bring the players, officials and parents together in asocial setting to enhance relationships within the club.

You may also wish to consider inviting local dignitaries todevelop and improve your club’s relationships within thecommunity or representatives from any sponsors of theclub. In both instances you should liaise with the ClubSecretary.


As Social Secretary, you must be enthusiastic, motivated,have good communication skills and be well organisedand committed.


Approximately three hours per month.


Tasks will include:

• Organising a pre-season event and at least two othersocial events per year

• Organising an end of year event• Organising a Christmas function• Booking venues and entertainment

Example 7: TreasurerRoles andResponsibilities

Football Club Roles and Responsibilities for Treasurer


The Main Committee


Match/training fees collector

What is the role of the Treasurer?

The main purpose of this job is to look after the financesof the club.


The treasurer must be well organised, able to keeprecords, careful when handling money and cheques,scrupulously honest, able to answer questions inmeetings, confident handling figures, prepared to takeinstant decisions when necessary. Training courses areavailable through Effective Football Club AdministrationProgramme, ‘Club Finances’ and Sport England ‘Lookingafter the money’.


Approximately two to three hours per week.


Tasks will include:

• Collecting subscriptions and all money due to theorganisation.

• Paying the bills and recording information• Keeping up date records of all financial transactions.• Ensuring that all cash and cheques are promptly

deposited in the bank or building society.• Ensuring that funds are spent properly• Issuing receipts for all money received and recording

this information.• Reporting regularly to the committee on the financial

position.• Preparing a year end statement of accounts to present

to the Auditors• Arranging for the statement of accounts to be audited• Presenting an end of year financial report to the AGM.• Financial planning including producing an annual

budget and monitoring it throughout the year.• Helping to prepare and submit any statutory

documents that are required (e.g. VAT returns, PAYEand NI returns, grant aid reports).

Even if these duties are delegated to a professionalofficer, the Treasurer is still ultimately responsible. It is upto the Treasurer to make sure that any delegated work isdone properly.

Example 8: Youth OfficerRoles andResponsibilities

Football Club Roles and Responsibilities for Youth Officer


The Main Committee


Youth team coaches

What is the role of the Youth Officer?

The main purpose of the Youth Officer is to oversee thedevelopment of youth team coaches and teams.


As the Youth Teams Officer it is advisable for you to havean FA Coaching Certificate qualification, attended an FAChild Protection and Best Practice Workshop and havegood communcation skills. Training in club developmentis advisable. Training courses are available througheffective Football Club Administration Programme,‘Developing Youth Football’ and Sport England‘Developing a Junior Club’ and ‘Sports Link’.


Five to ten hours per week.


Tasks will include:

• Co-ordinate the recruitment of junior players.• Co-ordinate the recruitment of coaches/managers

for junior sessions and teams.• Assisting/delivering of youth sessions.• Organise fixtures for junior teams in liasion with

the youth manager• Liaise with schools to recruit junior players.• Liaise with Local Authority Sports Development

Unit/County Development Officer to recruit juniorplayers, recommend players to centres of excellence,county squads etc.

ClubInformationLeaflet

Club Information Leaflet

You told us:

“Lots of people turn up to watch thematches but they never seem towant to get involved in the club”

“Parents of the younger players arereally supportive. It’s a pity we can’tencourage them to get involvedwhilst they’re so enthusiastic”

The Football Workforce hasdesigned a ’Club Information Leaflet’that aims to tell potential volunteersabout the club, the jobs that need to be done, who to contact if theycan help and to encourage them to provide you with some contactdetails to follow up. People like tobe asked, it’s how most volunteersbecame involved!

Adapt the layout to create your ownClub information leaflet and use it to ‘break the ice’ with your potentialvolunteers.

Think about a range of differentjobs. People may only have an houror so each week to offer. Is theresome way in which they can help?

Sell the benefits of becominginvolved as a volunteer; makingfriends, helping the team to success,being part of a successful team,being valued, even for the smallestcontribution.

What other information do you thinkpotential volunteers might need?

How will you follow up an offer of help from a new or potentialvolunteer?

How will you record the informationreceived from new or potentialvolunteers?

A simple list of who is out there,when they can help, what they areinterested in doing and you haveyour volunteer database!

Where else could you distribute theleaflets; schools, colleges, the localvolunteer bureau?

If you can’t produce a leaflet, haveyou thought about making similarinformation available with postersplaced on your notice-board or even on your website?

“Volunteering is great, you get to know lots of peoplewith the same interests”

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Getting Off to a Good Start

Getting off to a Good Start

You told us:

“Because I’d been around at clublevel, everybody assumed that I knew what was involved at leaguelevel. It took me the whole of thefirst season to find out what I wassupposed to be doing and who to contact. I made a lot of mistakes that could have been avoided if only I’d had some guidance.”

“I was elected at the AGM,somebody dropped off a hugecardboard box full of papers thefollowing day and I spent the nextthree months trying to find out what it was all about!”

“The retiring League Secretary letme work alongside him for a fewmonths before I took over and afterthat, he was always at the end of the phone if I needed any advice.”

The Football Workforce hasproduced a checklist of ideas to helpyou to support volunteers to settleinto their new jobs. Investing time in the short term to help people to settle into their new jobs will pay dividends in the long term.

• They will feel more confident andwill enjoy the job

• The quality of work will be better

• They will be working smarter,not harder

• People who are handing overtheir job will feel confident thattheir good work will be continued

• A smooth hand-over minimisesdisruption for the club

• Job shadowing helps a club toplan for succession. Don’t leave it until the AGM to start lookingfor a successor!

Select ideas that suit the individual’scircumstances, the complexity of thejob and the time available.

Where to go for further help

Visit The FA website atwww.TheFA.com or contact yourCounty FA office/Volunteer Co-ordinator.

You may also be interested in theEffective Football ClubAdministration training anddevelopment programme.

For further details contact yourCounty FA.

“I wanted to put something back into the game, I really enjoy being involved”

Getting Off to a Good Start

Getting off to a Good Start Checklist

• Make sure each new volunteerhas a ‘buddy’, somebody they can ask if they are in doubt aboutanything to do with their new job- ideally, somebody who has donethat job before.

• Check that they have received a list of their roles andresponsibilities and that theyunderstand exactly what they are supposed to do.

• Introduce them to the people withwhom they will be working.

• Provide a list of names, addressesand telephone numbers of theirkey contacts, within and outsidethe club.

• Provide details of meetings orevents that they will need toattend in the first few months of their job.

• Provide details of key dates, for example; the closing date for league affiliations.

• Make sure they know where tofind the things they need to dothe job (and how to work them!)e.g. line marking equipment, firstaid kit, computer, paperwork,stationery.

• Do they have all the skills neededto do the job? Could somebodywithin the club help by ‘showingthem the ropes’? Or maybe theycould attend an Effective FootballClub Administration workshopand learn from people fromother clubs?

• Provide written details ofexpenses that may be claimed,and how to claim them.

• If appropriate to the job, provideinformation on club financialprocedures, confidentiality, andother operating policies such as child protection practices.

• Tell them how they are getting on - provide some feedback onprogress. People like to know howthey are getting on and to learnpositively from any mistakes theyhave been making.

• Committee chairpersons shouldtake time to get to know newcommittee members, briefingthem about committeeprocedures, terms of referenceand responsibilities.

“I’ve learned so muchsince I got involved with the Mini-Soccer programme”

Mid-SeasonTeam Talks

Mid-season Team Talks

You told us:

“We started off with a good team of helpers this season, but whenthings got really busy people feltoverloaded and disappeared, leavingeven fewer of us to cope.”

”I thought I had volunteered to helpout with the mini-football sessionson a Friday evening. I’ve ended up running the whole mini footballprogramme. It’s not really what I wanted to do.”

”Somebody asked me if I could helpout one evening setting outequipment and keeping an eye on the youngsters. I really enjoyed it, so now I go along every week. I’d like to get more involved, but I’m not sure how to go about it.”

Good team managers know that toget the best out of their team theyneed to provide:

• Motivation

• A clear focus on the goals

• Recognition of achievements and performance

• Training and support todevelop skills

• Team building activities

Your team of volunteers and helpersare no different.

Football Workforce offers someideas to help keep your teamperforming well as things settledown during the mid-season.

So you started off the season withyour team of Football Workforcevolunteers and helpers. How arethings going?

Take a few minutes to think aboutyour team. Ask yourself thesequestions and try to be objectivein your answers (nobody else islistening!)

The Team

• Is the team still up to fullstrength?

• If not, why have people optedout, overload, boredom, wrongjob, or personal reasons?

• Are they working well as a team?

• Is the work being shared out orare one or two people doing morethan their fair share?

• Are jobs being delegatedappropriately, or are one or twopeople ‘holding on’ to jobs?

• Are there any gaps in the team,perhaps some skills that aremissing?

• How would you describe theteam spirit? Are they a happyteam of people who enjoy whatthey are doing and workingtogether?

• What do they think of the way in which you lead the team?

• Are people in the right positions?

• Are you using their skills, time andenthusiasm in the best way?

“Is the team up to full strength?”

Mid-SeasonTeam Talks

Individuals

• How are they performing?

• Are they still doing the job thatthey are expected to do and thatyou want them to do – or has itgrown into something else?

• Are they enjoying theirinvolvement?

• Do they have the potential to takeon more or are they alreadyfeeling overloaded?

• Would some one-to-one supportor skill development help them to do even better?

And last but not least – yourself

• How are you doing as avolunteer manager?

• Are you enjoying your role?

• What do you think you aredoing well?

• What, if anything, would youwant to improve about the wayin which you carry out your role?

• List one or two action points thatwill make the job more enjoyable,or help you to do it even better?

Hopefully, things are going well andyour answers to these questions aremostly positive. You might be awareof one or two problem areas andmay have some ideas about how toaddress those problems.

Perhaps the team has some ideas on how things could be improved.Certainly the team needs to be madeaware of the things that are going well.

Time for aTeam Talk

Who?

Everybody who is involved as avolunteer or helper, even if they only help out occasionally.

When?

Maybe after a training session, a match or at a social eveningorganised as a mid-season ‘thank you’for all of your helpers. Informal chatswith small groups of volunteers orindividuals can be an effective way of finding out how people are gettingon, providing some feedback anddemonstrating an interest in their role.

What?

Remember that a team talk is a twoway process. The purpose of a teamtalk is to:

• Motivate

• Review performance

• Recognise achievement (andpossibly make some changes)

• Renew the team focus

• Identify any skill gaps and needfor support

• Build the team spirit

Ask questions, similar to those youasked yourself. Be prepared tolisten, people may have differentviews about how things are going.

Encourage people to put forwardtheir ideas, maybe a ‘FootballWorkforce ideas box’ would enablepeople to contribute theirconstructive ideas over two or threeweeks before the meeting.

Why not set up three FootballWorkforce meetings each year – one pre-season to set the teamgoing, one mid-season to reviewprogress and one at the end of theseason to review the year, say thankyou and plan for next year?

When things aren’t going According to Plan

You told us that many volunteers andhelpers give up because they are:

• Overloaded and ‘put upon’

• Not confident about the task theyhave been asked to do

• Fed up with doing the same thing

• Afraid that they will be committedfor life!

Football Workforce solutions thatmight work for you include:

Job Sharing

If a job is too onerous for oneperson, why not split it into two orthree smaller parts. It’s not as difficultas it may first appear. Use the rolesand responsibilities form to identify the

tasks that make up the job. You shouldfind that you can group these intotasks that need to be done at the club,away from the club, daily, weekly,monthly, or tasks that need specificskills. This will help to break the jobdown into smaller, more manageableparts and people will enjoy having a‘buddy’ to share the workload.

Support Systems

Help people to develop confidencein their current role or to prepare fora new role by providing:

• A ‘buddy’, somebody who hasdone the job before, who can helpthem settle into the job withoutfeeling out of their depth. A smoothhand-over from the person who did the job last year always helpspeople to get through the first fewweeks with more confidence.

• Some ‘on the job’ coaching

• Training opportunities whichcan include: Effective FootballAdministrator Workshops,Running Sport Workshops andbooklets, Job shadowing, talking to other people to see how theydo the job in their club or league.

• Football Association ClubDevelopment Manual andWorkshops

• Magazine articles

• E-learning and websites

Time for aTeam Talk

Planning for Succession

Try to find the balance between a high turnover of volunteers andhelpers and stagnation. Skill andexperience are invaluable qualitiesbut ‘waiting for dead men’s shoes’can be off-putting to potentialvolunteers.

People will be motivated by newchallenges and will be reassured that they are not taking on a life time commitment by volunteeringtheir help.

Volunteers are more likely to feelcomfortable about moving on to anew challenge if they know that theyare handing over their role tosomebody who will do a good job.

Plan ahead. Encourage volunteersand helpers to look out forsomebody who could take over fromthem. Offer them the chance to‘shadow’ the job for a while, to findout what’s involved and to see if it’sthe right role for them.

Good succession planning helps to ensure that the right people aredoing the right roles at theright time.

Where to find further information:

Football WorkforceThe Football Association25 Soho SquareLondonW1D 4FAwww.TheFA.com

or telephone the Football WorkforceHotline on: 020 7745 4777

or contact your County FA foradvice from:

Football Workforce Advisor County FA Secretary

“Use team talks to build team spirit”

Administrationcourses andsupportingresources

Effective Football ClubAdministration Programme

The following details outline anumber of courses and resources to help your Football Workforce to work smarter not harder.

The Effective Football ClubAdministration Programme is nowoffered by an increasing number ofCounty Football Associations whorun the following four workshops:

1. Running a Club – Club Secretaries

- Defines the roles and qualities of the Club Secretary. Describesways in which the Secretary canwork smarter not harder

- Outlines the club’s obligations to its League and County FA

- Describes the way in whichvolunteers can be recruitedand retained

Publications

- Running Sport – ‘Running a Club’,‘Getting things done’

2. Club Finances – Club Treasurers

- Describes the role ofClub Treasurer

- Identifies simple rules in lookingafter the money

- Financial requirements for Clubs

- Lists possible sources of funding

Publications

- Running Sport – ‘Raising Money’.‘Looking after the money’

- The Football Association –‘Funding Guide’

3. Developing Youth Football –Youth Team Co-ordinators

- Lists the benefits of introducingyoung people to the football club

- Identifies the factors thatcontribute to a quality youthsection/club

- Lists ways of obtaining help fromthe community to supportyouth football

- Guidance on Child Protectionissues for clubs

Publications

- Running Sport – ‘Developing aJunior Club’, ‘Sportslink’

4. Marketing and Sponsorship –Club Officials with responsibilities in these areas

- How to devise an outlinemarketing plan appropriate to theclub’s needs

- Ways of publicising thefootball club

- Production of a press release

- Funding and Fund-raisingopportunities

- Preparation of a sponsorshipproposal

Publications

- Running Sport – ‘Raising Money’

5. Charter Standard ClubDevelopment

- Principles of FootballDevelopment

- Charter Standard ClubDevelopment Pathway

- Principles of the Planning Process

- How to write a plan

6. Volunteer Management

- Bringing the FA FootballWorkforce Resource to life

- Recruitment and Retention

- Roles of Volunteers

- Rewarding Volunteers

7. Soccer Parent

- Ideas and Resources for workingparents

- Ensuring parents are aware of club policies

- Making parents aware of theirresponsibilities

For further details contact The FA,020 7745 4601 or contact yourCounty FA.

“Learning to work smarter not harder”


Sport England courses on‘Running Sport’

Marketing and Raising Funds

Introductory booklets

- ‘Raising money’, fund-raising,marketing and sponsorship.

Workshops

- Smart Marketing, Becoming better known to gain the rewards.

- Finding the funds, locatingresources all around you.

Developing your Club


- ‘Developing a junior club’,Planning for Sports.

- ‘Development’, the basics of sport development.

- ‘Laying the Foundations’, an introduction to starting a building project.

- ‘Sportslink’, how schools and clubs can work together.

Workshops

- ‘Sport Development Planning’,how to plan your club’s progress.

- ‘Building for the Future’, planningand managing a building project.

People Management


- ‘Getting things done’, an introduction to recruiting and training volunteers.

Workshops

- ‘Employment Matters’, recruitingand keeping your staff.

- ‘Leadership and delegation’,making the most of the peoplearound you.

- ‘Motivation and Team building’,giving people what they need to get moving.

- ‘Valuing Volunteers’, recruiting,retaining, recognising andrewarding volunteers.

Money Management


- ‘Looking after the money’, basic book-keeping systems.

- ‘Managing the risks’, insuranceguidelines for clubs.

Workshops

- ‘Balancing the books’, getting to grips with financial systems.

- ‘Managing the money’,budgeting.

Club Administration


- ‘Running a club’, the role of a club secretary.

- ‘Running Meetings’, the right‘chair’ for a sports club.

- ‘Getting it right’, ethics,disciplinary procedures andappeals.

- ‘Making a Match’, how toorganise teams and competitions

- Personal Development


- ‘Making your Point’, how to present your views.

Workshops

- ‘Active presentations’, help with preparing and presentinginformation to larger groups.

- ‘Time Management’, beating the clock in stress free ways.

- ‘Effective networking’, calling onothers to help improve your club.

- ‘Personal Effectiveness’, becominga solid all-rounder for your club.

For more information about thesecourses, and for local contacts callthe Running Sport Hotline08457 583 136


Saying Thank You

Why?

It doesn’t take long or cost a lot, but it can mean so much.

How?

• A straightforward face to facethank you

• Make a phone call, perhaps theday after the tournament, to thankindividuals for their hard work

• Or send a card. Make it specific,for example, ‘thank you for all your help with refreshments.’ This demonstrates that you reallynoticed and valued what theywere doing.

When?

Overdoing the thanks may devalueyour intentions or make them appearinsincere. A simple thank you to the team at the end of an eveningtraining session is fine. Use thecards or phone calls to recognisespecial effort.

Who should say thank you?

Chair, Vice Chair, Event Organiser,the players, maybe the FootballWorkforce Advisor, it doesn’t matter who does it as long assomebody does!

Players’ appreciation

It’s easy to forget that all of the hardwork that goes on is to enablepeople to play football. Players,most of all, should recognise theimportance of valuing and recognisingall the voluntary work that goes onbehind the scenes.

Put together a player’s appreciationpack for youth teams. Make it easyfor them to say thank you, until itbecomes a habit. Help youngplayers to establish good habits,they are the volunteers of the future.

A player’s appreciation pack mightinclude:

• Some thank you cards

• A Team Helper of the Monthaward. The team can determinewhich volunteer or helper theywish to receive the award eachmonth through the season.

• A list of all the people who workbehind the scenes at the cluband their roles, so that they canappreciate and value the off-the-field team.

• A reminder about the FootballAssociation’s Code of Conduct,which promotes fair play and arespect for everybody involvedin the game

• Nomination forms for annualawards for volunteers and helpers

Make each Team Captainresponsible for co-ordinating the useof the pack with their team.

“It’s easy to forget that the hardwork enables people to playfootball”

Recognitionand reward

End of Season Recognition andReward

Bringing the season to a close –review and preview

You told us…

“I enjoy my work for the club. I get a lot out of it. But, it would be niceif, just once in a while, somebodysaid thank you.”

“The kids turn up to play, make a mess and go away again. I wonder if they realise just how much workgoes into arranging their trainingsessions and matches?”

“There are people in our club whodo very little, but they’re hanging on in there until they get their longservice award. On the other hand,there’s a young Mum who has onlyjust got involved and she’s done somuch to help already. She’s the onewho deserves the award!”

On or off the field, as the end of the season approaches, you can lookback over the year, celebrate thesuccesses, analyse the things thatdidn’t go quite so well and thinkhow it’s going to be even betternext year!

Recognising and rewarding the hardwork and enthusiasm of the team ofvolunteers and helpers is somethingthat should go on throughout theseason, perhaps by:

• Somebody taking the trouble tosay ‘thank you’ at the end of thetraining session

• Team talks that recogniseachievement and hard work

• Raising the profile of volunteersand helpers throughout the cluband in the local community

And at the end of the season,maybe something a bit special?

• An award evening

• A social event just for volunteersand helpers to say thank you

• An end of season team talk, tobegin planning for next season

Football Workforce offers somesuggestions that will make yourvolunteers and helpers feel valuedand that will build their recognitionand reward into your seasonplanner.

“It would be nice if, just once in awhile, somebody said thankyou”

The Endof SeasonTeam Talk

The End of Season Team Talk

Why?

To celebrate success, review andevaluate the year and begin to planfor next year.

Who?

Everybody who is involved as avolunteer or helper, even if theyonly help out occasionally.

Where?

• At a special social event forvolunteers and helpers

• At an awards evening

• At an informal gathering

When?

At the end of the season, but beforeeverybody disperses for the summer.Remember that you want to gaintheir commitment to being part ofyour team again next season.

How?

• Think back to your mid-seasonteam talk

• What worked well?

• Was it more successful to talk to people in small groups, on aone-to-one basis, or in a largermeeting?

• Were the questions you askedeffective in finding out how thingswere going?

• How effective were you inresolving problems?

• How are you going to motivatepeople to come back next season?

However you decide to manage theend of season team talk, aim toproduce an action plan that will helpyou and the team to build on yoursuccesses. Revisit the FootballWorkforce Season Planner tohelp you.

Special note-Insurance

The FA advises that all members of the Football Workforce shouldensure their legal liability is properlyinsured. If the club purchases liabilitycover on behalf of all its participants,committee members etc., wesuggest that the policy should alsoinclude indemnity to volunteers inthe club.

“Volunteering is great, you get toknow lots of people with the sameinterests”

Raising theprofile ofvolunteers

Raising the Profile of volunteerswithin the Club and the LocalCommunity

Football Workforce offers someideas to help you make the invisibleteam a little more visible not onlywithin the club, but within thelocal community.

Just occasionally, think about addingsome special interest stories aboutthe off-the-field team in your newsreport to the local paper.

Look at the following examples, theymay help you with some ideas foryour own press release or an articlefor your newsletter.

Success at new Town is a family affair

The New Town Colts continuedtheir best ever season last weekendwith a 4-3 win at home against theirold rivals, Old Town. Player of thematch this week was Mark Jones,who has played for the Colts for thepast three years. His on-the-fieldtalents are matched by the work hedoes behind the scenes to supportthe club.

Mark is working towards hisCommunity Sport Leader Award at New Town High School where he is a pupil. He puts his leadershiptraining into practise by helping outat the Club’s mini soccer trainingsessions and is an excellent rolemodel to the younger players. Infact, it’s a Jones family affair. Dad,Martin has been a volunteer at theClub since he hung up his bootssome eight years ago. There’s hardlya job in the club that Martin hasn’ttaken on, giving endless hours tomake sure that the teams can runout on a Saturday to enjoy theirfootball. Mum, Jean is always thereto lend a helping hand at thoseessential fund-raising and socialevents.

So as the team runs out nextSaturday morning at Mid Town,hoping to maintain their unbeatenrecord through another match, theJones family will be there supportingon and off the pitch.


Raising the profile of volunteerswithin the Club and the LocalCommunity

Use your club newsletter topublicise all the work that goes on behind the scenes. Feature twoor three people in each newsletter,perhaps in an interview style, askingthem about their role, how theybecame involved, and the thingsthey enjoy about helping out at theclub, for example:

Volunteers in View

Introducing the October FootballWorkforce

Volunteer of the Month,Shereen Bashir

Shereen, you’ve never actuallyplayed football, so what got youinvolved as a volunteer with the girls club programme?

“Well, my daughters came homefrom school really excited about a new after-school football sessionjust for girls. I wasn’t sure that thiswas the right thing for them to bedoing – girls and football – so I wentalong to the first couple of sessionsto watch, just to check it out. Theorganiser asked me if I would mindhelping out with registration andcollecting subs and before I knew it,I was involved!

From after school sessions, the girlsgot involved with the club’s newgirls programme and once again Icame along to check it out and onceagain I got involved.”

What do you do, and how muchtime do you give each week?

“The coach said that there shouldalways be more than one adult atthe sessions, so I started out just‘being there’. Then one day sheasked me to look after one group of players whilst she coachedanother group. I was terrified! 16girls running in all directions at highspeed with as many footballs and I was supposed to be in control!”

The experience didn’t put you off?

“No, it spurred me on and now I’vecompleted my Junior Team ManagersCourse! I’m much more confidentand I feel that I can be a real help tothe coach and to the girls.

I just come to the sessions that mygirls are involved in, which meansthat we’re here as a family for threesessions each week. I really don’thave any other time to give. I’ll behere as long as my girls are involvedbut I can’t make any commitmentsbeyond that.”

Any tips for other Mums (or Dads)who would like to get involved?

“Yes, don’t worry if you don’t knowanything about football, there are allsorts of jobs that need doing, somethat only take an hour a week –others that need a it more time.We’re a very friendly group andwe’ll make you welcome.”

Thanks Shereen and congratulationson being awarded the FootballWorkforce Volunteer of the Month.

“…don’t worry if you don’t knowanything about football, there areall sorts of jobs that need doing…”


Raising the profile of volunteerswithin the Club and the LocalCommunity

Next time the photographer arrivesto take a team photograph, makesure that the volunteers and helpersteam is in the picture! They mighteven like some T-shirts or baseballcaps to give them a sense of identity.

If your players award their TeamHelper of the Month Award, makesure a photograph of the winnerappears on the notice board.

Football Workforce Awards don’tneed to stop at club level. Why notnominate your successful FootballWorkforce team members for aCounty Award? The County Awardslink into national award programmesrun by the Football Association andother national sport organisations,your Football Workforce teammembers club may even hit thenational headlines!

For further information about theFA County Awards programme andother volunteer recognition andreward programmes contact:

A. The Football Workforce Advisorat your County FA office (forparticipating County associations)

B. Football Workforce The Football Association25 Soho SquareLondonW1D 4FA

www.TheFA.com

C. VIP ProgrammeSport England16 Upper Woburn PlaceLondonWC1H 0QP

Or telephone on: 0800 363 373

www.englishsport.gov.uk


Rewarding Achievements

There will be some volunteers andhelpers who deserve a special award.

It may be because:

• They never let you down, theywere always there, even thoughtheir role might not be seen ashigh profile

• They took on a new role and madegreat efforts to develop the skillsto do it well.

• They are an example of goodpractise that the club wishes topromote, for example, a youngperson who has taken on avoluntary role.

Try to think of a prize or gift that is appropriate to the individual, for example, a youngster might not appreciate a meal for two at a local restaurant, but the Mum who has manned the refreshmentsstand every Saturday throughout the season would welcome beingwaited on!

A youngster might appreciate somesports kit, or tickets for a premierleague game.

Maybe the Club has a trophydesignated for the off-the-field teammembers, which can be awardedannually.

Make a special occasion ofpresenting awards, perhaps anawards evening, or at the AnnualGeneral Meeting.

Schools are usually pleased to hearabout their pupils’ out of schoolachievements. It may be possible to arrange to present your YoungVolunteer of the Year with their prize at a school assembly.

Think of other good examples ofvoluntary help that you might wantto reward.

Club Certificate

• Using the criteria suggested in thissection clubs may wish to use theclub certificate provided by theFootball Workforce programme to help recognise the efforts ofvolunteers and helpers. Certificatesare available free of charge fromthe County Football Associationvolunteer advisor. All clubs/organisations, which are part of our Football Workforce database,will be invited to request free club certificates to reward theirvolunteers

County Awards

• The County Football Associationwould also like to recognise theefforts which volunteers andhelpers make during the year.Clubs and organisations are invitedto nominate individual(s) who theyfeel have made a significantcontribution to any aspect of theiractivities over the season. Lettersand forms will be distributed to all clubs in the Football WorkforceProgramme. Clubs then reply totheir County Football Association.

National Commendation

• The Football Association will be looking to recognise thecontributions of volunteers andhelpers by making five nationalcommendations from thosegaining County Awards. Thosereceiving National commendationswill be invited to a suitableoccasion to mark the contributionthey have made.

“I wanted to put something backinto the game, I really enjoy beinginvolved”

The FA Football

Developm

ent Programm

eFootball W

orkforce

The Football Association25 Soho Square London W1D 4FA

Telephone +44 (0)20 7745 4545 Facsimile +44 (0)20 7745 4546

[email protected]

the fa football development programme football workforce

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