If you’ve ever thought of starting your own soccer team or forming your own club, try following our 10-step guide to getting it off the ground.
You can tick off each of the 10 steps on our checklist.
01 DO IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
The number one reason for setting up a new a new team is to
give playing opportunities to children who otherwise would not play – it is the
best reason and the easiest to justify. A lot of new teams are set up to cater
for additional age ranges within existing clubs where guidance and help may
already be available. However, some coaches start their own teams because they
can’t find a club run by someone who has the right philosophy, or because they
fear their own child will become one of the players who sit on the bench every
week. If you’re thinking of starting a new team, make sure it’s for the right
reasons: so that children can enjoy playing football and develop both as
footballers and as people.
02 MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE TIME
If you’re going to start a new club or team and if you
intend to coach or manage it yourself, you will need to appreciate the time
commitment that will be required. Too often someone will take on the
responsibilities for running a team without understanding the significant
amount of administration involved behind the scenes. Also, the coach of the
team will have to commit to running two practices a week and clear a three-hour
chunk of time for a game on every Saturday or Sunday. It’s hard enough to start
a new team without trying to do all the jobs yourself.
03 FIND A PITCH TO PLAY ON
Once you’ve decided to start your own team, you need to find
somewhere to play. It’s rare to come across recreational facilities that aren’t
already being used for either matches or training at the peak times such as
weekends and in the evenings. Conduct an inventory of all the possible places
in your area that you could use to play and also check with you local council
about hiring pitches. Ask at other clubs in the area too and at local schools
(both private and state-run). Pitch hire costs and terms vary widely, so take
note of these when making your decision.
04 GET AFFILIATED
Find out which of the leagues in your area you could become affiliated to. Contact them and find out how to become a member and enter a team. You will need to fill in forms about the club and appear at a meeting of the league’s board of directors to gain approval. You have a list of things you need to show them, like insurance, a code of conduct and a list of club officials. Affiliation acts as a quality assurance and a safety net to help protect players, clubs, officials and administrators.
05 BE AWARE OF THE COSTS
To run a team you will need to set up a fund that each
parent pays into in order to cover the costs of their child. This would include
registration fees, referees’ fees, a full kit for each player, the costs of
training and match day facilities, and possible fines for when you’re up and
running. A treasurer will need to set up a bank account so you have somewhere
to keep the money. Work out all your costs in advance and establish the budget
needed to run the team. That will help you to work out the amount of the
subscription fee you will need to charge per player to run the club. With
little money to start with, you may be able to secure sponsorship for the team
from a local business putting its name on the team shirts.
06 APPOINT CLUB OFFICIALS
You need to appoint club officials to look after certain
areas – don’t try and do it all yourself, ask for volunteers. You will find
parents are keen to help. The main positions are: chairman, treasurer, manager,
coaches, secretary, child protection officer, and first aid officer. Some
positions require going on courses to learn about the role. Anyone performing a
role that involves a direct working relationship with children must face a
Criminal Records Bureau check (or equivalent), to make sure the person is
suitable to work with children.
07 RECRUIT ENOUGH PLAYERS
For successful player development at a club you will need to
have enough players in the age group so that holidays, sickness and injury can
all be covered by the size of the squad. A great way to recruit is to run
trials where people can turn up and you get to see what type of a player they
are (it also let’s you see what type of a person they are too). Talk to the
sports editor of your local paper to try and get him to publicise the trials.
Use social media like Facebook and Twitter and send out letters to local
schools to get yourself a good number of players to turn up.
08 PICK A COACH
If you’re not coaching your new team yourself, make sure you
select the coach carefully. Write out a list of qualities you want from the
coach and get them to sign an agreement that they will follow your blueprint
for the team. Remember, the reason you are probably starting your own team is
because the set-up was wrong at your previous club. If you left your old club
because the coach wasn’t giving the squad members equal playing time, then it
would be stupid to appoint someone who was going to do the same thing. The
coach needs to work out a syllabus that covers all aspects of attacking and
defensive play.
09 SIGN UP YOUR PLAYERS
The work of the club secretary begins immediately, with all
players having to be registered before they can play for a new club. Make sure
parents know about player registration dates and deadlines, so no one misses
out. Also, remind parents that players usually have to bring birth certificates
and two passport-sized photos in order to get player cards from the league. The
club secretary must also make sure that all managers and coaches have been
checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (or equivalent).
10 BE INSURED
Make sure you have all the insurance that you need to be certain that your players are cared for and your team is covered. Most leagues now require that clubs purchase liability insurance, and accident and medical insurance covering players, managers, coaches, scorekeepers and volunteer officials.
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