Some of the key aspects of setting up a club:
Pitches & Training Facilities
One of the first tasks when setting up a new club is to identify suitable facilities for playing and training. This may seem a fairly obvious starting point but a lot of potential new clubs come unstuck when they work hard to have everything else in place only to discover there are no available facilities.
A good place to begin your search is on the internet. The links below take you to the REFF and Sport England facility search engines which will help you to identify what is in your local area:
Register of English Football Facilities (REFF)
Active Places (Sport England)
Other options are to apply to your Local Authority, other local teams, Parish Council or owners of private grounds to hire a pitch. Please note hire charges will vary.
Finding a League
There are a number of leagues in and around the county offering a variety of playing opportunities. A list of Oxfordshire FA affiliated leagues and contacts are listed here.
Identifying where you would like to play at the start will give you a clearer idea of what you will need to put in place to be accepted into your chosen competition as each league has it's own rules and requirements.
In the male game there is a choice of competitions for which entry will depend on the age of your players and whether you want to play on a Saturday or Sunday
In the female game new girls teams, U10 - U16, wanting to play in Oxfordshire should join the Oxford Mail Girl's League. New Women's clubs are required to begin at the bottom of the Women's Football Pyramid and join the Thames Valley Counties Women's Football League.
In disability football The Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Inclusive (BOBi) League offers competitions at U16, Ladies and Mens levels.
Constitution – appointment of club officials
Clubs must appoint roles of Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary to carry out key duties.
Finance – income and expenditure to run the club
As a new club it will be important to raise funds to run the club and initially these will probably be from player memberships and subscriptions. It is also advisable to produce a list of costs to run your team which will help you create a budget of income and expenditure for the season.
Players – registration, eligibility, discipline, child protection & coaching
Clubs must understand the rules of each competition that they enter. All discipline at grass roots is administered by the County Football Association and the Secretary of the club is responsible to ensure that all players are eligible to play. If clubs have any doubts about eligibilities, for example suspensions, they should contact us for details.
For youth teams, it is important to be aware of child protection safeguards and advice is available from our Child Protection Officer.
Insurance – Public Liability, Personal Injury and other policies
Clubs are to have adequate insurance cover for their players in case of injury or accident whilst playing or travelling to matches. Oxfordshire FA has an arrangement with Linaker Insurance brokers, please contact us for details.
Affiliation – County Associations & Leagues
A Club will need to affiliate to a County Football Association and the appropriate league it wishes to join. Clubs are recommended to seek advice on suitable league membership from our County Headquarters.
Fixtures – League & Cup Competitions
Fixtures are administered by the appropriate competition which advises clubs of forthcoming matches. If it is a home match, the club secretary must arrange hire of a pitch, notify opponents and match officials of Kick-Off time and location of venue. For away games, arrange to inform your own team of venue, Kick-Off time and arrange for transport of players. All County Football Associations run cup competitions which give an opportunity for teams to play against clubs from different leagues or divisions.
Kit & Equipment
Purchase suitable equipment prior to the start of your fixtures and ensure you have sufficient equipment for all teams in your club. The necessary equipment will include, playing strip, first aid kit, nets and balls.
Results / Public Relations / Press
Ensure you pass on results of your matches to comply with competition regulations. All Clubs are recommended to establish good relationships with the local press to publish results, match reports and possibly just interesting stories about their club. Good PR will help raise the profile of the club; bring in new players and may even attract some sponsorship.