Volunteer Roles with Oxfordshire FA

Volunteering Roles

Football in Oxfordshire wouldn't exist without the thousands of volunteers who give up their time each and every week to support the grassroots game.

A football club or league is about more than just the players on the pitch. There are lots of different roles required to run a football club, from physical roles such as coach, to behind the scenes roles such as secretary.

Below are some of the roles that you can get involved in and a brief explanation of them.

volunteer roles

The role of a chairperson is to oversee the running of the club/league and ensure that it is run efficiently and managed appropriately. They will lead club/league meetings and provide leadership in all areas

This person will Chair the committee meetings and AGM, assist the Secretary to produce the agendas and lead the Committee in making decisions for the benefit of the whole club including disciplinary matters.

Main responsibilities:

  • Chair committee meetings/AGM
  • Agree monthly agenda for committee meetings and the AGM
  • Lead on decision making that will be for the benefit of the club/league

The Secretary is one of the most important roles in a club or league. The main point of contact for Oxfordshire FA, team managers and clubs/leagues, the Secretary will look after the administrative duties for the club/league.

Main responsibilities

  • Applying for membership to the County FA and league(s) 
  • Registering players to the league(s)
  • Organising the club or league AGM and other club/league meetings

The treasurers role will be to ensure that the club/league stays financially sustainable, pay all expenses, and collect any monies owed to the club/league. The main purpose of this job is to look after the finances of the club.

Main responsibilities:

  • Collecting subscriptions and all money due to the organisation
  • Carry out the banking functions, including being signatory with at least one other officer
  • Paying the bills and recording information
  • Keeping up-to-date records of all financial transactions
  • Ensuring that funds are spent properly
  • Reporting regularly to the Committee on the financial position and presenting a year-end financial report to the AGM

The importance of this role cannot be underestimated. This person is not just the first point of contact for any safeguarding issues at the club or league, but should influence a safe, fun and inclusive environment across the game.

Main responsibilities:

  • Liaising with the County FA Designated Safeguarding Officer, the League Welfare Officer, other clubs Welfare Officers and at times, external organisations that may include the police, NSPCC or social services
  • Ensure relevant policies are in place and followed
  • Work with committee members, team managers/coaches and of course parents.
  • Ensure the responsibilities of the role are diligently undertaking, including reporting concerns about safeguarding issues
  • Monitor for patterns of poor practice and create action plans to address these
  • Ensuring everyone who needs an FA DBS check does one and keeps it in date
  • Ensuring officials complete The FA Safeguarding Children Workshop
  • Ensure there is a thorough OFA Safeguarding Risk Assessment in place for all club run events such as Summer Tournaments

It is important to note that this role requires additional training. They need to complete the following courses on England Football Learning:

This individual will need both of these and an FA-approved DBS check in place on their record before the system will allow the club to become a member. Please note that due to the various parties who supply information towards a DBS record, then it can take six weeks (sometimes longer) to get it through and on their records.

All teams will require a manager to organise the team for fixtures, lead the team on matchdays, and organise training. In a lot of cases this will also include coaching the team as well to develop their ability.

In youth football, all managers/coaches need an FA approved DBS check in place on their record before they can start coaching with the team. 

Managers/Coaches who are part of England Football Accredited clubs are also required to:

The fixtures secretary will be in charge of organising pitches for home games, and ensuring that the club’s teams can play all of their games.

Specific League Roles

Player Registration Secretary

The league player registration secretary will sign on all of the players for teams in the league to ensure that players are able to play. Depending on the size of some leagues, there may be multiple volunteers doing this job with a few age groups each.

Fixtures Secretary

The league fixtures secretary organises fixtures for the teams in the league. In some leagues there may be multiple fixture secretaries to cover certain age groups depending on the size of the league.

The FA Respect

respect

The FA's Respect programme provides a series of tools for leagues, clubs, coaches, players and parents from grassroots to elite football - to help ensure a safe, positive environment in which to play the game.

faqs

If you’re new to volunteering, many other people within your club or league will be on hand to support you and help you out. Additionally, if you need further support, Oxfordshire FA are on hand to help.
Some roles can be carried out with as little as an hour a week, so there’s definitely a role out there for you!
The only roles where there is a requirement for qualifications are where there is constant contact with youth players (Under 18 and below), such as coach, manager, physio and welfare officer.
There are many benefits to volunteering such as gaining experience in a certain area, personal development, networking, giving back to your local community, gaining a qualification, and much more!

Volunteers can be as young as 12 when young leaders can complete the Junior Football Leaders course - and we also recommend the FA Playmaker course, which is available to people aged 14 and over. Please click here for more information.

Get In Touch

By Phone: 01993 778586

By Email:
Support@OxfordshireFA.com