TO HELP PROVIDE SOME CLARIFICATION AROUND COVID-19’S IMPACT ON GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL, STAFFORDSHIRE FA HAS PRODUCED THE FOLLOWING QUESTION AND ANSWER SHEET

The Football Association - Guidance On Permitted Grassroots Football Activity During Covid-19  
The FA has today (01.06.2020) issued guidance to all grassroots football and informal football activity outside of the professional game.

To read this guidance in full, please visit http://www.staffordshirefa.com/news/2020/jun/01/updated-guidance-on-permitted-grassroots-football-activity-during-covid-19-1-june-2020

Can We Still Charge Club Subscriptions Whilst All Football Is Postponed?

This is a club decision. We would advise that you consult with players, parents and guardians on reaching a decision. Clubs who own / lease facilities will still have bills to pay and this should be explained. However, clubs should be mindful of people who are currently out of work as result of COVID-19 or have had their working hours reduced and may struggle to make payments. 

Could you offer payment holidays for those in need? Can you allow subscriptions to be paid in instalments? Would people be prepared to pay an advance on their subs to help the club out in the short-term if they are able to? 

The FA’s Legal Partner, Muckle LLP, has produced some guidance for Charter Standard Clubs to help them handle the impact of Covid-19. This can be viewed HERE

Additional club support is available from Support Staffordshire, who have a suit of resources available in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Support Staffordshire are also able to support clubs with a variety of resources.

Is There Any Funding For Clubs During This Time?

Sport England have announced a Community Emergency Fund to support grassroots sports clubs. Organisations are able to apply for grants of between £300 and £10,000, to support with ongoing costs around items such as maintenance and utility bills. Further information can be found in this link to the Sport England website.

The Football Foundation have also release their Pitch Preparation Fund to help provide support to clubs to help cover the costs for pitch preparations for the new season. Grants of upto £5,000 for eligible clubs can be applied for between now and 25th May 2020. Further details can be found here: https://footballfoundation.org.uk/grant/pitch-preparation-fund

If you require any additional support with funding applications, please email kevin.staples@staffordshirefa.com for guidance as required.

Is My League Going To Finish? What About Cup Finals?

On Thursday 26 March, The FA decided that all grassroots football is concluded for the 2019/20 season. This will allow the game to move forward and to commence planning for next season. County Football Associations will be supporting grassroots leagues over the coming days to determine how they should close out their current competitions. Where appropriate, the above decisions will be put to The FA Council for ratification.

You can read this statement in full HERE

What Happens With My Club's Charter Standard Annual Health Check?

The Charter Standard Annual Health Check deadline has been extended to the 30 April. County FAs have been encouraged to take into consideration the current situation, when assessing the Annual Health Check regarding any incomplete action plan points. Team Officials having a DBS in order to approve the Annual Health Check, has been removed as essential criteria for the short term. Should you have any further questions regarding this please email support@staffordshirefa.com 

Can I Still Have My FA DBS Verified?

The FA is implementing temporary changes to DBS checks in football for the period that football is suspended due to coronavirus, up to and including the start of the 2020-2021 season. These changes are outlined below and will apply to all roles in football.
 
http://www.staffordshirefa.com/news/2020/apr/03/temporary-changes-to-dbs-checks-in-football

If A Coach’s DBS Expires During This Time Can They Continue Coaching After The Season Restarts?

All individuals whose DBS checks are due to expire between 1 March 2020 and 1 October 2020 will not be required to renew their DBS checks until 1 year after the scheduled date of expiry.  The FA currently requires DBS checks to be renewed every 3 years in accordance with industry standards and best practice. However, this has been extended to 4 years, in these limited circumstances, on the basis of the current health crisis and associated difficulties in DBS check renewal and the fact that these individuals already hold a DBS check which has been accepted by The FA.  

I’m a Referee, what will I need to have to help me register with the Staffordshire FA for the new season?

Following updated guidance from the FA, some temporary changes to the Referee registration process will be implement to help you return to refereeing when football restarts.

What this means in practice for Referees registering is as follows:

1. An in-date DBS check is still required to register and officiate in youth football
2. Where a DBS certificate was / is due to expire between 1 March 2020 - 1 October 2020, The FA is extending the date by which the DBS certificate must be renewed by 12 months.
3. Referees under the age of 18 years will need a linked parent account
4. All referees' safeguarding training certificate will need to be in-date for the start of the following season - 2021-22.

If you have any questions, please email support@staffordshirefa.com 

You can find your DBS and Safeguarding expiry dates within the ‘My Account > Safeguarding’ section of the Whole Game System.

The FA and the Staffordshire FA will be in touch with more information on the 2020/21 season, as and when more is known.

When Will Coach Education Courses Resume? 

Staffordshire FA will continue to follow FA and Government advice with regards to the delivery of our activity over the current time, including the delivery of coach and referee education courses.

The situation is under constant review however at this stage, all courses due to be held or started upto the end of July 2020 have been postponed. We will contact all learners who are due to attend a course with us during this time. Courses from 1st August 2020 have been earmarked to continue however a further update will be provided in the coming weeks. 

For further information on our coach education courses and to register your interest for future courses, please email support@staffordshirefa.com

Can I Still Maintain My Football Pitches At This Time?

The Grounds Management Association (GMA) have been working closely with various National Governing Bodies, including the Football Association, to offer advice and guidance on what works may be possible to be carried out throughout this period, and, what works may be required once sport resumes. These ‘interim works’ documents cover a range of sports played on natural turf and will be updated as and when the climate or current situation dictates. Please follow this link to the GMA website: https://www.thegma.org.uk/guidance-interim-works-your-sports-turf

The GMA interim works document for Football can be found here: https://thegma.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/interim_works_-_fit_for_play_football_13_05_2020.pdf