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YEL Update – 19th September 2025
This Update has SIX important messages this week, which we would ask you to please read.

  • October half term games – 18th/19th & 25th/26th Oct and/or 1st/2nd Nov
  • Play safe weekend 2025 – 27/28 September
  • Match returns – (45 teams failed to complete on the second weekend)
  • Recruiting – YEL Respect Field Officers (RFOs)
  • Dear England offer to YEL member clubs – 20% off normal ticket prices
  • Team sheets and Player ID checks

October half term games – 18th/19th & 25th/26th Oct and/or 1st/2nd Nov
The league does not normally set games during half term. (There are a handful of rearranged league games) If your team is available and you want a game 18th/19th & 25th/26th Oct and/or 1st/2nd Nov, we are happy to arrange a fixture. All you need to do is add your availability to Scoreline. DO NOT EMAIL THE OFFICE. Updating Scoreline is the ONLY way to advise us that you are available. MUST BE UPDATED NO LATER THAN 5PM MONDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER. Any issues with accessing Scoreline, contact the YEL Office for assistance – office@yelonline.com

Process:

  1. Check availability with your players first. We need to know if you are/are not available – needs to be completed by all teams.
  2. Log into Scoreline – https://portal.yelscoreline.com/ (do not google – only use this link)
  3. Click ‘Availability’ in the left hand menu
  4. Once the calendar has opened, click the date (your playing day Sat/Sun)
  5. Click the blue wording at the top of the date box
  6. When page opens, click the drop down box and select ‘available’ or ‘not available’
  7. Click ‘Save’
  8. Repeat for all three weekends.

Play Safe Weekend 2025 – 27/28 September
Quick reminder that the annual FA Play Safe weekend is coming up next weekend. The YEL fully supports this initiative and we encourage all member clubs to get involved. All clubs should have received an information pack from The FA. Just in case you haven’t, here is a link to England Football with full details.

Make football a fun, safe and enjoyable experience for everyone – players, coaches, referees and spectators.

https://www.englandfootball.com/playsafe

Match Returns (45 teams failed to complete on the second weekend)
Significant improvement on the second weekend of fixtures – Thank you. Only 45 teams failed to complete a match return on the second weekend. Again, this weekend has been treated as a warning and no fines have been raised. If your team is on the list sent out by the office, please ensure you don’t appear again and follow the instructions below.

All YEL organised games – friendlies, league and cup games, must have a match return completed by each team. If you are unsure how to complete them, read the step by step ‘Basic guide to running a YEL Team’ – Useful information for coaches on YELonline.com

https://yelonline.com/managers-and-coaches-useful-information/

DO make sure you complete the match return by logging into Full-Time

DO make sure you complete all sections

DO make sure you ONLY list the players who started in the ‘started’ section; list the players who started as subs and came on in the ‘subs used section’ (There should be no entries in the ‘subs unused’ section as all children who attend games should play at some stage)

DO ensure the return is completed within 24 hours of the advertised kick off time (League Regulation 3C)

DO NOT use MatchDay app to complete your match return. Its poor reliability is well known and has been widely advertised by the YEL. We’ll not accept this as a valid reason for an incomplete match return

Recruiting – YEL Respect Field Officers (RFOs)
Want to help make a difference at grassroots football? We are looking to recruit additional YEL Respect Field Officers (RFOs) to join our current army of undercover RFOs. RFOs fulfil a valuable, behind the scenes role in the league. This hidden army of volunteers are the league’s eyes and ears at YEL games. Most of the time they are undercover and teams do not know they have been present at their game. They do not get involved in any incidents. They are there to simply observe behaviour of players, spectators and managers and report back to the league. RFOs are assigned to YEL games by the league. They are paid expenses of £10 per report completed. RFOs are independent observers and should not be associated with any participants in a game inc referees. They can report on other games either before or after the game they are involved in provided they have no connection to any of the participants. We are looking for anyone over the age of 18 – mums, dads, grans, grandads, carers, referees – anyone who can be objective and blend in. Interested in becoming an RFO? Email safeguarding@yelonline.com for further details and an application form.

Dear England offer to YEL member clubs – 20% off normal ticket prices
Football and non-football fans alike will be brought to their feet in this joyous, five-star ‘new stage epic’ (Telegraph). From multi award-winning writer James Graham (Sherwood, BBC) and director Rupert Goold (Patriots, Cold War), Dear England tells the uplifting, at times heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring story of Gareth Southgate’s revolutionary tenure as England manager.

https://wfly.co/p6WAw

From Tuesday 23rd – Saturday 27th September, the Theatre Royal is hosting Dear England. To celebrate, the Theatre Royal is offering YEL member clubs, 20% off normal ticket prices. Click the link below to get the offer

https://wfly.co/p6WAw

Team sheets & Player ID checks
U7-U14 teams – Player ID sheets  – By now, ALL teams should have downloaded their A4 player ID sheets. If you haven’t or are struggling, either contact your secretary for assistance or follow the instructions below.

U9-U14 teams – Team sheets – If there is an officially appointed YEL Referee, all teams should provide them with a team sheet listing all of the starting players along with the subs, prior to the start of the game. Team sheets can be downloaded from YELonline.com under the ‘Useful information for managers/coaches’ section.

Our referees are required to complete reports on every YEL game they officiate so we will know if teams have failed to do ID checks/provide team sheets. This is a League Rule/Regulation, voted in at the AGM.

Downloading ID sheets

https://grassrootstechnology.thefa.com/support/solutions/articles/48001146406-download-a-squad-list

Team sheet download

https://yelonline.com/managers-and-coaches-useful-information/

EXPLANATION OF HOW AN ID CHECK IS DONE – At the game, you should have your printed ID sheet of players/photos downloaded from Whole Game System. Before the match, go to your opposition manager and exchange sheets. Call in the players from both teams. Call out the names of the opposition players on the sheet in front of you whilst the opposition manger does the same for your players. Exchange sheets back. If any players are not on the list THEY CANNOT PLAY as the are not league registered. This applies to YEL organised friendlies, league matches and cup games. Any issues, call the YEL Hotline – number at the bottom of the Update

YEL Game day hotline

Anyone that has a query relating to their game on the day of the game only on either Sat/Sun can contact a league representative for advice between 9am and 12.30pm. Only match day queries will be dealt with – nothing else

Contacting the YEL

If you email the YEL OFFICE – office@yelonline.com – please ensure you state the team name, age group and playing day so we can quickly deal with the enquiry
Rob Harwood CEO
YEL OFFICE

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