This Update has SIX messages this week which we would ask you to please read and understand.
Abuse, YOU lose – That’s guaranteed!
Recruiting – YEL Respect Field Officers
YEL Advance is back!
Match Returns UPDATE
ID cards & Team sheets are back
Game Day hotline – new number for this season – 07510 305354
Abuse, YOU lose – That’s guaranteed!
A brand new campaign has been launched by the YEL this week to support the growing national campaign surrounding the abuse of referees – young or old. Referees are in short supply and we cannot afford to lose any of them through abuse especially. Any clubs/teams that are reported by referees – managers, players or spectators – for verbal or physical abuse will be reported to the County FA and will NOT be listed to be appointed referees for their next two home games by the league and will not appear on our late availability lists for referees to pick up. They will have to find their own referee (would recommend asking the person who did the abusing to take a ref course and see how they get on!). Away behaviour will be monitored before deciding to reinstate them for appointments after the two home games. Persistent offenders face the potential of being brought before the membership to decide on their future involvement in the league. It’s NOT your position to ‘educate’ referees – participants are there to support the players as they enjoy their footballing journey. Email the league – office@yelonline.com – with constructive criticism of a referee’s performance and we can help in the referees’ development just like the managers do with the players. We are more than happy to receive this type of constructive feedback as it benefits everyone. Working together, we can make our weekend footballing experience, a positive experience for all.
Recruiting – YEL Respect Field Officers (RFOs)
Want to help make a difference at grassroots football? As part of our ‘Abuse, YOU lose’ campaign to support referees we are looking to recruit additional YEL Respect Field Officers (RFOs) to join our current team 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 ceo@yelonline.com for further details and an application form.
YEL Advance is back!
The ever popular YEL Advance sessions return from w/c 1st November. All YEL players of all abilities are welcome to join the extra coaching sessions from UEFA licensed coaches. The session are in six week cycles and cost £30. If any of your players want further information, please visit YELonline.com and click the link to YEL Advance.
Match Returns – UPDATE
This week has seen a marked improvement in the number of match returns being completed successfully. Thank you. However, there are still teams receiving totally unnecessary fines for not completing a match return on Full-Time. If one of your teams/your team is appearing on the list sent out by the league, please make sure the match return is completed. It is mandatory for all YEL organised games – friendlies, league and cup. If you are having problems or don’t understand what you need to do, speak to your club secretary for advice. Failing that, email the league and we will give you the assistance required.
ID checks & Team sheets are now back
ID Checks – Please download your squad list of REGISTERED players from WGS onto either a hard copy (recommended in case of poor signal) and/or onto your device so that ID checks can be completed prior to the start of the game. How to download a squad list can be found here – https://grassrootstechnology.thefa.com/support/solutions/articles/48001146406-download-a-squad-list
Full details of this mandatory requirement and the sanctions for non completion can be found in YEL Regulations under the rules section on YELonline.com – The main points are this applies to all YEL organised fixtures – friendlies, league and cup; You can only play players who are shown as registered on the FA ID squad list; both team managers must check each other’s players; absolutely not acceptable not to do it; NO ID CHECK = NO YEL GAME (you can decide to play a friendly outside of the YEL but the actual result will not count as a league fixture and will be referred to the YEL Discipline Team).
Team sheets – If a referee has been appointed by the league, you must hand a team sheet to him/her detailing the players starting and the subs, 15 minutes before the start of the game. Team sheets are available to download on YELonline.com under ‘Useful information for managers and coaches’ – Download a YEL Team sheet – on the home page.
Game Day Hotline – new number for this season
If you have any match day queries when at your game – Saturday or Sunday – and need advice, contact the YEL Game Day Hotline. It is monitored by YEL staff and is available between 9.30am and 12.30pm for match day queries only.
07510 305354
Rob Harwood CEO
YEL OFFICE