This Update has FIVE important messages this week which we would ask you to please read.
Two coaches – only 9 weeks to start of season
Team officials need to add photos onto their Whole Game System account
July 24th – IMPORTANT DATE
Player registrations now open – maximum squad size
New clubs and new managers meeting – Monday 8th July – 8pm online
Two coaches – only 9 weeks to the start of the season
Have you got two qualified coaches for your team?
This has been part of FA Safeguarding policy for a number of years. Our parent County FA supports it and we also fully support it and endorse it hence it being added to our League Regs.
Every team playing affiliated football must have TWO qualified coaches at ALL football activities – training and matches. This mandatory FA requirement has been incorporated into our League Regulations 2024-25. This is a safeguarding requirement to protect both players and coaches.
League Regulation 1(iv) Coach/Manager requirements for a registered YEL team
As part of the YEL’s parent County FA rules, each team playing in the YEL must have two coaches with in-date qualifications registered to the team on Club Portal who should be present at YEL organised matches and all training activities. Qualifications required to be compliant:
Coach one: must hold ALL of the following:
• In-date accepted DBS
• FA Level 1/Introduction to Coaching Football (I2CF) Qualification (Min)
• In-date Safeguarding Children Course / Recertification
• In-date Introduction to First Aid in Football (IFAiF)
Coach two: must hold a minimum of the following:
• In-date accepted DBS
• In-date Safeguarding Children Course / Recertification
• In-date Introduction to First Aid in Football (IFAiF) OR In-date FA Sudden Cardiac Arrest Module & In-date FA Concussion Module
It is advisable for the team to have a parent with an in date DBS and Safeguarding Children certificate who can stand in (don’t need to actively take part in the training session/coaching on game day) should one of the coaches be unavailable rather than cancelling a game or training session.
Team officials need to add photos onto their Whole Game System account
It has long been a player registration requirement that a head and shoulders image be uploaded onto the club portal before the player can be registered. It made no sense whatsoever that Managers and Coaches, for some reason, were allowed to register without uploading a head and shoulders image of themselves. We are in complete agreement with our parent County FA that this is poor practice from a safeguarding point of view. Our League Regulation 1(B)(iv) now make it a rule that:
‘Team Officials (Manager/Coach/Assistant Manager/Assistant Coach) must have their photo uploaded to Club Portal.
A parent can stand in if either coach is not present provided they have an in date FA safeguarding children certificate and in date FA DBS.
Failure of a team to comply with this rule will result in the membership application to join the league being rejected. If a team is not compliant with this regulation during the season, it will receive a fine of up to £100 for failing to follow a management instruction and will have its fixtures withdrawn immediately until the team becomes compliant.’
All Team Officials log into their Whole Game System account and upload a current image of themselves.
This regulation is an additional safeguarding measure to help everyone know who is standing on the coaches’ side of the pitch and to assist YEL Respect Field Officers/County FA Officials when checking that those coaching, have the necessary in date qualifications to allow them to do so.
July 24th -IMPORTANT DATE
A very important date by which a number of key milestones need to have been reached in order for clubs/teams to continue their progress towards the start of the season
JULY 24th Minimum number of players need to be registered for each team on WGS – 5v5 (5); 7v7 (7); 9v9 (9); 11v11 (11)
JULY 24th Last day for U9-U14 teams to be affiliated in order to be included in YEL 2024-25 season
JULY 24th All league fees need to be paid
JULY 24th Last day for free withdrawals
JULY 24th Last day to enter a U9-U14 team (inclusion not guaranteed – depends on space available)
Player registrations now open – maximum squad size
Player registrations opened on July 3rd. We recommend you get your players added and submitted to the league as soon as possible. We are anticipating close to 20,000 player registrations this year so the system is likely to be very busy the closer we get to deadlines (See July 24th deadline). Please don’t leave it until the last minute.
Every YEL team needs to have the minimum number of players registered on Whole Game System (WGS) by midnight July 24th
U7/U8 – 5 players (for teams looking to be included from Sept – the first of three pre-Christmas intakes)
U9/U10 – 7 players
U11/U12 – 9 players
U13/U14 – 11 players
Reminder: As per YEL Rules/Regulations voted in by the member clubs, the MAXIMUM number of players that can be registered for each squad is as follows:
U7/U8 – unlimited
U9/U10 – 14 players
U11/U12 – 18 players
U13/U14 – 22 players
Please adhere to these rules BEFORE you agree to sign players on as it will be enforced and will only lead to potential disappointment and frustration if not followed.
If you are a new secretary or need a refresher on what you are doing, The FA have produced the following overview of the system. Copy and paste the links into your browser or hold ctrl and click the link. If you need further assistance, please contact your local County FA directly who will be pleased to help.
https://youtu.be/OI1qdidlBk0
https://grassrootstechnology.thefa.com/support/solutions/48000265985
New Clubs and new managers meeting – Monday 8th July – 8pm online
We are delighted to welcome a record number of new clubs this year. We also extend a warm welcome to all new coaches/ managers. To welcome you all properly and to help you find out what we do and how we do it, we’re holding a new clubs and new managers meeting on Monday 8th July. It will guide you through what you can expect from us and what we expect from you especially regarding admin and how you can avoid fines! With a league of over 1500 teams, everyone needs to be doing things the same way in order for the league to function successfully. This is not a mandatory meeting although we would strongly encourage everyone new to the league to attend. Just click the link below
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Microsoft Teams
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 313 450 675 716
Passcode: xHuiEx
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Contacting the YEL
If you email the YEL OFFICE – yel@live.co.uk – 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