In order to assist with the running of your football clubs, the League has produced a Secretary Diary which breaks down the typical football week for a Club Secretary.

DAY 1: Monday

Confirming the fixture for next weekend

If you are the home side, it is a good idea to start making contact with your opponents and the referee in order to assist with their own preparations for the week. This confirmation should be made verbally where possible so that you can be satisfied that the communication has reached the person and been understook. Please ensure, whichever means you use to make contact, you receive an acknowledgement from your opposition and referee that they have received your message.

You should confirm the match location, any parking restrictions, kick-off time, colours of both your outfield and goalkeeper jerseys along with footwear requirements if using an artificial surface (3G etc).

If you are unable to reach either of these, you must leave a voice or text message and re-attempt contact on Tuesday if they have not responded. If the referee says that they are unable to take the fixture, it is imperative that you ring the Referees Secretary as soon as possible so they can be made aware of the situation and arrange a replacement should one be available.

If you are the away club or referee, it is your duty to acknowledge any communication made by the home side, for instance in cases where a voice or text message has been left for you.

Submit your result e-card for the weekend just past

If you have played a league or league cup competition fixture over the weekend, you will be able to submit your e-card as soon as the result from your match appears on the website.

Upon submitting your e-card, you should receive an e-mail notification confirming that the e-card has been processed successfully. If you do not receive this, please contact the Registrations Secretary.

DAY 2: TUESDAY

If you were unable to reach your opponents on the previous Monday evening, you must try again. If you cannot reach the secretary of the club, try the emergency contacts also. If you cannot make contact with any individual from the opposing club, please notify the General Secretary and persist with attempts to contact the club.

If you are unable to reach the referee to confirm the fixture, please notify the Referees Secretary so that they can arrange a replacement should one be available.

If you are the away side or referee appointed, you should have been contacted by Tuesday. If you haven't, please contact the General Secretary or Referees Secretary respectively.

DAY 3: WEDNESDAY

Wednesday at midnight is the last day that result e-cards can be submitted on-time. Submissions after midnight are deemed late and liable to a fine. The system will send reminders to you that you haven't submitted your e-card yet.

If you are having technical difficulties, these should be reported before the deadline to the Registrations Secretary.

DAY 4, 5 & 6: thursday, friday and saturday

Presuming everything has been confirmed, you are all set to go. Make sure you have confirmed the match arrangements with your own players and got that football kit looking clean and pristine!

Make sure you have all of the correct equipment ready to take to the game including match and practice balls, a good pump, water bottles, a whistle (just in case a referee has to pull out late) and a well stocked first aid kit. Home sides need ensure you have corner flags and nets available to use also.

If you want to sign players up in time to play at the weekend, the registration signature form and corresponding Whole Game System registration must be completed with the Registrations Secretary, Phil Pafnouti, by midnight on a Friday i.e. 2 days prior to the fixture. Registrations received after this time will mean the player cannot feature until the following weekend unless they are signed under the emergency matchday registrations route (for a maximum of 2).

DAY 7: SUNDAY - THE MATCH DAY

Before the match

The big day has finally arrived! Before setting out, make sure you have packed the car up with all the items mentioned above to avoid any delays.

If you're the home side, please look out for the referee and your opponents at the venue and introduce yourself as they may not have been there before. Please show them to their dressing rooms. Referees are requested to arrive at least 30 minutes before kick-off in order to carry out the pre-match equipment checks. 

The referee should be offered his match fee BEFORE the match by the home side in case they need to rush off afterwards although in some cases they may ask for the fee after the match instead. In the case of double headers, the fees are shared but the home side should pay the referee his full fee and retrieve 50% back from the away side after the match. With cup ties, the referee fees are always paid by the away side.

If you are making emergency matchday registrations (maximum of 2), please ensure that you have completed the registration forms and had these countersigned by your opponents BEFORE kick-off.

No later than 10 minutes before kick-off, please give a completed team sheet to your opponents and also to the referee. Team sheets must be exchanged BEFORE the game has commenced to allow time for any queries. The referee will use this information to know the names of the substitutes you are nominating.

After the match

If you still need to pay the referee, please do so promptly to avoid any delays. The referee should not have to ask for his fee. 

If you are the home side, you need to ring your result through to the results line as soon after the game as possible but certainly before the 4pm deadline. If you are playing in an external cup competition (Charity or County Cups), you need to ring the result into the League regardless of whether you are home or away.

Follow up actions

Remember that result e-cards for the match need to be submitted to the League by the Wednesday following the match.

Any emergency player registrations signed up on the day of the match must be e-mailed into the Registrations Secretary (address at the bottom of the form) by the Wednesday following a match and player added to the Whole Game System accordingly.

Any protests regarding the match need to be lodged with the General Secretary within 4 days of the match along with the protest fee due.