FAQs
Coaches and Coaching
FA Education provides a comprehensive approach to developing coaches from grassroots to elite level.
The first step for new coaches is to take the online The FA Playmaker course which is for anyone interested in taking a more active role in grassroots football. This is available for anyone over the age of 14.
You can then progress to the online Introduction to Coaching Football which provides you with an introduction to coaching the game and working with players from under seven to open age.
From there you can progress to UEFA B and UEFA C. Beyond that, UEFA A and UEFA Pro are suitable for elite level coaches.
To work with U18s you must have, at a minimum, The FA Playmaker qualification and a valid DBS. This allows you to assist a lead coach, but not to take teams for training or matches on your own.
Every team must have at least one lead coach with the following qualifications:
- Introduction to Coaching Football (online)
- In date Safeguarding Children Course (online, valid for 2 years - done as part of your Intro to Coaching Football)
- In date FA First Aid qualification (online, valid for 2 years)
- In date DS check – this is carried out and usually paid for by your club. It must be renewed every 3 years.
When your qualifications lapse, you will not be allowed to coach until they have been renewed. Northumberland FA and your club receive online notification that these elements are about to go out of date, giving you plenty of time to renew them.
Being an FA licensed coach means you’ll also be immediately connected to a community linked by a culture of lifelong learning and development. As well as regular CPD events there are lots of resources online including
Please check out more detailed information about qualifications for coaches and other volunteers below:
No. A lead coach must take charge of every session or match. The must have:
- A valid DBS
- Introduction to Coaching Football
- An in date Safeguarding Children Course
- An in date FA first aid qualification
Assistant coaches holding an in date DBS and a FA Playmaker qualification can assist at training and matches, but cannot be in sole charge.
Under usual circumstances (and following best practice), if you know that you’re not going to be available then you should arrange for the training or match to be overseen by someone who holds the correct qualifications. This is for reasons of safety, insurance, quality training and protection of children.
The only exception to this is in the case of genuine emergencies. But even if this case, the person standing in for the coach MUST hold a valid DBS.
No, not until he has gained the full qualification. Until then he must be supervised by a fully qualified lead coach.
If you have a new team where the manager is currently taking their Intro to Coaching Football, you will need to appoint a qualified coach to oversee all sessions until the regular manager becomes qualified.
Many clubs do this by having a list of coaches from established teams who will mentor a new coach until they complete their qualification. But the coach in training cannot be in sole charge of players until they are qualified.
Anyone who is assisting with coaching a team MUST HAVE a valid DBS (including coaches going through their Introduction to Coaching Football, even if they are being supervised by a fully qualified coach).
Any individual who is awaiting a DBS check CANNOT have any coaching role with children until this has been approved and appeared on their FA record on Whole Game System.
Yes! You must hold a valid DBS and have taken The FA Playmaker course - which is free and will give you a great introduction to volunteering in football.
Discipline
Want to know what happens at a discipline hearing?
We've got a visual guide which may help. You can also download it and print it out here.
Club administration
Social media is a useful way to keep in contact for clubs and teams - but it can be misused and as a result, children can be put at risk.
Sharing personal information about young players on open forums such as Facebook pages, Twitter or via webinars leaves them open to grooming.
Please take a moment to read the social media guidelines here. They can also be printed off as a poster or forwarded to your teams, coaches and parents.
In particular, please ensure:
- All social media groups are private and can't be viewed publicly
- Never put personal information about children on social media sites, even if it's a private group. Details such as birthdays, favourite players and where they go to school can unfortunately be used for grooming.
- Take care if you are using tools such as Zoom and Skype for webinars - children should only take part in the presence of their parents and you should not share screen shots of these webinars on your social media pages
It is everyone's responsibility to safeguard children and this is something that we take very seriously in football. Please check all your club and team social media sites and ensure they meet these guidelines.
It is not appropriate for youth team kit to feature logos relating to age restricted products.
In practice, this means that kit should not feature logos relating to businesses involved in gambling, alcohol and tattoos among others.
References to pubs and restaurants MAY be allowed, unless they exist solely for the supply and consumption of alcohol – in reality this means that sponsorship by pub restaurants may be acceptable, but sponsorship by an establishment such as a nightclub or pub that doesn’t serve food would not be allowed. In this instance you should contact Northumberland FA for guidance and approval.
Alcoholic drinks, breweries and products, services or activities related to gambling are unlikely to be permissible under any circumstances
These regulations are issued by The FA and aim to safeguard our young players. The full regulations are available on The FA’s website – link below.
Please contact us for advice if you are in any doubt, before you enter into a contractual agreement and we will be happy to assist you.
http://handbook.fapublications.com/#!/book/30/chapter/s2699-kit-and-advertising-regulations/content?section=s2701-b-permitted-advertising-not-relating-to-sponsors
Referees
You must be at least 14 years of age to become a referee
To be eligible to book a place on a Northumberland FA Referee Course you will need to have first completed the FA Online Laws of the Game Modules and FA Safeguarding Children Course (or Safeguarding for All if you are aged 14-16):
FA Safeguarding Children (over 16s)
FA Safeguarding for All (14-16)
We regularly advertise out Referee Courses on our social media channels and website, or you can email referee@northumberlandfa.com to be added to our waiting list.