Welcome to Springfield Football Club

Springfield Football Club

Club Guide

Springfield Hall Park, Arun Close, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7QE Tel: 01245 492441 www.springfieldfc.co.uk

Welcome to Springfield Football Club Congratulations! You and your family have just joined one of the largest football clubs in Essex. Springfield tries to provide football for all abilities, but like any sport it endeavours to be as successful as possible. Springfield provides football from reception group age 5+ up to Veterans. We try to provide football to all ages; this is based around school year. E.g. a child aged 8 before September would play in the Under 9’s team.

Football is a team sport so players and families will be meeting and making lots of new friends. We hope all players have lots of fun, keep fit and help their team mates have success.

We have many players that started in our junior sides and have moved to professional clubs. Many players have played in our junior sides and then progressed to our senior teams and have enjoyed football and its team spirit for many years. We hope all new members do too.

We have recently arranged a connection with Chelmsford City senior team which will see some Chelmsford City players in our senior squads plus the junior alliance side will use our facilities.

A club as large as Springfield does not just happen; it takes a lot of work and money to keep it going.

Background Springfield has no external funding so the club is run by its members for its members. None of the committee receives any income from the club and all money collected is put back into running the club and providing facilities for its members. Just a few years ago Springfield played on Pollards Meadow at the end of Lawn Lane and its club house was basically a shed. After a great deal of hard work raising money and a grant from the football foundation, Springfield was able to build the current club house with large changing rooms and a bar.

The club is run by a committee which is made up of team managers, a number of secretaries who look after junior and senior football, equipment, child welfare, publicity, social events, Backnang and the bar, plus the Chairman and Treasurer. All of the work done by the committee is voluntary so any help is always welcome.

The committee meets every month to discuss what has happened in the previous month, arrange future events and discuss what will happen in the coming month(s). The committee meeting is designed as a way of spreading information around the club and to ensure the club is going in the right direction. (If anyone has something they would like brought up in the meeting, please talk to the player’s team manager or email the secretary via the club’s web site – www.springfieldfc.co.uk

www.springfieldfc.co.uk

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Club Guide

During the year Springfield FC has 3 major events. These are; the Annual 5-a-side (June), Senior Presentation evening (May) and the Christmas Raffle (December). Also during the year other events are organised such as race nights, quiz nights etc and these are arranged to help raise money for the club so that we can provide better and better facilities for our members. It is important that these events are supported by members, family and friends. These can be great social events and help everyone to feel part of the club.

Club House The club house is Springfield’s pride and joy. The club house was built from funds raised by the club and with a grant of £147,000 from the football foundation.

The facilities are better than many large clubs in the area. Within the building we have 2 changing rooms for home and away teams with shower and toilet facilities. There are also 2 changing rooms for referees. The other side of the club house hosts the bar area and the kitchen.

All the facilities are also disabled friendly with disabled access and toilets.

Please ensure that NO BOOTS are worn in the club house and please try and keep the club house as clean and tidy as possible.

The club house can be hired out for small events, meetings or training at a nominal fee. Please contact Dave Wareham for details.

Bar/Kitchen The club house has both Kitchen and Bar facilities. As a member of the club you are entitled to use the bar facilities at the weekend. Bar prices are below local pub prices, so come in for a drink.

Bar opening times: SATURDAY 4pm – 8pm SUNDAY 12pm – 4pm

The Kitchen is open each Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning with an outside window looking over the pitch. The kitchen provides Sweets, Crisps, Bacon Rolls, Burgers, Tea Coffee and Soft Drinks. We always need people to help run the kitchen it’s only open for a couple of hours and is a great way to meet other club members. Please see Jenny Arnold at the kitchen for details.

We have a large Plasma screen TV and occasionally show live games. So, if you want a good match atmosphere, pop down the club.

Club Guide

Membership and match fees It is important for all players to be registered as members to play for the club. Junior players are too young to be club members, so we need an adult in the family to be registered as a member. Springfield charges a fee for membership which helps fund equipment such as balls, goals and nets.

The membership fee is for the family and not the individual therefore all family members are entitled to use the club’s facilities.

Why do we need membership and match fees? The club does not have any other income except the fees it gathers from matches, money made from the bar/kitchen and money made from social events. The match fees collected are often not enough to pay the pitch hire fee and referee fees, so we actually make a loss on playing football. Other money gathered is used to run the clubhouse, provide training for managers and provide teams with kits.

Family Membership Fees Reception Grp £30 Match Fee: £15 per month by direct debit Mini Soccer £30 Match Fee: £15 per month by direct debit Junior Soccer £30 Match Fee: £15 per month by direct debit

Seniors players are charged a £10 insurance fee and pay £6 per game.

Sponsorship The club’s running expenses are paid from membership fees, funds raised from events, bar takings. This does not cover all the costs the club could incur, especially when we have to fund new kits for 26 teams. A kit costs about £300 per team

We try to raise additional funds through sponsorship. Sponsors can purchase space in the clubs programme for the senior team games, or sponsor individual teams and we are happy for a sponsor’s logo/name to be placed on the shirts. We can also provide a link to the sponsor’s web site from the Springfield web site, www.springfieldfc.co.uk. This is a very efficient way to advertise. If you have any ideas on sponsorship or ideas on ways to raise funds please contact a committee member such as the player’s manager or the club chairman or secretary.

Sponsors details will not only be seen by Springfield but will also be seen by all the clubs that we play during the season. Sponsors may also advertise in the club programme; the programme has a circulation of approximately 3000 people per season and another 1000 people at the 5 a side. The cost of advertising in the programme for a season is half page £100, full page £200.

Club Guide

Kits must be ordered through the equipment secretary as we want all players to wear the same style and colour of kit.

Managers Role Managers are usually parents who have volunteered their time to help a team. The manager takes on responsibility for running a team and being a member of the clubs committee. It is expected that all managers will attain FA level coaching certificates which will be supported by the club.

The manager’s duties are to:

 Arrange Training

 Pick the team

 Collect fees

 Attend committee meetings

 Complete match forms and return after game (Provided by league) – need to be posted by Monday am at the latest. Forms must be completed accurately of club will receive a fine.

 Call opposing team and referee to advise game times and location

 Arrange a match report for the web site (get the team and parents involved)

 Complete expense form and return to club treasurer each month with match fees.

The club will support the manager by providing:

 FA coaching certificate

 First Aid training / First Aid Kit

 Child protection

 Footballs

 Access to goals and flags

 Advice and guidance

 Junior secretary who will co-ordinate all junior teams and attend league meetings

 Providing mini and junior soccer medals (2 medals per team – Players Player and Managers Player)

Club Guide

It is recommended the manager involves the parents as much as possible to help with collecting match fees, act as assistant referees, organising drinks (water) and even perhaps arranging social evenings for the team and encourage the players and families to attend club social events.

Training Training is an important part of being a player. During the season, the club uses the 3G facilities at Moulsham High School. Your manager will advise you of the time for training. Please do not leave children at the training ground or pitch expecting the manager to turn up and look after them. Wait around till the manager arrives. Also, the manager can do with help and support, even if it is collecting balls or keeping an eye on a group of players while the manager trains another group.

It is expected that the players will attend training and must inform their manager if they will not be attending. This makes it clear to him that the player is not attending and he is aware they have not been injured on the way.

Please think of training as mandatory as it is the opportunity for the manager to see how well players are progressing and to allow them to teach new techniques and to increase player fitness.

Match days Players will be provided with a minimum of a shirt and shorts. Some teams with sponsors may also have tracksuits or training tops.

It will be the player’s responsibility to provide black socks, shin pads and boots plus a top to cover the shirt if you are a substitute.

It is the responsibility of the parent to take their child to the game or to arrange a suitable alternative.

Please ensure you arrive at the game early enough to warm up and for the parents to help the manager set up the goals. After the game have a talk about the game. What went well and want did not go so well. Also help the manager take down the goals and pay match fees.

It is important that players and family remember to enjoy the game.

Please feel free to return to the club house and make your opposing team aware of the club and that they are also welcome. This will help the parents and players feel more part of Springfield FC.

Things to take on match days:

Club Guide

 Team shirt, shorts and training top, if provided  Black socks  Boots  Shin pads  Tracksuit top/bottoms or jacket (for when on the line or just to keep warm)  Drink  Match fees  Trainers (to change into)

Remember to invite the opposing team back to the club house.

Annual 5-a-side (EVENT) The annual 5-a-side event is our largest event of the year and is a major opportunity to raise funds for the Club. The event is normally held on the Sunday following the late May Bank holiday.

The tournament is for age groups from U7 to U16. Mini soccer (7 a-side) is played by the younger age groups (Under 7,8 and 9’s) and 5-a-side by all other age groups.

This event has been very successful over the years and generally the weather is very good. So make a date in the diary to be around and enjoy a great day watching or playing football and enjoying all the other facilities.

There is a large amount of work required to make such an event successful and we need volunteers to help out Marshall parking, help put up and take down goals, run stalls, keep the field tidy and basically get involved. It does not have to take all the day as the more volunteers involved the less time we need.

All year the manager runs the team. In the 5-a-side he can often make up 2 or 3 teams. This is a great opportunity for a parent to run a team for the day and get a feel for being a manager and put into practice all the thoughts and ideas they had during the season.

Please help us make this a great event for all the players.

Senior Presentation Evening (Event) Each season is rounded off with a presentation evening. This is an opportunity for the club to celebrate team and player performances though out the season. The evening is for adults and it’s an

Club Guide

Springfield Hall Park, Arun Close, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7QE Tel: 01245 492441 www.springfieldfc.co.uk opportunity for the whole senior club to get together and recount their achievements. The evening is usually made up of a 3-course meal, disco and sometimes special guest stars.

All adult members are welcome whether playing members or parents or managers of junior sides.

It’s a great evening and we hope will be supported by as many as possible especially the senior players, this is your event.

Junior Presentations We have so many teams that it is difficult to arrange a single event for all teams, therefore it is currently left to the junior team manager to arrange an event to celebrate the end of the season and to award prizes. The club provides 2 trophies per team.

The club house and the facilities can be made available for presentations. Other ideas have been to take the team bowling, paintballing or some other social event.

Christmas Draw (Event) Each year Springfield FC has a Christmas raffle. Each player within the club in allocated some tickets, usually £5 in value to sell to family and friends. We also need raffle prizes, so if you can provide a prize, please let your team manager know or hand into the club bar.

The tickets are handed out around November and the draw is held on the last Sunday before Christmas. We need these sold and the stubs returned to the club as soon as possible.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at the draw. Fund raising

Springfield FC run two major fund-raising activities that helps to reduce the cost of running the Club. These are Last Man Standing and Bonus Ball. If you are interested in joining in contact the Club Secretary.

Get Involved Springfield is run by members and there are many jobs that need to be done to ensure everyone can enjoy football.

The club always needs new people to help and get involved. The more people that help the less that needs to be done. If the player is to enjoy football, the experience can really be enhanced when the whole family are involved.

Club Guide

There are many ways parents get involved and you don’t have to be a man to help out (who says they know all about football). There are many tasks that could help the manager that do not involve football. The manager can have his hands full organising the team, meeting with opposing team, dealing with the referee.

Below are some suggested roles that will help parents to take part and make them part of the team.

 Assistant Referee  Help put up and take down goals  Collect the match fees  Write match reports  Social secretary (help get the team/parents together outside football)

There are also many other ways to get involved. We always need help to run the kitchen at the weekend to supply tea, coffee, soft drinks and bacon butties. If you are interested in helping out please see Jenny (at the kitchen)

Litter Springfield plays football on Springfield Hall Park which is a public park and on Boswells School field. Please can you ensure any litter, drinks bottles etc are picked up from around the pitch and placed in a bin or taken away with you? If you take any packets, bottles, wrappers to the pitch, please make sure you take them away with you.

Web site Springfield has an active web site at www.springfieldfc.co.uk

The main page gives up to date information on events and news and also has pages for each team so your manager can communicate to all the players. The manager can also put up match reports and hopefully mention

Club Guide

Springfield Hall Park, Arun Close, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7QE Tel: 01245 492441 www.springfieldfc.co.uk your name. So, if you would like to complete a match report or perhaps your parents then let your manager know and he can arrange for it to be put up on the site.

The web site also has a link to a merchandise site which will allow you to purchase training kit, polo shirts, T-shirts with the Springfield Logo.

If you have any suggestions for the site please contact [email protected]

Code of conduct (FA Rules) As a player, parent or manager you are responsible for your behaviour and the way you behave reflects on the club. Below are the FA rules on conduct and we expect all members and players to read and abide by these rules.

Young Players It is important everyone behaves themselves when playing football.

As a player, you have a big part to play. That's why The FA is asking every player to follow a Respect Code of Conduct. When playing football, Players will:

 Always do my best, even if we're losing or the other team is stronger  Play fairly - I won't cheat, complain or waste time  Never be rude to my team-mates, the other team, the referee, spectators or my coach/team manager  Do what the referee tells me  Shake hands with the other team and referee at the end of the game  Listen to my coach/team manager and respect what he/she says  Talk to someone I trust, for example my parents or the club welfare officer if I'm unhappy about anything at my club.

The player must understand that if they do not follow the code, action may be taken.

Spectators & Parents We all have a responsibility to promote high standards of behaviour in the game. This club is supporting The FA's Respect programme to ensure football can be enjoyed by everyone in a safe and positive environment. Play your part and observe The FA's Respect Code of Conduct for spectators and parents/carers at all times.

Club Guide

Parents and Spectators will:

 Remain outside the field of play and behind the Designated Spectator Area (where provided)  Never engage in, or tolerate, offensive, insulting or abusive language or behaviour  Always respect the match officials' decisions  Applaud effort and good play as well as success

In addition, when attending youth games everyone will:

 Remember that children play for FUN  Let the coaches/managers do their job and not confuse the players by telling them what to do  Encourage the players to respect the opposition and match officials  Never criticise a player for making a mistake -mistakes are part of learning

Everyone should understand that breaches of the code may result in action being taken by the County FA and /or the FA.

Coaches and Managers

We all have a responsibility to promote high standards of behaviour in the game.

In the FA's survey of over 37,000 grassroots participants, behaviour was the biggest concern in the game. This included both the abuse of match officials and the unacceptable behaviour by over competitive parents, spectators and coaches on the sidelines. The FA's Respect programme is aimed at tackling unacceptable behaviour across the whole game. Play your part and observe The FA's Respect Code of Conduct for coaches, team managers and club officials at all times. The manager/coach will: Show respect to others involved in the game including match officials, opposition players, coaches, managers, officials and spectators

 Adhere to the Laws of the Game  Display and promote high standards of behaviour  Always respect the match officials' decisions  Never enter the field of play without the referee's permission  Never engage in public criticism of the match officials  Never engage in, or tolerate, offensive, insulting or abusive language or behaviour.

Club Guide

Springfield Hall Park, Arun Close, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7QE Tel: 01245 492441 www.springfieldfc.co.uk When working with players, the manager/coach will:

 Place the well-being, safety and enjoyment of each player above everything, including winning  Explain exactly what I expect of players and what they can expect from me  Ensure the parents/carers of all players under the age of 18 understand these expectations  Refrain from, and refuse to tolerate any form of bullying  Develop mutual trust and respect with every player to build their self-esteem  Encourage each player to accept responsibility for their own behaviour and performance  Ensure all activities I organise are appropriate for the players' ability level, experience, age and maturity  Co-operate fully with others in football (e.g. officials, doctors, physiotherapists, welfare officers) for each player's best interests

Managers and coaches understand that breaches of the code may result in action being taken by the County FA and /or the FA.

Child Protection Springfield Football Club takes child protection very seriously and will at all times endeavour to keep your child safe. However, it is important for parents to understand that the manager is not providing a crèche facility, but taking a training session or running a game of football. It is still the parent’s responsibility to ensure their child is safe and not left alone or with an individual.

All managers and parents that help with team matters will need to be checked according to the Disclosure and barring scheme (previously CRB).

It is not advisable to leave children to be supervised by a single individual. Please ensure that the manager is not left alone when managing your child. This is important as a child may be injured and they may need to seek help. This protects your child and also protects the manager.

We have a safeguarding Children’s policy which is available at all times from the clubhouse.

All managers will be provided with basic first aid skills but in general this cannot be used unless in a real emergency.

We endorse and adopt The FA’s child protection and best practice guidelines for recruiting volunteers.

Club Guide

Springfield Hall Park, Arun Close, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7QE Tel: 01245 492441 www.springfieldfc.co.uk Charter Standard Springfield Football Club is a Charter Standard Club. To hold this accreditation, we have to fulfil a number of tasks. We must ensure all managers are suitably trained as well as DBS checked as stated above, this is not easy with managers changing regularly. All managers also need to have first aid skills as well as understanding child protection. Springfield also needs to be seen to contributing to the local community as we do this in many ways by providing as local sporting facility and hiring out the club house to other local clubs.

If you have any questions on child welfare or the charter standard, please contact Welfare Officer Club Committee Chairman John Meates Vice Chairman Eunan MacIntyre Club Secretary Dave Wareham Junior Secretary Kerry Devine Treasurer David Castro Bar Manager Gerry Fitzgerald Entertainments officer Eunan MacIntyre Club Welfare Officer Eunan MacIntyre Membership Secretary Gary Grant Social/Fundraising Officer Eunan MacIntyre Maintenance officer Gerry Fitzgerald Minutes secretary Damian Murphy

This Booklet was amended in November 2017 ------End of Booklet

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