Becoming a helper
"Helpers" fall into a number of groups:
Club officials include the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Child Protection & Equalities Officer and Fixtures Secretary. Individuals are elected to these positions by the Club Management Committee, and are generally experienced in club or team management. Generally speaking, you don't become a Club official until you have acquired some experience as a committee member.
If you are interested in becoming a Club official, please contact the Chairman or Secretary of the Club (for contact details refer to the Club's home page).
Committee members include team managers and coaches. Team managers and coaches do not have to have any previous experience, but they do have to be willing to sign up and adhere to the CMFC Code (see the Club Documents section) and undertake any other familiarisation and training that may be required of them by the Club or by the FA. In general, the team manager looks after the administration involved in managing a team of anything up to 20 children, and the coach looks after the training and practice side of things. Both manager and coach are expected to attend monthly committee meetings on a regular basis, and to submit reports on their squad's performance and welfare.
Quite a few of our coaches have gained their FA Coach Level 1 qualification, an achievement of which we are quite proud!
All coaches and managers are expected to submit to a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check, as required by the FA.
If you are interested in becoming a team manager or coach (or assistant coach), please talk to your team manager or coach (see the individual team pages for contact details) or, if you would like to set up a new squad, to the Chairman or Secretary of the Club (contact details on the Club's home page).
The role of referees is steadily becoming more formal as more and more children join football teams. The FA runs coaching courses for referees, and local leagues are hoping that by 2006, each squad will boast at least one qualified referee. To become a referee, it helps to have some (ideally, considerable) experience of football and mini-soccer, and you should be willing to undertake any training courses that may be required by the Club.
Referees are also expected to submit to a CRB check, as required by the FA.
If you are interested in becoming a referee, please talk to your team manager or coach (see the individual team pages for contact details).
There are many other ways you can help! Each team needs help with everyday issues like mowing the pitches (grass on football pitches needs to be kept very short), putting up (and taking down) goal nets, marking up pitches, serving refreshments (often a valuable source of funds for teams) and tidying the changing rooms. The best way of getting involved in team activities is to talk to your team's manager or coach.
The Club as a whole also needs the support of enthusiastic volunteers, doing things like organising the regular events on which the Club depends for its income, providing assistance with everything from web design to negotiations with the local council.
If you are interested in becoming a helper, please contact the Chairman or Secretary (see the Club's home page for contact details) for an informal chat. Energetic volunteers are always very welcome!
