Guidance for Duties of Club Secretaries

  • Clubs must be affiliated with the South Wales Football Association (SWFA) before 30thJune annually. When making your application for affiliation, you must complete the appropriate form provided for this purpose. This form is available from the Association Secretary or can be downloaded off the SWFA website. An income and expenditure account must be included with your application.
  • The SWFA will accept correspondence by e-mail from the address stated on the Affiliation form.
  • Only the club secretary (or a nominated deputy in their absence) can contact the Association on matters to do with your club.
  • Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to the South Wales Football Association and crossed. Payment can also be made by  PayZip.
  • Make yourself conversant with the rules of the SWFA. The Association has decided to no longer issue paper handbooks but will instead use electronic copies. Our new handbook can be downloaded from this link
  • A secretary can only be secretary of one affiliated club. They cannot hold any official position with another affiliated club.
  • Reply to all communication the same day as it is received. It only has to be done once. All correspondence from your club should be on headed paper that include the club name and address and they are affiliated to the SWFA. Correspondence can be sent through the post or by e-mail attachment.
  • Attend all meetings to which the club are summoned or arrange for another person to attend on your behalf.
  • If you are unavailable for a period of time you must advise the SWFA of whom to contact on behalf of the club.
  • Make sure when arranging any friendly matches that your opponents are affiliated to the South Wales FA or their local association. Matches against unaffiliated clubs his strictly forbidden and may invalidate any insurance cover.
  • Study the rules of any competition your club are entering and ensure you abide by those rules, as you will be held accountable for any breach of rules. Ensure that all your players are qualified to play, as failure to comply with rules of league, cup or Association cup competitions could see your club losing a league or cup competition.
  • When players of your club are cautioned or dismissed, all reports will be forwarded to your club as soon as possible after the game. If you do not receive these report within 5 business days following the sending off you MUST contact the discipline secretary for advice. (PLEASE NOTE – AS FROM SEASON 2017-2018 THE PLAYER WILL BE SUSPENDED THE DAY AFTER HE WAS SENT OFF). Failure to follow these instructions could lead to players playing whilst suspended and have serious consequences for both the player and your club.
  • Confirm match appointments with all referees. If any referee informs you they cannot officiate at your game, please advise the league official immediately.
  • Advise all your club officials that the club is responsible for the conduct of ALLspectators at their ground.
  • Please be advised that the club’s duty to protect the officials does not end when they leave the ground. Any misconduct towards an official away from the field of play is dealt with as if the offence had been committed on the field.
  • CLUB SECRETARIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THEIR CLUB AT ALL TIMES.