​Joining the Amateur Football Combination

We welcome new members to the Amateur Football Combination, whether it be new clubs, new referees (already qualified, or those interested in qualifying and joining the league) or simply new players looking for a club. We believe the Amateur Football Combination is the biggest football league in Europe, with over eighty clubs and more than 215 sides playing Saturday afternoons from September through to May,

Referees

New referees are welcome to apply to join the league panel at any time - regardless of your age or standard, we are confident we can find the level of game to suit you. Please check out the Referees Section of the website for more details.

Players

New players should contact local clubs directly. Check out the Club Map to look for local clubs and then contact the clubs direct via their pages.

Clubs

We always welcome applications from new clubs, but we do want to make sure you are serious about your football, and being members of the Amateur Football Combination. Our entry requirements might seem hard to satisfy, but that's because we want to ensure well run clubs apply to join us.
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Prospective new clubs should read carefully the AFC Competition Rules, and in particular note rule 4b, which requires applications for membership to be submitted before 31st March preceding the next season.

Full Member Clubs: Initial Expression of Interest

New clubs should note that there is a formal procedure for application to join the league. Applications from Clubs wishing to join the Amateur Football Combination must be informally submitted to John Maskell  john.maskell4@btinternet.com  Chairman of the Amenities Committee by 31st December), and should include the following information (we will not consider any application if any of these are missing):- 
  • Completed New Club Application Form (below)
  • County Affiliation Number (all clubs must be affiliated to a County FA - see www.amateur-fa.com)
  • List of results for fixtures played in the current season (we expect the club to have played at least ten games).
  • Club Rules and Disciplinary Code, together with its accounts for the current season.
  • Estimate of the number of playing members in the Club.
  • Details of its proposed ground and hospitality venue.
AFC REGISTRATION FORM
Click here for a spreadsheet version of this form

Checking Out Prospective New Clubs

The period between 31st December and 31st March gives the Amenities Officer time to vet the application, check ground facilities, check on Disciplinary Records and so forth, and approaches from new clubs which arrive after 31st December will not normally be considered.

Formal Application

Clubs approved by the Amenities Officer who wish to formalise their application, must then submit a formal application to both John Maskell (Amenities Officer), and Ciaran Fitzgibbon (League Secretary) by 31st March to be considered formally for the following season. 
In addition to the information supplied above, the formal application should also include:-
  • Letters from two Full Member Clubs of the AFC, proposing and seconding the application.

Confirming Membership

The Amenities Officer will make a recommendation of membership to the AFC Executive Committee, normally at its May meeting, and the Executive will then confirm which prospective new clubs are to be recommended for membership at the AFC Annual General Meeting (held in June). Prospective new clubs are expected to attend the AGM, and assuming they are elected new clubs enter the league on "probation", and normally confirmed as full members after one year playing league football.

If accepted into the League, the Club will be required to affiliate to the Amateur Football Alliance (as well as your parent County FA, if that is different), for which you will also need a proposer and seconder.​

Associate Membership

Associate Membership is targeted at new clubs who are accepted on a trial basis playing friendlies, with a view to applying to join the Amateur Football Combination in a season or two, and may be of particular interest to Youth Clubs who are looking to expand into Adult football. Normally such clubs are asked to "play a season of friendlies" prior to joining the league, and Associate Membership has been introduced to help new clubs to organise these friendlies.
Associate Membership allows a club to have its details published on the website and receive the weekly bulletin, in order to arrange friendly games, but does not allow the club to play league football, nor have any voting rights within the league. 

Transferring Clubs

It should be made clear that Associate Membership is not a prerequisite of applying to join the AFC, and is not expected to be suitable for all clubs. Existing adult clubs playing in other leagues who decide to apply to join the AFC are unlikely to be required to apply for Associate Membership and play a season of friendlies. 
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As long as they make their applications by the deadlines shown above their applications will be considered in the normal way.
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