Surrey FA are delighted to announce a range of measures to support all of our clubs who are currently experiencing challenges in the face of the Covid-19 crisis.

The Surrey FA Board unanimously agreed to the following decisions to help safeguard the future of our clubs and the grassroots game in the county. The FA have provided County FAs with support, and this will help us in enacting some of the below.

Affiliation

Surrey FA have decided to waive affiliation fees for all our clubs and football groups for the 2020/21 season. We will be providing an update on the opening date of the affiliation window soon, so that clubs can complete the administrative requirements prior to the season’s start. However, Surrey FA will continue to monitor Government and FA guidance on when footballing activities can recommence and when the new season can get underway.

County Cup Competitions

We are pleased to announce that for the 2020/21, all clubs may enter our County Cup competitions free of charge. We have decided to absorb the running costs of these for one season to provide a financial saving for our clubs. The start date for these will be considered at a later date, when we have clarity as to when it will be safe to resume grassroots football.

Insurance Discounts

We have agreed to offer discounts on insurance, to reflect the period of this season where no football was played. We shall be providing further detail on the scale of this discount in due course, but this should constitute a further saving for clubs across the County.

These significant steps will supplement our other tactics to respond, mitigate and plan. These include the following:

• Club support calls
• Funding application support around Sport England, Government alternative grant sources.
• Regular webinars
• Bespoke support from the Surrey FA Senior Management Team
• Engaging digital content
• Q&A sessions

Commenting on the decision, Sally Lockyer, Chief Executive Officer, Surrey FA, stated, “We recognise that the current crisis presents unprecedented challenges for all of those involved in the grassroots game in Surrey. We’re looking to respond to the Covid-19 challenge, to mitigate the challenge and planning for the day when football can resume. I want Surrey FA and all our clubs to be ready to press ‘Go’ when it’s safe to do so.

We have quickly put in place a range of measures and activities to support our clubs and we hope that the financial support for free Club Affiliation and County Cup entry fees will go some way to help ease the burden. We are grateful to the FA for their continued support of County FAs”.

Surrey FA’s Chairman Les Pharo added, “As a board we felt that we have a duty to our clubs to do all that we can to help them emerge from this difficult period. The decision to waive affiliation fees and offer entry into our prestigious County Cup competitions builds on the excellent work our staff are doing in continuing to support clubs, leagues and participants in Surrey.”

We would continue to advise clubs to apply for grants and funding, including the Sport England Community Relief Fund, for which further details can be found here.