NEHYL Newsletter Snapshot #15
March 2025
This season is heading into its final stages with the majority of fixtures finishing at the end of April/Early May. That leaves May for cup finals and any league play off matches that may be required to determine first and second spots. With the lighter evenings there are several teams in the older age groups looking at organising midweek fixtures to help clear their fixture backlog – if you do look to bring a match forward or try to fit a previously postponed fixture into an evening slot then do keep your Divisional Secretary in the loop.
We’ve included a few housekeeping reminders in this newsletter – as well as some dates for diaries and pointers towards some important new initiatives that are soon to be introduced across junior football.
As ever, there is a wealth of information on this website – so if you are ever unsure about anything around the league then this should be your go to first port of call.
Match Day Reminders
It may be nearing the end of the season but it’s never too late to remind everyone of some key housekeeping before and after matches.
Referees
As a league who appoint referees to as many matches as possible, we have a panel of registered referees which is a County FA requirement. Once appointments are published it is the home team’s responsibility to contact the official as soon as possible to confirm their availability and share details of location and kick-off time.
However, if you do not have an appointed referee then there are several ways in which teams are able to source a referee. We do emphasise that you must check that the referee you source is qualified and, if over 16 years old, has a valid DBS and in-date FA Safeguarding – the league referee appointments secretary (Phil Rush) is able to help check if he is contacted by telephone before Friday.
If you are unable to source a qualified referee, then it is acceptable for a parent to occasionally take the whistle (with occasionally being no more than once a month).
Results
It is the responsibility of every team, whether home or away, to text in the result of your match as soon as practical after the final whistle (and at least on the day of the match). The MRC – Match Report Card – also needs completing within five days of the match. The level of non-compliance in this regard has risen this season to what is becoming unacceptable – serial offenders can start to expect to have their matches suspended on top of an increasing fine structure.
If you are playing a Double Header then you will need to complete two MRCs – one for each match, home & away – and it is strongly recommended that, as well as texting in the scores, you also drop your Div Sec a note of the results of each match.
Referees Kit & Timekeeping
We ask that all referees are recognisable as a referee with Black Shirt, Black Shorts and Black Socks. There’s no issue wearing black under clothing – but we do draw the line at puffer jackets and hoodies which are not considered suitable.
And finally, a referee should be ready at their match at least 20 minutes before kick-off to do the necessary pitch checks and team briefings. If a referee has a prior match – either refereeing or playing – then they must let the home team manager know when confirming their availability.
Cup Finals
Well done to all our teams who make it to one of our Cup Finals. The dates for Cup Finals are now locked in for all age groups and Div Secs will confirm venue, dates and kick off times with teams in due course.
For every Cup Final we will produce a printed programme as a souvenir of the occasion – so do make sure you have that team photo available to go into the programme !
Presentation Evenings
The season always has its finale with Presentation Evenings across all age groups at Princes Hall, Aldershot. The dates and times for each age group are published here and this year we span four evenings from 17th to 20th June.
Our Presentation Evenings not only celebrate those who have won or finished as runners-up in their respective Divisions but the Fair Play winners for each age group. Div Secs will be in touch with more details nearer the time – and once all those invited to attend are known – and will be looking for that team photo again for each team represented.
Key League Meeting Dates
Whilst on the subject of dates, we ask that clubs note that the
NEHYL Annual General Meeting will be held on the 10th June; and the
pre-season meeting on the 29th August. It is vital that every club is represented on both occasions which will be held at Princes Hall, Aldershot.
Tournament Listings
The league maintains a list of future tournaments in date order – if you want your tournament to be listed then submit your request to the league using the Tournament Request form. Once a submission is approved, the published tournament can be found here.
IMPORTANT - League & Cup Competitions will run into May – ALL league/cup fixtures take precedence over club trips and tournaments. Any team who enters a tournament and then does not fulfil a scheduled league or cup fixture will face a charge and a fine for failing to fulfil a fixture.
Looking ahead to 2025/26 Season
As one season draws to a close, significant planning starts for the next season. As a league we always aim to ensure that teams are playing at their correct level. A starting point for this is ensuring that Div Secs are aware of any major changes impacting teams. It may be that a club is merging one or more teams together; that a team is not returning next season; or there is significant player churn.
Please, if any of these situations apply to your team then let your Div Sec know – for competitive age groups this will help ensure Divisional structures are correct from the start and could signal the need for initial InterDiv or Seeding games to be scheduled.
FA Future Fit
From the start of the 2026-27 season, The FA will be launching a new progressive framework for grassroots youth football in England, which aims to further improve the experience for young players across the country – giving them more time on the ball, more time on the pitch and increasing their physical activity levels. The changes being implemented can be found here.
As a league we are fully supportive of this new framework and will be working with clubs in the season ahead to ensure we are best placed to hit the ground running with the changes.
Grassroots Football Awards
It would be great to see more of our football volunteers from North East Hampshire nominated for the FA Grassroots Awards – now is the time to make nominations here.
It is important to remember that it’s not the number of nominations per category for a person or an organisation that matter – the judges are looking for good robust nominations that follow the key points highlighted in each category.
There are 12 categories in the awards – why not take a look if you believe someone at your club or who you know associated with grassroots football is deserving of a nomination?
DBS Process Changes
The FA have changed the way Clubs add DBS to individuals – Clubs now need to add a DBS Applicant via the Club Portal which initiates the start of a DBS check. There’s more information
here.
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