FA answers Telegraph’s call to slash bureaucracy in grassroots football by launching new smartphone app
The Football Association have today answered the call from both The Telegraph and grassroots volunteers to slash bureaucracy by launching a new smartphone app that will transform how players pay their match fees.
Until now, the grassroots game has largely relied on money changing hands in person, with 80 per cent of clubs still taking cash and a further 38 per cent using cheques as their means of collecting fees and fines from their players.
It has meant many clubs suffering from late or missed payments, with almost three quarters of clubs officials admitting in a Football Association survey last year that they waste time chasing up late payments from players and parents. A third of clubs even reported that up to 40 per cent of their match fees went uncollected.
The Telegraph launched its ‘Save Our Game’ campaign last October in the aftermath of the Wembley sale collapse and our six-point manifesto specifically included the urgent need for the FA to cut bureaucracy in the grassroots game. It has become one of the biggest frustrations among those club volunteers who organise grassroots teams.
By digitising payments through the new ‘FA Matchday App’, The FA and PayPal will simplify the collection and tracking of money for people who manage grassroots football teams. It will enable over a million grassroots players to pay their match fees with their smartphones.
The FA Matchday App has also been developed to allow club secretaries, managers and coaches to organise matches and training, select their line-up, and instantly give updates to their team. Players will be able to share their availability, view all future fixtures and monitor the tables and results.
“This signals our intent to further bring grassroots football into the digital age, making the game more accessible for all,” said Russell James, the director of digital engagement at the FA. “This service will help save time and reduce administration for those people who dedicate their time to organising the football that so many people enjoy.” This launch of the app coincides with a new four-year partnership agreement between the FA and PayPal.
