At Gillingham Town Youth Football Club, our number one concern is the safety and welfare of the children who play for the club, and the adults who work with them. All our coaches have a valid CRB check, FA approved emergency aid qualification and have attended the FA Safeguarding Children workshop. These are updated and refreshed periodically in line with FA guidelines.

The Club’s Welfare Officer (Acting) is:

Matt Pepper
Contact number: 07958 508315
Email address: chairmangtyfc@gmail.com
If you have any concerns about the welfare of any child at the club please contact Matt.

What does a Club Welfare Officer do?

Club Welfare Officers have two key roles:

To be informed and aware of the league or club’s responsibilities when running football activities for children and young people.

For example:

• ensuring these responsibilities are well understood by others
• developing best practice processes.

Helping league and club personnel understand their ‘duty of care’ towards children and young people.

For example:

• ensuring all relevant people complete The FA’s ‘Safeguarding Children’ training programme
• helping to make sure trips away are organised properly
• managing the roll out of FA CRB checks.

The Club Welfare Officer sits on the Club Committee and knows all of the Club’s coaches and managers.

If Matt is unavailable there are listed below some alternative contact details from the Dorset FA:

You could also contact the Dorset Youth League Welfare Officer:

Matt Lucas: CWO@dorsetyouthfootballleague.co.uk

Any member of the club’s committee are available to discuss issues and concerns you may have. Click here to view the Club’s Committee.

Links To Policies:

There are a number of policies that we have in place to safeguard our players. There will also be forms to complete on registration so make sure you read those carefully and ask your coach if you have any questions. If you can’t find what you are looking for, or have a concern then contact the Club Welfare Officer.

Code of Conduct PDF Links:

COVID-19

Please remember that if you, or anyone in your household, is showing any Coronavirus symptoms, please do not attend training or matches.

See the government website https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus to get a test, and self-isolate for at least 10 days after a positive test result.

• If your child has been asked to self-isolate by their school, please let their coach know and do not attend training.
• If your child has a positive test result, please inform the club.
• The Clubhouse/Changing Rooms are currently closed. Please make sure your child attends training and matches in appropriate kit.
• All players should have their own hand sanitiser and use it regularly.
• Please encourage your child to use the toilet before leaving home as the facilities at Kington Magna and Gillingham School are limited and use will be restricted.
• Spectating at training (and matches when they resume) is currently allowed. However, spectators must stand in the allocated space on the same side as their team’s coach.
• Please remember to socially distance.

For up to date guidance from the FA, please click here: https://www.thefa.com/news/2020/jul/17/grassroots-guidance-for-competitive-football-restart-in-england-170720

For guidance from the Dorset League please click here: http://www.dorsetyouthfootballleague.co.uk/return-to-football/

Interested in volunteering?

We are always looking for new faces to join the GTYFC community. There are lots of roles too- so if you are not a footballer, don’t worry! As well as coaches and assistants, we are on the lookout for people to run the lines, café servers (and cake makers!), support with maintaining the grounds and help with administrative jobs. All volunteers regularly working with children are provided with a CRB check and safeguarding course run by the FA.

If you are interested in coaching or supporting a coach, The FA has launched a new, entry-level football course for both current and future volunteers in the grassroots game – The FA Playmaker supported by BT. 

It’s open to anyone aged 14+, completely free to sign up, and requires no previous football experience or qualifications before signing up. 

Over five modules, the course focuses on the brilliant basics of football providing a toolkit anyone can use to get involved and help create fun, safe and inclusive experiences in the game. 

Click here to sign up: https://www.thefa.com/bootroom/learning/qualifications/fa-playmaker

While face to face training is not possible due to Covid-19 restrictions, we would ask that volunteers complete the online safeguarding course here:

https://falearning.thefa.com/course/view.php?id=1774

Useful links:

• Kids Pitch      https://www.dorsetfa.com/players/kids-pitch
• ThinkUKNow – www.thinkuknow.co.uk

Thinkuknow is the education programme from NCA-CEOP, a UK organisation which protects children both online and offline.

• NSPCC – www.nspcc.org.uk / 0808 800 500

• Childline – www.childline.org.uk / 0800 1111

• FA Online Safety- https://www.thefa.com/news/2019/feb/05/safer-internet-day-050219
• CEOP- Information for parents about child exploitation and online safety- https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

In an emergency child welfare situation we would encourage you to contact the police.