PLAYER'S CHARTER : THE MERTON WAY

The oldest amateur football club in the London Borough of Merton, the Club was founded in 1910 and from humble beginnings, has grown steadily to become firmly established today, with six men’s teams competing in the Southern Amateur League and a Women’s team competing in the Greater London Regional Women’s League. Our aims are to be:-

  • Successful on the pitch: in terms of winning matches, trophies and promotions, achieving a good level of discipline / respect and providing a good standard of football in the local area.
  • Successful off the pitch: in terms of creating a welcoming atmosphere / good club spirit within the clubhouse and amongst both our playing and non-playing membership, operating positively in financial terms and striving to improve its facilities.
  • As we are an amateur club run by committed volunteers, for us to achieve our aims we are dependent on everyone playing their part. The Players Charter explains what you can expect of Merton Football Club and what is expected of you as a playing member of the club. If we all adhere to the standards within the Players’ Charter, it will ensure that you have done your part to help Merton Football Club be successful.

What you can expect from Merton Football Club and the team managers

  1. Good communication / clear information – to inform you which team you are in and explain any decisions and give you feedback in relation to not selecting you or selecting you in a different team from normal. Provide details of where your match will be played and the time you need to arrive.
  2. Promotion of Respect – encourage you to conduct yourself in the correct manner and deal with incidences where conduct falls short of what is expected.
  3. Good timekeeping – to enable the team to have the best match day preparation, the managers will lead by example and arrive no later than the agreed meet time. (Late kick offs can result in the team being fined by the AFA)
  4. Encouragement to develop – the Club will encourage player development and give them every chance to play as high within the club as their ability and fitness allows.
  5. Fairness – If you are playing well you will be given a chance to show that you can keep the shirt and stay in the team.
  6. Equipment – the Club will provide each team with a suitable playing kit and footballs.

What is expected from you as players of Merton Football Club

  1. Prompt communication – it is essential that when you are contacted about your availability for a forthcoming game, you respond very promptly. Without your reply, the manager can’t select their team and this then affects the selection of all of the teams within the Club.
  2. Good timekeeping – in order to prepare properly for the match, your manager needs you there at the stated time. This time is the latest you should arrive, not the earliest time you should start arriving from. This is particularly important when it comes to away games as if you are late; you will delay the whole team and could affect your future selection.
  3. Support the aims of the club – Merton Football Club is a club not a collection of individual teams, therefore all players shall generally be available to play for any team that selects them. By understanding you are a member of the Club and being willing to play for all of the teams; the Club will continue to develop.
  4. Good conduct – treat the opposition, referee, your team mates and managers with respect – both on and off the pitch. We all play football to enjoy ourselves, please do your bit to ensure that Merton’s reputation as a welcoming club is maintained and enhanced. This covers going back to the Merton clubhouse after matches (or the oppositions’ clubhouse for away games) and treating the equipment provided by the Club, with respect.
  5. Pay your match fees / fines – all players are required to pay match fees and any fines they accrue. Without this money being paid, the Club could not afford to run; therefore out of respect for the other members of the club, you are all treated fairly and are expected to pay in full. You will know that match fees are due each week, so please ensure you arrive with sufficient funds. If you don’t pay, you can’t play.
  6. Support your manager – anything you can do to help your manager will assist in them running the team i.e. things such as taking the water out, putting out corner flags and collecting money - all jobs that need doing.

Hospitality and respect

Merton Football aims to enhance its status as a hospitable and friendly club and as such all players are expected to go into the bar after games and socialise with your team mates, the opposition and the referee. This helps engender team spirit, which is developed as much off the pitch as it is on it. In particular, every player has a responsibility to make new players feel welcome to the Club. A meal is provided to home and away teams after league and cup games. All players need to be mindful that most pitches that we play on are situated within public areas and therefore we must ensure that we keep dissent and swearing to an absolute minimum so as to not offend passers-by. We must also ensure that we show respect to the other occupants / neighbours of the playing area / club house, such as the local Bowls Club, Council staff and the houses on the perimeter of the pitches.

We want you all to enjoy playing for Merton Football Club and to contribute to the success we are looking to achieve, therefore, if we all do our own small bit by meeting the above expectations, it will go a long way to achieving The Merton Way.

 



The FA Charter