Venue Accreditation
THE GOVERNING BODY OF 5/6/7 A SIDE FOOTBALL IN THE UK
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MINIFOO What is Minifootball? Minifootball is the European term used to describe all forms of adult small sided football which, in the UK, consist principally of 5 or 6 a side leagues. In the UK the term “Minifootball” has traditionally meant junior football but it is likely that in the coming years the term “Minifootball” will increasingly be used in the UK to describe all forms of adult small sided football
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TBALL Who are the UK Minifootball Who are the EMF? association? The UK Minifootball Association (The UKMA) is a non-profit making body bringing together various UK federations and associations together into one group to act as the Governing Body for all minifootball in the United Kingdom. UK Minifootball is the sole governing body for minifootball in the United Kingdom and is authorised as such by the European Minifootball Federation (EMF) under their Statute. The UKMA is on the Executive Committee of the EMF.
The EMF is the European Governing Body for minifootball in Europe and currently has over 20 countries as members. The EMF organises international competitions including the European Minifootball Championships which are held annually in a member country, and which are called ‘MiniEuro’.
What about the FA? Traditionally the FA has represented all forms of football in the United Kingdom. However, the FA’s primary focus is on 11 a-side football and not minifootball or small sided football. In May 2012 the European Commission in Brussels recognised minifootball as a separate sport apart from 11 a side football which therefore required a Governing Body for each member country and a European Governing Body. This effectively meant that minifootball in the UK required a Governing Body separate to the FA on the basis that minifootball was classified by the European Commission as a separate sport.
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The History of Minifootball in the United Kingdom Minifootball or small sided football, as a game, is at least as old, or probably even older, than 11-a-side football. From the 1860’s amateur and then professional football clubs used small sided football in a competitive way as training for their 11-a-side matches. This practice continues up to the current day. In the 1960’s there were round-robin tournaments in sports facilities across the UK, these mainly being played in indoor sports halls. The early 1970’s saw the prevalence of 5-a-side competitions, some of which were played on grass, but these were mainly junior competitions. It was not until the 1980’s that sports centre managers saw the opportunity to organise 5-A-side leagues in their own sports centres and this led to the development through the 1980’s and 1990’s of more national providers of 5-a-side leagues throughout the country. As all weather pitches improved throughout the late 1990’s and into the turn of the new century and with the development of new playing surfaces, 5-a-side, and later 6-a-side leagues became more prevalent and began developing rapidly. Today it is estimated there are approximately 1.3 million people playing in competitive small sided leagues weekly in the UK and in total 2 million people playing some sort of small sided football throughout the winter season. In mainland Europe, where the term ‘Minifootball’ had always been used to describe small sided football, the first organised leagues were established in the early 1970’s but it was not until the turn of the century that more countries began developing their own minifootball leagues on a national level and creating their own associations. In 2010 a group of Eastern European countries organised the first ‘European Minfootball Championships’ which were won by Romania. In 2012, with the recognition of minifootball as a separate sport to 11-a-side football, a European governing body for minifootball was established with the remit to encourage European countries to establish their own governing bodies for minifootball and in September 2012 the European Minifootball Championships featured 16 participating teams and attracted over £1 million worth of sponsorship. However, the United Kingdom still boasts the largest number of minifootball players and is currently one of the very few sports in the United Kingdom whose participation rates continue to increase year on year.
Early MiniFootball
Current England Team
England Team in Moldova
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EMF President, Razvan Burleanu Romania (left) and Vice President, Filip Juda Czech Republic (right)
The formation of the EMF
International Representation
Razvan Burleanu, President of the EMF
The UKMA is commissioned by the EMF to supply international teams representing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the European Minifootball Championships held annually in a different member state. We are also commissioned to hold an annual National Championship to determine which teams will represent those countries on the international stage. Only members accredited by the UKMA can enter a team in the National Championships and the highest placed team from each country represents that country in international tournaments. In 2012, the 2011 National Champions represented England in Moldova in miniEURO 2012.
All the European countries come together under the EMF
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The UK 6 A-Side Championships The UKMA owns and hosts the UK 6-a-side National Championships which it took over from a national provider in 2011. The championships are held annually either in Birmingham or London at a central location and are open to all participating member teams from any organiser in the UK.
Winners 2010
Winners 2008
Winners 2009
Winners 2011
Winners 2012
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The European miniFootball Championships
Montenegro and Romania line up for the Final.
The inaugural European Minifootball Championships were held in Moldova in September 2012 and featured 16 countries with Romania defeating Montenegro 2-1 in the final. In 2013 24 countries will be competing including our representative countries from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UKMA provides all funding for the participating teams from national countries to compete in the European Championships and all expenses are paid by us.
Romania and Montenegro fight for the trophy.
Crowd watching miniEuro in Moldova.
England line up to face Italy.
Romania celebrate. Winners 2012 .
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What are the benefits of accreditation? As an accredited facility by us this means that minifootball organisers in the UK will know that your venue is suitably set up to host minifootball leagues without them having to visit or check your centre. The accreditation will also show visitors to your facility that you meet the highest standards in a number of areas which cover not only minifootball leagues, but also other sports you may operate at you facility. As the recognised governing body for minifootball leagues in the United Kingdom, the UKMA has access to centralised funding which you have the opportunity to apply for to improve the facilities for minifootball at your centre. You may apply for a grant for a new pitch surface, goals or other equipment, for instance. Only accredited UKMA venue operators can apply for this grant.
ACCREDITA
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What does it cost to accredit our facility with the UKMA?
How can my facility get their accreditation from the UKMA?
There is a standard fee of ÂŁ199.00 per venue annually. This is refunded to you should we find that your facility does not match the standards for hosting minifootball.
You are required to fill in the online form and make your fee payment when you send this to us. We ask you certain questions on this form which are a starting point to your accreditation.
We are accredited already by Sport England or the FA, why should we get accreditation from the UKMA?
Once we receive your form we will make contact with you and one of our accreditation managers will arrange to visit you at a date and time convenient to you. During this visit he or she will spend more time with you and look around your facility filling in a more detailed accreditation questionnaire form. If you already have minifootball played at your venue through an accredited league organiser to the UKMA then the chances are that your facility will meet the standards we require for minifootball leagues. We check things such as health and safety, equipment you have on site for minifootball, your surface, your changing areas and other facilities which may be relevant.
You don’t have to but it is likely in the coming years, now Brussels has recognised minifootball as a separate sport, different countries FA’s will become less and less involved and will receive less funding from Europe to develop minifootball. This funding is more likely to be channelled through governing bodies such as ourselves. Therefore, to give you the most opportunities to receive funding for your facility it is better for you to accredit your facility with as many governing bodies and organisations as possible. The more accreditations your facility receives (from Sport England, Football Foundation, UKMA etc.) the better for you.
If we are happy that your facility matches the criteria for you to host organised minifootball leagues then we will supply you with a substantial plaque which you can affix to either your astro turf or indoor facility to show that you have accreditation and you meet the highest standards for hosting minifootball leagues. If your facility does not meet our standards then you will be given the reasons why in order that you have the opportunity to make any necessary amendments and reapply. Your application fee is refunded in full at this stage.
TION
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IT TAKES JUST 10 MINUTES TO ACCREDIT YOUR FACILITY 1. Go online to www.ukminifootballco.uk 2. Click on ‘Facility Accreditation’ 3. Fill in the form, make payment and submit 4. We will contact you within 2-3 business days
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www.ukminifootball.co.uk +44(0)871 2500 131 UK MiniFootball Association Arion Business Centre Harriet House, Erdington Birmingham, West Midlands B23 6BG