What constitutes a County Pan-Disability League?
All County Pan Disability League should have some common characteristics which are:
- Sanctioned to a CFA.
- Open Access (Weekend or Evening Fixtures).
- Voluntary Management Committee (or working towards having this in place).
What age groups should county leagues cover?
Your county pan disability league should aspire to provide dedicated playing divisions (ability banded where required) for affiliated teams within:
- Male open age.
- Female open age.
- Under 16s mixed gender divisions (incorporates ages U13, U14, U15, U16).
- Under 12s mixed gender divisions (incorporates U9, U10, U11, U12).
- U8s mixed gender divisions (incorporates U7, U8) if there is demand locally.
Is there any ability banding guidance?
Ability banding helps to ensure that disability football is fair, and that players compete against others of similar ability. As the County Pan Disability Leagues have grown ensuring this fairness, has in some instances, become an increasingly difficult issue to deal with.
The bandings suggested are:
Premiership Level – players able to cope physically, good levels of spatial awareness, excellent ability to understand tactics and good level of physical strength and fitness.
Championship Level – players would be mobile, have spatial and tactical awareness, knowledge of the laws of the game and have a good level of fitness.
League Level – players would have limited mobility, spatial awareness and fitness.
Often competitions host banding festivals at the start of the year to ensure teams/players are in the correct division for the upcoming season, as opposed to solely relying on traditional promotion and relegation.
Does The FA fund county disability leagues?
County pan disability league funding was offered for eight seasons and ceased in 2015-16. This was always designed (and advertised) as seed funding to support the establishment of a network of pan disability leagues (over 40 now in operation across the country) and was never intended to be a permanent funding source. There are many excellent examples of County Leagues having attracted sponsorship and other sources of grant aid to become financially self-sustainable by working in partnership with the County FA workforce.
Is there any eligibility guidance for pan disability football?
There is an FA guidance document available to use: Please see attached
Can we have mixed gender dispensation in the adult divisions?
For Adult teams, you can also utilise the mixed gender dispensation rule for adult disability football where no female specific competition exists.
Leagues/competitions can apply for dispensation via their local CFA who will submit a completed application form to Jonathan Coles on an annual basis, please follow this link to the Adult Mixed Gender Dispensation Application Form. :Smartsheet.com
Can players with mental ill health play pan disability football?
As with all provision our preference is for players to play in mainstream football, however where this isn’t possible players and teams can access pan disability or mental health specific football. Where possible and when demand requires, our guidance would be to form a mental health specific division within your pan disability league.