The Scottish FA are encouraging clubs, from grassroots right through to the professional ranks to develop their activities into areas that positively impact on their surrounding local communities beyond solely the delivery of football opportunities.  The association has both recognised and is now actively promoting the power that football can have as a vehicle for social change.

The Scottish FA are therefore delighted to now be able to offer a variety of resources, which have been created in conjunction with a variety of partners.

These include:

Guide to Community Asset Transfer

Legal structures for your club

Developing Community Clubs – Support Directory

One such document the  ‘Legal structures for your club’ which has been created in partnership with Burness Paull LLP and Supporters Direct Scotland and provides clubs with an overview of the various legal structures available for clubs and community groups across Scotland.

All of these documents complement existing resources such as ‘The Big Pitch’ the Scottish FA’s facilities strategy, and the association’s 3G Construction and Installation Guidance, both of which have offered key partner agencies and club’s valuable guidance in these respective areas.

Danny Bisland – Scottish FA Project Manager – Developing Community Clubs says “I am very thankful to both Burness Paull LLP and Supporters Direct Scotland for their input and to the Big Lottery Fund for their ongoing support in help create this valuable resource. 

“We understand that one of the most important choices you will make when forming your club is which legal structure to adopt. The choices are plentiful and it can seem overwhelming deciding which option to take. It’s worth taking your time over the decision and making sure the structure you choose is right for your club, as each structure has its own strengths This guide will walk through the various structures available to your club and outline the benefits and limitations of each legal form.”

In addition to this document the Scottish FA have worked with both the Robertson Trust and SENSCOT to create the ‘Developing Community Clubs – Support Directory’ which signposts clubs to a number of key stakeholders in Governance, Business start-up planning & development, equality & diversity, development & volunteering, funding monitoring and evaluation plus key contact in the wider football family.