We are pleased to announce the return of County Cups along with support that will help protect grassroots football from the ongoing financial impact of COVID-19

Even as life begins to return to normal, it’s clear that the ongoing economic impact of COVID-19 will still be felt for some time to come. We understand Clubs at all levels will continue to face financial challenges and want to help those at heart of our game during these difficult times.

With funding from Sport England and The FA we have again put together a package to ensure all Clubs can benefit from extra support. As such Hertfordshire FA will provide the following for 2021-22:

• Free Club Affiliation
• Free Team Affiliation
• Free County Cup entry
• Discounted Public Liability Insurance

Karl Lingham, Chief Executive Officer of Hertfordshire FA, said:

“After two seasons severely disrupted by the pandemic, everyone in football will be hoping that 2021-22 will be free from further lockdowns or restrictions. However, even if play does return to normal, the financial impact of COVID-19 will still be with us.

Many across the grassroots game will be faced with difficult choices as the reality of reduced budgets begin to bite. We hope that by offering free affiliation, County Cup entry and discounted insurance, this will help our clubs to continue playing.

We are extremely grateful to both Sport England and The FA for the significant amount of funding they have provided and are delighted to be able to pass the benefit directly to our Clubs, as we all strive to build back better following a difficult few years.”

Affiliation for the 2021-22 season will open on 1 June and guidance for clubs in preparation of this will be published soon.

County Cups in the 2021-22 Season

Having been unable to run them last season, we are also pleased to announce that our County Cup competitions are set to return in 2021-22, with some adjustments in light of the financial and administrative challenges resulting from COVID-19.

This means running a smaller number of Cups for both youth and adult teams than we had previously, with changes to the Rules to help ensure that all fixtures can be completed should there be any possibility of the schedule being interrupted.

While we all hope that next season will proceed without further disruption due to the pandemic, it is felt that a gradual approach is the most appropriate way to proceed, with a view to a full programme of competitions returning for the 2022-23 season.

A full statement from our Competitions Committee with further details about the changes can be downloaded below. Updated Rules and Guidance Documents for next season’s competitions will be provided in due course.

Club Affiliation for the 2021/22 season will open on 1st June and we have put together guidance for clubs to help them complete the affiliation process.