Over 1,000 officers of leagues across the country have now received training from WONFAS, the F.A.'s ambitious new 'Web-Orientated Nationwide Football Administration System'.

This figure is climbing all the time, as more league secretaries, fixtures secretaries and other officers discover how WONFAS can lighten their administrative load and help them do their jobs better. WONFAS is itself being administered by the National Game Division of the F.A.

It uses the latest web technology to bring the football community together and achieve three core aims:

· To improve football administration
· To improve communication
· To establish a National Participants Database

WONFAS has two parts: a County System and a League System. Both are designed to help administrators carry out their work more efficiently and to share information with one another and those they are administering.

What Is The Benefit of WONFAS For League Officers?

League officers can use WONFAS for a variety of processes, including:

· Organising fixtures
· Inputting results
· Registering players
· Calculating league tables
· Making referee appointments

But that is not all, explains Phil Smith, the person managing the WONFAS project for the FA. "At the same time as enabling league officers do all these things, and allowing them to communicate all this information to as many people as they want, it also enables them to keep all their admin and records up to date." Thus, one action produces two results.

"One of the biggest headaches that league officials have, is creating a fixture list which accounts for issues like sharing pitches, the English weather, cup replays, teams being away - in short, all the things which can play havoc with their fixtures."

"Hence, we have spent a lot of time developing fixtures software, which takes into account all these factors and tries to minimise the possibility of human error."

But Why Not Just Buy An Admin Package on CD?

Unlike a software package on a CD, WONFAS is net-based and so can be used on any PC in the world, points out Smith. "Also, it can be used by several people - the secretary, treasurer, fixtures man, which is useful because a league is not run by just one person."

Another advantage is that the F.A. is continuing to modify and enhance the software when required. Suggestions of improvements and changes are continually reviewed by a working group of league officials and prioritised for inclusion. Indeed, because the system is web-based, the F.A. is able to make such improvements without users being put out or even aware.

How Do I Get Started Using WONFAS?

WONFAS is a voluntary system. People have to want to use it. Those who do want to use it, or simply give it a try, must first do a training course - either be a three-hour evening course, or an extended, day-long course.

"It starts with the basics - in fact, with the on-off button", explains Phil Smith. "We don't expect any prior knowledge of IT."

"If people have got problems or want to ask questions, they can contact the help-desk by phone or e-mail", says Smith. "Or they can come on a refresher course".

How Many League Officers Are Now Using It?

The training of league officials started in September 2,001. By spring of this year, over 1,000 such officials had been trained, representing 600 or 700 leagues. It is hard to say precisely how many leagues are currently using it. "But we are aiming", says Smith, "to get the whole country using it within the next 12 months or so. Meanwhile, County Associations will also be using their version of the new system, so the service to leagues will be even better."

What Does A Real, Live League Officer Think Of It?

The Marathon League in Middlesex/West London was one of the first leagues to start using WONFAS, when it began operating it at the start of last season to shadow the way that it administered its fixtures by the traditional, manual methods.

"We then had an exact copy of our results and league tables in WONFAS", explains Mark Frost, the Fixtures Secretary for the league (and, in his day job, Executive Director of the Middlesex FA and a member of the WONFAS League Working Group).

"Until now, I have always done the fixtures by hand. I need to schedule my matches when my clubs have pitches. The biggest crime you can commit is to have a club who has a pitch available and does not have a game that day. WONFAS should enable you to lessen the risk of that and so make the most economical use of your pitches."

"The other thing that will save you time is that you no longer have to update your web-page with results, league tables and fixtures", continues Frost. This information will automatically be fed through from WONFAS.

"The beauty of it from the league officers' viewpoint is that they will be able to derive the information they require from the web-site, which will save them having to phone a club officer in an evening and say, for example, "Tell me the result of your match", or, "Who are you playing next week?" It will all be there on the web-site."

But How Many Clubs Are Likely Actually To Use It?

How many of the Marathon League's clubs does Mark Frost expect to use WONFAS when the league goes live with it at the start of this coming season?

"Maybe 30%, given that I currently correspond with 30% of them by email. But once it's out there and the message grows, I think that it will spread quickly."

What Does It Cost?

The training, technical support, software and web-site hosting for those wanting to use WONFAS are all completely free. "Some people think that there must be a catch", says Smith. "But there isn't."

The only potential costs to your league are the costs of connecting to the internet, for which many low-cost deals are available. In fact, the F.A. has recently negotiated one for leagues to use if they wish, for a maximum cost of £14.99 per month for unlimited connections. Details are shown on TheFA.com.

What If I/We Don't Have A Computer?

The F.A. now has a grant-aid scheme in place to help leagues obtain a computer - again, details are on TheFA.com.

Why Not Give It A Try?

"WONFAS is a voluntary system", says Smith. "But we are convinced that it is the future of football admin. There are many people out there who are frightened of technology and of change. But if there is one thing that I want to get across it is, 'Give it a try'. If it is not the thing for you, then we can try and modify it so that it is."

How Can I Get More Information?

For more information on WONFAS, call 0870 1121966 and/or read the articles listed below.

Relevant Links 01 May 2002 WONFAS Data Protection 05 April 2002 Counties Continue To Go Live On 'Net 04 February 2002 Your Questions Answered - WONFAS 06 November 2001 All Systems Go With WONFAS