Monthly Archives: September 2018

Looking For Teams without a Game

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If you find yourself without a game, you are free to arrange one with another team in a similar position. If you cannot find a team in the Postponed/Cancelled section on Full-Time, you can look for a team opposite who do not have a scheduled fixture.

When arranging a fixture, please bear in mind that the other team will most likely be in a different ability group. Therefore always agree with each other on how you will manage the game if the gap is significant.

Once you have agreed your fixture, please contact us at fixtures@bmsl.org.uk with the following details:

  1. Home Team
  2. Away Team
  3. Date
  4. Time

Teams without a Scheduled Fixture

And Now for Something Completely Different

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The BMSL actively encourages coaches to concentrate on the development of players at the expense of the result. There may be times when the above approach may not change the nature of the contest significantly. When this happens it would make sense to stop the game as a contest as there is only so much tinkering that can be introduced.

In such circumstances other options should be considered to make the remaining time enjoyable and beneficial for the participants; Bib up mixed teams, run a penalty shoot-out, put on a combined training session, or even try some other type of football game (Risky Business, The One-Nil Game, Headers and Volleys, etc.

Fairplay is a Flexible Approach

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It would be rather naïve to say that the cause of the mismatch is obvious, and by that we mean one team is better than the other. Coaches need to be aware of the cause of the mismatch and adjust their approach to the game accordingly.

Most teams have an even distribution of children born throughout the year. However, on occasion, a team may have the majority of players born in the winter months, while another is packed with players born in the summer months. This means that the mismatch may be a simple case of physicality, especially at the younger age-groups. In such cases, an obvious approach would be to introduce restrictions on how the ‘bigger’ team play; such as the number of touches each player is allowed before they have to pass the ball on; zonal restrictions on how far a player can run with the ball or maybe certain rules on how a goal can be scored.

More often than not, the mismatch is likely to be down to a few players who due to skill, size or speed are able to run past everyone else and score at will. Often these players have no concept of defense, so this presents a perfect opportunity to start the development of a rounded player, who in later years will not become frustrated as other players catch up in skill, size and speed.

Conversely some teams may have defenders who stop everything from passing. Such players often develop into great ‘stoppers’ but rarely become ‘creators’. A spell in midfield or up front will also encourage these players to explore their full potential.

And we regret that on some occasions, the reason sits a little closer to home; we got it wrong!

Whatever the cause, it won't take too much to turn the day around into one that allows everyone to benefit. All it takes is a little imagination and co-operation.

Who benefits from a Mismatch?

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The answer to this is quite simply; No-one.

It is plainly obvious that a team being beaten 10-0 is not benefiting from the experience. In fact it is fair to say that every time a team gets beaten in such a way, we move one step closer to losing a young player from football.

We all know that young players develop and grow at different speeds. Losing a player now through disillusionment only deprives us from potentially finding the next great player. It is therefore everyone’s responsibility to make sure that our young people enjoy their football and never leave the game for the wrong reasons.

A mismatch not only affects those on the wrong end of a big score. There could be any number of reasons for a mismatch but one thing is certain; any team or any player finding it too easy to score is learning nothing and may even be reinforcing bad habits.

When a fixture becomes a mismatch it seems logical to stop the game and go home. However we would maintain that this is the wrong thing to do. Instead we would challenge both sets of coaches to come up with imaginative solutions to the problem that allow the players to continue their game while making it enjoyable and beneficial for all.

When is a Contest not a Contest?

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Regardless of whether results or league tables are published, every match starts out as a competitive encounter between two sets of young players and will remain so, as long as it remains a meaningful contest between the two sides. When one team totally dominates, the contest is over and the game by definition ceases to be competitive.

That is why the BMSL look to match teams of similar ability. The Fairplay divisions are competition ladders where teams are grouped with the aim to make every game a true contest. Fixtures are published covering a 6-7 week period and at the end of this period each team’s performance is assessed and, depending on the results of the assessments, teams are reassigned their place in the ladder and a new set of fixtures are created. By adopting this approach, we hope to ensure t犀利士
hat every team finds a level at where they can be truly competitive.

However, we cannot get this right all the time and sometimes a fixture will very quickly prove to be a mismatch. When this happens it is the responsibility of coaches to take action to make the experience one that benefits all those taking part.

Can’t log in to Full-Time

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Some of you may be experiencing issues logging into your Full-Time account. This is because team administrators are now automatically created in Full-Time from WGS and no longer set-up manually by the league. As a result new Full-Time accounts have been created for the new season and your login credentials from last season will no longer work.

Most of you will have already received an email from Full-Time inviting you to complete your new account set-up. If you haven't yet received it please do the following:

  1. Check your junk mail for an email from donotreplyfulltime@thefa.com
  2. Ensure that you have your current email on your FA Account in WGS

If you did not have an email on your FA Account you will not be able to receive your invite. Once your have added your email , please let us know at support@bmsl.org.uk so that we can arrange for your account set-up email to be sent to you.

SMS Result Texts

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Full-Time includes the option to allow team administrators to send in scorelines via SMS Text Message. Full-time allows two mobile numbers to be registered for each team. This is generally the Team Manager or maybe a Team Secretary or possibly the Club Secretary.

In order to register a number with Full-Time the team administrators need to be given a Team Manager or Team Secretary role in WGS. It is important that team administrators who wish to use this service make sure that they have their current mobile number on their FA account in WGS.

At the start of the season, we will assign all Team Managers that have a mobile number the service automatically. If you need an additional team administrator assigned to the service or you are not receiving your result text from Full-Time please contact support@bmsl.org.uk.

How it Works

During each game, Full-Time will send an SMS Text Message to each registered mobile number, reminding you to send in the result of the game. After the game, both home and away team administrators should report the score by replying to their message using the word RESULT (followed by a space) and giving the score for the game, home team first, away team second, and separated by a hyphen.

For example you receive

FULL-TIME @TheFA 0125 v 0205 K.O. SUN 16 SEP 2018 10:30. Submit your result after the match as: RESULT H-A

To report a 2-1 home win, you reply

RESULT 2-1

The only exception is if you are registered to send in results for more than one team, in which case Full-Time will include a team code (for the BMSL this will be a 4-digit numerical code), which you need to add after the result so that Full-Time can identify which team is being reported.

In the above example you would receive

FULL-TIME @TheFA 0125 v 0205 K.O. SUN 16 SEP 2018 10:30. Submit your result after the match as: RESULT H-A 0125

And you would reply with your team code (in this example 0125)

RESULT 2-1 0125

It is important to note that you should not add other information and that the text must begin with the word RESULT otherwise Full-Time will ignore it. The text must be sent from one of the registered mobiles as Full-Time identifies you by the mobile number it has been given.

Full-Time allows you to report postponements (RESULT P-P) and abandonments (RESULT A-A).

Hints & Tips

If you are having problems with sending in results, please check the following:

  • If your score is not updating on Full-Time, resend your text and make sure your message starts with RESULT
  • If Full-Time asks for a team code, make sure it’s included and make sure it is the correct one
  • If the score is the wrong way around, resend your text making sure you give the home team as on the Full-Time website score first, away score second
  • If a fixture is incorrect on Full-Time, tell us (support@bmsl.org.uk) before the game is played
  • If your score on Full-Time is not what you sent on your text, contact the opposition's team administrator and agree the score that you are both submitting
  • If you are not getting a text from Full-Time, make sure you have the correct mobile number set-up on your WGS FA Account

Why not submit your scores using the FA's new Matchday App?

Matchday is a new mobile app that allows you to manage your football on the go. Download the app to your iOS (Apple) and Android devices.
Find out more

Get the Matchday App

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Matchday is a new mobile app that allows you to manage your football on the go.

Download the app to your iOS (Apple) and Android devices.
Matchday FAQs

The BMSL is pleased to announce that we are Matchday ready and you can now download and start using the app immediately. Matchday is fully integrated with current FA systems which makes your life easier. The app will automatically do the following for you:

  • Display all fixtures from Full-Time (results and league tables are not available in mini-soccer)
  • Allow you to capture availability from your players for these fixtures from Full-Time
  • Automatically populate your squad from WGS (please note that you will need to add parent/guardian records in WGS if you want to email your players)
  • Submit your scores to Full-Time via the app (no need to SMS these in)
  • After the game, you can even submit your match report or match return via the app too meaning less work off the pitch (coming soon).

Confirming Your Fixture

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It is very important that you get your fixture confirmed as early as possible. It is the responsibility of the home team to confirm a Sunday fixture with the away team by 9pm on the previous Tuesday. We recommend that you confirm your next fixture as soon as you have

Voice, text, email and instant messaging are all acceptable forms of communicating arrangements, however it must not be assumed the fixture has been confirmed when using text or electronic communication until the away team has acknowledged your message.

The following details should be confirmed with the away team:

  • The kick-off time (and they time they should arrive at your ground - this should be approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled kick-off time)
  • The location of your home ground (and instructions on how to get there)

Club Directory

The list of team and club contact details is know as the Club Directory. This is available under My Resources on the main menu once have logged into your BMSL account.

You can search for contact details by family name, club or club role (don't forget to click on the Search button after you have made your selection).

If you cannot find the team contact you are looking for you will need to contact the club's League Liaison or Secretary. If neither of these are available in the Club Directory, then you can find a list of member club contacts here.

What do I do if the fixture has not been confirmed by Tuesday evening?

If you are the away team and the home team has not confirmed arrangements for a Sunday fixture by Tuesday 9pm with you, you should contact the club secretary of your opposition to find out the arrangements.

If by Thursday you have not had confirmation, you are free to arrange an alternative fixture with any team in your division that does not have a game.