UEFA Toolbox in Football Management The Organisation of World Football

Standing committees

Standing committees

Why are they needed?

Most executive committee members are elected from the national association’s membership after
having worked in football in a voluntary capacity for a number of years. In many cases, the members do
not have experience of a corporate environment and therefore can find executive committee duties
somewhat of a challenge. Without strong leadership, executive committee meetings can lack control
and direction and may last for hours without structure or output and merely consist of unproductive
discussion.

It is important for the national association’s president or general secretary to implement a structure and
processes around the executive committee and to provide regular information, detailed reports and
recommendations on new policies, guidelines and initiatives. One way of doing this is to create a network
of committees to support the executive committee and ensure that work progresses between executive
committee meetings.

Explanation of the tool

There is no limit to the number of committees that a national association can form. However, it is
important to consider what can realistically be delivered and how the committees will work in
collaboration with the general secretary and management team. The level of efficiency and quality of
the output should be factors in deciding whether a committee is necessary and ensuring that it has a
clear purpose.

If a national association management team is inexperienced, it may be advisable to have a range of

active committees. However, an experienced management team could be hindered by a committee
duplicating its work. The key is to not just decide the number of committees but also define their terms
of reference: what exactly are their roles and purpose? An example of the committee structure of a
typical national association and the terms of reference of one such committee are shown on page 3.

The process of creating committees

A national association’s statutes should clearly set out the number of standing committees and their
roles. It is important to specify the exact details of each committee:
• Name of the committee
• Composition – number of members
• Eligibility criteria – are committee members required to have any specific qualifications and/or
experience?
• Term of office – how many years do appointments last?
• Terms of reference – what is expected of the committee and how often does it meet?
• Appointment criteria – who appoints the committees?
• Reporting criteria – how do committees report to the executive committee and who acts as the
secretariat to the committee (usually a staff member of the national association management team)?

With regards to the terms of reference, it is the role of most committees to support the work of the
executive committee. Typically, committees do not have delegated powers to implement activities or
make binding decisions without the approval of the executive committee. The notable exception is the
work of the disciplinary and ethics committees and associated appeals bodies that may potentially have

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Standing committees

to investigate the executive committee or individual executive committee members. As a result, these
bodies must have the freedom to act independently.

The role of most committees is to make recommendations on strategic development, policy and
performance. Proposals are subject to the approval of the executive committee and must therefore be
put on the agenda of executive committee meetings, with the necessary documentation submitted in
advance (see The Organisation of World Football: Executive committee meetings). Each committee is
usually chaired by a member of the executive committee.

Tips to remember for standing committees

• Clearly define the role of each committee to avoid unnecessary interference in the national
association’s day-to-day affairs that are the responsibility of the general secretary and the
management team.
• Do not create too many committees. They are there to work for the benefit of football in your
country; they are not vehicles used to reward specific individuals.
• Remember that there is a cost associated with each committee – daily allowances, room hire, travel
expenses and so on. These costs add to the annual budget.
• It is good practice to allocate a member of the management team to support each standing
committee. The objective is to ensure a good working relationship between the committee and the
management team.

Want to know more? Consult:

• Articles 39 to 53 of the FIFA Statutes:
https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/7e791c0890282277/original/FIFA-Statutes-2021.pdf
• Articles 35 to 38 of the UEFA Statutes: https://documents.uefa.com/v/u/OsXl2S7PUiUKy7gCop4Q5w

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Standing committees

Example 1: National association standing committees

This example shows the standing committees of a national association. Typically, a national association
has at least the following standing committees: referees committee (a requirement of the FIFA
Statutes, Art. 14(1)(g)), women’s football, finance/audit and disciplinary/ethics.

Executive
Committee

Women’s
Referees Governance Ethics Disciplinary Competitions Medical Finance
Football
Committee Committee Committee Committee Committee Committee Committee
Committee

Appeals Body

Example 2: Referees committee – terms of reference

This example shows the terms of reference of a national association’s referees committee, listed under
Article 47 of the association’s statutes.

Article 47: Referees committee

47.1 The referees committee shall implement the laws of the game. It shall appoint the referees for
matches in competitions organised by the national association, organise refereeing matters within the
national association in collaboration with the administration of the national association, and monitor the
education and training of referees. It shall consist of a chairperson, a deputy chairperson and five (5)
other members.

47.2 Responsibilities

The referees committee shall:

47.2.1 Compile and maintain a register of all qualified referees in the country.
47.2.2 Make recommendations to the national association regarding financial support for the work of
the referees committee.
47.2.3 Receive the names of all prospective referees from every club.
47.2.4 Interpret the rules and regulations of the game of football as prescribed by FIFA and the IFAB
from time to time.
47.2.5 Appoint referees to all matches held under the auspices of the national association and all other
matches as the executive committee may direct.
47.2.6 Recommend referees for FIFA listing to the general assembly.
47.2.7 Be responsible for the recruitment, training, assessment and classification of referees.

47.3 Term of office

The term of office of members of the referees committee is four years from the date of ratification by
the general assembly.

47.4 Eligibility criteria

All former referees, current referee instructors, observers and match delegates who have worked in the
territory of the national association shall be eligible for this committee.

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Standing committees

A template for you to use

Executive
Committee

Standing committees should be clearly structured. The number of committees varies depending on the national association.