UEFA Toolbox in Football Management The Organisation of World Football

Executive committee meetings

Executive committee meetings

Why are they needed?

The role of a national association executive committee is to direct and control the national association.
The executive committee sets the strategic direction, manages the association’s business through the
general secretary and ensures that the organisation operates to the highest standards of good
governance.

The executive committee meets on a regular basis in order to make the key decisions necessary to keep
the national association on track. The executive committee receives reports from the management team,
approves policies, considers capital and revenue investment requests and monitors the national
association’s progress towards achieving the targets set out in its business and strategic plans.

The executive committee is accountable to the national association’s members and consequently
scrutinises all aspects of the organisation, both on and off the pitch. Executive committee members can
use meetings to quiz the general secretary if specific areas are not reaching the expected standards.

Explanation of the tool

The president usually chairs executive committee meetings, unless someone else has been appointed as
chair.

Executive committee discussions are guided by the meeting agenda, which typically includes the
following:
• Welcome and introduction by the chair of the meeting
• Review of action points from last meeting (see The Organisation of World Football: Action points)
• Matters arising since last meeting
• Reports to the executive committee by specific members of the management team
• Matters for discussion
• Matters for approval
• Update on staff/specific individuals
• Any other business
• Date of next meeting

There are usually a series of standard items that are discussed at every meeting. For example, the general
secretary always delivers a written report and there should always be a financial report. Such reports are
personally presented to the committee by senior members of the management team. The executive
committee may also choose to invite other members of the management team to deliver reports from
time to time, especially the technical director and national team coaches.

The process of setting up executive committee meetings

The most effective meetings are those planned in advance, thus best practice dictates that a national
association should adopt a process to organise meetings. At the last meeting of the financial year, it is
sensible for the dates of the following year’s meetings to be agreed so that they can be entered into
everyone’s diaries.

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UEFA Toolbox in Football Management The Organisation of World Football
Executive committee meetings

Two weeks before an executive committee meeting

• The head of the president’s office (or personal assistant, secretary or other nominated individual)
prepares a draft agenda based on the discussions of the last meeting and any emerging issues.
• The president and general secretary have a formal meeting to amend and prepare a further draft of
the agenda.
• The personal assistant to the general secretary (or other nominated individual) circulates the agenda
to executive committee members for comment and suggestions of any other matters they wish to
discuss (NB: it is important to avoid adding items to the agenda that are NOT appropriate for the
executive committee to discuss).
• The president approves the final agenda for circulation.

One week before an executive committee meeting

• The head of the president’s office (or personal assistant, secretary or other nominated individual)
sends out an information pack to executive committee members consisting of:
o agenda
o updated action list from the last meeting
o written reports
o papers submitted for discussion
o papers submitted for approval
• It is important to set a deadline of at least one week before the executive committee meeting for
the management team to supply all the necessary information. Members of the executive committee
should have enough time to read all the documents and prepare for the meeting accordingly.

The night before an executive committee meeting

• The head of the president’s office (or personal assistant, secretary or other nominated individual)
prepares the meeting room with a seat for each member and a prominent place for the chair of the
meeting.
• The technical requirements should also be checked, including the provision of a screen, projector
and audio facilities if necessary.

Tips to remember for executive committee meetings

• It is good practice to set dates in the calendar for the president and general secretary to meet to
agree the agenda of executive committee meetings.
• Do not allow executive committee members to add irrelevant items to the agenda.
• Keep the agenda tight and focused to avoid a lengthy meeting. Ask yourself how urgent an item is
– could it be deferred to another meeting? It is the chair’s job to keep the meeting under control
and move it along from topic to topic.

Want to know more? Consult:

• Chairing effective meetings: a YouTube video by Business Result
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPhKhTI0Lss

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Executive committee meetings

Example: Executive committee meeting agenda

This example shows the agenda of a national association executive committee meeting. It lists the
different items to be discussed as well as who is leading or contributing to each topic.

Executive committee meeting

17 March 2020, 10:00
Agenda
Item Topic Contributor
1. Welcome and introduction Chair

2. Actions from last meeting held on 15 December 2019 Chair

3. Matters arising Chair

A)
B)
C)
4. Reports
A) General secretary
B) Head of finance
C) Technical director
5. Matters for discussion
A) XX
B) XX
6. Matters for approval
A) XX
B) XX
C) XX
7. Update on staff/personnel Chair

8. Any other business Chair

9. Date of next meeting – 16 June 2020 Chair

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Executive committee meetings

A template for you to use

Executive committee meeting

Agenda
Item Topic Contributor
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.