Amateur Football Combination

National Respect Gold Award League 2012

Spirit of Football

Playing in the Spirit of Football, Promoting Fair Play and Respect for All

Preseason Fixture Bureau Open                                                  AFC Representative Team Trials                                                           Rolling Substitutes Trial 2012-13                                                   AFC Annual General Meeting - 29th June 2012                                                   AFC Season 2012-13 Kickoff                                                  AFC Spirit of Football Awards - Citigroup, Old Hamptonians, Dorkinians                                                        Ken Elbourne Club Hospitality Award - London Welsh                                                                David McCarthy Memorial Referee Awards - Malcolm Edwards, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Keith Hiller                                                           AFC Referees Long Service Awards - Derek Bingham, Malcolm Edwards, David Mann, Don Stewart                                                                    Lorraine Dechamps MBE                                                       FA Respect Awards 2012 - Video and Pictures                                                  AFC Final Club & Team Ratings                                                        London Old Boys Cup AGM & Entries                                                    AFC Constitution Season 2012-13                                                   Amateur Football Combination 2012-13 - Rolling Substitutions Proposal                                                  Amateur Football Combination - National Respect Gold Award League                                                      LOB Senior Cup Final - Monday 21st May at Dulwich Hamlet FC                                                  AFC Annual Dinner and Presentation of Trophies - Thursday 24th May 2012 at The Oval - Ticket Details                                                      AFC League Administrator Advert                                                  Yorkshire Amateur League 2 Amateur Football Combination 3 - Match Report                                                  AFA Refereeing Courses                                                   Old Bromleians Charter Standard                                                   Jamie Brunton Away                                                   AFC Club Marks to 23rd March                                                   Yorkshire Old Boys vs AFC - Saturday 7th April                                                      Chertsey Old Salesians                                               Old Meadonians in 1 West                                                  Bob Coates away                                                  Old Camdenians withdrawal                                                  AFC 2 Arthurian League 0                                                      RBL Loughton Resignation                                                    Spring Cups 2012                                                    AFC Trophies due for Return                                                AFC League Roles 2012-13 - Get Involved                                                    Player Registration and Team Sheets                                                   SMS Results for Cup Games                                                   Double Headers                                                   Full-Time Passwords                                                    Full-Time Mobile Site                                                    AFC Club Ratings to 10th February 2012                                                    AFC Rules - Maximum Three Substitutes                                                    Match Day Reminders                                                  Spirit of Football/Respect Reminders for 2011-12

League Structure

The Amateur Football Combination comprises a number of large clubs (running up to ten sides) as well as smaller clubs (many running one team). To accommodate the wide variety of clubs, the League Structure (Constitution) is "open", with all teams playing within one single pyramid to ensure sides of a similar standard play against each other where possible. Sides are not placed in "sections" (1st XI section, 2nd XI section) which would reduces the opportunity for competition - if a large club's 4th XI is on a playing par with a small club's 1st XI we don't keep them apart.

Regionalised football is acknowledged to be a key requirement of clubs, and we try to ensure as much regionalisation as possible with Northern, Southern and Western sections for all but the highest divisions. However, at the highest level we wish to have the strongest sides in senior divisions, hence the pyramid. Where possible, we try to ensure promotion and relegation for sides to ensure they can reach the correct level. No two teams from the same club shall be allowed to play in the same division.

At the end of each season, where possible, the top two sides from each division are promoted. This may mean that more than two sides need to be relegated from higher divisions at certain places in the pyramid. Ten or eleven team divisions (18 or 20 games) are considered to be the optimum. We do not want the season to end too early for clubs who are not successful in cups but nor do we wish to burden clubs with successful cup runs with too many midweek games in April and May.

Clubs operating closed squad systems are not rewarded, and this may include having titles withheld. 

New clubs are generally placed within the league structure according to their standard, and not "expected to work their way up from the bottom". This will be closely monitored and may be adjusted at the end of their early seasons.

At the end of the season the Constitution Committee meet to agree a structure for the new season. This takes into account promotion and relegation, introduction and withdrawal of new sides and clubs, as well as other factors (clubs moving grounds, sometimes into different regions). This structure is then sent out to clubs for comments before a revised structure is presented at the league AGM.

AFC Constitution 2007-08 Map showing the locations of all AFC Clubs

AFC Constitution 2006-07

AFC Constitution 2005-06

AFC Constitution 2004-05

AFC Constitution 2003-04

AFC Constitution 2002-03

Note that some of these pages are quite large and dial-up users may find they take 2-3 minutes to download: