Derbyshire FA evidenced full compliance with the regional Code of Governance which sets a higher precedent than the current gold standard for sport and aims to provide support and guidance to those running the grassroots game up and down the country.

In January 2020, The FA became the first national governing body in English sport to introduce a regional Code of Governance, with a number of other sports now following the model which has been endorsed by Sport England. The Code itself represents a ‘Gold Standard’ of governance, made up of 65 requirements based on Sport England and UK Sport’s Code for Sports Governance.

The requirements within the code means each County FA can assess their current practices against the highest standard of corporate governance in football, supporting their development and ensuring they have the structures, functional operations, and decision-making processes in place to offer the best possible service to the game at a local level. The code also includes provisions for gender diversity, ethnic diversity, and youth representation across the County FA network.

All 50 CFAs have self-assessed against the Code and are committed to improving their governance, with Derbyshire FA becoming the latest to be awarded with the County FA Code of Compliance logo, which can be used on County FA external and internal communications channels.

Ricky Stevenson, CEO at Derbyshire FA, said: “Achieving the FA’s Code of Governance is a significant landmark for Derbyshire FA and we’re very proud to be one of a small number of County FA’s to be Code of Governance compliant. This is credit to the hard work carried out by our staff, board, and council members to ensure we govern ourselves to the highest standards and continuously aim to be the best we can be. Good governance reinforces everything we do at Derbyshire FA and helps to support our mission of changing lives through football. Achieving the FA’s Code of Governance has us put in such a strong position to deliver on that vision.”

Tim Foster, Head of Operations at The FA, said: “As the national sport that millions of people play and support across the country, it’s vitally important that The FA and the County FAs serve and lead the game as effectively as possible. Through this Code of Governance for County FAs, we have set out how they can enhance their governance at county level and ultimately deliver an even better service to their communities. I’d like to congratulate Derbyshire FA in becoming fully compliant and look forward to seeing many other County FAs achieve this same standard as their ongoing work progresses.”

For further information on the Code of Governance for County FAs, please see here.