The Football Association have written to member clubs to apologise for problems caused by the online technology used to register players in the Whole Game System (WGS) and Full-Time website.
For several summers, social media has been filled with messages from club secretaries and team admins at the end of their tether with the service that registers players to clubs to enable them to play in matches.
Regularly, Football in Berkshire receives messages about the hours spent and often wasted while volunteers try in vain to wrestle with a system that seems unable to cope with the numbers of people trying to use it at key times of the year – the start of a new season being the main offender in this process.
It would seem though now, that the FA have been watching things unfold and have issued an apology and an assurance that what is being built will benefit the whole game.
An email seen by Football in Berkshire said: “We also want to acknowledge that the return to football has not been well supported by our new Player Registration system and other elements of FA Technology, nor by our speed of response to issues you may have faced. We and all involved would like to take this opportunity to profoundly apologise for any wasted time, upset or anxiety this may have caused. Our aim is to support you in your critical role through efficient digital technology and response times and for many this has not been the reality. Although we believe the major technology issues have now been fixed and what we are currently building will benefit the whole game, please be assured we are undertaking an in-depth review of why and how these issues occurred, so we can learn the lessons and ensure they don’t happen again.”
