Affiliation with a State Football Association:
• Clubs must register with their local State Football Association (FA) to gain official status
and be eligible to play in the league.
• Schools must register with the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF) to gain official
status to play in the league
• This affiliation is usually done annually and requires providing details about the club,
school, its teams, and key officials.

Meeting League Requirements:
– Facilities: Having suitable playing grounds, changing rooms, and potentially other facilities like a clubhouse.
– Structure: Having a defined structure with appointed officials like a chairperson (clubs/academies), Principal/Head of sports (schools) secretary, treasurer, team manager, coaches and other staff.
– Playing Squad: Having sufficient number of players registered with the school/club/academy.
– Financial Stability: Demonstrating the ability to meet financial obligations like league fees, player costs, and other expenses.

The League has specific rules regarding player eligibility, matchday procedures, and other aspects of competition. (see League Handbook)

Adhering to Rules and Regulations:
• Members MUST follow the rules and regulations set by the State FA and the NYFDL that they are participating in.
• Members MUST adhere to rules about player conduct, fair play, respect for officials, and other aspects of the game.
• Members MUST ensure players behave appropriately on and off the field and follow safety guidelines.

Other Considerations:
• Time and Commitment: Running a football team in a league requires significant time and effort from volunteers and officials.
• Cost: There are various costs associated with participating in a league, including affiliation fees, league fees, pitch hire, equipment, and player expenses.
• Finding Players and Officials: Actively recruiting players and finding individuals to fill key roles within the team is crucial for its success

Registration
The window for registering players opens on 1st July and closes on 15th September of the season. The League registration process is conducted online through the league Portals, which is also where player registration and member Accreditation are managed.

Each member that has completed the facility audit and invited to register need to affiliate and then register players by uploading their details and a recent photo. Members also need to ensure they have the required permissions from players.

Key steps in the registration process:
Affiliation: Members need to affiliate with the league through the league Portal.
League Submission: Once all the necessary information is collected, the member submits the player registrations to the league
Team Requirements: Members may need to have a minimum number of players registered by a certain date (e.g., 11 players by September 1st).
Rejection of Registration: The league can reject the registration of a prospective team if it are not in agreement with the process adopted by the applicant.

Registration Process Overview
NYFDL has established a streamlined online registration process for players, ensuring efficiency for school and club officials. The process consists of four stages that must be completed to register a player for league football.

Stages of Registration Process
The registration process is divided into four key stages.

Stage 1: Register for league membership by visiting the league’s website and completing the joining form with your school / club details.
Stage 2: Pay registration and affiliation fees and confirm kit selection through the website.
Stage 3: Provide a passport-style photos and proof of age documents and send via email to the designated email address
Stage 4: Sign paper-based league registration forms during designated signing sessions in September with your state chapter of the NYFDL.

Important Dates and Timing
The registration process begins in June and MUST be completed by the 15th of September of the academic year. Starting early allows for timely kit orders and delivery. Registration can still occur during the January window to accommodate late registrations. Once a team has reached the maximum number of players allowed, players MUST be deregistered to allow for new players

Photo and Proof of Age Requirements
Players must submit two identical passport-style photos and proof of age documents if they did not play in the previous season. Photos can be traditional or taken with a smartphone and uploaded or emailed to the secretariat. Acceptable proof of age includes photocopies of birth certificates or scanned copies of international passports or NIN.

Final steps: Each registered player is issued with a league ID card that MUST be presented on match days to be inspected by the Match Commissioner, match referee and the manager of the opposition team.