To get a Football Association Number (FAN) in England, create or sign in to a My England Football account and follow the registration prompts. If you have played, coached, refereed, or volunteered before, check for an existing FAN first so you do not create a duplicate.
This number identifies you in the English FA’s football systems. It may be needed for club registration, training, referee records, or other football activities.
Here’s how to register, find a number you already have, and fix common account problems. The steps differ outside England, so first check which national association runs football where you live.
How do i get a football association number in England?
In England, get your FAN by registering for a My England Football account through the official England Football platform. If you already have a FAN, sign in or use the account’s recovery options to find it rather than requesting another number. Registration is generally free; your club or a course may charge separate fees for its own services.
A FAN is a personal identifier used in the Football Association’s systems. It helps connect your records across football activities, such as playing, coaching, refereeing, and volunteering. It is not a playing license, qualification, DBS check, or proof that you belong to a particular club.
Start at the official England Football website and choose the My England Football sign-in or registration option. Follow the prompts to create an account, verify the email address if asked, and provide the requested personal details. The system may match you with an existing record or create a new one. Once signed in, look in your account profile or personal details for your FAN.
If you are outside England, do not assume that an English FAN is the right number. The Scottish FA, FA of Wales, and Irish FA each manage football in their own jurisdictions and may use separate registration systems. Ask your club or the relevant association which account or identifier it requires.
Steps to register and find your number
- Check for an existing record. Search old club emails, course confirmations, referee communications, or registration documents. If you have previously taken part in organized football in England, a FAN may already have been created for you.
- Open the official My England Football service. Use a link from England Football or your club, rather than an unfamiliar third-party page. This reduces the chance of entering personal information into the wrong service.
- Try signing in first. Use the email address you are most likely to have used for football. If you cannot remember the password, use the account recovery option instead of registering again.
- Register if you do not have an account. Enter the requested details accurately. Use your legal name and current contact information, and take care with your date of birth because these details can help distinguish records.
- Verify your email or complete any requested checks. Follow the instructions sent by the platform. Check spam or junk folders if a confirmation message does not arrive.
- Find the FAN in your profile. Once logged in, check your personal account information. If the number is not visible, ask your club’s administrator or County FA for help locating the account record.
- Share it only with the organization that needs it. Give the number to your club, course provider, or football administrator through their normal registration process. You do not need to post it publicly.
The wording and layout of online pages can change. Focus on the official account registration, profile, and support options rather than relying on an old screenshot or a third-party set of instructions.
What to do if you already have a FAN
You may already have a number if a club registered you, you attended an FA course, you refereed, or you volunteered in organized football. Some people receive or use their number without remembering the registration process. Creating a second profile can split your records and make it harder for an administrator to confirm your history.
Before making a new account, try the email addresses you have used for football and use the password recovery function. Search your inbox for messages from your club, England Football, a County FA, or a course provider. Older messages may include registration details, but do not send sensitive information in response to an unexpected email.
If those checks do not find the account, ask the club or organization that first registered you. Give its administrator enough information to identify you, such as your full name, date of birth, and the email addresses you may have used. Send personal information through a private, appropriate channel—not a public social media post.
Tell the administrator if your name or contact details have changed. A different email address or a spelling variation can make an existing record difficult to match. Ask them to help update or locate the original record rather than adding another one without checking.
Which route should you use?
| Your situation | Best next step | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You are new to organized football in England | Register through My England Football | The official account route can connect you with the FA’s system and provide a FAN if needed. |
| You have played, coached, refereed, or volunteered before | Try signing in and recovering your account first | You may already have a number, and reusing it keeps your records together. |
| You cannot access the email on your account | Contact your club or County FA for help | An administrator can advise how to identify the correct record and update contact details. |
| You need the number for a course or club registration | Ask the course provider or club what they need | They can explain the required account details and whether they can help find your number. |
| You play in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland | Ask the relevant national association or your club | Registration arrangements may differ from England’s FA system. |
| You are registering a child | Follow the club’s parent or guardian instructions | Children’s accounts and consent may need to be managed with an adult’s help. |
This comparison points you to a sensible first step; it does not replace instructions from the club or association handling your registration. If an organization has given you a specific link or process, confirm that it is official before entering personal details.
What information should you have ready?
Keep the details you provide consistent with the records your club or association already holds. The platform will show the fields it requires, and you should enter only what it asks for. Depending on the account process, you may need information such as your name, date of birth, and email address.
Use an email address you can access. It can be useful for account verification, password recovery, and messages about your football activity. If a parent or guardian manages a child’s registration, follow the club’s instructions about which adult’s contact details to use.
Do not guess at a personal detail to get past a form. If your details have changed or the system does not accept them, contact the club or association for help. An inaccurate date of birth or name spelling can make it harder to match your account to an existing record later.
You should not need to pay simply to obtain an identification number. A club membership, coaching course, referee course, or other activity may have its own cost, but that is separate from having a FAN. If a page asks for an unexpected payment just to provide the number, pause and verify the request with the official organization.
What the number is—and what it is not
A FAN is an identifier for a person in the FA’s football administration systems. It helps organizations connect activity and records to the right individual. Clubs and other football organizations may ask for it when they register participants or manage courses and roles.
The number alone does not authorize you to take part in every role. A coach may need qualifications or checks, and a referee may need to meet separate registration or training requirements. A player may still need to complete a club’s registration process. The FAN identifies the person; it does not replace those requirements.
It also does not automatically mean that you are signed to a club, eligible for a particular competition, or cleared to work with children. Those matters depend on the role, competition, and applicable rules. Ask the organization responsible for the activity what else you need to complete.
Keep the number with your private football records. Share it when a legitimate club or football organization requests it, but avoid publishing it openly. If you suspect that someone has used your account without permission, change your password if you can and contact the relevant support service or club administrator.
Getting a FAN for a child
A child may need a football record when joining an organized club or taking part in an activity that uses FA systems. A parent or guardian should ask the club how it handles registration and account access. Follow the club’s current instructions rather than creating an adult account in the child’s name or entering guessed details.
The club can explain who should provide the contact email, how consent is recorded, and whether a parent or guardian needs to manage any part of the process. These arrangements can depend on the account service and the child’s circumstances. If a child has played before, ask the club to check for an existing FAN before making a new record.
Keep the child’s information private. Share details through the club’s official registration method and make sure the information is correct. If the child changes clubs, tell the new club that a FAN may already exist so their football records can be linked appropriately.
Common problems and how to fix them
The website says your details match an existing record
This usually means you should check or recover the existing account rather than start over. Try any email address you previously used and contact your former club if you cannot sign in. If a detail is wrong, ask for help correcting the record instead of altering other information to force a match.
You cannot remember your password or email
Use the official account recovery process for an email address you can access. If you no longer have access to the address on file, ask your club or the relevant support team how to verify your identity and update it. Do not send your password to a club administrator; they should not need it.
No verification message arrives
Check spam and junk folders, confirm that the email address was typed correctly, and allow a little time for delivery. If the service offers a resend option, use it once and follow the instructions. If the message still does not arrive, contact the official help channel or ask your club which support route applies.
Your club cannot find your number
Check the spelling of your name and the date of birth associated with the record. Tell the club if you have used another name, email address, or club in the past. A previous registration may be stored under older contact details, so checking the likely variations can prevent a duplicate.
You have more than one account
Do not keep registering new accounts to see which one works. Tell the club or support team that there may be duplicate records and ask which one should remain active or be linked. Keeping one accurate record helps prevent course, club, and participation information from being scattered.
How to avoid delays during registration
Start the account process before a course deadline, club registration deadline, or first activity date. That gives you time to recover an old account or correct a mismatch. Waiting until the last minute can hold up a club’s administrative checks even when the number itself is free.
Use the same name and date of birth that you have given the organization requesting registration. If your official name has changed, tell the administrator rather than silently creating another profile. Keep a note of the email address associated with the account and store the number somewhere private where you can find it again.
When a club asks for a FAN, clarify whether it needs the number only or whether you must also finish a separate registration form. This is an easy point to miss: having a FAN does not necessarily complete club or course registration. Ask about any additional forms, consent, payments, qualifications, or checks that apply to your role.
For any problem that involves identity matching, account access, or a possible duplicate, contact the club or County FA before creating a replacement profile. Include a clear description of the issue and use a private channel for personal details. That simple check can save time and keep your football records connected.
Does a football association number work outside England?
An English FAN belongs to the English FA’s system. It may not serve as the registration number required by a football association in another country. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own governing bodies, and the right process depends on where you are registering and what activity you plan to do.
If you move between associations, ask both the organization you are leaving and the one you are joining how they handle existing records. Do not assume that a number transfers automatically or that you need to register again. The receiving club can tell you which identifier, account, and supporting documents it requires.
For casual football, you may not need a FAN at all. It is most relevant when a club, course, competition, or official football role uses the FA’s registration systems. If nobody has asked you for one, check before registering so you know whether it is necessary for your situation.
To get a football association number in England, register or sign in through the official My England Football service. If you have taken part in organized football before, check for an existing FAN first; using the same record helps keep your football history connected.
Your next step is to ask the club or course provider requesting the number whether it can locate an existing record and whether you need to complete any separate registration. If you are outside England, confirm the correct process with your national association.