FIND YOUR TEAM:

Buying Guide

Positions in Football Aid events can be purchased through our Buy Now, Sponsored to Play and Bidding Schemes and these are made available during two separate Auction Periods. In the first, positions are available through our Buy Now and Sponsored to Play schemes only. In the second Auction Period, positions are available in our online bidding auction, with limited Buy Now availability.

Before you can purchase a Football Aid position, you'll need to register on the website. Once you've registered and agreed to our terms and conditions, you'll be able to participate in our position auctions and, subject to terms and conditions, take part in our events.

If you haven't registered yet, simply choose the Register Now option and follow the on-screen instructions. Once registered, login and visit our Events and Matches page, choose your match and then you're ready to secure a position!

STEP 1: SECURING YOUR POSITION

Auction Period 1 - August to December

During this period you can choose our Buy Now or Sponsored to Play options to secure a position for yourself (or someone else) at the event of your choice.

Option 1 - BUY NOW: Positions are available at a fixed price and are the best option if you want to instantly guarantee a place in your chosen Club's team sheet.

On your chosen Event page;

  • select the available position you would like to purchase
  • double-check the details of the position and select the "Buy Now" button
  • choose the option to indicate whether the position is for yourself (or for someone else)
  • make your online payment through WorldPay and you're now the owner of the position

Then all you need to do is confirm who is playing by allocating the position in your Bid Manager section and that's you (or your allocated player) all set for the match.

Please Note: we can only accept online payment from Visa, Visa Debit, MasterCard, Debit MasterCard or Maestro (formerly Switch) cards. Other payment options may be available on request, however if you choose to secure your position online you will be required to make full payment by card immediately or risk losing the Buy Now option on that position.

Option 2 - SPONSORED TO PLAY: This option allows you to fundraise your way to your Field of Dreams.

On your chosen Event page,

  • select the available position you would like to purchase
  • double-check the details of the position and select the "Sponsored To Play" button
  • make your online deposit payment through WorldPay and you're now the owner of the position

We'll then send you a Sponsorship Pack, full of ideas to help you raise a targeted amount by a specified date (usually mid-December each year). Only by raising the specified amount before this deadline date will you formally secure your place in your team. You'll be able to see the balance outstanding and make online card payments at your Bid Manager page. If you prefer, you can also choose to make payment by cheque or bank transfer. Full instructions on how to make final balance payments will be included in your Sponsorship Pack and also forwarded by e-mail.

Please Note: there is no obligation for players to raise money through sponsorship in this scheme; if you prefer you can simply make the instalment payment(s) yourself.

Then all you need to do is confirm who is playing in the position by allocating the position at your Bid Manager page and that's you (or your allocated player) all set for the match.

What can I do to raise money?
Your fundraising event or activity does not have to be big, brainy or breathtaking. Everyone can do something to raise money from simple ideas to organising events. There is no limit to what you can do so let your imagination run wild...

At work...
Football themed dress-down days, hangover fines, guess the baby photos, dress as your boss...

At play...
Football Quiz nights, five a side tournaments, a parachute jump or the ultimate sacrifice - giving up beer for the month!

At home...
Of course, if you prefer you can simply use the extended time period to save up the funds and donate the money yourself!

To find out if ‘Buy Now' or ‘Sponsored to Play' positions are available for your Team (or chosen event), visit our Events and Matches and select your Team. Position availability will be displayed on the team map at the bottom of the Event page, simply click on an available position for full details or choose the Data View to display at a glance details for all the positions.

Auction Period 2 - January to March

During this period, you can choose our Bidding or limited Buy Now options to secure a position for yourself (or someone else) at the event of your choice.

Option 1 - BIDDING: For those with a competitive streak, Football Aid's bidding period is for you. The thrill of the win all the more sweet after battling it out online for the limited positions still available.

On your chosen Event page,

  • select the available position you would like to place a Bid on
  • double-check the details of the position (paying careful attention to the closing date and time) and select the "Place Bid" button
  • you're now ready to choose the type of Bid and your Bid amount

Our bidding system offers 2 different bidding options; Standard Bid and Maximum Bid:

  • Standard Bid: Simply place your one-off Bid amount; making sure it is at least equal to (or above) the Starting Bid amount and is at least the minimum Bidding Increment above the current highest bid. Remember to tick the "e-mail notification" option if you wish to be notified if your bid is beaten.

(Note: Choosing the Standard Bid method means that if your Bid is subsequently beaten you will need to re-submit another higher bid online yourself)

  • Maximum Bid: This automatic "Proxy" bidding feature allows you to place an optional Maximum Bid amount as well as a Standard Bid. If your Standard Bid is beaten, our system will automatically bid for you (normally in stages of minimum bid increments) until a) you are the highest bidder or b) your Maximum Bid is beaten by another bid. If your Maximum Bid is beaten, you will have the choice to place another Standard Bid and Maximum Bid. If you are the current highest bidder you can increase your Maximum Bid at any time before the auction closes.

(Note: In cases when users submit Maximum Bids of exactly the same amount, the user who submits his Maximum Bid first takes precedence and is deemed to be the highest bidder. Maximum Bidding normally proceeds in stages of minimum bid increments, the exception is when a Maximum Bid amount (e.g. £480) is above the current high bid amount (e.g £475) but less than the high Bid plus the minimum bid increment (e.g. £475 + £25 = £500). In such a case the bidding increases less than the bid increment and the Maximum Bid amount (e.g. £480) will be accepted as the current highest bid.)

Whichever Bid method you choose the highest bid (or first received Maximum Bid in the case of a tie) received by our web server before the closing date and time will be the winning bid.

Please Note: Once a bid has been placed we expect you to honour it. Therefore we advise you to think carefully before placing a bid and be aware that if you are the successful bidder, you will be liable for the amount you have bid for that position.

Additional Information on Bidding:

Monitoring your bids - Bid Manager: You can monitor and update your bids in your own dedicated Bid Manager section; the My Bids section displays all your bids for auctions still open, My Wins displays bids won in auctions now closed, My Losses displays all losing bids and any positions you are allocated to play in will display in the final section. When logged in you can choose to update a bid, delete a bid, make a payment for a Bidding or Sponsored to Play position and allocate any paid positions.

Monitoring your bids - Team Map: You can also monitor and update your bids at the Event page, the Graphical View allows you to choose positions from a Team Map layout (just hover your cursor over a position for availability details and click to select a buying option) and the Data View gives more detailed Auction information and also allows you to select a buying option for a particular position. You'll have to manually refresh the page in your browser to display the most recent bidding activity.

Paying for your Winning Bid: If you're successful in bidding for a position, details of your winning bid will appear immediately in your Bid Manager page (and you'll also be sent a confirmation e-mail shortly after bidding closes). Payment can then be made by choosing the Make Payment option in the My Wins section and following the on-screen instructions. We can only accept online payment from Visa, Visa Debit, MasterCard, Debit MasterCard or Maestro (formerly Switch) cards. Failure to make payment within the allotted time will result in your position being re-opened for bidding or being allocated to another player.

Bid increments: These are the minimum amount that you must out-bid the current highest bid by, the bid increments are -

£0 - £200 = £15
£201 - £500 = £25
£501 and above = £50

E-mail notifications: You can choose to receive notification by e-mail if your bid has been beaten. However, we wouldn't advise relying on these close to the end of an auction as a number of external factors beyond our control could delay an e-mail being reached by you in time. It is advisable to also monitor your bids in your Bid Manager page or by viewing the team map for updates.

Option 2 - BUY NOW: Selected positions will be made available for both Bidding and Buy Now. If a position is available to Buy Now, you can end an auction by choosing to Buy Now exactly as described in the Auction Period 1 section above. A Buy Now position is only secured when we receive your payment, therefore until payment is received another user could still choose to Buy Now the same position before you.

STEP 2: ALLOCATING YOUR POSITION

However you choose to secure your position, once you've made full payment you'll need to Allocate the position to confirm who will play in the game. To do this visit the Bid Manager page, choose the position's Allocate option and you'll then be able to choose who will play in that particular position. You can allocate to yourself, another registered user or even send an e-mail to someone not registered yet with details on how they can register and claim the position.

If you wish to play in the game yourself:

  • Simply tick the "Allocate this position to yourself" option and press the Allocate button
  • Remember you can allocate more than one position to yourself but you won't be able to play in more than one game on the same day!

If you wish to nominate someone else to play:

  • First, make sure the person is eligible to participate (Are they over 18? If the game is a male's only game, are they male?)
  • If they are already registered on the Football Aid website; simply enter their e-mail address in the appropriate field and press the Allocate button, this person will then be the owner of the position and subject to Football Aid's terms and conditions
  • If they are not registered on the Football Aid website; ask them to Register and when they have done so submit their e-mail address as above, or enter their e-mail address in the appropriate field and they'll be sent instructions on how to register and claim their position. In order to register they will be required to have access to their own unique e-mail address

Once a position is allocated, it will appear in the "Positions you are allocated to play in" section of your Bid Manager page. Therefore it is a good idea when allocating to another user to get them to check their Bid Manager page to make sure the position has been allocated to them successfully.

On being allocated the allocated player will receive a confirmation e-mail and a Player's Pack containing full details about the event will be posted to their registered address.

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