How to register on PlayFootball (and what to do when it gets stuck)

• The email you used last season. Your playing history is linked to it, so a new email usually means a new, empty record.
• A photo of the player. It's required. A clear head-and-shoulders shot from your phone is fine.
• ID for the player. The club has to sight it, so check whether they want it uploaded or shown in person.
• A credit or debit card, unless your club has told you to pay them another way.
• Any voucher or code your club gave you. If you're using a government sport voucher, follow your club's instructions (see our sport vouchers guide).

Registering a child? Create the Football Account in your name, then register them as someone else. That way you can manage all your kids from one login.

This is the big one. If you can't get into your old account and start fresh instead, the player can lose their playing history, and the club or federation then has to merge the records by hand. Football SA's guide is blunt about it: if your old number doesn't show up under your name, don't continue.

If you've forgotten which email you used or can't get into it, contact PlayFootball support (below) before you register. It takes a few minutes now and saves a lot of back and forth later.

Once you've paid, the registration waits for approval. Depending on your state that's the club registrar, the federation, or both. The club has to sight the player's ID, so a missing document or an unclear photo can hold things up.

In the busy weeks before the season starts it can take a few days. If it's still pending close to the first game, message your club's registrar rather than registering again. A second registration just creates a second payment to untangle.

Football Australia's refund policy (from 1 November 2025) splits it up: Football Australia decides on its national fee, and the club, association and state federation each decide on their own fees under their own policies. If you paid through PlayFootball, you ask for a refund through PlayFootball with any evidence, and it gets passed to the right people.

• A refund is most likely if the registration was declined or cancelled before the player did any training or matches.
• Once a player has trained or played, a refund is unlikely. Injury on its own usually isn't enough.
• If a player moves clubs mid-season and pays the national fee again, that second fee can be refunded.
• Refunds can have an admin fee taken off, and platform service fees aren't refunded.

For account and login problems, PlayFootball support is on 02 8880 7983 or support@playfootball.com.au, and there's a help page at playfootball.com.au/help. For anything about fees, teams or age groups, ask your club first. They know their own setup far better than the national helpdesk does.