The
Football Association have revealed that the £200m investment in
delivering the 2008-2012 National Game Strategy has resulted in growing
participation and the improvement of grassroots football at all levels.
The
strategy was developed in 2008 following consultation with over 37,000
people at the heart of the game from coaches, referees and players to
volunteers, fans, administrators and County FAs. Committed to
implementing the ‘Peoples' Plan’ The FA has put in place a national and
regional delivery team responsible for its success.
Since the
£200m plan was launched in March 2008 the National Game Strategy has
led to the following developments relating to four clear goals:
Goal 1 – Grow and Retain Participation
- The FA has honoured its commitment to support and grow
participation at all levels of the game. The focus on Mini-Soccer has
quickly delivered results with over 4,212 new teams being formed.
- The girls' game has also seen an increase in popularity with the
number of new teams exceeding targets, an increase of 1178 new teams so
far.
- The FA will place a core focus in season two on its ‘Get Into
Football’ campaign, increasing the number of teams playing 11v11 in
the men’s game. The ‘Whatever Your Level’ viral campaign (reaching over
4m web visitors) and ‘Grassroots Goal of the Month’ competition fronted
by football pundit Chris Kamara have been central to The FA’s
recruitment of new teams and players as we move into season two, and
there will be a wide range of activity taking place to improve 11v11
numbers around the country in the build-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
South Africa™.
- Pilot schemes offering flexible adult 11-a-side leagues, midweek
games and ‘pay and play’ formats have trialled successfully in
Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.
- Providing equal opportunities to play, The FA has since seen a dramatic rise in male disability teams from 88 to 362 in 2009.
Goal 2 – Raise Standards and Address Abusive Behaviour
-
62% of clubs have achieved The FA Charter Standard
which includes having qualified coaches, child protection policies and
procedures and Respect codes of conduct. The FA aims to ensure everyone
in football has the opportunity to enjoy the game in a safe and
positive environment.
-
570 leagues have signed up to The FA Respect
programme, implementing measures to improve behaviour in the grassroots
game. The 2012 target is to ensure that all grassroots leagues are
participating in Respect Leagues and that 510 Leagues also achieve The
FA Charter Standard accreditation.
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All clubs and leagues with youth sections have appointed a Welfare Officer to oversee safeguarding policies and procedures.
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1,658 new FA-qualified referees have been
attracted to the game, helping to fulfil The FA’s vision of having
certified referees taking control of amateur games. The FA’s ‘Get Into
Refereeing’ campaign, in association with Carlsberg, will be integral
to increasing new officials from 22,525 to 30,525 by 2012.
Goal 3 – Develop Better Players
-
1,138,795 children have participated in The FA
Tesco Skills Programme aimed at raising the technical standards amongst
the 5-11 year old age group (initial 2009 target was focused on
securing 1m participants).
-
32,000 coaches have qualified at the Level 1
Coaching award. 6,000 coaches have also gained the Level 2 award and
1,100 at Level 3 through The FA’s educational arm, FA Learning, which
gives coaches the practical skills to coach but also enables them to
understand the psychology of how children learn.
Goal 4 – Run The Game Effectively
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Investment of £196m in Year 1 of Football
Foundation grants issued to improve the quality, quantity and
accessibility of training and playing facilities. 40 new artificial
pitches have been created through Football Foundation grants.
-
Greater support and practical tools have been
provided to those responsible for organising grassroots football via
our re-launched website, TheFA.com and the introduction of three
monthly grassroots football e-newsletters. TheFA.com has also asked
people involved at all levels what improvements they want to see happen
via the annual online survey.
Building on the momentum of the National Game
Strategy the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ provides an exciting
opportunity to further inspire participation in 11v11 and recruit
coaches capable of developing future England footballers. The England
senior squad will also be actively involved in the drive to increase
participation within the men’s game at grassroots level.
Sport
England’s four-year funding cycle will also bring £85m worth of
investment to the game including £60m for the Football Foundation from
2009-13. The support for grassroots football will be welcomed alongside
the new four-year relationship with Mars, and The FA’s committed
partners whose support has been invaluable in delivering the first
phase of the National Game Strategy.
Kelly Simmons, The FA's
Head of National Game, said: “We are delighted with the progress we
have made in year one of the strategy, and would like to record our
appreciation to our FA partners and the volunteer workforce who have
made this possible. However, there is still much work to do as we move
into season two, and we must continue to work together to deliver on
our overall goal of giving everyone the opportunity to play football in
a safe, fun and high quality environment.”
Click here for the full Year One Report
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