ONSIDE Magazine - Issue 36 (3.72MB)

ISSUE 36

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

• £12.8m invested into grassroots from Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund

• Peter Schmeichel helps celebrate tenth anniversary of our Barclays Spaces for Sports partnership

• Exclusive Q&A with former England and Villa striker Darius Vassell

WORLD CUP LEGEND GORDON BANKS’ THUMBS-UP FOR GRASSROOTS INVESTMENT

TOP TWEETS

03| TEAM TALK 04| COVER STORY 06| ONSIDE NEWS10| BEFORE AND AFTER12 PREMIER LEAGUE

& THE FA FACILITIES FUND20| GROW THE GAME

21| FOOTBALL STADIA IMPROVEMENT FUND

22| PARTNERSHIPS 28| ON TARGET30| MATCH REPORT32| PLAYER PROFILE:

DARIUS VASSELL32| STAR PLAYER

CONTENTSWHAT’S INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF ONSIDE

FROM THE DUG-OUTEditor Rory Carroll E [email protected]

Deputy Editor Niall Malone E [email protected]

Contributors: Josh Bednash, Bradley Cleveland and Daniel Bermingham-Shaw

ONSIDE is printed on paper from sustainable forests and published by the Football Foundation, Whittington House, 19-30 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7EA.

T 0845 345 4555 F 0845 345 7057 W www.footballfoundation.org.uk

@FootballFoundtn Youtube.com/Footballfdn flickr.com/footballfoundation linkedIn.com /football-foundation

Chief Executive Paul Thorogood

President The Rt Hon Lord Pendry PC

Football Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman: Gary Hoffman, Roger Burden, The Rt Hon Richard Caborn, Rona Chester, Jonathan Hall, Peter McCormick OBE, Richard Scudamore

T E A M T A L KWords from the Chief Executive, Paul Thorogood

With another exciting Premier League season well underway, we are all enjoying watching some of the best footballers in the world. Of course that is at the elite level of the game; the focus of the Football Foundation is very much on the grassroots, where all those great players began their careers. A strong and vibrant grassroots game is a critical foundation for the professional game and by extension the national representative teams.

A number of studies, including The FA Chairman’s recent England Commission, has highlighted a lack of quality facilities at the grassroots level – especially playing surfaces – as a serious weakness in the development of the game in this country.

We have recently announced the first two rafts of investment from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund for this year, amounting to £12.8m. This investment will ensure that the Foundation can continue to build new or refurbish more changing rooms and floodlit third generation (3G) artificial grass pitches (AGP), so that coaching and matches can take place irrespective of bad weather and well into the dark winter evenings.

Our cover story, which you can read on pages four and five, is a perfect example of how a new 3G AGP will not just benefit one team, but a whole community all-year round. England’s World Cup winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks, who opened the facility, was quick to underline the huge health benefits that come with facilities like this, too. Other stars of the game, past and present, such as Mike Summerbee, Joe Cole and Sir Trevor Brooking, are also included in this issue, lending their valuable and much appreciated support for our work.

We have also recently celebrated a decade of delivering the multi-award winning Barclays Spaces for Sports programme. This issue reports on four celebratory events held across the country (pages 22 & 23), which showcased the success of a scheme which has provided more than 200 local multi-sports facilities used by more than 53,000 people every week.

I hope you enjoy reading this Issue of ONSIDE.

PREMIER LEAGUE & THE FA FACILITIES FUND12|

PARTNERSHIPS22|BEFORE AND AFTER10|

COVER STORY04| ONSIDE NEWS06|

ABOUT THE FOOTBALL FOUNDATIONThe Football Foundation is the UK’s largest sports charity. Set up in 2000 by the Premier League, The FA and the Government, we are focused on improving public sports facilities across the country.

Since 2000, we have awarded around 13,000 grants worth £500m thanks to investment provided by the Premier League, The FA and the Government via Sport England. We have multiplied their donations by securing partnership funding totalling £700m, maximising the investment into the grassroots to the tune of more than £1.2bn.

Due to our world-leading systems and proven expertise, the Foundation is the chosen delivery organisation for the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund. This is a £102m commitment to improving local sports sites, particularly in deprived areas, which also seeks to strengthen the links between professional football clubs and their local communities.

The Foundation also delivers major community sports programmes on behalf of other organisations. These include the multi-award

winning Barclays Spaces for Sports – the largest ever sport Corporate Social Responsibility programme in the UK, which has developed over 200 multi-sport sites across the country – and the Mayor of London: Sports Facilities Fund, which has provided a tangible Olympic legacy for the capital, in the form of over 100 new or refurbished multi-sport facilities.

32 ONSIDE | The Football Foundation Magazine | Issue 36ONSIDE | The Football Foundation Magazine | Issue 36

COVER STORY

England’s World Cup winning keeper Gordon Banks beamed: “It is very pleasing to see the council and its partners investing in new facilities like this,” as he opened a new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP) in Stoke-On-Trent, made possible thanks to a Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund grant of £366,633.

The new facility at Dimensions Leisure Centre will be used for five-a-side, seven-a side, nine-a side and 11-a-side football and will also host Staffordshire University’s league matches.

The site will also be used by the general public, as well as various community groups such as

StreetGames Stoke-on-Trent; a national charity dedicated to developing sport in disadvantaged communities.

Gordon, who made 200 appearances for Stoke City and 73 for England added: “Having top class facilities can only encourage more people to play football and enjoy all the associated health benefitsthatcomewithit.”

The pitches will strengthen many existing partnerships with local leagues including Staffordshire County Minor Sunday Youth League, Milton Youth League and North Staffs Junior Youth League.

GORDON BANKS LEAVES STOKE’S NEW 3G IN SAFE HANDS


ONSIDE NEWS

WE SAY GOODBYE TO

DAVID AND PHIL

The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund has now invested £12.8m into 155 grassroots projects across the country, following the first two investment injections from the Fund.

The Football Foundation has been chosen to deliver the overall commitment of £102m from the Premier League, The FA and the Government, via Sport England, which is being directed into grassroots football over the next three years in order to allow more children and adults to play the game.

By refurbishing existing facilities and paying for new ones such as floodlit third generation (3G) artificial grass pitches (AGPs) and changing rooms, the Fund aims to increase participation and improve the experience of playing for regular players.

Many of the new facilities are also strengthening the connection between professional football clubs and their local communities, particularly in the most deprived areas of the country, through the professional clubs’ community trusts’ outreach work.

Welcoming the investment Minister for Sport and Equalities Helen Grant said: “This investment from the Premier League, The FA and Government is going to make a huge difference to community sport up and down the country. The state-of-the-art 3G pitches will encourage greater participation all-year round as well as help develop the next generation of talent.”

Both the Football Foundation and Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF) recently said goodbye to two key servants of the game.

After nearly six years, Phil Smith (above left) has stepped down as Sport England’s representative on the Football Foundation Board of Trustees.

After joining the Manchester FA in 1996 as General Secretary, Phil then joined The FA as Head of Public Affairs where he was responsible for policy, including working with the Government on the various issues affecting both professional and amateur football. In 2008 Phil left The FA to join Sport England as Director of Sport, where he remains responsible for the funding of national sports governing bodies in order to increase participation.

We also bid a fond farewell to David Dent (above right) who has retired as Independent Chairman of the FSIF Safety and Improvement Panel after 15 years of service.

David has enjoyed a long and illustrious career in football, starting as Secretary to Carlisle United FC in 1960, at the age of only 23. He spent 18 years at Carlisle United before moving to take up a similar role at Coventry City FC in 1978. David went on to join The Football League as Deputy Secretary in 1984 and then Secretary in 1989, before retiring in 2001. David joined the Board of the Football Trust, the forerunner to the FSIF, in 1990, and was appointed Chairman of the FSIF Safety and Improvement Panel from its inception in 2000.

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation and Football Stadia Improvment Fund, said: “On behalf of everyone at the Foundation, I would like to place on record our most sincere thanks to both David and Phil for their dedicated effort in support of the grassroots and lower levels of the game.

“Phil’s passion for the national game at the grassroots level has always shone through and I am sure that this will continue as he focuses on his very busy day job. We wish Phil every success and good fortune for the future.

“Whilst David has been instrumental in improving the welfare of our national game at all levels. We all wish him the very best in in a happy retirement as Honorary President of his beloved Carlisle United.”

VINCENT KEEPS GOOD KOMPANY AT PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON LAUNCHPremier League captains Vincent Kompany, Phil Jagielka, John O’Shea and Wes Morgan were joined by their respective managers at the Premier League Season Launch, where a three-year £10.5m programme of support for primary school sport was announced.

The announcement came at the Capital City Academy, North London, whichopenedanewthirdgeneration(3G)artificialgrasspitch(AGP) in January 2014 thanks to a grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund.

The new programme will see Premier League and other professional clubs provide community coaches to deliver fun, high quality and age appropriate PE and sport sessions in schools, providing a pathway into competitive football opportunities for those that want them.

WhentheprogrammewasfirsttrialledlastseasonbythePremierLeague,25clubs(20PremierleagueclubsandfiveFootballLeagueclubs)delivered over 66,000 PE lessons and sport sessions in 1,279 schools to over 103,000 pupils.

PREMIER LEAGUE & THE FA FACILITIES FUNDAWARDS 155 GRANTS WORTH £12.8M INTO THE GRASSROOTS


The Basketball League Limited (BBL) Foundation has become the latest organisation to start using Upshot – the easy-to-use project management and monitoring system. In doing so they join more than 200 other not-for-profit organisations that have opted to use Upshot to manage, monitor and evidence their work.

The BBL Foundation seek to improve education, health and promote social inclusion through basketball and physical activity more generally. Russell Findlay the BBL Foundation’s National Manager, said: “We’re running a programme at about 84 different sites, which means that we needed a tool that could collate the details of more than 5,000 participants, and in turn help us

to produce reports for Sport England [a Funding Partner]. Prior to Upshot our data collection process was manual and across a range of different spreadsheets, but now it is automatic at the point of participation.”

Upshot can easily create a wide range of performance indicators, and ensure that data is displayed clearly on dashboards, graphs and maps. Aside from demonstrating the impact of existing work, one of Upshot’s smartest features is its ability to show the value of work and use that information to secure future funding. This is achieved by linking all evidence, activities and performance indicators to outcomes.

A project aimed at supporting people that suffer with mental health issues has been awarded a grassroots prize by UEFA. The project, Coping Through Football, is active in North East London and offers opportunities for mental health sufferers through playing, learning and coaching football.

The project works in conjunction with North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT) and Leyton

Orient Community Sports Programme (LOCSP) to act as a safe and healthy refuge for those whose lives have been affected by mental health problems. It was awarded The UEFA Grassroots Award by LPFF Vice President, and Chelsea and Arsenal legend, John Hollins at the official launch of the project’s extension.

Also present at the event was Dave McDermott, the Football Foundation’s Chief Operating Officer.(below, far right of picture) In 2007, the Foundation awarded a grant from its old Community Scheme, which allowed the initial idea to become established as Coping Through Football and laid the groundwork for what continues today as an immensely beneficial scheme for some of the most vulnerable in that part of the capital.

THE BBL FOUNDATION BECOME UPSHOT’S NEWEST SIGNING

MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT HONOURED BY UEFA

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Head to our YouTube channel to see a birds-eye perspective of Failsworth School’s new pitch (page 17), filmed with ‘Kestrel Cam’. Whilst on our Flickr page you’ll be able to see exclusive photos of Arsene Wenger opening Boreham Wood’s new West Stand (Page 21.)

ONSIDE NEWS

The Football Foundation’s President, Lord Pendry, was praised at a celebratory dinner held in his honour, by the Sport and Recreation Alliance in conjunction with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Sport. It was attended by Parliamentarians who have also made a significant contribution to the promotion of sport, including former sports ministers, Lord Moynihan and Gerry Sutcliffe MP.

Lord Pendry’s work was previously recognised by the Sport and Recreation Alliance in 2006 when he received the prestigious Arthur Bell Trophy, which is awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to sport.

During the course of the night, guests spoke of Lord Pendry’s genuine passion for sport across all disciplines, not just football and boxing for which he is particularly famed. Director of Ticketing for the London Olympic Games, Paul Williamson, said: “The millions who enjoyed London 2012 owe Tom a debt of gratitude,” referring to Lord Pendry as the driving force behind London’s original bid for the 2012 Olympics.

Lord Moynihan, the Chairman of the British Olympic Association, remarked that Lord Pendry is “a man of conviction, a consistent support for athletes, with a passion for sport, dedicated to improving recreational facilities across the country,” while Charlotte Leslie MP praised him as being “an absolute stalwart of sport in Parliament.”

FOUNDATION PRESIDENT PRAISED FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION TO SPORT


You can see the effect our Funders’ investment makes to the grassroots game in the two examples below

Site where Nicky Butt played as youngster transformedA modern community sports hub has replaced a clubhouse previously considered not fit for purpose at Droylsden Community and Sports Centre in Manchester. Where the new floodlit third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP) now stands there was once a dilapidated tarmac tennis court and Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA).

A grant worth £864,679 from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund made the upgrade possible. The Droylsden Youth Centre worked with

Manchester FA to secure the grant in order to improve the site where Nicky Butt trained as a child.

The new clubhouse now houses dual-gender changing rooms, new disability access WCs and officials’ rooms, as well as a small café, a kitchen and a boxing area.

Brendan Robinson, the Centre’s Treasurer, said: “Since we got the new facility, the new 3G pitch, plus the new building, our junior teams and our Saturday Soccer School have grown substantially. We’ve also increased the numbers at the top with an extra adult team. We’re getting more demand. The building is top notch and everyone compliments it. From what we had to what we’ve got now, it’s wonderful.”

BEFORE

The old clubhouse was very old and unfit for purpose. The tarmac tennis court and MUGA were run-down and could no longer be used.

AFTER

The new clubhouse is well equipped with a variety of state-of-the-art facilities and a 3G AGP that can be used in all-weather.

Twickenham sports club welcome new facilities “with open arms”The previous clubhouse at the National Physical Laboratory Sports Club in Twickenham was deemed so bad that visiting players avoided using it! The building was so run-down, junior footballers were forced to leave without even showering, instead opting for a quick change in either the toilets or their cars.

The brand new clubhouse, funded with a grant of £311,468 from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, now houses changing rooms, both for players and officials alike. The changing rooms, which also have disabled facilities, are bolstered by under-floor heating, generous locker space and a medical room. The club, who worked in partnership with the Middlesex FA to complete the project, invited Business Secretary Vince Cable to open the site in 2013, and

it is used by National Physical Laboratory Football Club, whose exponential growth as a club had been hindered in recent years by poor changing facilities.

Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable, MP for Twickenham and Secretary of State for Business, said: “Simply, this is an absolutely outstanding facility. From a grassroots sports point of view, I saw the quality of this site and how it will benefit local sports men and women of all ages. I am delighted to have such an outstanding sporting venue in my constituency.

“The construction industry is absolutely vital to our country’s economy, so the Foundation’s continued investment, through money from the Premier League, The FA and the Government, into grassroots building projects, just like this one, is absolutely crucial. That is before you consider the benefits to an area in terms of regeneration, or the burden that can be removed from the NHS by giving people the chance to stay fit and healthy through participating in sport.”

BEFORE

The old and inadequate clubhouse built in the 1940s that had reached the end of its serviceable life.

AFTER

The new changing rooms are used by both players and officials. It is a modern facility that will allow the club to cater for the growing demand for football in the area.


BEFORE AND AFTER

Southampton defender José Fonte stopped by the Saints Hub, near Southampton FC’s St Mary’s Stadium, to open a new Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), which was funded by a £70,533 grant from the Premier League Community Facilities Fund and £79,000 from the Southampton Football Club’s Saints Foundation.

The new MUGA is located at St Mary’s C of E Primary School and will be open all-year round. The all-weather and multi-use facility will help increase sporting activity in the area, particularly

amongst children, something the SFC Director of Commercial & Community Partnerships, Mark Abrahams, expressed his delight at by saying: “The facility will be a great asset locally and we aim to ensure it’s a sporting hub for the local community for many years to come.”

The Saints Foundation invests time and money into supporting local activity. It invests £1m per year into the local community in order to do so and over 25,000 participants take part in their programmes year on year.

Southampton FC Chairman Ralph Kruger who helped open the facility, said: “This Saints Hub is absolutely fantastic. You only need to look at the numbers of children already using it to realise just how much of an impact it is going to have on the wider Southampton community. I’m particularly delighted that the Saints Foundation has been able to play such a pivotal role in getting this facility built, along with help from the Premier League Community Facilities Fund.”

JOE COLE OPENS FIRST 3G IN BARKING AND DAGENHAM

Joe Cole witnessed a wealth of young talent at a five-a-side match to mark the opening of a new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP), the first one to be opened in the area, at Robert Clack School in Barking and Dagenham.

The Aston Villa FC midfielder, who started his career as a West Ham youngster, spoke of his pride in opening the new facility: “It’s a real honour for me to open this pitch. Surfaces like this, funded by the Premier League & The FA FacilitiesFund,areabsolutelyfirstclassbecausetheydon’tgetwaterlogged,andwhenitgetsdarkthefloodlightsmeanyoucankeeponplaying!”

Robert Clack School, who worked with the Essex FA throughout the project, has a close partnership with West Ham, as the Premier League club’s Under-15 and Under-16 players take GCSE qualifications at the school. The new pitch, which was funded by a £450,000 grant from The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, will also provide a home for four local football clubs – Aztec FC, Roneo Colts FC, Byron Red Star FC and Dagenham Park Rangers FC – who have 60 teams between them.

THE SAINTS’ JOSE FONTE GOES MARCHING

IN ON NEW SOUTHAMPTON FACILITY

PREMIER LEAGUE & THE FA FACILITIES FUND

The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund is a £102m commitment to improve the country’s local sports infrastructure. With the money for the Fund provided by the Premier League, The FA and the Government through Sport England, the Football Foundation is targeting this investment into areas of most need and where it will have the most impact. With sophisticated bespoke systems and expertise developed over the 14 years since its launch, the Foundation has an unparalleled track record in achieving huge increases in participation, year-on-year.



SIR TREVOR SETS EAGLES SOARING WITH NEW GRASS PITCHES AND CHANGING PAVILIONFormer England and West Ham midfielder Sir Trevor Brooking CBE said he was “thrilled” to open a 30-acre real-grass facility in Birmingham. The 11 new pitches, which provide a home ground for Kewford Eagles FC, were made possible thanks to a generous £800,000 grant by The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund.

The pitches, completed with a new changing room pavilion, in total cost £1,076,560. Sir Trevor Brooking who stepped down as Director of Football Development at The FA in August, was very optimistic about the facility’s potential: “I am thrilled to open this impressive new facility,” he said. “By developing facilities such as this one, the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund is not only increasing participation at the grassroots level of our national game but also supporting the development of home-grown talent.”

Kewford Eagles FC is run solely by volunteers, and has previously won the ME2 award – the most prestigious award given by Mencap for organisations for the disabled. The new pitches have delighted the 550 children who use them regularly, as well as members of the wider community.

Lynn Boley, Kewford Eagles Charity Trustee, was hugely appreciative of the funding they received, saying: “The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund have made our dreams a reality. I want to also put on record our thanks and appreciation to the Football Foundation in particular, for the lengths that they went to in order to make this happen for us – helping us to secure funding that is far in excess of grants that they normally award.”

The opening of Aylestone Playing Fields’ £2.9m sports facility in Leicestershire by former Premier League striker Michael Chopra, capped off 11 new investments in the region, costing a combined £5m. The funding came from the Premier League, The FA and the Government, via Sport England following Aylestone’s close work with the Leicestershire FA.

The impressive new facility includes a full-size third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP) as well as a state-of-the-art changing pavilion. The site is used by Leicester City Women FC as well as Guru Nanak Gurdwara (GNG) FC.

Former Leicester City striker, and Football Foundation Ambassador Dion Dublin, who grow up in Leicester, was also full of praise for the new facility: “These new facilities are a true investment into grassroots football. To enable and increase the participation in sport and physical activity for children, adults and families throughout the city is a commitment that will enable people to enhance and change their lives,” he said.

With significant adjustments also being made to the current real-grass pitches at the site, the new and improved centre will increase opportunities for female and disabled teams in an area that has often struggled to satisfy this large demand.

The school that Liverpool and England striker Daniel Sturridge attended, Four Dwellings Academy, opened its brand new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP) recently, thanks to a £284,285 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund. The school worked in partnership with the Birmingham FA to help secure the funding.

Birmingham-based Four Dwellings has an impressive reputation when it comes to nourishing future professionals. As well as Daniel Sturridge, Joleon Lescott, a West Brom and England international player and his brother, Aaron Lescott, a former Aston Villa player,

attended the high-school, as did Kilmarnock’s Tope Obadeyi.

Aston Villa, who were represented by Hercules the Lion at the opening, have already hosted a soccer school on the pitch, cementing existing ties between the school and the club.

“This fantastic all-weather playing pitch has once again established the school as a highly sought after centre for local community use, as well as hopefully shaping the footballing futures of our very talented young players,” said the school’s Principal, Becky Elcocks.

NEW 3G PITCH FOR SCHOOL

CREDITED WITH PRODUCING

ENGLAND INTERNATIONALS MICHAEL CHOPRA AND DION

DUBLIN SUPPORT £3M

LEICESTER FACILITY

THESE NEW FACILITIES ARE A TRUE INVESTMENT INTO GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL. TO ENABLE AND INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR CHILDREN, ADULTS AND FAMILIES THROUGHOUT THE CITY IS A COMMITMENT THAT WILL ENABLE PEOPLE TO ENHANCE AND CHANGE THEIR LIVES”

Dion Dublin, former Leicester City striker and Football Foundation Ambassador

1514 ONSIDE | The Football Foundation Magazine | Issue 36ONSIDE | The Football Foundation Magazine | Issue 3614 ONSIDE | The Football Foundation Magazine | Issue 36 15ONSIDE | The Football Foundation Magazine | Issue 36

Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Cllr Oliur Rahman, said he was “delighted” and “very grateful” to have a new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP) in Stepney Green. Cllr Rahman, who opened the site alongside Cabinet Member for Culture, Cllr Shafiqul Haque, gave special thanks to the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund who gave £451,180 in order to realise the project.

“I am delighted to have such a fantastic facility in Tower Hamlets. I look forward to residents making the most of this unique pitch, which will go a long way to boosting participation in football locally,” said Cllr Rahman.

The new pitch has replaced the previous sand-dressed one that had deteriorated and is the first full-size 3G in Tower Hamlets. The new all-weather pitch will concentrate on increasing participation amongst women, girls, disabled players and Mini-Soccer teams.

Located in Stepney Green Park, the AGP is expected to raise the amount of teams in the area from 11 to 29. This is in no small part due to the club and workforce development programme that is provided by the London FA, which aims to bolster the amount of clubs, coaches, referees and administrators in the area, as well as improving their overall quality.

£200,000 WALTHAMSTOW REFURB HELPS LINK SPURS AND ORIENT WITH THE COMMUNITY A sports centre in Walthamstow used by Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient to deliver community coaching initiatives, including Premier League Kicks, has been given a new lease of life after a £200,000 refurbishment.

The re-modelled Dougas Eyre facility, which has been a hub of local grassroots football activity for several decades, now includes: 14 self-contained team changing rooms; two officials’ changing rooms; a meeting room; a kitchen and bar. The upgraded provisions mean the centre can continue to act as an education centre for the PFA, London FA, who worked with site to secure funding initially,

and as a venue for a wide range of local football teams to hire.

Tottenham Hotspur Foundation Chief Executive Officer Grant Cornwell said: “The Douglas Eyre Sports Centre is a vital component in the work of Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, as it provides a hub for our Foundation Degree, Soccer School and Premier League Kicks scheme. The improvements to the centre, made possible in part thanks to the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, will allow us to continue to provide sporting opportunities for local people.”


THE KIDS ARE ALL WRIGHT WITH NEW £440,000 3G PITCH

Wright Robinson College in Manchester was celebrating recently as their brand new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP) was officially opened. Over half the cost of the pitch was paid for by the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund with a £298,700 grant, which the Manchester FA helped the college to secure.

Wright Robinson already have an admirable reputation for stellar sports facilities and this new pitch will add to an armoury consisting of a 25m swimming pool, two 3G AGPs, two sports halls, a fitness suite, a dance studio, a free weights room, several tennis courts and real grass football pitches.

Head Teacher, Neville Beischer, described how the new 3G would further add to their attractive facilities: “The new 3G AGP will become a tremendous asset to the College and the local community that it serves. Through our extensive network of partners new opportunities will be generated for local people to participate in sport in a safe environment with top class facilities.”

These new opportunities will include 120 new teams in the East Manchester Junior League, taking the overall number of teams to 270 over the next three years. The pitch will also help foster a new ten-team division in the City Central League. The AGP will also cater for a comprehensive Coach Education programme as well as hosting a number of Football Association initiatives, such as FA Skills Centres, Vauxhall Mash Up and Just Play centres.

Manchester City legends Mike Summerbee and Tony Book joined Foundation President, Lord Pendry, to visit Failsworth School in Manchester to open a brand new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP). The new facility was made possible by a £317,348 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund.

Mike Summerbee was pleased to point out the positive effects the pitch will have on both his old club and the wider community: “Artificialgrasspitches are so important to grassroots football. Our Club’s Foundation, City in the Community, are already delivering sessions at the school,

so it’ll mean more local people having more opportunities to play the beautiful game.”

The new pitch, which the Manchester FA were instrumental in the planning for, will be available for use by the local community and will host matches from the Manchester Youth and Mini Soccer League and the Oldham Sunday League, which together attract over 1,300 participants every week. A number of local clubs will also use the facilities on a weekly basis, such as Failsworth Dynamos FC, Failsworth Athletic FC, Hyde FC and Chadderton FC.

Failsworth School has a rich history of producing young footballers who have signed professional contracts with clubs. This year alone the school have amongst their pupils; Louis Myers (Fleetwood Town), Jamie Stott (Oldham Athletic), Callum Scullion (Oldham Athletic) and Cameron Humphreys (Manchester City and current England Under-18 Captain). Their famous alumni include James Tarkowski (Brentford FC), Luke Daly (Burnley FC) and Nathan Ecclestone (formerly of Liverpool FC).

CITY LEGENDS OPEN NEW

3G PITCH AT MANCHESTER

GOLDMINE OF TALENTEAST LONDON PITCH

A STEPNEY IN THE

RIGHT DIRECTION



WAR HEROES REMEMBERED WITH NEW SPORTS PAVILION A £52,422 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund has helped build a new changing pavilion in Uley, Gloucestershire, to commemorate 13 local service personnel who lost their lives in World War One and Two. The facility, which will be used by Uley Football Club and Uley Cricket Club, is a timely upgrade on the previous pavilion, which had reached the end of its serviceable life. Significant support came the Gloucestershire FA during the facility’s initial planning stages.

John Hollister, the son of one of the aforementioned 13 veterans, was asked to officially open this commemorative site, and the well-respected local choreographer, Dame Gillian Lynne, was also in attendance.

The playing fields are treasured by the local community many of whom have dedicated themselves to raising funds towards this project. Secretary of Uley Playing Field Trust Tom Williams said: “Uley has a long and rich sporting tradition anditisfittingthatournewmemorialpavilionwas opened in memory of the men and women of Uley who fought in both World Wars.”

FORMER ENGLAND ‘KEEPER OPENS NEW PAVILION IN BRADFORDRawdon Meadows playing fields in Bradford received a welcome boost when their new state-of-the-art pavilion was officially opened by former England goalkeeper, Nigel Martyn. A £98,000 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund contributed to the £350,000 cost of the project.

The pavilion itself will house new changing rooms and a new kitchen. The former Premier League stopper said at the opening: “When I started my football career playing in a minor league in Cornwall, we would have been delighted to have had such outstanding facilities and it is great to see grassroots football being played on these pitches and using these facilities today.”

Woodhouse Grove School who use the pitches, were delighted to see the new pavilion. Headmaster David Humphreys expressed their collective joy, saying: “The provision of this substantial new sports pavilion is a visible sign to the whole community of the way the school works in partnership with the council and our local community to develop amateur and professional sport.”

New real grass pitches, made possible thanks to a Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund grant of £149,823, were opened in Richmond Park, Hinkley, and celebrated with a youth football match to mark the event. The Leicestershire FA worked in conjunction with Richmond Park to gain the funding.

The pitches will host local teams from the Hinckley and District Adult League teams, as well as Green Towers FC. The club are a growing force in local football and have won numerous awards

including an FA Charter Standard Development Club award. The club currently possess 22 teams and the new pitches will help the club go from strength to strength by attracting new players, as well as improving existing ones.

Cllr David Cope, Executive Member for Culture & Leisure said: “This fantastic project will support more people playing football more often and will make a real difference for everyone involved in football.”

A £99,999 grant from The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund helped subsidise a state-of-the-art changing pavilion at New Monument School in Woking. The new facility will be a welcome addition to the local community and Mayor of Woking Cllr Anne Roberts was on hand to officially cut the ribbon.

Matt Glazier, Woking Borough Council’s Sports Development Officer, was also in attendance and expressed his joy at the new facility: “Thissignificantinvestment will ensure that local sports clubs and thewiderlocalcommunitywillbenefitbybeingable to access and use quality facilities, encourage sports participation and give the local community a facility of which they can be proud.”

Students from New Monument School will be able to use the pavilion, as will Cardinal Juniors FC, a newly formed club that will be supported by Woking Football Club.

Football Foundation Trustee, Jonathan Hall, joined the Mayor at the event. Jonathan, who is local to the site, is also the Director of Football Services at The Football Association.

The new facility, which has been supported throughout by the Surrey FA, will complement the two existing junior football pitches at the site, and provide newly formed football club, Cardinal Juniors, with a home ground they can be extremely proud of. The development of Cardinal Juniors will be supported by Woking Football Club, in partnership with Woking Borough Council. Students from Monument School, local sports clubs and

members of the wider community will also benefit from the pavilion.

The budding new players were joined in their celebrations by Woking FC’s mascot, KC KAT. A junior football tournament was also held for students from across Maybury, who demonstrated their artistic talent by designing Cardinal Juniors’ new logo which was unveiled at the event.

Jonathan Hall commented: “This project is a wonderful example of the sort of projects that the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund aims to support: a strong local partnership between the school, the Council, the community and Woking FC all working in collaboration to develop football in Maybury including a new football club, Cardinal Juniors.”

GRASS IS GREENER FOR HINKLEY

AFTER NEW PITCHES OPEN

WO-KING CROWNED

WITH A NEW PAVILION


FOOTBALL STADIA IMPROVEMENT FUND

The Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF) provides grants to football clubs to improve their stadium facilities for players, officials and spectators, with money provided by the Premier League.

KICK-OFF: GROW THE GAME

ARSENE WENGER OPENS

BOREHAM WOOD FC’S

NEW STAND

MERSEYRAIL BOOTLE SET FOR NEW GIRLS’ TEAM

Ladies side Merseyrail Bootle FC are to create a new youth development section at the club following a £5,000 Grow the Game grant. The club’s immensely successful debut year has led to overwhelming demand from new players, keen to join the Under-10s team. The club have therefore decided to launch a Girls’ Development Section, which will incorporate girls who will be in school Year 3 as of September 2014.

Under-10 Girls’ Manager, Steve Cavanagh said of the development: “Merseyrail Bootle are focused on creating as many opportunities in football for local girls and we hope that the creation of this development section will support us in developing a clear pathway from the Under-10s through to the seniors.”

CHICHESTER LADIES GIVEN REASON TO SMILE WITH £4,500 GRANTA £4,500 Grow the Game grant will go towards creating an increased number of teams at Chichester City Ladies FC, by helping with running costs and the training of FA qualified coaches.

The money will help Chichester City to run two more girls’ teams during the first year of the grant, at Under-10 and Under-11 level, and one more Under-10 team for the following season.

The club now run five girls’ teams and two adult teams, as well as providing casual training sessions for women and girls keen to improve their fitness and get involved in football.

The Grow the Game Scheme provides grants for the creation of new football teams and coaching qualifications,withfundingprovidedbythePremierLeague and The FA and delivered by the Foundation. Any clubs can apply for the funding, providing that they meet the basic eligibility criteria, with a key focus on teams from the Under-15 age bracket and above as well as BME, girls’, women’s and disability teams.

£1,500 of funding is available for each new team that a club creates. The Grow the Game grants can go towards helping to cover the costs incurred for league entry, referees’ fees, first aid kits, FA coaching courses and football strips.

The key strength of Grow the Game is that its participation increases are sustainable rather than transient. Its grants create a solid infrastructure of teams and newly trained coaches in which new people can start playing the sport, rather than simply providing temporary activity sessions, which are then vulnerable to drops in participation once the programme ends.

ROCHDALE DEAF RHINOS FC GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

A £5,000 Grow the Game grant will enable Rochdale Deaf Rhinos FC to create an Under-21 and Under-12 team for hearing impaired people.

The grant will also help to train and develop the volunteers that run the club, through coach education courses. The club recognise the importance of giving juniors and adults with disabilities an opportunity to get involved in football and socialise in a safe environment.

Dewan Choudhury, Football Development Officer, said: “The Grow the Game grant from the Football Foundation is going to make a real difference to our club and the wonderful volunteers that help run it.

“We want to continue promoting disability football and increase participation from the deaf community.”

Arsenal FC Manager Arsene Wenger opened a state-of-the-art stand at Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park ground prior to his side’s pre-season friendly with the Hertfordshire club. The Gunners’ boss said “it was a great honour” to be asked to cut the ribbon on the new West Stand, a construction that was made possible thanks to a grant of £241,000 from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF).

The new stand has increased the ground’s seating capacity to 1,420 and the Arsenal manager, who has been at the helm of the North London club for 18 years, was quick to point out how the new stand will help the Conference South club grow: “It is an excellent facility which will allow the club to continue to develop,” he said. “I am very pleased that we were able to come together with Boreham Wood FC, the Football Stadia Improvement Fund and other funders to make this project a reality.”

The club shares a longstanding relationship with Arsenal Ladies who use the ground for FA Women’s Super League games. Attendances at these matches have risen to an average of 688, with higher profile matches regularly attracting more than 1,000 spectators. This increase is anticipated to continue to grow over the coming seasons, and the new stand will assist in attracting a wider family audience.

Additional funding for the project was also provided by Arsenal FC, as well as Boreham Wood FC, Hertsmere Borough Council and a personal contribution from the Chairman, Danny Hunter.


PARTNERSHIPS

Barclays Spaces for Sports is a community sports programme which uses the power of sport to help young people develop the confidence and skills they need, and revitalise disadvantaged communities. As part of this programme, Barclays has partnered with the Football Foundation to develop 200 community facilities across the UK, which cater for a wide range of sports.

BARCLAYS SPACES FOR SPORTS Spaces for Sports

CELEBRATING A

DECADE OF BARCLAYS

SPACES FOR SPORTS

VILLA’S VASSELL BACK HOME AT THE ASTON SPORTS PITCHESThe Aston Sports Pitches is a hub of activity, serving a wide and diverse range of users in north Birmingham. Located opposite Villa Park, the home of Aston Villa FC, the site hosts a number of key sports initiatives including Premier League Kicks and The FA’s Mars Just Play scheme. Having had £649,727 invested by Barclays and the Football Foundation the site now has 591 regular users and is home to 22 football teams.

Born just a few minutes’ walk from the site, former Villa player, Darius Vassell, said: “It was a very proud moment for me to help celebrate ten years of Barclays Spaces for Sports in my hometown. Barclays and the Football Foundation deserve real credit for their investment over the last decade.”

Since 2004 Barclays has supported disadvantaged communities by investing in sports sites and social change programmes. Over £40m has been invested in the UK and internationally by the Spaces for Sports programme which is part of Barclays’ commitment to 5 Million Young Futures – a goal to build the next generation of achievers by helping them develop enterprise, employability and financial skills.

The Football Foundation has helped to create these 200 community sports sites by investing £30m and now has the objective to ensure these sites continue to serve their communities for the foreseeable future. With more than 53,000 people using the Barclays Spaces for Sports sites every week the partnership is well on its way to achieving this goal. To celebrate this success, four events were held across the country to highlight the huge success that the programme has had.

UNITED HERO PETER SCHMEICHEL BACK AT OLD TRAFFORD!Arguably Manchester United’s greatest ever goalkeeper was back at Old Trafford recently. Peter Schmiechel popped in to the Old Trafford Sports Barn – the Barcays Spaces for Sports site that is linked with Man United – to join in a panel discussion with representatives from the Football Foundation, Trafford Community Leisure Trust and TUF*C Programme on grassroots sport.

Home to 699 regular visitors, the Old Trafford Sports Barn opened in 2005 and has become a centre point for community sport. Having received £665,000 worth of funding from Barclays and the Football Foundation the Sports Barn now runs a variety of sporting sessions with partners including Manchester United. Current facilities include two all-weather third generation artificial grass pitches and two outdoor hard courts.

FAYE WHITE ALWAYS KNEW ROSEMARY GARDENS WAS GUNNER BE GOOD!Barclays and the Football Foundation have invested £650,000 into Rosemary Gardens to include the construction of a floodlit third generation artificial grass pitch, as well as changing room pavilion and the refurbishment of two tennis courts. The facility has 753 regular users at the site who attend a variety of sporting sessions provided by partners like Arsenal in the Community.

Former England and Arsenal Ladies Captain Faye White said: “The investment in projects like Rosemary Gardens, and hundreds of others across the country means that young people have access to quality facilities where they can enjoyallthebenefitsassociatedwithplayingsport, like improving their health and teamwork skills. This area is better off thanks to Barclays and the Football Foundation.”

POMPEY LEGEND CLARIDGE SALUTES BRANSBURY PARK’S WORKFormer Portsmouth striker Steve Claridge helped kick-off Barclays Spaces for Sports celebrations in Portsmouth by reflecting on the positive work at Bransbury Park and commenting on the effect football has had on his life.

Bransbury Park, which was created after consultation between Portsmouth City Council and Pompey in the Community – Portsmouth FC’s community arm, has 1,548 regular users with participation having risen 57% in 2013/14.

The site was redeveloped thanks to Barclays and the Football Foundation each providing £300,000 of capital investment. Barclays then awarded further sustainability funding of £81,348, and through the Foundation provided the site with consultancy expertise to ensure it can continue to serve the local community for many years to come.

Steve Claridge with Caroline Burley (Corporate Director, Barclays), youth worker Louis Faith and representatives from Pompey in the Community and Portsmouth City Council.

Amit Mandahlia, a coach at the Old Trafford Sports Barn, poses with Peter Schmeichel and the Barclays Premier League trophy


The Mayor of London: Sports Facilities Fund is part of the Mayor’s commitment to deliver a sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, aiming to raise participation levels in sport, in London, through the funding of new or refurbished sports facilities. The money is provided by the Mayor of London and provides grants which help to develop affordable, good quality local facilities within local communities in London. The Fund is delivered by the Foundation.

MAYOR OF LONDON: SPORTS FACILITIES FUND

PARTNERSHIPS

ASPIRE NATIONAL TRAINING CENTREGRANT AMOUNT: £13,705

TOTAL PROJECT COST: £22,842

Aspire National Training Centre, the first fully integrated Training Centre in Europe for disabled and non-disabled people, received £13,705 in order to refurbish their sports hall to ensure that the facilities are kept as modern as possible.

The grant was used to replace several items such as old basketball nets, faulty scoreboards and heavy separating curtain in the hall to split the hall into two playing areas to maximise usage. The entry doors have also been replaced and are now automatically operated so as to allow for easy access for wheelchair users to the sports hall.

KINGSTON RIDING SCHOOL GRANT AMOUNT: £23,955


Kingston Riding School received £23,955 from the Fund towards the refurbishment of several of their horse riding facilities in order to increase the general usage of the site.

The previous indoor facility had only a basic soil surface which had been in place for many years, so was replaced with a high quality Ecotrack which improves the sporting experience of the rider by providing a lower impact on the horses. Further improvements included the installation of non-invasive lighting to enable the School to deliver more riding lessons for the community and free riding activities in both the evenings and early mornings over the winter months.

NEWHAM SIXTH FORM COLLEGEGRANT AMOUNT: £32,122


Newham Sixth Form College received £32,122 from the Fund in order to develop a new outdoor gym and cricket nets.

The College previously did not have the facilities to cater for the amount of students they had, with space for only eight people at a time in their indoor fitness suite. However, the installation of several pieces of outdoor gym equipment has benefited the college hugely. Furthermore, the installation of a demountable cricket netting facility, with a 3G carpet bowling end which can be used for multi-sport training, fitness and physical activity all year round, is being used by the college’s cricket academy which enjoys strong links with several local cricket clubs.

SOUTHWARK COUNCILGRANT AMOUNT: £50,000


Southwark Council were awarded £50,000 from the Fund towards the upgrade of the gymnastics centre at Camberwell Baths.

The previous facility was in poor condition and unable to deliver quality sports provisions for the community. The Council therefore required funding in order to create a multi-purpose indoor facility, which will cater for floor and apparatus gymnastics as well as other studio based activities to allow for maximum participation in a variety of activities. The grant was also used for improvements to the flooring, lighting and air conditioning, accessibility and redecoration, which have all contributed to a stunning redevelopment.

The Football Foundation is proud to be improving Londoners’ access to good quality and affordable facilities by delivering the Mayor of London: Sports Facilities Fund. A testament to the legacy left by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, more than 51,000 people (33,000 male and 18,000 female) use Mayor of London: Sports Facilities Fund sites every single week.

Those participants are partaking in approximately 20 different sports at more than 100 different sites across every single London borough, which otherwise would not have been there but for the Mayor’s investment. The case studies over this double page spread give just a flavour of the types of projects that have benefitted from major upgrades.


PARTNERSHIPS: CLUB CASHBACK

Did you know your local club could receive money direct to their bank account every time you shop online? Club Cashback, a scheme created by the Football Foundation and Club Website, allows you to raise funds for your club simply by purchasing online from your favourite shops.

“An excellent way of fundraising – quick, easy and simple” is how Mike Long described the Football Foundation’s fundraising tool Club Cashback. Despite only using the scheme for 12 months, Mike and his club, Sutton United FC, have raised £1,200 through the scheme, and the club’s joint Chairman and First Team manager explained how exactly this money helps the club.

“We plough the money back into the club,” explained Mike. “It goes into our development fund or our ‘rainy day fund’ for when we need something!Ifwecan’tgetasponsorforakitthen we will pay for that, or if we need to rent afloodlitpitchforaone-offgame.Wewilluseit for ground development, goalposts, anything, you name it. With all the teams we have there is always something.”

Mike explained how Club Cashback is a “really important part” of Sutton United’s fundraising, supporting the club during a period of unprecedented success. Whilst two of their boys’ teams won league titles last season, one of their girls’ sides, who play in the same division as Football League clubs Coventry City, Birmingham City and Aston Villa, reached a cup final. The men’s team have had an equally fruitful return in recent seasons, winning the league title three years consecutively.

Asked whether he would recommend Club Cashback to other clubs, Mike gave a resounding ‘yes,’ saying “Iwoulddefinitelyrecommend it!You’vegotnothingtolose.Themorepeopleyou can get involved with it, the more money it will raise and it will just snowball from there.”

Photos: Tim Lloyd

£30 PAYS FOR AN HOUR-LONG

TRAINING SESSION FROM A QUALIFIED FA LEVEL THREE CERTIFIED COACH

Go to footballfoundation.org.uk/clubcashback to begin raising similar amounts of money for your club.

£50 PAYS FOR TEN

NEW MATCH FOOTBALLS

£100 PAYS FOR TWO

FULL-SIZE GOAL NETS

£250 PAYS FOR 8 JUNIOR

PORTABLE GOALS

£500 PAYS FOR A NEW

KIT AND KITBAG FOR A SQUAD OF 15

£1,000

CAN PUT THE WHEELS IN MOTION TO SECURING FOUNDATION PARTNERSHIP FUNDING FOR A NEW PITCH, NEW CHANGING ROOMS OR MORE TEAMS

£100 ALSO PAYS FOR

A QUALIFIED REFEREE FOR THREE GAMES; (THIS CAN VARY FROM REGION TO REGION)

Fundraising can ‘snowball’ with Club Cashback, says Sutton United Boss

Help your club raise money through Club Cashback every time you buy online

THERE ARE THREE QUICK AND EASY STEPS TO CASHBACK:

1. Register through cashback.footballfoundation.org.uk and select your club.

2. Search through thousands of popular retailers on the Club Cashback portal. Among a variety of shops you will be able find: Marks & Spencer, Play.Com, B&Q and Sports Direct.

3. Purchase what you want and up to 15% of what you spend will go directly in to your club’s bank account. The money raised from each purchase can go a long way…


“Get on my land!” – farmer’s field is now major multi-sport centre

Kevin Whitehorn, Facility Manager at Calne Town Council, explains how our Funders’ investment has transformed a patch of farmland into a bustling sporting hub in Wiltshire

Back in 1998 a Wiltshire Council survey found that the area was desperately short on sport and recreation areas. This was further compounded by the population growing hugely. After years of work, a farmer’s field that simply had grazing animals on it was identified and a plan was put together to turn it into a major sporting hub for our community.

When the Football Foundation awarded us a £1m grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund in 2006 that plan could become a reality. It enabled us to develop a stunning changing pavilion on the site, along with 11 real grass football pitches with proper drainage systems. This then immediately became the home base for local junior club, FC Calne, which has seen an explosion in its number of teams and players since the facility was developed.

In fact such was the growth in participation thanks to the Football Foundation-funded facility we very quickly outgrew the 11 pitches.

The Football Foundation did not simply give us a cheque and walk away, hoping the facility got built okay and was used properly. A year after the facility was built we had a ‘support day’ with

their Knowledge & Insight staff to make sure the site was delivering the football development plan that was drawn up when we applied for funding. We were delighted to score five out of five – the question from the Foundation was actually how we could make the site deliver even more for the local area.

We said there was undeveloped land on the site that was being used for harvesting. The Foundation asked if we built new pitches, would FC Calne be able to expand and provide even more opportunities for budding local footballers. We said the club could easily expand to 61 teams and a second Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund grant of £98,922 has enabled us to develop four new pitches and for FC Calne to accommodate age-appropriate, small-sided football for youngsters.

FC Calne were also awarded a Grow the Game grant from the Foundation which has helped them establish a new disability team and a ladies’ section. The site also accommodates courses run by the Wiltshire FA, so local people get qualified on site.

We hosted a Junior Premier League pre-season tournament where 5,000 people attended the site over the weekend. These are clubs linked with

professional clubs, which gives talented kids a chance to play a better level of football which, in turn, supports the development of home-grown talent.

And it is not just football. The facility hosts Calne Cricket Club and Calne Tennis Club, as well as lacrosse, archery and netball.

The pavilion also hosts a number of indoor sports like table tennis and judo, as well as well as weight loss and local NHS groups. It also caters for a wide range of other activities beyond sport, including weddings, christenings, birthday parties and even a local choir. It can hold up to 150 people seated and the bar also brings revenue into the venue which helps to pay for its upkeep.

I cannot overstate the impact that the site has had. It is used 52 weeks a year, no break – even at the evenings we are going 10 to 11o’clock at night hosting different things! We are now home to 65 teams and 40,000 people attend the facility every year.

Kevin Whitehorn was speaking to ONSIDE Editor Rory Carroll.

ON TARGET

Back in 2008, following work with the Herefordshire FA a £1m grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government, via Sport England was awarded to the Royal National College for the Blind (RNCB) in Hereford. The grant went towards an indoor sports hall, specifically designed for Futsal, as well as a sand-dressed artificial grass pitch (AGP). It was opened by Sir Trevor Brooking in 2009, becoming the world’s first Blind Football Academy.

The site was equipped with a sports and complimentary therapy building, a sports hall, a floodlit AGP and halls of residence. In order to specifically help foster growth in blind football, the AGP which replaced the previous one that was unfit for use, was made ‘blind-friendly’. This means that it incorporated sound barriers, used for not only helping the ball to stay in play but also by creating a distinguishable noise in order for the players to be more aware of where the ball is.

The site was proud to host the 2010 Blind World Cup and the college was highly acclaimed for its role in what was a hugely successful tournament. Additionally, the site was used frequently by Hereford Football Club and several other local teams.

Despite these successes, however, intervention from the Football Foundation began in 2013 following a request from the site to change the football-specific sports hall to better enable a wider range of sports. This was requested after the site had experienced a drop in income from local grassroots teams and professional ones. On top of this some important partnerships had stopped functioning effectively, so the Football Foundation was keen to help the site reach its full potential.

The Foundation’s support helped create a strategic planning group, along with the help of The FA at regional, county and national level. thePoint4, a leisure provider who manage the site and help to support the college and people with sight loss, worked with the both the RNCB and the planning group to target the issues faced. New line markings and dividing nets were introduced to create a more flexible sporting space.

Thanks to these adaptions, Olympic Sports Netball and Goalball now base leagues and tournaments at the college. The site’s initial role as a football developmental project has also been enhanced, with the Hereford FA establishing a new successful futsal league, running skill sessions, school events and coach education programmes.

As a result of the new possibilities that have been created by alterations to the site, the facility has engendered improved links with schools, leading to increased daytime usage. Moreover, creations of new football and business plans have improved the sites ability to monitor and measure its progress and development. Exemplifying this growth is the increased income and participation, which is up by 25% from the previous year.

Chris Combe, Centre Manager, said: “The Football Foundation has helped us enormously to change the fortunes of our facility. We needed help to address a fall in users, and revenue, so we asked the Foundation for assistance. They guided us through a range of improvements including establishing a new futsal league in conjunction with the Hereford FA. The Foundation don’t just award a grant and then walk away, they are committed to making sure that your project achieves everything it should be for its entire life.”

Royal National College for the Blind looking forward to prosperous future

Football Foundation Grant Manager, Richard Williams, explains how our interventionhelpedgetafacilityfiringonallcylindersforthecommunity and blind sportspeople


MATCH REPORT

Grown the Game continues to increase participation

The Premier League and The FA-funded Grow the Game scheme has proven immensely popular since the Football Foundation began administering it in 2010. In 2014 alone the Foundation received applications worth more than double the scheme’s £1.5m budget.

Grow the Game focuses on supporting grassroots bodies, from football clubs to parish councils, by funding the creation of new football teams. Its aim is to increase participation in football across a broad spectrum of age groups, abilities and demographics.

Earlier this year the Foundation worked alongside the Premier League and The FA to target specific age groups and demographics. These were pinpointed in order to accelerate participation and stem a rise in dropouts from football across certain targets. The network of County FAs proactively attracted applications on the ground.

The Foundation’s Knowledge & Insight team focus on the quantitative successes of Grow the Game grants in terms of the creation of new teams, players, coaches and referees. The results to date are impressive!

NEW TEAMSSince 2010, the Football Foundation has awarded £6.1m to 1,261 clubs as part of the Grow the Game scheme – this equates to 6,777 new teams who were not previously playing football. Above all, this money is aimed at creating more individual teams in order for more children and adults to play football competitively. Funding not only helps create new teams through direct means, like paying subscription fees and staff, but importantly it contributes to many of the administrational costs of running a new team. These can include paying for First Aid kits, CRB checks, football kits and marketing.

Of all those teams that have been created, 87% of grantees said that they would not have been able to create a team without their Grow the Game grant. Similarly, 87% of clubs said the new team would be sustainable once the grant has come to an end.

NEW PLAYERSThe creation of teams doesn’t necessarily guarantee sustained participation from new

players, so data collected that refers specifically to player-to-player involvement is key. Overall, a minimum of 20,000 new players are created per £1.5m invested by the Premier League & The FA, a figured evidenced by the fact that since 2010, 91,702 new players have emerged through Grow the Game funding. These figures are also supported by positive feedback from individual clubs, with 78% of teams saying that their new players would not be currently playing football without the grant they received.

NEW COACHESGrow the Game grants also fund FA coaching courses. To date, Grow the Game is responsible for 7,937 coaching courses, which include: 2,882 FA Coaching Level 1; 951 First Aid; 751 Safeguarding; 318 FA Youth Module and 275 Refereeing courses. These help provide new and existing footballers with the professional and educational framework they require. The total number of courses that are projected to be undertaken as part of the £6.1m overall Grow the Game investment is 15,271.

91,702 NEW PLAYERS CREATED78% OF CLUBS PUT NEW PLAYERS DOWN

TO GROW THE GAME GRANT

87% OF TEAMS ARE SUSTAINABLE6,777 NEW TEAMS

CREATED 1,261 CLUBS FUNDED

87% OF TEAMS DEPENDENT ON GROW THE GAME GRANTS £6.1M IN GRANT AWARDS

SINCE 2010

GROWING THE GAME AMONGST UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUPSWe have focused the scheme on increasing participation amongst certain demographics that are under-represented at the grassroots level – specifically increasing opportunities to play for those with disabilities, the women and girls’ game, and the fourteen-plus age group, which traditionally suffers from severe drops in participation levels.

Compared to the figures for two-year grants awarded in 2012, future forecasts will highlight how the Foundation is delivering against the Premier League’s and The FA’s strategic aims. For example, while 60% of the 1,471 teams created in the 2012/13 season are either disability, female or mixed teams, it is projected that 378 female teams will be created from the most recent batch of grants. This is in comparison to the 231 female teams created over the past two seasons combined.

Similarly, it is predicted 92 new disability teams will be created, encompassing 1,537 new players. This is almost three times as many as the 31 disability teams that have been created since 2012.

BEN BACKS GROW THE GAMEBen Shephard, TV presenter and Football Foundation Ambassador once again helped us promote the Grow the Game scheme, welcomed the impact the funding has made, saying: “Grow the Game makes a huge difference to grassroots clubs and their volunteers – and the statistics back that up. For every £1.5m invested by the Premier League and The FA 20,000 new players are created.

“Additionally, more than 7,937 coaching courses have been funded to date, which supports the new players created with coaches to manage and train emerging talent, especially amongst girls, those with disabilities and the fourteen plus group.”


The Football Foundation Whittington House, 19-30 Alfred Place,London, WC1E 7EAT 0845 345 4555 E [email protected] W www.footballfoundation.org.uk

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Registered Charity Number 1079309. Registered in England and Wales. Company limited by guarantee. Company Number 3876305.

PLAYER PROFILE | PLAYER PROFILE | PLAYER PROFILE | PLAYER PROFILE

Darius VassellFormer England and Aston Villa striker

Tell us a little bit about the Barclays Spaces for Sports programme.I think it’s a great initiative. When I was a youngster these sorts of things weren’t available. We had to come up with our own ideas of playing games and playing sports! But this is amazing, so I look forward to having kids of my own and being able to take them to this kind of place. Hopefully in the future there will be more just like this because it means youngsters will get

jobs, be more confident and be better in the community.

How important is a strong grassroots game to help the professional game?I think it’s very important. It’s where your basics such as communication, determination, and organisation can come from. It’s where you get your first glimpses of those sorts of things to carry on in the academic world or the sports world, depending on what you choose to do.

You heard about the skills Barclays Spaces for Sports teaches young people, like how to manage their money and how to write CVs, how important is that?It’s extremely important and very worthwhile. For youngsters, if you combine learning a practical skill in a sports environment, it is a great marriage because sometimes it is hard for children to go to school and learn these things around a desk in an environment that some can’t wait to get out of.

Which team do you support?Aston Villa, who play just across the road from Barclays’ Aston Sports Pitches site.

How did it feel to pull on the Villa shirt and play for them?It really was a dream come true. When I was running around in the park as a seven-year-old I was visualising myself with the football kit on and scoring goals for Villa, and I was lucky enough to achieve that. Obviously that’s not going to happen to every child, so we can’t forget that there are still other things to the game aside from becoming a professional. Like I said earlier, there are a lot of social skills which you pick up from the grassroots game which are very important.

Who is the best player you ever played against?As a defender, it would probably be Rio Ferdinand or Ledley King. Other than a defender, it would probably be Cristiano Ronaldo. He played for Portugal while I was with England and

I think he’s probably the best player or one of the best players in the world right now.

If Villa could sign any player from history who would you choose?Lionel Messi! Definitely Lionel Messi. I think he’d suit Villa. Every time he gets the ball he does something exciting. As a Villa fan my favourite player was Tony Daley. Not a lot of people would remember him but he was the kind of guy that when he got the ball, he’d do something special and that’s the enjoyment I get out of football, that’s why I love the game.

Tell us something about yourself which would surprise people.I’m actually an 11 handicap golfer, not many people would know that, but I love my golf. It’s another sport I wish I got the opportunity to play as a youngster, although it’s a bit more difficult to rig up a golf course somewhere to get the kids on! Maybe sometime in the future you might see me playing somewhere as a semi-pro or pro, who knows?

WHO’S MADE A DIFFERENCE?

STAR PLAYER STAR PLAYER STAR PLAYER

Name: Les HarePosition: ChairmanClub: North Ferriby

United FC

LES SAYS: “Myfirstyearaschairman was 1994. 20 years in the seat and the progress of the club has been a great pleasure, including several promotions and a Wembley trip.

The Football Foundation and the Football Stadia Improvement Fund have given us 19 consecutive years of development at the football ground, sosufficetosaytheclubwould not have achieved the level it has done with regards to its facilities had we not had help from the Football Foundation.

A Chairman at a non-league club is everything from chief executive to bottle washer, but as the club have grown there’s only a certain amount you can take on yourself. There are literally hundreds of people that have contributed in one way, shape or form. Pride, passion and belief is the motto that we instilled at the football club and all the people that have helped me over the years have brought that to the table.

We have over 300 children involved with the football club, training and enjoying football. The football club is the corner stone of the community of North Ferriby and we’ve got one of the highest local participations of any club in the country. The support that we have been given by the Football Foundation has enabled an awful lot of people to get involved andderivebenefitfromeverythingthat is being done by the club.”

THEY SAY: “Les and his wife Gill look after everything from a bacon sandwich to the boardroom, they are a husband and wife team in every sense of the word. Whatever needs to be done, Les does it and it’s amazing to think that he balances a full time job with running the club.

Les is a Sir Alex Ferguson-type character really. Well thought of

by the club and the community, he continually comes up with solutions to the club’s problems. Les is very influentialthroughouttheclub.Anything you need, he is there in person, and always on the end of the phone. During my time at the club he has been ever present and his impact on the club and everyone involved with it has been enormous.

The committee who work with Les has been there for several years and they have all stayed very loyal to him – through the good times and the bad. That is testament to the man he is. There is no way the club would be anywhere near where they are today without him. He thoroughly deserves this recognition in ONSIDE –verywelldone,Les!”

Richard Lee, Under-8 coach, North Ferriby United FC

Documents

ONSIDE Magazine - Issue 36 (3.72MB)