Brendan Walshe, Essex County Football Association Development Manager, hopes the appointment of a brand new Development Officer will help to arrest the decline in adult 11v11 participation figures as part of an overall Strategy for 2008-12 after applications were invited for the latest vacancy within the County Office in Chelmsford, the closing date for submissions being Friday 5th February.
Following news of the imminent departure of Workforce-centred Dan Bates, Brendan is on the lookout for suitable candidates to fill a slightly amended role to focus more on the noticeable decrease in adults enjoying the game. Research has identified a problem in this area in certain regions of the County, but he believes it’s difficult to pinpoint a single reason. He explained: “Work commitments, family life, time constraints and the flexibility of football on offer in terms of times and locations all play their part. There isn’t just one reason so investigating remedies takes time and hard work.”
Brendan leads a Development Team which forms roughly half of a 27-strong squad at Springfield Lyons Approach and he continued: “Now we’re looking for someone with a good knowledge and understanding of some of these issues facing grassroots football as there are patterns we want to address. The new officer will also look after the development of our Young Leader and volunteer programmes so they will need to have wide awareness of these areas to continue what Dan has achieved so far.”
Responsibilities for the successful candidate will include devising and implementing programmes to combat this decline, managing and enhancing the ‘Young Leaders’ and ‘Step into Sport’ programmes and supporting the County’s volunteer workforce whilst implementing areas of the FA National Game Strategy for 2008-12. Brendan added: “These programmes are development tools for 14 to 19-year-olds to help nurture them as the next generation of volunteers, such as coaches, administrators, referees or physios. Dan has had a lot of success to the extent we now have over 70 young people involved so there will be a good base of work from which to build on.”
A full job description and personal specification can be downloaded from the 'Related Documents' links. Applications, in the form of a covering letter accompanied by a CV and details of current remuneration, should be sent in an envelope marked ‘Private and Confidential’ to: The County Development Manager, Essex County Football Association, The County Office, Springfield Lyons Approach, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 5LB or via E-Mail to brendan.walshe@essexfa.com. The closing date for applications is Friday 5th February and interviews will take place during the week commencing Monday 15th February.