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£200m F.A. BOOST FOR
GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL |
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The Football Association has revealed
details of a new £200 million investment programme aimed at transforming
grassroots football. 'The F.A. National Game Strategy 2008-12' sets out
their vision for developing grassroots football across England, with the
Essex County Football Association playing an integral role.
The strategy was formed following the largest ever public consultation in
The F.A.'s history. Many thousands of people were involved from coaches,
referees and players, to volunteers, fans, administrators and Local
Authorities, including regional consultation events which highlighted to
the E.C.F.A. how the football public would like to see the Strategy
implemented across the region.
The F.A.'s first 'National Game Strategy' was launched in 2001 and, since
then, the E.C.F.A. has begun it's transformation to increase its Football
Development workforce, salaried by The F.A. The E.C.F.A. are responsible
for areas as diverse as developing league competitions, girls and women's
football, disability football and facility development, as well as
supporting and training grassroots coaches and volunteers in schools and
clubs.
Despite the investment in manpower and facilities, some areas of the
grassroots game are at a critical point, and radical change is essential. |
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The F.A. National Game Strategy 2008-2012
has four clear goals: |
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to grow and retain participation in the game; |
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to raise standards and address abusive behaviour; |
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to develop better players and; |
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to run the grassroots game more effectively. |
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Over the period of the strategy, the Essex
County F.A. will be tasked with supporting The F.A. to: |
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launch the RESPECT campaign to address poor
behaviour from players to referees, and pushy parents on the sidelines; |
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invest £15 million a year into facilities
through The Football Foundation, part of a £300m programme; |
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train one million 5-11 year olds through The F.A.
Tesco Skills programme; |
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invest £25 million into more County F.A.
Development staff; |
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create over 20,000 new teams nationally and over
400 specifically in Essex and; |
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retain 24,000 referees and recruit 8,000 new
ones. This includes around 1,600 new referees in Essex. |
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Essex County F.A. Chief Executive, Phil
Sammons, said: "The E.C.F.A. has sought the opinions of people
involved in the game locally and have helped The F.A. devise a strategic
plan which reflects what active participants want us, as the governing
body, to do. It's sometimes easy to forget that the vast majority of
football played in this country is played at the grassroots, involving
millions of people, week in, week out."
"The people of Essex will hopefully now see a real change in the
grassroots game - from enhanced facilities to campaigns designed to
improve player and spectator behaviour, and many have played their part in
helping to secure the future of our national sport."
To view The F.A. National Game Strategy 2008-2012 go to www.The
FA.com
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