A special evening of grassroots football activities is being planned to coincide with the BBC Essex Senior Cup Final at Colchester United FC on Tuesday 20th March, including coaching, refereeing and welfare workshops.

Places at the big event have been in high demand as the Essex County FA aim to involve as many people as possible in the annual showpiece occasion. The Weston Homes Community Stadium will again be hosting the final, which kicks-off at 7:45pm, and the three workshops only have a handful of available spaces left. These include (all starting at 6:15pm):

Coaches Workshop

* FA Licensed Coaches’ Club CPD
* Explore Key England DNA Elements
* Live Match Observations
* Player/Match Analysis
* Interact, Observe, Reflect and Ask

Referees Workshop

* Hear from an FA Guest Speaker
* Find Out About Life as a Pro
* Preparing for Big Matches and Cup Finals
* Being an Assistant Referee
* Making an Effective Team

Welfare Workshop

* Welfare Officer CPD
* Police Officer Insights
* Young Peoples’ Experiences Online

In the Senior Cup Semi-Finals, Billericay Town host Romford on Thursday 25th January, while East Thurrock United welcome Chelmsford City the following Tuesday (30th). Both semis kick-off at 7:45pm and Chief Executive, Brendan Walshe commented: “We’re particularly looking forward to this year’s final, with all the extra activities we have planned. The event will be a fitting showcase of all the positive elements of Essex football.”

You can book your place at one of these workshops for just £10 by clicking here, which includes a ticket to the BBC Essex Senior Cup Final. For further details on grassroots coaching, refereeing and welfare, follow @EssexCountyFA on Twitter and search for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.