Since its launch in 2000, the Football Foundation has channelled £1.1bn into improving grassroots facilities
More than a third of the people who no longer play 11-a-side football say they would return to the game if facilities and pitches were better
RECURRING ISSUES The decline in grassroots participation is not a new problem and the FA has been proactive in its attempts to buck the trend. When the number of people playing regularly fell between 2007 and 2011, the FA responded by launching the Just Play initiative – which was designed to attract people of all abilities and especially those who haven’t played in a while. The idea was to organise informal sessions without the need to commit to playing for a club or organisation. The move made sense, as studies looking at the reasons for people abandoning football had identified busy lifestyles and less leisure time (including working at weekends), a decline in the number of club volunteers and a loss of referees as major factors. Put simply, people have less time to play football and even those who find time, might struggle to find a club to accommodate them. Just Play was designed to arrest the decline
by encouraging football centres and clubs to introduce a new, informal kick- about format for people. The scheme also offered an online database for people to find a centre offering the sessions closest to them. The target was to get 150,000 more people playing football for at least 30 minutes a week by 2013. By December 2013 the scheme had enlisted 200 football facilities to take part and had secured a sponsorship deal with confectionery giant Mars. While the figures show it attracted players back to the game, it failed, however, to halt the overall decline. Sport England figures reveal that rather than gaining a further 150,000 grassroots players between 2011 and 2013, football as a sport lost a further 177,300 players.
FACILITIES STRATEGY While initiatives such as Just Play might convince people to give football another chance, the opportunity to keep them
sportsmanagement.co.uk issue 3 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
playing is lost if they find the facilities lacking – and this is where the sport faces its largest battle. Having adequate facilities should be the minimum standard for any sport, yet it seems that football has a particular problem with being able to provide them. In a recent survey by Sky Sports, more
than a third (37 per cent) of respondents who no longer played 11-a-side football said better pitches and facilities would entice them back. Perhaps more tellingly, when asked what the single biggest problem facing the future of the grassroots game was, nearly half (44 per cent) cited the poor state of facilities/pitches. The FA is acutely aware of the problem and has poured a significant amount of resources into tackling the problem. In its most recent facilities strategy, covering the years 2013 to 2016, the FA announced an ambitious target of redeveloping 3,000 natural pitches across England, building 100 artificial pitches and developing
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