The strategy was formed following the largest ever public consultation in The FA’s history. Over 37,000 people were involved, from coaches, referees and players, to volunteers, fans, administrators and Local Authorities. That includes over 1,000 people in Kent recently telling The KCFA how they would like to see us implementing the FA National Game Strategy and Kent Football Strategy across the region.
The KCFA facilitates football development through key partners by maximising resources and expertise. The KCFA aim to service the needs of the local football community by putting into place a new generation of modern football facilities, increasing participation, establishing strong sustainable links between schools and clubs and investing in the football workforce by providing quality education and training courses.
The FA National Game Strategy 2008 - 2012 has four clear goals:
- to grow and retain participation in the game
- to raise standards and address abusive behaviour
- to develop better players
- to run the grassroots game more effectively
KCFA Development Manager, Paul Dolan said “The Kent County FA has sought the opinions of people involved in the game locally and have helped The FA 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 Kent will hopefully now see a real change in the grassroots game from improved facilities to campaigns designed to improve player and spectator behaviour.”
The KCFA will be tasked with delivering the Kent Football Strategy 2008 – 2012 over the next four seasons using the Kent County Plan 2008 – 2012 as the action plan to deliver the targets set out in The FA National Game Strategy. The key targets for the KCFA to achieve by 2012 include:
- Sustaining 3,433 teams and creating 117 new teams
- Sustaining 1,032 referees and recruiting 311 new referees
- A level 1 coach with every registered youth team
- £12 million of investment into football facilities
- 75% of stakeholders agree that the KCFA are leading the game effectively
- A successful Respect programme involving adult and youth leagues
Click here to download a copy of the Kent Football Strategy 2008 - 2012.
Click here to download a copy of the Kent County Plan 2008 - 2012.
Click here to see a review of Year 1 (2008/2009) delivery of the Kent Football Strategy 2008 – 2012 and Kent County Plan 2008 - 2012
For further information please contact Paul Dolan, County Development Manager on 01622 792140 or paul.dolan@kentfa.com.