In the last 10 years football has gone through a period of rapid and significant change. During this period it has remained the most popular team sport in England. In Kent alone over 44,000 people participate in grassroots football every week. We have 1,140 clubs registered with the Kent County FA (KCFA), over 1150 Referees and nearly 3,200 teams.
As Chairman of the KCFA I am very proud of the progress that we have made in developing and supporting grassroots football. We have a County Development Team which in 2006 attracted £6 million of investment into local football. This is a very significant achievement given the small size of the team and their other priorities. We have some 110 Women and Girls teams, a County junior disability league and participation by black and minority ethnic communities has grown steadily. Indeed, the KCFA is fully committed to providing football for all. But, there is no room for complacency. We need to increase our efforts to ensure that football in Kent continues to make a positive and lasting contribution to the County. We must take advantage of opportunities offered by the scale of the regeneration taking place in Kent.
Kent has two of the largest regeneration areas in the Country, Thames Gateway and Ashford. The creation of an extra 70,000 houses in the next 10 years presents a challenge to provide and sustain football pitches and facilities which meet the leisure needs of the population.
I do not underestimate the contribution that football can make to building more sustainable communities and reducing inequalities. This is a Government priority and one which we at the KCFA fully support. There is evidence that diverting young people into football reduces crime and anti social behaviour. I am convinced that the full benefits of participation in football to community cohesion have been underestimated.
I hope that this Strategy can go some way to towards setting the direction in which we intend to develop grassroots football in Kent. The future is about partnership working, using existing resources more effectively and seizing opportunities to attract investment into our low grade facilities. It’s also about tackling standards of behaviour among players, spectators and parents. We need to provide more and better support to our Clubs, Leagues, Schools, Referees and Players. That is why this Strategy has identified four key priorities that the KCFA will tackle in the next 5 years. These have emerged from our consultation programme with stakeholders and are Pitches & Facilities, Respect in the Game, Development and Support and Leadership and Governance, supported by two underpinning themes Communication and Partnership Working.
Football in Kent faces a challenge to bring together all those who participate in or support the game. This Strategy provides a framework to shape and govern our future priorities and resources.
If we all work together in the true spirit of partnership, I am confident that e will ‘Build a Brighter Future for Football in Kent’.
Barry Bright
Chairman & Managing Director
Kent County Football Association
A copy of the Kent Football Strategy 2008 – 2012 can be downloaded by click here.