Development2007 Football Development Review
Friday, 11 January 2008.
The Kent County FA (KCFA) Football Development Team leads the development of football in Kent by working in partnership with key agencies to provide quality football opportunities to all.
Paul Dolan, County Development Manager provides a Football Development review of the past year.
The Kent County Football Development team facilitate development through key partners by maximising resources and expertise. We service the needs of our football community by putting into place a new generation of modern football facilities, increasing and widening participation, establishing strong sustainable links between our schools and clubs and invest in our football workforce by providing quality education courses.
The past year has been exceptionally busy with the production and subsequent launch of the Kent Football Strategy on 14th December at County Hall. This strategy with its four key priorities (Pitches & Facilities, Respect in the Game, Development & Support, Leadership & Governance) will not only set the strategic direction of the County FA over the next 5 years but also enhance the work of the County Development Team in Kent.
Attracting investment is a major area of our work and last year we were successful in attracting £7 million into local grassroots football through various funding streams. The largest area of investment is Pitches and Facilities and by providing support to applicants through Facility Workshops and Site Visits we supported 8 projects in 2007 totalling £6 million. The Goal Post safety scheme was again very well supported with 28 applications being assessed by KCFA Council members. Local Clubs and Schools also received funding for kit, equipment and coaching courses through the Football Foundation Junior Kit Scheme and Small Grants Scheme.
Club development in Kent is driven through the FA Charter Standard clubs scheme and we currently have over 100 clubs who have achieved the prestigious kite mark award. As part of the continual progression of Kent FA Charter Standard clubs, we provide practical support through in service training workshops and Effective Football Club Administration workshops.
The FA Charter Standard Clubs scheme is a best practice guide that sets standards of coaching, administration and child protection for local clubs. Indeed, one of our local grassroots clubs, Faversham Strike Force FC was awarded the National FA Charter Standard Club of the Year award.
Indeed, we all have a responsibility to provide a network of safe, effective and child friendly clubs across the county. The aim of the Charter Standard scheme is to raise standards within grassroots football clubs, ensure football is inclusive at every club and that adults involved with coaching and administration are working safely and correctly.
We have also established the Kent FA Coaches Association to provide support to local qualified coaches through practical workshops and lectures. The association now has over 300 members and is expanding in line with the FA Charter Standard clubs scheme. We also hosted an annual FA Charter Standard Clubs festival, with clubs participating at boys under 12, 14, 16 and girls under age 12’s age groups. This tournament is a fantastic opportunity to bring together the most progressive clubs from around the county.
Through attending local league meetings we have spread the ethos of the Charter Standard and are actively working with clubs from all over the county to help them achieve the nationally recognised award. Together the FA, the Kent County FA and local clubs are really making a difference in raising standards at all levels of football.
The FA School – Club Link programme is football’s commitment to the delivery of the Physical Education and School Sport Club Links (PESSCL) strategy document which sets out to ensure that all children, whatever their circumstances or abilities, should be able to participate in and enjoy physical education and sport. The FA is engaged in the programme to provide a platform that ensures that young children have the opportunity to move from structured school football to a safe, fun and progressive football club. Delivery takes place within School Sport Partnerships across the County and last year we were active in 7 school sport partnerships in Kent. This resulted in 264 young people going through the programme with 77 young people subsequently transferring into a local FA Charter Standard Club.
The FA Charter Standard School award was achieved by 10 Kent Schools last year and Northdown Primary School were awarded the South East Regional FA Charter Standard School of the Year. Two very successful FA Charter Standard School festivals were delivered in Canterbury and Dartford with over 400 young people involved and 8 schools were involved in a School Futsal festival.
Football for all is a key area of development in Kent and last year we made great strides in creating football opportunities for women & girls, people with disabilities, black and minority ethnic communities and socially excluded children. Our disability programme has developed with the 18 teams playing in the Kent Junior Pan Disability League. We also held a tournament for junior disability teams from all over the South East, a Kent special schools football tournament and an FA Coaching Disabled football course at the University of Kent. The Kent Under 17 Mild Learning Difficulty team had an unbeaten season and were crowned South East Champions beating Berks and Bucks in the final.
Football for Women & Girls continues to grow from strength to strength with 29 new junior teams being formed. Indeed, with such demand the East Kent Youth League has subsequently created a regional girls league at under 11’s and under 13’s. There is now a clear player pathway in place with the Kent County FA Ladies representative squad and Girls Centre of Excellence in conjunction with Gillingham FC.
The KCFA are committed to enabling people from any background to have the opportunity to participate in football. Indeed, a Football United Conference was held at Princes Park stadium in Dartford in which 55 delegates attended. Guru Nanak FC achieved the FA Charter Standard club award, a coaching development day for black and minority ethnic coaches was held and a funding workshop for black and minority ethnic clubs was delivered.
The Kent Social Inclusion project, which is a joint initiative between Kent County Council, Charlton Athletic Community Scheme Solutions, The Kent County Football Association, Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue, Medway Council and the 12 District Council’s has had a massive impact. Utilising a Multi-Agency approach has enabled the project to develop since its launch in 2006. The project is now delivered by 6 Full Time co-ordinators, 6 Full Time coaches, 60 Part Time coaches and a Kent Social Inclusion Manager. The programme has begun to have a huge impact upon local communities across the County with 124,000 young people engaged in the programme last year in activity across the County. From the programme there has been a significant reduction in calls reporting anti-social behaviour and the programme has also funded 3 Level 1 Coaching Courses delivered by the Kent County FA. The impact that the project has had is staggering. However, it is imperative that all the good work undertaken by the agencies involved in the programme is continued and developed to ensure that the Kent Social Inclusion continues to meet the demands of the young people in Kent.
Our Coach Education programme has expanded with 834 coaches attending Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 2 Goalkeepers coaching courses. The FA launched the Skills Programme to provide 5 – 11 year olds with a skill set to develop their game, foster healthy active lifestyles and to improve the long term performance of our national game. The programme aims to give 5 – 11s age appropriate coaching and self-help tools to learn the basics needed to reach their full potential. The KCFA have got four full time Skill Coaches that have coached 15,000 players since September 2007. Three Skill Centres have been established at Dartford, Maidstone and Canterbury and the coaches have worked in 26 schools so far.
As the game continues to adapt to changing lifestyles the small sided game is becoming increasingly popular. The FA Umbro Fives was introduced last year with the final being played at Wembley. Qualification tournaments were held at four different venues in Kent with the winners going through to the regional heats. Futsal is being promoted by the FA as the FIFA approved form of small sided football and there is an adult Futsal League in Kent which acts as a qualifying league for the FA National Futsal Cup competition. We also hosted 2 FA Level 1 Introduction to Futsal Coaching Courses last year for teachers and club coaches.
Football is about far more than the players on the pitch and The Kent County FA are committed to supporting volunteers that make up the backbone of grassroots football. People are our most important asset. The prestigious Kent County FA Football Workforce Awards recognises the value of volunteers to the development of football at every level of the game. The FA Step into Sport programme enables us to enthuse, retain and develop young people regardless of their background, gender or level of ability. The programme will play a vital role in developing the volunteer workforce within the game by creating an effective pathway for young leaders to continue their volunteering experience in FA Charter Standard Clubs. We currently have 19 young volunteers in the FA Step into Sport programme and 2 of these volunteers attended the FA Young Leaders Camp.
Safeguarding children is high on The FA's agenda. The goal is to have someone at every club in the country aware of child protection and best practice, whether it's a Premiership Academy or a Sunday morning park side.
Safeguarding children is about doing things the right way, doing things properly. It's about allowing children to enjoy the game without abuse of any kind. That means bullying, physical, emotional or sexual abuse and neglect. The FA believes football can have a powerful positive influence on children. But that means everyone involved in football must take on the responsibility of looking after those children that want to play the game. In Kent, we currently have 8 Youth League Welfare Officers in place and 103 Club Welfare Officers listed. The appointment of a Full Time Welfare Officer this year will provide much needed support and advice to grassroots football in Kent.
This year proves to be just as successful with the implementation of the Kent Football Strategy through the Delivery Board and Working Groups. For a more detailed breakdown please click here to view CFA Football Development 2007 Year Review presentation.
For more information contact Paul Dolan on 01634 812 032 or paul.dolan@kentfa.com.
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