Football participation in Kent bolstered thanks to funding from The FA

Funding schemes from The FA support new and established clubs. Grow the Game develops 20 new teams, while Retain the Game provides boost to 83 teams in Kent.

New figures show that football in Kent is set to receive a significant boost over the next 12 months.

New investment provided by The FA, and delivered by the Football Foundation, has been announced that will support the growth and maintenance of 103 teams in the area which is expected to cater for 2,250 footballers in local leagues.

Grow the Game, which was first launched back in 2010, offers grants of £1,500 towards community football clubs wishing to establish new teams and this year focused on catering for female and disabled players.

Retain the Game is a brand-new scheme, which was launched in April of this year, and is targeted at supporting existing adult male clubs to continue offering local opportunities to play. Grants of £750 are made to support the essential costs of playing and training. 

A large number of clubs in Kent have been successful in securing investment from The FA through the Football Foundation. Over the course of the next year, Grow the Game will support the growth of 18 female and two disabled teams respectively, while Retain the Game will help to maintain 83 adult male sides in Kent.

Funding from both grants can be used to help a club pay for FA coaching courses; FA league affiliation costs; referees’ fees; first aid kits; and even football kit and equipment through a bespoke voucher.

Danielle Carter, Member of The FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board and Arsenal Women’s Striker, said: “It’s extremely exciting that so many community clubs in England have successfully applied for Grow the Game funding.

“We should start to see increased numbers of women’s, girls and disability teams in parks and facilities across the country, which will hopefully inspire even more new players to take up, enjoy and continue to build the sport amongst these groups."

Lee Suter, Football Development Manager at Kent FA, said: “We are delighted at the number of clubs and teams that will be directly benefitting from the Grow the Game and Retain the Game funding from the FA. This will help boost participation across the county and have a positive effect on community football across Kent.”

Across the two campaigns, The FA has made £2.5 million available to grassroots clubs looking to either create or retain association football clubs for grassroots footballers across the country.

As well as Grow the Game and Retain the Game, the Football Foundation delivers the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund on behalf of the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England. Since 2000, the Foundation has supported over 16,000 community projects worth more than £1.5bn.

In Kent, the Football Foundation’s Funding Partner investment has helped to support the development of:

• 19 third generation artificial grass pitches
• 57 real grass pitches
• 32 changing pavilions

For more information on Grow the Game or Retain the Game, please contact Lee Suter (Football Development Manager) on 01622 792140 or Lee.Suter@KentFA.com