1 The state of the game (DRAFT) Genesis Strategic Management Consultants February 2007

2 The state of the game: A different pitch © Genesis Structural societal changes n Grass-roots football in England does not exist in a vacuum. n Growth of service sector – changing work patterns n Increasing home and teleworkers n Changing migration patterns. Net deficit since 1994, with the highest migration ages (males) n Increase in lone parent families (1:4, 2004, 1:14, 1972) n Ageing population

3 The state of the game: How many are playing © Genesis Adults n Out of a 30m adult population, 2/3rds are interested in football n The Sport England Active People survey of 2006 highlighted 2.9m (16+) play at least once a month n There are 0.691m male adult affiliated players (6.36% of 9.58m) n There are 0.019m female adult affiliated players (0.18% of 9.88m) n 1.57m adult ethnic minority groups involved in the game (49.2% of 3.2m), 1.06m playing (33.18%)

4 The state of the game: How many are playing © Genesis Adults (continued) n Anecdotal evidence that a large proportion of Asian playing football occurs in the ‘unaffiliated’ sector Junior football participation (m) Juniors n There are 6.73m 5-15 year olds, 57% (3.93m) play. n The gender split is 2.8m (male - 72%) and 1.1m (female – 28%)

5 The state of the game: How many are playing © Genesis Juniors n Affiliated football monitoring at a junior level is conducted via the County Administration System (CAS) n CAS monitors junior players between There are 6.36m 6-15 year olds. n Out of 6.36m, 0.83m (13.08%) play affiliated football. n There are 0.384m ethnic minority participants. (?%) n There are 141k disabled junior players regularly playing football.

6 The state of the game: Why people play football © Genesis Many factors contribute to people playing n Social and team kudos n Junior age groups social value – ‘Because my friends play’. n Conversely, 11% of lapsed players stopped playing because their friends stopped. n Minority groups play football not to feel included in society, but just to be themselves. n Children enjoy playing mixed football. n The Media/TV stimulates interest in the game, both for game awareness, and player awareness.

7 The state of the game: Why people play football © Genesis n At a junior level, 72% of boys and 40% of girls who play, do so with the aim of improving their skills. n In some locations, people like to play in facilities that are modern, accessible, have good changing and social facilities. n Shorter league cycle formats are favourable to many. n In certain areas, young Asian people prefer to turn up and play in less structured formal environments. n Informality and being less bound by rules and regulations is attractive to many.

8 The state of the game: Where people play football © Genesis Headline factors – affiliated football n 122,983 teams across the country n 1,542,935 players n 5.2% of the relevant population play All age group affiliated teams and players Regional teams n The SE has the greatest number of teams and players. n The NW and Yorkshire has more players and teams than London.

9 The state of the game: Where people play football © Genesis All age group affiliated teams and players Regional teams n Cumulatively, London is the weakest region in terms of percentage conversion at 3.5%. n The highest overall participation conversion is East Riding (8.8%). n Indices of multiple deprivation and Black, Minority and Ethnic minority groups affect participation.

10 The state of the game: Game development © Genesis Game changes n Growth of 5-a-side football in the last decade n Social trends and demands, combined by investment in commercial providers e.g. Powerleague, Goal, JJB, Roko. n Decline in 11-a-side. In London, there has been a loss of 16-28% of clubs in the last decade. n FUTSAL is growing in popularity, but at this stage, it can only be considered a niche sport.

11 The state of the game: Barriers or causes stopping people playing or being involved © Genesis Generic barriers n Behaviour is a key issue at the moment u Poor behaviour from parents u Learned competitive behaviour from coaches u During games, there is a lack of qualified officials which is exacerbating the problem u Most players and officials are experiencing infrequent verbal abuse u To a lesser degree, some are/have experienced physical or racist abuse. u A fear of social exclusion for ethnic minorities / disabled players

12 The state of the game: Barriers or causes stopping people playing or being involved © Genesis Generic barriers n Diversity barriers u Asian cultural sensitivities (religious beliefs, dress codes); u Empathy of disability and resultant capabilities. u Nothing being available beyond traditional football teams and leagues. Little available for the general enthusiast u Female players still face multiple barriers at the grassroots u Facilities often still prioritise male over female football provision n Options and communication u Greatest drop out cause is low awareness/understanding of potential options

13 The state of the game: Barriers or causes stopping people playing or being involved © Genesis Generic barriers n Time pressure and other sports u High frequency activity requiring time commitment. u Training and match commitments are too great for some. u Other sports are also more attractive to some. n Facilities and facility development u Concern amongst the volunteer body & teachers that a lack suitable facilities hinder playing opportunities for all. u Funding is a big issue. Information about funding is more widely available, but there is still room for improvement. u Many volunteers are doing the jobs of paid professionals in drawing up development plans for facilities. n Rural issues

14 The state of the game: Barriers or causes stopping people playing or being involved © Genesis Junior barriers n Parent behaviour n Lack of role models in the professional game n Time pressures n Schools / Social distractions (exams etc.) n Player pathway issues u Primary to secondary school u Premature exposure to the adult game u Limited lateral movement opportunities / non team opps. n Inclusion understanding issues n Lack of coaches and teams

15 The state of the game: How are programmes developing? © Genesis Programme initiatives n FA Charter Standard u Clubs (general +ve) u Leagues could improve communication of the scheme u Schools still feel positive, but not as strong in 2006 as Out of School Hours - Benefits (Source: TWResearch, 2006) Agree Disagree n Out of school hours links and learning u Strong demand ad value by pupils, coaches & partnership development managers u Contributes to wider sports participation targets.

16 The state of the game: How are programmes developing? © Genesis FA Charter Standard - FDOs u All feel constrained. u Would like to move to quality rather than just quantity targets. n FA Charter Standard - Volunteers u Report being overstretched with little resources u This is especially the case at large clubs (6+ teams) u Many would welcome tangible rewards e.g. tickets. n FA Charter Standard – Scouts and Pro clubs u Some clubs see issue with ‘false hopes’ n Girls – FA centres of excellence (COE) u Only 47% of girls feel they get enough matches

17 The state of the game: Key priorities moving forward © Genesis Key action points and key themes Tackling abuse towards referees is the number 1 issue for all groups except players Tackling behaviour of parents and spectators Providing financial support for grassroots clubs Improving the quality and access to training, changing and playing facilities Ensuring an enhanced FA CRB check (police check) for everyone involved in junior football (Source: TWResearch, 2006/7) Grass-roots main priority themes Key stakeholder group priorities (actions) (Source: TWResearch, 2006)

18 The state of the game: Where can we go from here? © Genesis 1. Behaviour n Improve behaviour n Improve policing n Improve behaviour towards referees & officials n Parent behaviour – extend existing schemes 2. Inclusion and participation n More female coaches would help girls n Girls introduced at an earlier age n Link programmes to those of high profile clubs n Link into ethnic minority groups and media

19 The state of the game: Where can we go from here? © Genesis 2. Inclusion and participation (cont’d) n Continued efforts to education issues of racism n Ethnic minorities should be encouraged to work closely with the professional game n Develop mini soccer for BME groups n Develop and support low hassle football 3. Environment n Clubs need assistance for fianancial sustainability n Could look to mandatory accreditation for all affiliated clubs

20 The state of the game: Where can we go from here? © Genesis 4. Pathways n Pressure points at 11 (primary-secondary) and 15/16 (premature exposure to the adult game). n Mini-soccer leagues should not operate without a natural progression pathway to 11-a-side. n Extend the provision of FA qualified coaches to energise interest across all age groups. n Increase access to inter-school competitions n Clubs (and schools) should make plans to manage junior to adult transition.

21 The state of the game: Where can we go from here? © Genesis 5. Development n Greater demand for flexible football n Potential demand for shorter mini-leagues (<8wks) n Could assist and link to education programmes n School sport partnership – should continue to be the delivery vehicle for ‘Out of school hours learning’ programme. n There are 2.5m children who require skills training n Coaches should develop frequent scoring games n Scope to develop FUTSAL

22 The state of the game: What is, and what should be the role of the FA © Genesis Recognition n Highly regarded for the work it is trying to do in the grass-roots game, especially racism and the women’s game. n Demand for a modernised FA and CFA structure. n Facilitate progress against u Investment u Presence u Administration n Communication and promotion support Presence Development Protecting Promoting Listening Raising standards Encouraging Guiding Investment Facilities Equipment Coaching Administr- ation Professionalism Advising Assisting Demands of the FA (Source: TWResearch, 2007)

23 The state of the game: How will we get to 2012 in better shape © Genesis Grass-roots league ! n Strategic participation improvement n Improved standards (QA, Management, MIS) n Local area plans for football n Specific targets for 2012 u 50% high satisfaction with The FA across all stakeholder groups (current average 27%) u 50% experience of verbal abuse (down from 78%) u 10% experience of physical abuse (down from 22%) u 25% very optimistic for the future of grassroots football across all stakeholder groups (current average 13%)