Memorandum submitted by Essex County FA
1. INTRODUCTION
The following written evidence has been collated
by Emma Wake, the Women's and Girls' Football Development Officer
for Essex County FA. The content has been specifically prepared
for the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
Essex County are fortunate to have a full-time
Girls' and Women's Football Development Officer who has been in
post for nearly three years. Subsequently a great deal of time
and resources continue to be given to developing the game at a
grass roots level. The increase in participation figures demonstrated
within the following paragraphs is a huge plus to the women's
game; however, more crucial to female sports development is the
increase of female coaches within the county who have become accessible
local role models. Undoubtedly this has aided in increasing the
profile and development of the game within the county.
2. THE DEVELOPMENT
OF WOMEN'S
FOOTBALL AT
ALL LEVELS
AND THE
RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS
TO SUPPORT
WIDER PARTICIPATION
IN AMATEUR
AND ELITE
WOMEN'S
FOOTBALL
5,124 girls/women were involved in the Essex
Active Sport/Essex County FA Girls' and Women's Football development
program or general girls' and women's football in some capacity
within the year.
This involvement could have been in any of the
following; a taster session at school, a Three Lions Primary School
Festival, a Three Lions FC 8-week coaching course, attending an
FA Licensed Centre of Excellence trial, attending a coach education
course or simply a female teacher taking part in a female only
coaching taster session.
This figure does not include total number of
girls/women competing within a team or league:
2.1 Girls' and Women's Team/League Breakdown
Approximately 120 girls' teams compete within
the Essex County Girls League, Barking League or Thundermite League.
From U10-U16.
Twenty-seven teams in the Essex County Women's
League—approx 435 players.
Eight Women's teams within Essex compete in
Regional, Southern Combination or Southern National Premier Leagues,
which equates to approximately 200 players.
2.2 Schools football for girls' representative
football
There are currently Girls' specific Schools
leagues being run in the following areas:
— Maldon—Secondary School
Girls League—8 teams;
— Harlow—Secondary School
Girls League—8 teams;
— Rochford—Rayleigh Raiders
Girls Only Year 5 and 6 League;
— Thurrock—Futsal Secondary
School League—8 teams;
— Southend—Primary School
Girls League—16 teams.
— Essex FA—Schools Representative
Football:
— Under 13 Cup competition—40
teams;
— Under 14 Cup competition—51
teams; and
— Under 16 Cup competition—31
teams.
— Essex County Schools Representative
Football:
— 280 girls throughout Essex County
attended trials to be selected for the schools representative
sides.
— Women's Representative Football:
2.3 Breakdown of Stage 1—ie school club
link work/festivals etc
— Fifteen "Three Lions FC"
School Club link eight-week courses were delivered throughout
the county.
— 363 girls took part in the Three
Lions FC eight-week programs—our target was 310.
— 1,075 girls took part in a Three
Lions FC Schools Festival—our target was 1,050.
— 2,410 girls took part in a Girls'
only curriculum time taster session-our target was 2,100.
— One female disability Three
Lions School club link program was set up with 15 girls participating.
— 62 Female Coaches were employed
and involved in some capacity within the Active Sport program.
2.4 Breakdown of Stage 2—coach education
— 68 Females took the Level 1
Coaching Certificate—target 50.
— 15 Females took part in the
Level 2 Bridging Course.
— 18 Females took the Level 2
Coaching Certificate.
— 20 Females took the Referees
Basic Coaching Certificate.
— Two Females took and passed
the Level 3 Coaching Badge.
2.5 Charter Standard—accredited clubs
— 11 Girls' and Women's Clubs
have now obtained the Charter Standard accreditation.
— 36 mixed clubs with established
girls' sections have achieved Charter Standard accreditation,
Development Club status or Community Club status.
2.6 Links with clubs
The following links were made with clubs throughout
Essex. Each club either delivered in school sessions, provided
coaches for three Lions FC programs (School Club link) providing
quality exit routes for new players, ran Three Lions FC programs,
set up a new girls team within their club after a Three Lions
program or assisted in organising a three Lions FC Festival.
Quality club links have been established with
the following set-ups:
| Hutton FC Community Club
| Brentwood Town Girls' and Women's |
| Colchester Town | Clacton Town
|
| Maldon Town CS Club | Colchester Athletic CS Club
|
| Focus Ferrers Community Club | Benfleet Villa CS Club
|
| Assandun Vikings CS Club | Catholic United CS Club
|
| Mark Hall CS Club | Colchester United CST
|
| Brandon Groves | Halstead Town Community Club
|
| Billericay Town Youth Colts | Rayleigh Raiders
|
| Chelmsford City L and G FC | Mark Hall Youth
|
| Leigh Rockets YFC | Colchester Town LFC and GFC
|
| |
2.7 Stage 3—Assessments
— 130 girls took part in the Colchester Centre
of Excellence trials. Our target was 100.
2.8 Stage 4—Centre of excellence/development centres
— 80 girls are involved within Colchester's
FA Centre of Excellence program competing within a weekly fixture
program.
— Colchester United Disability Centre of Excellence—two
females attending sessions.
— Three Female coaches attended the Level 2
coaching certificate.
— One Female coach attended the Level 3 Coaching
certificate.
2.9 Resources
Essex County is one of the largest within the country. Based
on affiliated clubs we are undoubtedly the largest. The county
is extremely diverse and ranges from extremely rural to incredibly
built up the closer you get to London. Having a specific Womens'
and Girls' Football Development Officer has clearly been of benefit
in developing the female game at a grassroots level. Engaging
with young females to increase participation and encourage an
active lifestyle has been paramount within the development plan
for female football development.
The extent of the work that has been ongoing over the last
four years has been dramatic. Slowly but surely school clusters
are becoming more enthusiastic about girls specific football development
programs and are keen to use the FA initiatives to promote healthy
living, strive to decrease obesity and are keen to see the increase
of female role models within their school environment.
A specific Girls' and Women's Football Development Officer
has led to an increase in activity at all levels, stages and ages
of the female game. Working closely with partners from Local Authority's,
School Sports Partnerships, Football in the Communities, Charter
Standard clubs and volunteer sectors has seen a huge growth in
both the popularity of the game and participation rates.
To sustain this interest and encourage further growth the
Women's and Girls' posts will need to access future funding to
secure employment. Most of the posts are currently funded by a
combination of Football Foundation funding, The FA, and County
FA contributions. This funding will come to an end within Essex
at the end of January. If funding is not secured for these posts
what will happen to the development work that has been ongoing
for the past five years?
3. AVAILABILITY OF
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
YOUNG PLAYERS
TO DEVELOP
SKILLS, STAMINA
AND PERFORMANCE
The following opportunities are available via the Girls'
and Women's Football Development program:
— Girls' only taster sessions within curriculum
time (usually three weeks of one hour sessions).
— School Club Link—Three Lions Programs—eight-week
coaching courses with exit routes to quality Charter Standard
clubs.
— Three Lions School Festivals—a curriculum
time Girls only school-based festival linked with a quality Charter
Standard Club.
— Club football and competitive opportunities
within local clubs and league structures.
3.1 Performance
— Player Development Centres for further playing
opportunities/training sessions.
— Schools Representative Football/County Representative
Football—players at U14 and U16 trial to represent their
county and play fixtures within the South East England Schools
Football Association fixtures.
— FA Centre of Excellence U10 to U16—elite
players take part in Centre trials once a year to compete within
the FA's AFA program with weekly fixtures against quality opposition.
— FA Colchester United Girls Academy—elite
players aged 16—18.
4. MEDIA COVERAGE
AND SPONSORSHIP
OF WOMEN'S
FOOTBALL
Currently within the county media coverage for the women's
game is generated by the County FA website, local papers and local
radio stations. Many clubs run their own websites with match reports
and the latest news. Many women's clubs seek their sponsorship
from local companies but this proves to be extremely difficult.
Club's that are fortunate to have sponsorship usually have a parent
or relation who owns a local company who is willing to help out.
Most women's clubs generate their own funds through membership
fees, match fees and registration fees which leaves many clubs
in an extremely fragile state. Most larger clubs within the county,
such as West Ham, Colchester United and Leyton Orient receive
very limited support, if any, from their male counterparts. They
hire their own pitches (at very expensive rates), organise their
own transportation, pay referees, buy their own kits and organise
hospitality for teams who travel for away games etc.
Generally many clubs therefore cannot afford to progress
up the football pyramid as the financial implications are too
steep and many clubs risk folding under this pressure.
March 2006
| 
