Memorandum submitted by the Department
for Culture, Media and Sport
INTRODUCTION
The Government welcomes the opportunity of this
inquiry to set out the support and funding it is providing to
women's football in England.
There has been significant growth in women's
football both in terms of participation and popularity in recent
years. In fact, women's football is England's fastest growing
sport amongst the general population.
The Government places great importance on women's
football and football in general. The sport is a key deliverer
of DCMS' aims of increasing participation which, in turn, contribute
significantly to wider social policy objectives of social inclusion,
community cohesion and improving the health of the nation.
This Memorandum summarises the main areas of
policy and the progress being made.
1. PARTICIPATION
BY WOMEN
IN FOOTBALL—SOME
HEADLINE FIGURES
1.1 There were 132,794 affiliated female
footballers in England in 2004-05 and an estimated 1.2 million
non-affiliated players. This is around 9% of all affiliated footballers
(male membership is around 1.27 million). According to data collected
from governing bodies, [9]football
is the third most popular affiliated sport for women after tennis
and golf.
2. GOVERNMENT
OBJECTIVES
2.1 DCMS seeks to help promote the women's
game through our close working relationship with the Football
Association (FA) and other footballing authorities, and notably
through our NDPBs, including Sport England.
2.2 The health benefits of sport and physical
activity are well understood. As set out in the Chief Medical
Officer's Report "At least five a week—Evidence
on the impact of physical activity and its relationship to health",
wider participation by women and girls in amateur and elite football
is likely to produce net health benefits.
2.3 The Government set out its long-term
strategy for sport in Game Plan: a strategy for delivering
Government's sport and physical activity objectives. The long-term
vision for sport and physical activity by 2020 is "to increase
significantly levels of sport and physical activity, particularly
among disadvantaged groups, and to achieve sustained levels of
success in international competition."
2.4 Our ambitions for sport are also part
of the wider delivery of the commitments contained in "Choosing
Activity: a physical activity action plan", published
by the Department of Health and DCMS in March 2005, setting out
how the Government will translate the Public Health White Paper
into practical action for local communities.
2.5 Building on these strategic documents,
DCMS has set out its priorities in its Public Service Agreements
to:
(i) increase participation in sport by 3%
amongst priority groups (which include women) by 2008;
(ii) shared with Department of Health and
Department for Education and Skills (DfES), to halt the year on
year increase in obesity in under 11s by 2010; and
(iii) jointly with DfES to ensure that 75%
of children do at least two hours of high quality PE and School
Sport by 2006 and 85% by 2008. The ambition, by 2010, is that
all children will be offered at least four hours of sport every
week, which will comprise at least two hours of high quality PE
and sport at schools and in addition the opportunity for at least
a further two to three hours beyond the school day.
2.6 While it is the responsibility of the
football authorities to develop, manage and organise much of women's
football the Government has an important role in delivery against
these challenging targets through the funding provided for sport
programmes.
3. SCHOOLS
3.1 The national school sport strategy is
transforming the quality and quantity of PE and sports provision
in schools and has benefited from investment of £978 million
from 2003-04 until 2007-08. In addition, £686 million of
lottery funding is enhancing school sports facilities.
3.2 The school sport survey in 2004-05 showed
that 3.5 million pupils were attending schools that were part
of a School Sport Partnership. The survey also showed that 54%
(12,300) of schools in England were participating in 313 live
School Sport Partnerships. There are now 411 School Sport Partnerships
and all schools will be part of a Partnership by the end of 2006.
3.3 The PE, School Sport and Club Links
(PESSCL) programme is designed to target all children. However,
following the 2004-05 School Sport Survey, the Government asked
all sports governing bodies involved in the strategy to focus
on how more girls could be encouraged to participate in school
sport. Separate monitoring provided by the FA shows clearly that
there is substantial work taking place.
Club Links
3.4 The main aim of the Club Links workstrand
within the PESSCL strategy is to strengthen links between schools
and local sports clubs and, by doing so, increase the number of
children who are members of accredited sports clubs. The programme
is being delivered mainly through the governing bodies of 22 sports
establishing links at local level between their clubs and School
Sport Partnerships. The School Sport Survey 2004-05 demonstrated
that 75% of schools had links with local community football clubs.
3.5 In 2005-06 there were 144 projects that
focused on girls football including the Three Lions FC School-Club
Link coaching courses which had 25,000 attendees during that year—56%
of these were female.
3.6 The National Club Links Innovation Awards
2005-06 provided several examples of best practice, one example
of which is Park School. The Special Needs School in Blackpool
has been running a successful after-school football club for girls
since September 2005. The girls have taken part in two football
disability tournaments and have benefited massively from this.
Step into Sport
3.7 Step into Sport is one of the eight
workstrands of the National School Sport Strategy. The programme
provides a framework of opportunities at a local level to enable
all young people to experience sports leadership and volunteering.
3.8 Over the last two years the FA has,
as part of their Step into Sport Framework, been developing volunteer
opportunities targeting all young people aged 14-19 years. The
programme provides education and training opportunities for the
volunteers, including Coaching, Refereeing, and Junior Football
Organisers Award. Following a successful pilot, the programme
is now being rolled out nationally this year from September. The
FA will be monitoring the gender, ethnicity and disability of
the young people on their Step into Sport programme.
4. GRASSROOTS
SPORT IN
THE COMMUNITY
4.1 Building on the school sport strategy,
the big challenge is to strengthen the grassroots game and promote
community participation by encouraging more people to both start
and stay physically active playing football.
4.2 Financial support for sport in England
from public sources is primarily channelled through Sport England
and UK Sport. In the main, Sport England's priority is community
sport, and UK Sport's the identification and development of elite
talent. Both bodies award Lottery grants, and distribute Exchequer
funds from DCMS.
5. PARTICIPATION
IN FOOTBALL
5.1 Exchequer and lottery funding support
for grassroots sport is largely based on whole sport plans agreed
by National Governing Bodies with Sport England.
The whole sport plan for football
5.2 In 2004 the football authorities—including
the FA Premier League, the Professional Footballers Association,
the Football Foundation, Football in the Community and the English
Schools Football Association—submitted a Whole Sport Plan—"Football
United" to Sport England. This document advocated the significant
contribution that can be made by football in meeting the Governments
grass roots community and participation objectives, and in the
achievement of success at international level. It sought funding
over four years to assist the FA to drive forward participation
and widen access with a specific emphasis on girls and women football,
building on the 53% increase in the number of girls playing football
since 2001.
5.3 To achieve these goals, from 2005-06
to 2008-09 some £4 million is being invested to drive the
Whole Sport Plan which includes specific Key Performance Indicators
for women and girls' participation, FA Community Clubs and women
coaches. These indicators include:
— the number of women and girls to
be regularly playing football during the award period to have
increased to 138,354 from the current baseline of 96,044;
— increase the number of active accredited
clubs within the sport to 2,490 from a baseline of 490;
— increase the number of FA Community
Clubs with a minimum of 10 teams, youth to adult football for
males and females, qualified coaches, child protection policies
and a football development plan to 333 by 31 March 2009 from a
baseline of 53; and
— increase the number of active qualified
women coaches delivering instruction within the sport to 13,326
by 31 March 2009 from a baseline of 2,535.
5.4 The Funding Agreement also strengthens
equity issues and requires the FA to implement and adhere to The
Equality Standard: a framework for sport published by the
4 Home Country Sports Councils in October 2004; and use reasonable
efforts to work towards achieving accreditation as assessed by
the independent panel for the preliminary level of The Equality
Standard: A Framework for Sport by 31 October 2006.
Football Foundation
5.5 The Football Foundation is also a major
funder of grass roots community football provision. Set up in
2001 the Foundation is a unique partnership of the FA, FA Premier
League and Government (through Sport England) with each partner
contributing £45 million from 2005-06 to 2007-08.
5.6 The Football Foundation acts as a one-stop
shop for all applications seeking funding for football projects,
including projects which both directly and indirectly benefit
women. Examples include capital grants to improve changing accommodation
for women, community and education grants awards or free junior
kit.
5.7 In 2003 the Football Foundation funded
the most comprehensive assessment of England's football facilities,
in the form of the Register of English Football Facilities (REFF).
The study found that 94% of changing rooms had no facilities for
girls and women. Now, every grant the Football Foundation makes
to develop new changing rooms is conditional on them catering
for both male and female participants. This is also true of new
facilities for officials to encourage participation in officiating
the game amongst women.
5.8 While almost all Football Foundation
funding benefits both male and female participants, the Football
Foundation has also supported 86 projects specifically for women,
at a total cost of £9.8 million since 2000. The Tranmere
Rovers "Kick It" initiative provides a good example.
This football development programme provided playing opportunities
for women of all ages and increased participation throughout the
borough. Several players who came through the programme now attend
national training camps for both Wales and England.
National Sports Foundation
5.9 The Government has recently launched
the National Sports Foundation (NSF) with £34.5 million funding,
over the next two years, to attract matched funding from the private
sector. The NSF is a Government-led vehicle to facilitate and
encourage partnership between private investors and community
sports projects.
5.10 The NSF has three priority areas for
funding through the NSF and a key area is Women into Sport. Women
into Sport will encourage projects to increase female participation
in sport, including providing coaching and support for female
teams. The NSF is already engaging with the nine English regions,
National Governing Bodies and community groups to develop an exciting
portfolio of projects seeking investment. There are already some
specific women's projects in the system for assessment.
Facilities
5.11 Participation in grass roots sport
needs to be supported by good quality facilities. Between 2001
and 2006 Government and the National Lottery distributing bodies
have invested some £1 billion through lottery and exchequer
funds to develop new or refurbished public sports facilities.
5.12 This represents a considerable investment
in our community sports facilities infrastructure and over 4000
sports facilities projects have now been supported as a result.
5.13 Our aim is that by 2008, most people
will live within 20 minutes travel time away from a good quality
multi-sports environment such as a school, sports club or leisure
centre.
CCDP
5.14 The Community Club Development Programme
(CCDP) has been an important part of this investment and has benefited
football directly.
5.15 CCDP aims to increase the quality of
sports facilities and to increase and widen club membership thereby
strengthening the club structure. It will provide £100 million
to National Sports Governing Bodies by March 2008. Over 700 projects
have now agreed funding for capital developments, with almost
500 of these completed, or on site.
5.16 Under the CCDP investment stream for
2003-06, the FA entered into a tripartite agreement with Sport
England and the Football Foundation under which the £9.4
million investment allocation was targeted at FA Community Clubs.
These clubs operate a minimum of 10 teams based on youth to adult
football for males and females. All participating clubs have qualified
coaches, operate child protection policies and have a football
development plan. A total of 25 projects have been funded to date.
Baseline key performance indicators are currently being agreed.
Supporting and promoting talent
5.17 One of the Government's priorities
is also to support talented athletes who have the potential to
compete in their sport at the highest level, and some of whom
will represent their country on the world stage. While UK Sport's
World Class Pathway programme focuses on those Olympic and Paralympic
sports most in need of public funding, women's football does benefit
from Exchequer support through the Talented Athlete Scholarship
Programme and 2012 Scholarships. The Government also wants to
promote more women role models in sport to encourage more girls
to participate in sport and show that it is possible to reach
the very top, if you have the talent, commitment and determination.
Elite sportswomen as role models
5.18 The Government is keen to increase
participation in sport for young people, and inspiring youngsters
through the achievements of top athletes is a key way of providing
the impetus to take up a sporting activity. The appointment of
Dame Kelly Holmes as School Sport Champion in 2006 has meant that
she has toured the country supporting and publicising the National
School Sports Strategy as well as inspiring the young people that
she meets.
5.19 In the same vein, the Government also
supports the Sport England developed and funded Sporting Champions
scheme. This is designed to bring World Class Athletes into schools
and local communities to share their sporting experiences and
to motivate young people to take part in sport as a lifelong activity.
There are two female footballers involved in this scheme—Julie
Fletcher, an ex England and Arsenal player, and Sue Smith of Leeds
WFC.
Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) and
2012 Scholarships
5.20 TASS is designed to help young athletes
between 16-25 years old reach the elite level in their sports
while continuing in employment or further/higher education.
5.21 "2012 Scholarships" is a
strand of TASS, designed to fast track 12-18 year olds to elite
sporting programmes, including UK Sport's World Class Performance
Programme. The programme is primarily targeted at 12 to 18 year
olds competing in Olympic/Paralympic sports and that have the
potential to be a future medallist.
5.22 In 2004-05 TASS provided support to
athletes in 34 sports and in 2005-06 to 43 sports—including
Women's Football. Through TASS, 42 women footballers received
an award in the 2004-05 academic year, representing an investment
of £81,000 and 50 are receiving support in the 2005-06 academic
year—an investment of £102,000. Nine players who have
received TASS support have represented England at Senior International
Level.
6. THE WIDER
POLICY AGENDA
6.1 Government investment in sport and sports
development is important in its own right. But it is increasingly
clear that sport is contributing significantly to the wider economic
and social policy agenda. Health and the regeneration of disadvantaged
neighbourhoods provide two clear examples.
Football and women and girls' health
6.2 There are many examples of football
being used to convey health messages to traditionally hard to
reach groups. In 2005 the Department of Health in partnership
with DCMS and the football authorities published the "Football
and Health guide" which encouraged health professionals and
football clubs to improve understanding of healthy choices and
increase access to health services. For example, Football based
breakfast clubs such as Southampton FC and Southampton PCT who
are working together to monitor the eating habits of children
and also encourage them to play football.
6.3 As these types of partnerships are formed,
it is important that the benefits extend beyond a predominantly
male audience, and that clubs should consider how to involve female
coaches and players as role models in their community development
work. At Leicester City, for example, a female community development
officer has been employed to support the women's' game at local
level.
Disadvantaged neighbourhoods
6.4 The Department for Communities and Local
Government (DCLG) have worked in partnership with Sport England
to increase access to football skills development and coaching
opportunities for residents of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods
in England.
6.5 "StreetGames" operates through
a partnership between local sport, local renewal agencies, DCLG
Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, Sport England and the Football Foundation
and provides a framework of sporting activity within the most
disadvantaged neighbourhoods in England. The Football Foundation
has contributed £250,000 towards these activities.
6.6 StreetGames provides opportunities and
access to football at low cost within less affluent neighbourhoods.
StreetGames is explicitly accessible to both women and girls,
aiming to ensure wider participation and benefit from sports development
and coaching opportunities as well as skills development. Local
coaches and leaders are recruited from within the community to
act as realistic role models and to strengthen community ties.
Governance and the Burns Review
6.7 In order to strengthen the environment
for all policies to be developed and implemented, a key Government
policy objective is to make national governing bodies of sport
fit for purpose. Working closely with Sport England, a number
of key governing bodies have undergone a major modernisation process,
focussing particularly on governance, to ensure that they are
able to succeed in the modern sporting landscape.
6.8 The FA is no exception. Lord Burns'
report on the FA in 2005 helps to set out a platform from which
The FA will be well placed to meet the challenges of the future.
The recommendations represent an important agenda for change in
order to continue to run the professional game at the highest
standard and to build on the popularity of football to get more
people playing the game and into sport more generally.
6.9 As Burns recommends, the Council of
the FA should evolve so as to become more representative of the
diverse interests in the game including supporters, players, managers,
coaches, and referees. As women's football is the fastest growing
sport, the FA should ensure that women are represented in the
decision making process. The Government will continue to closely
monitor the implementation process while respecting that this
was an independent review and that it is for the FA to implement
Lord Burns' recommendations.
Media coverage of women's football
6.10 The Government wants to make sure that
key sporting events are made available to all television viewers,
particularly those who cannot afford the cost of subscription
television. This is why some events are protected by law as "Listed
Events".
6.11 Beyond these arrangements, sports bodies
are free to sell their rights as they wish, balancing the direct
financial benefits of the sale with other factors, such as the
wider audience which might be achievable through broadcast on
the main channels and the potential impact in sponsorship income.
6.12 The Government would like to see more
women's football on television and some progress is being made
in this regard. For the 2005 UEFA European Women's Championships,
there were 8.2 million viewers for the live BBC2 coverage of the
three England games.
6.13 It would, however, be wrong for the
Government to interfere and force any Broadcasters to show specific
sporting events. To do so would substitute the Government's view
about what should be shown for the views of experienced broadcasters
who need to respond freely to the diverse interests of their audiences,
taking account of any broad remits to which they are committed.
BBC
6.14 It is a vital part of the BBC's mission
to reflect the important role which sport has in the life of the
nation by bringing the best sport to a national audience. As such,
the BBC should aim to provide access both to a selection of those
great sporting events that many feel are national assets serving
to unite the nation—World Cup football matches to Wimbledon—and
to those sports, such as women's football, which might develop
a new following among audiences and potential participants.
6.15 Women's football is part of the FA's
broadcast deal with both broadcast partners showing key games
through the season. Sky Sports shows at least three home England
games per season as well as the FA Nationwide Premier League Cup
Final. In recent years, BBC1 has televised the previous four FA
Women's Cup Finals to audiences in excess of 1.5 million.
6.16 A TV contract between the FA and various
media has formalised women's football coverage with England internationals
live on Sky and the BBC and The FA Women's Cup Final live on the
BBC each season.
6.17 Women's Euro 2005, which was televised
by the BBC, was an unprecedented success in terms of the coverage
it received, obviously helped by the event being hosted in England.
A European record was set as 29,092 fans saw England beat Finland,
which was testament to the effort put in by the FA, Women's Sport
Foundation and broadcasters to promote the event.
8 June 2006
9 Women's Sports Foundation research, November 2005. Back
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