By Will Castle

The FA has announced a new landmark strategy for grassroots football as it strives to address some of the most pressing challenges concerning the English grassroots game.

Following its most comprehensive consultation with grassroots football to date, the FA has set in motion a four-year strategy, titled ‘A Thriving Grassroots Game’, that will support the game’s continued growth and development.

Projections anticipate a further 220,000 new players will be involved in grassroots football across 15,000 new teams by 2028 as the FA looks to deliver equal opportunities for everyone to play, increasing the number of female players by 50% and disability football players by 40%.

FA Director of Football Development James Kendall insists the impacts of the new strategy will be seen far beyond the pitch, with the growth of grassroots football acting as greatly beneficial from both a social and economic standpoint.

"This new strategy has been created for the game, by the game, and is an important moment for the future of grassroots football in England,” Kendall said. 

“It's a wonderful opportunity to be able to display everything that the game is about. It's the backdrop of a thriving game, which is going really well right now and it's in good health.

“The essence of grassroots football is enjoyment. It’s about community and part of what we're also announcing today is our social impact study, which demonstrates that the social impact of grassroots football puts nearly £16bn into the economy, which is a social impact, economic impact and health impact as well.

“That just demonstrates how important grassroots football is to society and not just to the game itself.”

The FA is also keen to invest in new and existing facilities at clubs, hoping to hit the target of 12,000 quality grass pitches in this four-year period.

Furthermore, a collective effort is going towards stamping out poor behaviours in the game, whether on the pitch or touchline, through the imposing of robust sanctions.

And with an emphasis on just how much the grassroots game can help local communities, former England defender Glen Johnson has stressed the importance of using the sport to get young people on the right path.

“The more pitches you roll out that can be used all year round, the more opportunities these kids will have during half term and after school that keeps them off the streets, keeps them safe and keeps them working towards some kind of dream,” Johnson said.

“Kids are going to football for different kinds of reasons. Some would just want to burn some energy, some would want to become pros, some want to stay out of trouble. More pitches, more kids, so it’s a vital, vital role.

“If you can spark a dream in someone, then you never know what they can develop into a career through working hard.”

The FA is not simply looking to increase participation of players through this strategy, but is also looking to strengthen its network of coaches, referees and volunteers in general in grassroots football.

Widely acknowledged as the lifeblood of the community game, volunteers help keep the lights on at clubs like Long Lane JFC in Kidbrooke, where Lisa-Marie Powell works as General Manager and Club Welfare Officer.

“Volunteers are gold dust,” she said. “Absolute gold dust and it's getting harder and harder to find them. 

“Obviously it takes up a lot of your free time but it's a whole family involvement as well - it's not just yourself. They're a godsend, they're absolutely amazing.

“Just literally come down, come and watch, come and see what we do. Grassroots football is where everyone starts, it's where everyone comes, and to be honest, it's where they belong.”

The Football Association has launched a new landmark strategy to grow and develop grassroots football in England, titled ‘A Thriving Grassroots Game’. The four-year grassroots strategy is aimed at supporting sustainable growth over the next four years, with projections anticipating a further 220,000 new players across 15,000 new teams by 2028. For more information go to www.TheFA.com