Wiltshire FA has launched a new strategy for grassroots football in the county aimed at tackling poor behaviour, prioritising safeguarding, developing the valued network of volunteers, improving facilities, and enhancing accessibility, affordability and sustainability.

This follows the launch of The Football Association’s [The FA] new landmark national strategy to grow and develop grassroots football in England, titled ‘A Thriving Grassroots Game’ and The FA’s overall four-year strategy, ‘Inspiring Positive Change Through Football’. Both are intended to take English football forward, with a clear focus on the biggest opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed.

The FA’s new four-year grassroots strategy follows the biggest ever consultation process with the grassroots game across the country and is aimed at supporting sustainable growth over the next four years, with projections anticipating a further 220,000 new players involved in 15,000 new teams nationally by 2028.

Wiltshire FA’s new strategy will dovetail with The FA’s new plans which sets out a clear direction of travel for grassroots football in England and outlines five priority areas, notably:

• Improving playing choice and opportunity – To create new and varied playing opportunities to give everyone a chance to play the game, in a way that suits them best
• Deliver equal opportunities for women and girls to play – To ensure every woman and girl who wants to play football has an opportunity to do so in a safe and enjoyable setting and in a way that suits their lifestyle
• Build more, and improve existing, facilities – To increase the quality and quantity of grassroots football pitches and facilities across England, to better meet the demand
• Tackle poor behaviour – To see a decline in cases of poor behaviour of any kind, and to increase reporting of discrimination, ensuring enjoyment is at the forefront of playing, volunteering or officiating grassroots football
• Develop a valued network of volunteers, coaches and referees – To grow the number of grassroots volunteers, coaches and referees, and ensure they all feel valued and supported to fulfil their roles in the game

Through the new strategy, the grassroots game will play a pivotal role in delivering three of the four FA ‘game-changer’ priorities over the next four years. These are to create equal opportunities for women and girls, transform the pitch landscape nationally and see a game free from discrimination.

The FA’s new strategy outlines three key drivers to deliver this: 

• Support thriving community clubs – To support a network of thriving community clubs to provide a brilliant football offer to their local communities, to grow in a sustainable way, and to be well-run
• Connect and serve participants – To improve our digital offering and deliver new online services which are personalised, easy to access and help participants to fulfil their roles and find new opportunities
• Progress the game’s governance – To better serve all football participants through the highest governance standards, at all levels in the grassroots game

Wiltshire FA has adopted The FA’s grassroots football strategic framework over the four-year period to ensure the needs of the game are met locally.

On Wiltshire FA’s new grassroots strategy for the county, CEO Simon Russell said: “Now is an incredibly exciting time to renew our commitment to the football community in Wiltshire and beyond. With a great team in place, connected to our volunteer workforce, we have a clear sense of what is important to the people, clubs, and leagues that we serve. 

“Personally, it was the combination of the scale of the opportunity that exists in Wiltshire, and the value that can be generated for individuals, groups, and communities as a whole through an involvement in football – that prompted me to join Wiltshire FA earlier this year.

“Two clear priorities are at the heart of our new strategy, in terms of what we’re about and what drives us. First, to improve the experience of everyone involved in Wiltshire football, whatever their role; and second to extend our reach so that we can do more to deliver positive change through football. Whether that’s creating opportunities for people to get into the game, support in delivering new facilities, or working with clubs, leagues, and others, so that they can achieve their ambitions.

“In order to do this, we need to become more financially independent and resilient. We will invest in our capability and capacity, so that we can identify and access the funding that exists through partners, such as public sector funders and commercial sponsors.

“In addition, we will explore options for additional sites and facilities that we can operate ourselves. 

“At our site in Devizes, we have seen how our partner clubs have flourished, with participation expanding considerably. It has also provided us with a venue to engage with the football community beyond playing, whether that be through talent identification events, training opportunities, or networking sessions. Plus, the effective operation of a facility means that the surplus generated can be invested in the game. All of this will allow us to drive positive change through football.” 

On The FA’s new grassroots strategy, FA Director of Football Development, James Kendall, said: “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. 

“We’ve made significant progress over the last strategy and we are now going even further, investing in more new quality grass pitches, increasing the number of female and disability players, tackling poor behaviours through robust sanctions and promoting positive behaviours, developing thriving community clubs, and growing our valued volunteer network so the game is sustainable in the future.

“We have a clear direction with our new strategy, and with our County FA’s and valued partners we are confident that this will help the grassroots game to thrive for years to come."