Football Foundation: Record number of grassroot teams created through £2.36m Grow the Game investment

An Football Association and Football Foundation initiative is set to substantially increase participation in our national game amongst underrepresented groups.

Investment of £2.36m from The FA has been awarded to 728 clubs by the Football Foundation, which delivers the Grow the Game scheme on behalf of the national governing body for football.

This investment will enable those clubs to create 1,570 new grassroots football teams and 3,405 newly-trained coaches.

As a result, this year’s Grow the Game scheme is projected to create:

• 642 male teams
• 703 female teams
• 43 mixed teams
• 182 disability teams

Players-wise, this can be broken down to:

• 11,881 male players
• 8,561 female players
• 1,504 male disabled players
• 567 female disabled players

Grow the Game is designed to increase participation at the lowest levels of the game with grants of £1,500 available for each new team that a club creates.

The funding can help a burgeoning club pay for the fundamentals, including: FA coaching courses; FA league affiliation costs; referees’ fees; first aid kits and even football kit and equipment.

Words by Adam Charman

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