Local Football Facility Plan Bexley

Bexley is in the Greater London region.

The current population of the authority (ONS 2017 Mid-Year Estimate) is 244,760. This is expected to rise to 297,645 by 2039.

Bexley is ranked 26 out of 33 LAs in the region, and 195 out of 326 LAs nationally within the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (ONS).

Bexley's ethnic composition is primarily white (81.88%). This is lower than the national average (85.4%).

The proportion of Bexley’s population represented by the BAME community is 19.12%. This is above the national average (14.6%)

Local authority

Bexley's Local Plan for long term investment is being prepared for the next 20 years (2020 up to 2040). This plan will help determine where significant new development should go and will include policies to protect valued environments and heritage, and ensure high quality, desirable places are developed in the future. LB Bexley's adopted Growth Strategy suggests 31,500 new homes could be accommodated in the borough in the long term, potentially supporting the creation of 17,500 new jobs and helping to sustain vibrant town centres and high quality sports and recreation facilities, parks and open spaces. The Local Plan will be a framework of policies and guidance that will make growth happen in a well thought out, sustainable way.

The Bexley Growth Strategy to 2050 has a vision for up to 31,500 new homes subject to the provision of major new transport infrastructure to include:

• An uninterrupted segregated public transport corridor from Slade Green through to Abbey Wood and South Thamesmead
• A DLR extension from the Becton line under the River to Thamesmead which could be extended to Belvedere;
• An extension of Crossrail from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet; and
• New river crossings (e.g. Belvedere to Rainham).

The strategy identifies the following as housing growth areas:

• North - Thamesmead, Belvedere, Erith, Slade Green:
• Central - Welling, Bexleyheath, Crayford: and
• South – Sidcup.

The strategy also highlights the need for major new community and social infrastructure in addition to the investment in improved transport links to sustain housing growth at the upper level which, if delivered, would increase the borough population by c. 50,000 to around 300,000 by 2040. Much lower housing growth is proposed if transport infrastructure projects are not delivered. The highest proportion of growth is likely to be concentrated in the northern parts where there is least supply of playing pitches.

The local authority has a Playing Pitch Strategy which is currently in development (stage D). The key findings and stated overarching priorities identify that there is a future shortfall of four full size 3G FTPs, this has been calculated using the FA's training model (1:38). Further to this, it is identified that there is a shortfall of youth 11v11, and junior 9v9 grass pitches. Additionally, there is a shortfall of stadium pitches in the borough to accommodate current demand from National League sides with their origins in LB Bexley.

County football association

Bexley is covered by both London and Kent County FA. They provide governance for, and development support to, all aspects of local football including coaches, referees, volunteers, clubs and leagues; supporting football for all. The County FA has a designated facilities investment lead officer who works to ensure the right facilities are located in the right locations.

Football Foundation

The Regional Engagement Manager and Regional Technical Project Manager at the Football Foundation work collaboratively with the County FA to provide pre-application support to priority projects for potential investment.

Sport England

Has a network of planning managers who have a statutory role in the planning system to protect playing fields and provide consultation responses to planning applications relating to sporting facilities . They also play a key role in strategic planning for sports facilities, providing advice and support to local authorities to assess need for facilities in their local area.

Professional community club organisations (CCOs)

These continue to expand and enhance their range of community delivery, offering a variety of programmes and services to support local communities (sporting and non-sporting). The Charlton Athletic FC Community Trust runs a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within the local area.

Local leisure operator

There is a mixed economy of leisure operators involved in community football facilities in Bexley. Management arrangements vary from school/academy-run venues to sites run by commercial providers, to those in place at Erith Leisure Centre (operated by Parkwood Leisure).

Local consultation

This has taken place with a broad and diverse set of community groups in Bexley. 20 individuals (representing 14 local organisations) were spoken to. The agencies consulted include:

• LB Bexley
• Peabody
• Sporting Club Thamesmead (Youth)
• Slade Green Big Local

(See Appendix B for full list of consultees)

Clubs

There are over 91,000 community football teams in England, spread over an expansive network of clubs and leagues. Bexley has a total of 287 teams, which is lower than local areas of a similar size.

The FA is investing to support clubs both on and off the pitch which includes an aim to have a qualified FA coach with every youth team by 2020/21. In addition, it will support 1,000 clubs to create full player pathways from youth to adult teams and develop 150 community football hubs with male and female pathways, disability and recreational playing opportunities.

Over the last 10-years there has been a significant national increase in the number of large multi-team football clubs. In Bexley, six clubs have more than 10 registered teams. The largest of these (based upon 2017-18 affiliation data) are:

• Danson Sports FC - 54 teams
• Junior Reds FC - 29 teams
• Phoenix Sports FC - 28 teams
• Crayford Arrows FC - 23 teams
• Foots Cray Lions JFC - 22 teams
• Kingsdale FC - 10 teams

Leagues

Three leagues operate in Bexley. They offer competitive opportunities for many different players, including girls, youth and adults. While there are no specific league opportunities for disability football within Bexley, there is however suitable provision provided in neighbouring Greenwich.

Bexley's largest local leagues (2017-18) include:

• SELKENT– 832 teams– home and away
• WESFA – 42 teams– home and away
• South London Special League– 10 teams– central venue
• Kent Youth League – 186 teams – home and away

The County FA reports that there is some cross boundary migration in Bexley due to teams migrating outwards to the Bromley area.

Disability football

There are 9.4 million people in England with a long-standing limiting disability, illness or condition which equates to 18% of the population – almost one in five. Football playing opportunities should be flexible, inclusive and accessible for everyone, whatever their level of ability. This could entail inclusion in mainstream activity or teams / sessions specifically for people with a disability.

In Bexley there are no football teams / sessions specifically for people with a disability, although there is the South London Special League based in neighbouring Greenwich. It is a priority of the County FA to grow this provision. For talented players the FA runs Regional Centres and England national squads.

Women and girls

The FA has big ambitions for the female game and aims to double levels of participation by 2020. To achieve this requires a combined effort across four pathways: education, recreation, competition and talent.

Education environments have a huge impact on the first experience of football for young girls. This pathway can offer many opportunities for females of all ages to develop and grow a lifelong interest in football.

FA Wildcats girls football centres provide the first step on the recreational pathway, the programme provides girls aged 5-11 with regular opportunities to play football in a fun and engaging environment. Bexley has two FA Wildcats girls football centres and the priority is to grow this activity.

At 18, Bexley's number of female teams is comparable to local areas of a similar size. The County FA’s priority is to support existing clubs to grow and encourage more clubs to develop playing opportunities for females. The local girls’ league is the Kent Girls League and matches are played on a home and away basis. The league is expected to grow it's provision in future years. For local adult female provision there is potential that the Woolwich and Eltham Sunday Football Alliance may become a provider. The league are exploring the feasibility of etablishing a new Women's league to help facilitate local demand.

For talented players, the most local FA Regional Talent Club (RTC) is Charlton Athletic Women's FC which is located in New Eltham. Higher level talent pathway opportunities are also provided regionally and nationally by the FA, culminating in the England Women’s national squads. The most local Women’s Super League team is West Ham FC which provides player pathway opportunities for gifted and talented female players and a spectator interest for fans.

Small sided football

Many different types of small-sided football are played in England, from teams and leagues to recreational and informal. It is an established and important part of the modern game.

Small-sided teams and leagues are organised and competitive activities; typically with players registered to clubs and affiliated to leagues and their County FAs. Examples include Futsal and local small-sided leagues running at venues such as sports halls, 3G FTPs or small-sided 3G centres.

Key local providers include

• Goals Bexleyheath

Futsal is an exciting, fast-paced, small sided team game that is widely played across the world. Typically it is played on an indoor surface with hockey-sized goals and a size 4 football with reduced ball bounce. It is the FA’s aim to ensure Futsal is available across the country.

There are currently no affiliated futsal teams in Bexley. It is a priority for the County FA to grow Futsal for all players.

Recreational football

Recreational football is played where facilities are typically booked and there might be someone to help organise. Examples include FA Just Play sessions, walking football and casual pitch hire for small-sided match play.

There are currently two FA Just Play Centres in Bexley. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of organisations such as Goals. Walking football and Just Play are County FA priorities for further growth and development.

Informal football

Informal football is played in local parks and green spaces – it is free, open access and often played spontaneously (normal clothing is worn). Common examples include a kick-about at a local park or on a multi-use games area (MUGA).

Currently, informal football in Bexley is played across the borough.

The key strengths of local football in Bexley include the scale and sustainability affiliated club provision and it is recommended that this is sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However, gaps in provision do exist, these include female and and disability provision.

It is therefore recommended that the future football development priorities for Bexley are:

1. To increase female provision
2. To sustain adult male provision
3. To support clubs to reach charter standard
4. To increase the number of Just Play sessions
5. To increase the number of Wildcats centres

The facilities required to assist this are now set out in the Assets and opportunities section.

Each priority project that progresses to a funding application via the Football Foundation will produce a detailed ‘site development plan’ specifying all football development activity, usage and key partner engagement.

This section reviews existing football facility assets in Bexley. It identifies current issues and presents opportunities for improvements, including a list of priority projects for potential investment.

Local assets and opportunities have been reviewed inline with four investment priorities:

• 3G FTPs
• Improved grass pitches
• Changing room pavilions / clubhouses
• Small sided facilities

To ensure a consistent and high quality approach, each local area has been reviewed applying a standard approach, supplemented by input from consultation with local partners and stakeholder organisations.

While each investment priority is reviewed individually, it is understood that they can be inter-reliant; account is, thus, taken of these potential connections.

3G FTPs are a high quality and indispensable part of modern football facilities; their impact cannot be underestimated. In recent years the industry has seen major innovations and improvements to artificial surfaces (and sports lighting). This has created playing surfaces that replicate a good standard natural turf pitch whilst significantly increasing levels of use (x20). All FTPs must have sports lighting to achieve this.

The high quality, consistent playing surface is the ideal environment to play the game and for young people to learn. With regular maintenance programmes, FTPs can be heavily used all year round with no decline in quality. They almost completely negate annoying fixture cancellations during winter months, helping football to be a key part of a regular physical activity habit.

High capacity levels offer a great opportunity to embrace all formats and engage all participants. A full-sized 3G caters for an average of 1,200 participants per week and is suitable for various location types. That means being fully inclusive to all sections of the community, with a particular focus on under-represented groups such as women and girls, people with a disability, BAME communities and people from lower socio-economic groups.

The way 3G FTPs are used is rapidly changing; current line-marking systems allow for match play across all formats of football (5v5, 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11). This enables significant levels of match-play to be transferred from grass to 3G.

The national ‘Mini Pitch’ programme delivers small 3G FTPs at primary school sites to provide a high quality introduction to football and get children more physically active. While mini pitches are reviewed in this section, they are not included in the demand and supply analysis for 3G FTPs.

There are five full-sized (11 v 11) 3G FTPs in Bexley. These are located at:

• Welling School (one 11V11) - This FTP has no floodlighting and is, thus, discounted from the 3G FTP supply/demand stock.
• Harris Academy Falconwood (one 11v11)
• Mayplace Sports Field - Danson FC (one 11v11)
• Sporting Club Thamesmead (one 11v11)
• King Henry School (one 11v11)

In addition, there are 14 small-sided 3G FTPs in Bexley:

• Crayford Arrows Sports Club (one 5v5)
• Slade Green Primary/Haberdashers Askes (one 5v5)
• Goals Bexleyheath (nine 5v5 and two 7v7)
• Harris Garrard Academy Thamesmead (one 9v9)

Bexley is also home to a significant number of multi sport AGPs and MUGAs. These are heavily used for recreational football. As noted earlier, the authorities PPS identifies a shortfall of two full-sized 3G FTPs (future shortfall of four) to service affiliated training demand. For the purposes of LFFP development, demand for full-sized 3G FTPs has been calculated applying FA 3G demand modelling. This identifies that demand for recreational football is higher than that for the affiliated game. Based on the FAs recreational demand, there is an assessed current shortfall of four full-sized 3G FTPs (or equivalents).

The following sites are already being planned without funding from the Football Foundation:

• Cleeve Meadow School (Sidcup) - Construction of this new SEN school started in January 2019. Facilities will include a specialist music department, performing arts centre and a full size 3G FTP.
• Erith Quarry - Is a new housing development in the north of the borough. Proposals include a free school and a community accessible full size 3G FTP.

Additionally, in neighbouring Dartford, Bexley Park Sports Club are potentially developing a full size 3G FTP. The club has engaged the Football Foundation as a funding partner. Although not located within Bexley, there is some potential that a 3G FTP development here will meet some demand for Bexley residents.

The majority of the abovementioned pitches are available for community football use. The 3G FTPs at Harris Academy Falconwood, Mayplace Sports Field (Danson FC) and Sporting Club Thamesmead are on the FA Register for 3G FTPs (meaning that they has been quality checked and can be used for football match play). It is strongly recommended that existing 3G FTPs and any future developments (full size and/or small sided) are assessed and placed on the Register to enable more match play on 3G.

The geographic spread of existing facilities is uneven; there are provision gaps across the borough despite high levels and density of population and significant planned regeneration & housing growth. Provision gaps are especially prevalent in the north, north east and south of the borough.

Local consultation confirms the limited availability and opportunity for match play on 3G and the recommendations in this plan are designed to address this.

Six priority projects for potential investment are identified. Sites were selected based upon the availability of space to develop, servicing densely populated local areas, achieving geographic spread, and potential accessibility to large numbers of people from lower social economic groups. The total number of projects including those in development without Football Foundation funding is in higher than the identified shortfall of four full size 3G FTPs (or equivalents), however, the steering group decided to include additional projects due to the expecting housing growth identified in Bexley's Local Plan. The demand analysis and feasibility for future projects will be fully explored at application stage.

There are currently 20 grass pitch sites in Bexley with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with less than 3 pitches but of strategic importance determined by the steering group), containing 59 grass pitches.

There is also one new additional key site which will require pitch improvements.

Of the 20 key pitch sites referenced above the steering group agreed that ten of these should be prioritised for improvements, totalling 30 pitches.

Local consultation shows common issues with poor quality and it is recommended that these are addressed.

11 priority projects for potential investment are identified. Pitch quality rating was evidenced by PPS and ratified by local partners. NB these quality ratings will need to be further ratified as part of the current PPS study. Prioritisation was informed by local partners based upon a rationale of selecting sites that are, or have the potential to be, well-utilised and reflect the strategic focus of the Authority on participation:

Of the 20 key grass pitch sites in Bexley with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with less than 3 pitches but of strategic importance determined by the steering group), 13 sites have suitable changing rooms, six sites require improvement/replacement and one site has no facilities and requires a new changing room.

Eight priority projects for potential investment have been identified. Prioritisation was informed by local partners with the rationale of selecting sites which are deemed to have an unsuitable pavilion requiring replacement or refurbishment, or sites requiring new provision to support participation or other facility development:

Good facilities are important to all small sided football players, but it is important to understand the different formats of the small-sided game and the various facility types they relate to.

Research suggests that small-sided players in teams and leagues, and in recreational sessions, prefer a 3G surface type because it replicates a good standard natural turf pitch. These facilities have already been covered in the 3G FTP section of this LFFP.

Indoor environments currently accommodate 20% of football participation and are also popular with players in teams & leagues and recreational sessions . Indoor sports halls are most popular, along with some community halls and indoor 3G centres. Environments need to be engaging, have clear line-marking and the correct size goalposts.

Informal players require facilities that are open and free to access as this enables play opportunities that are often spontaneous. In these circumstances multi-use games areas (MUGAs) can be effective in areas of high urban population and limited green space. Such facilities can be modern, bright, creative and engaging. While this plan will identify suitable locations for such facilities, the design and specifics of the facility type can be agreed at a later stage with Football Foundation staff when projects are ready to progress to pre-application stage.

Parks and open green spaces are also important to informal play and require goalposts and zones that are free from litter and dog fouling.

Local consultation reveals there are no indoor facilities that require improvement to develop small-sided football.

Six potential opportunities for MUGAs have been identified. In each case the rationale is based on the site being in an area of high urban population, limited and corresponding high local demand for informal football.

Following local consultation, and assisted by the Sport England green spaces mapping tool three locations have been identified to support small sided informal football. Here, the rationale is based on highly popular local parks and open green spaces with suitable space / areas to increase informal football:

A range of local agencies and larger (usually 10 plus team) local football clubs were invited to participate in the LFFP consultation. Those that contributed are listed below:

• Area Director (London & South East) - StreetGames
• Big Local Co-ordinator - Slade Green Big Local
• Club Representative - LB Bexley
• Contracts Manager (Sports & Leisure) - LB Bexley
• Director of Education and Sport - Charlton Athletic Community Trust
• Football Development Manager - Amateur Football Alliance
• Football Development Manager - Kent Football Association
• Football Development Officer - London Football Association
• Head of Communities & Leisure - LB Bexley
• Head of Delivery - London Football Association
• Head of School Place Planning - LB Bexley
• Housing Manager - Orbit
• Manager - Danson Youth Centre
• Outdoor Recreation Manager - LB Bexley
• Senior Planning Officer - LB Bexley
• Relationship Manager - London Sport
• Secretary - Beckenham Tigers FC (via Club Survey)
• Secretary - Footscray Lions JFC
• Secretary - Kingsdale FC
• Secretary - Sporting Club Thamesmead (Youth)
• Sports Development Manager - Peabody