Local Football Facility Plan Brent

Demographics for the area can be seen below:

Local authority

Brent Council aims to provide both a healthy and safe place to live, with residents benefiting from high quality urban design, attractive open spaces and first class sports facilities. Its Local Plan (2010 - 2026) makes commitments to residents linked to both its Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Fit for Life: A Physical Activity Strategy for Brent Strategy.

The stated aims of the Brent Health and Wellbeing Strategy are to promote independence and responsibility for health and healthcare across the Borough, while also encouraging everyone to be physically active.

The aim of the Fit for Life Strategy is to increase participation in physical activity via development of a core offer accessible to everyone, to develop a sustainable and long term local community approach to encouraging more people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to achieve permanent behavioural change by helping people to build physical activity into the fabric of their everyday lives.

The Brent Playing Pitch Strategy was produced in 2016; it confirms that the Authority has sufficient natural turf football pitches and 3G FTPs but that key strategic sites in the Borough face specific issues with regard to pitch quality. Although a new PPS is now required for the Borough for ratification, the Steering Group believes that there is sufficient demand to support the development of additional 3G FTPs to support recreational and training demand which has seen an increase in 20 teams since the original LFFP.

County Football Association

Brent is covered by the Middlesex County FA. It provides 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 Delivery 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. The Regional Facility Planning Manager (FPM) will lead and be responsible for all aspects of strategic planning and will lead on refreshing of LFFPs.

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 offer a variety of programmes and services to support local communities (sporting and non-sporting). The Queens Park Rangers FC Community scheme runs a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within the local area.

Local leisure operator

There are several leisure operators involved in the operation of sporting facilities in the Borough. Key Leisure sites include Bridge Park Leisure Centre, Vale Farm Sports Centre, Charteris Sports Centre, Wilesden Sports Centre, Wembley Leisure Centre.

Local consultation

Local consultation took place with a broad and diverse set of community groups in the original LFFP. As part of the refresh process a survey was sent via the County FA to all football clubs in the area. Furthermore, it is a requirement that all projects that move through to application phase undertake detailed community engagement to ensure that facilities fully serve the communities they are being designed for.

Clubs

There are over 91,000 community football teams in England, spread over an expansive network of clubs and leagues. Brent has a total of 164 teams.

Survive. Revive. Thrive is the FA Grassroots Football Strategy 2020-2024. To deliver the goals for male and female football, there must be a vibrant, best-in-class club network around the country. The FA will work to encourage as many clubs as possible to achieve FA-Accredited status, assuring quality in everything they offer, including ever-safer and stronger player pathways. This will be coupled with a commitment to improve the quality of thousands of pitches up and down the country, with a particular focus on grass pitches.

Over the last 10-years there has been a significant national increase in the number of large multi-team football clubs. In Brent, three clubs have more than 10 registered teams. The largest of these (based upon 2022-23 affiliation data) are:

• Harrow United - 10 teams
• Hendon Youth - 15 teams
• Cadmen Town FC - 10 teams

Leagues

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

Brent’s largest local leagues include:

• Harrow Youth Football League – home and away at multiple sites
• Middlesex County League –home and away at multiple sites

The County FA reports that there is some cross boundary migration in Brent due to teams migrating outwards to North London.

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 Brent there is one football team specifically for people with a disability. It is a priority of the County FA to grow this provision. For talented players the FA run Regional Centres and England national squads.

Women and girls

The FA had big ambitions for women and girls football and managed to double levels of participation between 2017 and 2020. To achieve this required a combined effort across four pathways: education, recreation, competition and talent. Despite achieving this ambitious target more places to play are still required for women and girls. The focus now is to give all girls equal access to football by 2024 and this will be a key objective of any facility investment. The FA’s four-year strategy, titled Inspiring Positive Change, pledges to create a sustainable future for women’s and girls’ football in England. The strategy outlines eight transformational objectives to be achieved by 2024, the following across grassroots football:-

• Early Participation – Every primary school-aged girl to have equal access to football in school and in clubs.
• Development Participation – Every girl to have equal access to participate for fun, for competition and for excellence.
• Club Player Pathway – Collaborate with clubs to develop an effective high-performance, inclusive player-centred pathway.
• Football For All – Recruit and support a motivated, diverse range of local leaders organising football for their communities.
• Coaching – Support the development of exceptional coaches at every level of the game who are representative of our society.
• Refereeing – Ensure that every female referee afforded high-quality bespoke learning and development opportunities from grassroots through to the elite game.

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. Brent has six FA Wildcats girls football centres and the priority is to grow this activity.

At 23 teams 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 Capital Girls League in which matches are played on a home and away basis. It is expected to grow its provision in future years. The local adult female league is the Greater London Women's Football League in which are played on a home and away basis. It is expected to grow its provision in future years.

For talented players, the most local FA Regional Talent Club (RTC) is Arsenal which is located in London Colney, Hertfordshire. 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 Arsenal 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, Alperton
• Power League, Wembley

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 Brent. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisation such as Vale Farm. Walking football and Just Play are areas that the County FA has prioritised for further growth and development. Other local recreational football programmes include community and pro-club community schemes which are delivered by a range of organisations including Queens Park Rangers and Jason Roberts Foundation. There are also community activities which are not affiliated delivered by Hindu, Sri Lankan and Somali groups.

The key strengths of local football in Brent include youth, adult and community provision and it is recommended that this is sustained and encouraged to grow further. However, there are gaps in provision, this includes disability and female provision.

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

1. Improving grass pitches
2. Equal access for women and girls
3. Disability football
4. Recreational opportunities (including walking football and Just Play)

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. 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 in line with four investment priorities:

• 3G FTPs
• Improved grass pitches
• Off pitch and ancillary facilities (e.g. toilets, changing rooms, catering)
• 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.

FA data states that there are currently seven full size 3G FTPs in Brent. There are no identified shortfalls for full sized FTPs (based on the 2016 PPS and further training supply and demand analysis; there has been an increase in teams but there is also an additional full size 3G since the original LFFP was created). However, when looking at cross-border activity there is potential demand for additional 3G provision around West Hendon. Further work is required on the feasibility of this.

Existing full size 3G FTPs in Brent include:

• Ark Academy - FA registered
• Capital City Academy - FA registered
• Silver Jubilee Park - FA Registered
• Vale Farm Sports Centre - FA Registered
• Stonebridge Park - FA Registered
• Wembley High Technology College (not floodlit and therefore not accessible for training)
• Ark Elvin Academy (built 2018 without FF funding)

Additionally, there are small sided FTPs at the following sites. Small-sided pitches are an important part of the facility mix in Brent given its urban nature and is likely to be a strategy for development moving forward.

• Goals - Wembley
• The Crest Academy
• Claremont High School
• Stonebridge Park
• St Gregory College
• Byron Court Primary

There is also likely to be a new 7v7 3G developed at Queenspark Community School but without FF funding.

Six of the seven full size 3G FTPs are available for community use. It is recommended that the feasibility of developing opportunities for community use is explored at Wembley High Technology College (to include the potential installation of floodlighting). Although not included as a project below there is demand for this site to be accessible and partners should continue to work with the school to explore the opportunity to provide floodlighting.

Five full size FTPs are on the FA Register (meaning they are quality checked and can be used for football match play). It is strongly recommended that the pitches at Ark Elvin Academy and Wembley High School (if they can be made accessible for community use) are certified in the future to enable match play.

The geographic spread of existing facilities is relatively even; although there are provision gaps in east Brent where there is high population density and high levels of deprivation. The proposed 7v7 at Queenspark Community School would help with some of this demand.

Local consultation reveals common issues with high pricing of facilities, and it is recommended that this is reviewed to encourage increased facility usage and to help attract a more diverse range of people to play the game.

It is acknowledged that Barnet London Borough Council is developing a masterplan for West Hendon Playing Field which is adjacent to Silver Jubilee Park. This consequently may impact on the requirement for 3G FTP provision to be developed at this site (as identified within the Brent LFFP). Further consideration should be given to this upon completion of the emerging masterplan for West Hendon playing Field and it is recommended that the supply and demand analysis is revisited in 12 months' time.

Consideration will also need to be given to the future requirements associated with the 25,500 new homes at the Old Oak and Park Royal development as this will create a new concentration of demand in the area. The development was discussed by the steering group, but it was agreed to be too early to determine facility requirements and therefore it is recommended further dialog between local partners is continued in the future to ensure the development is adequately provided for.

One priority project for potential investment has been identified which is a conversion of a sand based artificial pitch to a 3G FTP. Although consultation suggests no demand for hockey in the area further consultation with England Hockey is required to confirm this position. Furthermore, this consultation needs to be completed alongside feasibility work around West Hendon to ensure a joined up approach.

The Football Foundation is on a mission to transform the quality of grass football pitches across England, because great facilities enhance physical and mental wellbeing, strengthen communities and empower people. The quality of football pitches is a huge issue for community football; 150,000 matches were postponed due to poor pitches during the last full football season. We are therefore on a mission to improve 20,000 grass pitches across England.

The Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund is a £21m fund that provides eligible clubs and leagues with a tapered six-year grant to help them sustain pitches already at a 'good' level and enhance pitches that are either considered 'poor' or 'basic'. In order to be eligible, clubs and leagues must use the PitchPower app to assess their pitches. This provides a detailed assessment report with recommendations on improving the quality of grass pitches. The PitchPower app is available to all pitch owners as a way to assess grass pitch quality and gain access to grass pitch improvement recommendations. See Football Foundation | PitchPower

The key challenge is to create a sustainable approach to provide good quality football pitches for the long term. Most local authorities (78%) intend to increase pitch hire fees in the future. However, the majority of players (63%) believe facilities are already expensive and some (16%) believe prices are prohibitive. A sustainable solution should, therefore, carefully balance pitch quality and affordability.

Through the use of PitchPower we are able to identify the demand for investment into new or additional machinery and equipment and see this as an important step towards sustainability for the voluntary sector. Ensuring clubs and leagues can maintain their own sites, supplemented by contracted out major works (e.g. aeration) is potentially a more cost effective approach in the long term.

While the education sector (23.8%) and local authorities (51.8%) are still the principal asset owners of grass pitches and have the heaviest reliance for affiliated matches, clubs / leagues own or maintain an increasing share and we will continue to prioritise investment into sites that are maintained by clubs or leagues.

There are currently 11 strategically important grass pitch sites in Brent containing 40 grass pitches. Of these, 23 pitches, at six of the sites, are considered to be poor quality. Of the key pitch sites referenced it was determined that six of these should continue to be prioritised for improvements. This will result in quality improvements to 23 pitches.

All of the sites used for football in Brent are owned by the Local Authority and accommodate multiple teams each week, because of this the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund is not something that the Council currently see as viable. The focus now is on improving the sites that are used and ensuring that pitches are assessed via PitchPower each season.

Six priority projects for potential investment have been identified. Pitch quality rating was evidenced by the PPS and ratified by local partners. Prioritisation was based on a rationale of selecting sites in the poorest condition, that are most well utilised and are a strategic focus to improve for the local authority.

These can provide a number of different benefits. While the primary function is normally the provision of changing rooms to accommodate match-play and training (for players and officials), there can be equal value in facilities such as community and education rooms, catering facilities and spectator toilets.

Each project will take a progressive approach to pavilions and clubhouses (beyond the provision of changing rooms) and be open to new opportunities to engage the whole community. That means, creating environments that are welcoming to players, spectators, volunteers, officials and all sections of the community.

Such assets should support other investment priorities (e.g. 3G FTPs and grass pitches) and be located at sites that will have the greatest impact on local communities. To ensure this, focus is given to sites with three or more full-size pitch equivalents. However, as pitch quality is the number one priority for players this is prioritised before investment in changing room pavilions /clubhouses.

Clearly, facilities need to be well managed and maintained to keep them in a good state of repair. Consideration will be given to reviewing the best operator solution for key sites and the installation of revenue generating features such as catering facilities and community rooms. To achieve this, business plan support will be given to each priority project as it progresses to an application to the Football Foundation.

Of the 11 key sites in Brent, six sites have suitable changing rooms, and four sites require improvement.

In addition to the sites above, The Pavilion (The Jason Roberts Foundation) site is considered to be strategically important in the Borough and has been included in the list of projects as improvements to kitchen and social space are required.

All of the projects identified in the original LFFP remain as none have been delivered.

Five priority projects for potential investment are identified:

Good facilities are important to all small sided football players, but it is important to understand the different formats of the small-sided game, the audiences and the various facility types they relate to. Research suggests that small-sided players in teams and leagues, and in organised 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.

Whilst our priorities will always be football led, we believe small sided facilities provide a good opportunity to collaborate with other sports to deliver high quality spaces for people to play recreational sport. This will be achieved via our PlayZones Programme:

Football Foundation PlayZones Programme

PlayZones are modern, safe and engaging facilities that are designed for recreational football and at least one other sport. There are a range of facility types to meet the needs of different sports. Our research shows us that community engagement is the key to developing great small sided facilities and that we shouldn't try and identify sites without first identifying two key things:

• Key priority places within the local authority
• Key priority groups within the local authority

Through this programme we want to address stubborn inequalities in activity levels and access to sports facilities within four priority groups:

• Lower socio-economic groups
• Women and girls
• Disabled people and people with long-term health conditions
• Ethnically diverse communities

When it comes to small sided facilities one size does not fit all and localised design and ownership will yield the greatest engagement from under represented groups. Activation is also as important as the facility itself for these groups. Suitable places will be identified through a combination of mapping, to include identification of our priority groups and crossover with other multi-sport priorities. Further community engagement will be required for design and delivery. All projects will then need to be developed by a cross sector consortium where partners who understand and represent the people and the place come together to drive the project forward and create access and opportunities for priority groups.

More about the programme can be found on The Football Foundation website here: Football Foundation PlayZones Programme | Football Foundation

A range of local agencies and local football clubs were invited to participate in the LFFP consultation. Those that contributed are listed below:

• Brent London Borough Council
• Middlesex County FA
• London Sport
• Queens Park Rangers Community Trust
• Secretary - Forest United