Local Football Facility Plan Cheshire West and Chester

Demographics for the area can be seen below:

Local authority

The Cheshire West & Chester Council Plan (2020-24) guides Council decisions, resources and actions. The challenges the Borough faces are vast ranging from climate change, inequality, an ageing population and growing a dynamic economy. There is a £91 million funding gap to 2024 as demand on our services, particularly to support the most vulnerable, continues to rise. The plan identifies six priorities, to:

• Tackle the climate emergency
• Grow the local economy and deliver good jobs with fair wages for residents
• Support children and young people to make the best start in life and achieve their full potential
• Enable more adults to live longer, healthier and happier lives
• Make neighbourhoods even better places to call home
• An efficient and empowering Council

The plan identifies that approximately 13% of under 16s in Cheshire West & Chester live in low income families. This is lower than the England average, but in some areas of West Cheshire child poverty is at least 35%.

The Council also has a Health Improvement Strategy (2018- 2022) consists of an Eat Well Be Active framework, which is based on several key Chester West and Chester partnership reports, including the Physical Activity Growth Strategy developed in 2017 by Active Cheshire. The purpose of the strategy is to tackle physical inequalities and improve the lives of residents.

The Cheshire West & Chester Playing Pitch Strategy was produced in 2021. The key findings and stated overarching priorities are to increase the stock of 3G AGPs in the authority, both improve the quality of grass pitch provision and maximise use of 3G AGPs for match play to reduce large capacity shortfalls and to improve/create changing and toilet provision where most needed.

County Football Association

Cheshire West & Chester is covered by Cheshire 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 and lead on the delivery of 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 Chester FC Community Trust runs a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within the local area.

Local leisure operator

Brio Leisure is the key leisure operator in Cheshire West & Chester. It currently operates ten venues including key strategic sites for football such as Moss Farm Leisure Complex (seven grass pitches with 11v11 3G AGP operated by Cheshire FA), Christleton Sports Centre (11v11 3G AGP, three grass pitches),and Ellesmere Port Sports Village (11v11 3G AGP).

Local consultation took place with a broad and diverse set of community groups in the original LFFP (2019). As part of the update process, a survey was sent via the respective County FA to key football clubs in the area (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. Cheshire West & Chester has a total of 932 teams (2022/23 season).

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 Cheshire West & Chester, 27 clubs have more than 10 registered teams. The largest of these (based upon 2022/23 team data) are:

• Neston Nomads – 49 teams
• Chester Nomads – 48 teams
• Vauxhall Motors – 46 teams
• Upton JFC Chester – 44 teams
• Winsford Town – 41 teams (merger of Winsford Colts and Winsford Diamonds)
• Witton Albion Juniors - 37 teams
• AFC Waverton – 35 teams
• Frodsham Juniors – 31 teams
• Saughall Colts - 30 teams
• Tarvin Athletic – 29 teams
• Cuddington & Sandiway - 27 teams
• Groves FC - 25 teams
• Hartford FC - 24 teams
• Chester FC - 21 teams
• Newton Athletic - 21 teams

Leagues

There are 38 leagues which operate across Cheshire West & Chester. They offer competitive opportunities for many different players, including women and girls, disability, youth and adults. Leagues range from community, colleges, disability specific and youth and adult leagues.

Cheshire West and Chester's largest local leagues (2022/23) include*:

• Chester & District Junior Football League - 241 teams playing home and away fixtures
• Mid Cheshire Youth Football League - 164 teams playing home and away fixtures
• Eastham & District Junior League - 134 teams playing home and away fixtures
• Cheshire Girls Football League - 106 teams playing across two central venues
• Chester & Wirral Football League - 59 teams playing home and away fixtures
• Cheshire Ability Counts (Disability) - 40 teams playing at central venue
• Chester & District Sunday League - 16 teams playing home and away fixtures
• West Cheshire League - 14 teams playing home and away fixtures

*Team numbers for teams playing at sites in Cheshire West & Chester, not total team numbers per league

The County FA reports that there is a low level of cross boundary migration in Cheshire West & Chester due to teams migrating outwards to leagues and competitions in neighbouring local authority areas and other County FA areas.

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 Cheshire West & Chester there are 29 football teams specifically for people with a disability. 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 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. Cheshire West & Chester has ten FA Wildcats girls football centres and the priority is to grow this activity. FA Squad girls' football sessions provide girls aged 12-14 with a fun, non-competitive way to play football locally with friends, whether completely new to football, transitioning from Wildcats, or simply wanting to play.

At 195 (there are 67 dedicated girls mini soccer teams), the number of female teams in Cheshire West & Chester is higher than 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 Cheshire Girls League and matches are played on central venues basis. The league is expected to grow its provision in future years. The local adult female league is the Cheshire Women's and Youth Football League and matches 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 Clubs (RTC) are Liverpool, Everton, Shrewsbury, Manchester United, Manchester City and Stoke City which are located across the North West. Chester FC Community Trust was awarded a license to operate a girls Emerging Talent Centre (ETC) from 2022/23 season onwards. 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 teams are Liverpool Ladies and Everton Ladies FC which provide 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 AGPs or small-sided 3G centres.

Key local providers include

• Powerplay- Northwich
• Soccer Sixes -Hartford High School , Leftwich , Winsford Academy, Vauxhall Sports Centre, Ellesmere Port Sports village
• Leisure Leagues - Cheshire County Sports Club, Chester Catholic High School, Sir John Deanes College, Northwich,

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 Cheshire West & Chester. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisation such as Chester FC Community Trust, community grassroots clubs and independent associations and groups. Walking football and Just Play are County FA priorities for further growth and development. Other local recreational football programmes including informal turn up and play are delivered by a range of organisations such as pro-club community scheme activity Chester FC , NWFA (Frodsham) and others. Casual bookings where users play on a turn up and play basis are available at other sites across the area.

The key strengths of local football in Cheshire West & Chester include youth league, girls central venue league and disability league provision and it is recommended that these are sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However, there are aspects of football provision that lower than local authorities of a similar size, such as recreational and non-formal football opportunities.

It is therefore recommended that the future football development priorities for Cheshire West & Chester are:

1. Female growth in foundation age from U7
2. Increased accessibility to disability football in grassroots clubs
3. Continued expansion of the Flexi 11’s league
4. Continued expansion of Cheshire Girls League development
5. Recreational alternatives such as Just Play and walking football

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 AGPs
• 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 AGPs 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 AGPs 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, 3G AGPs 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. An 11v11 3G AGP 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 AGPs 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.

There are now 17 11 v 11 3G AGPs in Cheshire West & Chester, existing 11v11 3G AGPs include:

• Blacon High School
• Cheshire County Sports Club - x2 pitches
• Chester Rugby Club - senior rugby union build
• Christleton Sports Centre
• Ellesmere Port Sports Village
• Hartford Church of England High School
• Helsby Community Sports Club
• Helsby High School
• King George V Playing Fields (Blacon)
• Moss Farm Leisure Complex (Cheshire FA)
• Neston High School
• The Ellesmere Port C of E College
• University of Chester (Main Campus)
• Vauxhall Sports and Social Club - x2 pitches
• Winsford Academy

The number of 11v11 3G AGPs has increased by six pitches since the 2018 LFFP. New FF funded pitches have since been developed at Helsby High School, Neston High School and King George V Playing Fields (Blacon), as well as at Helsby Community Sports Club, Chester Rugby Club and a second 11v11 3G AGP at Cheshire County Sports Club which were not FF funded. The 2018 LFFP identified the new 3G AGP projects at Helsby High School and King George V Playing Fields (Blacon) and these have since been FF funded and built.

Additionally, there are two small-sided 3G AGP centres at Goals Soccer Centre (seven pitches) and Whitby Sports & Social Club (four pitches).

Cheshire West & Chester has a PPS undertaken in 2020 and updated in 2021. The PPS (2020/21 football season data) indicates that there is a shortfall of five 11v11 3G AGPs, with need for an additional 11v11 3G AGP in the Ellesmere Port sub-area and four additional 3G AGPs in the Northwich sub-area.

There are plans for the development of a new 11v11 3G AGP at Wrexham Road in Chester, to be funded through contributions secured as a result of housing development and without funding via the Football Foundation.

The PPS indicates that future growth in demand could increase the number of 11v11 3G AGPs required, from four at present to six in future. This could generate additional demand requiring one further 11v11 3G AGP in the Chester sub-area, whilst growth in the Northwich sub-area would increase the current shortfall from three 3G AGPs to four.

In addition to the shortfall of 11v11 3G AGPs there are also three 3G AGPs at The Ellesmere Port C of E College, Cheshire County Sports Club (one pitch requiring resurfacing) and Winsford Academy that were not initially Football Foundation funded and require replacement.

Vauxhall Sports & Social Club already has two existing 11v11 3G AGPs but aspires to develop a third and has sought planning consent, the location proposed to be on the site of an adult grass football pitch.

All 17 pitches are available for community use in some capacity but as stated only 15 provide substantial community use for football team training, due to programming at Chester Rugby Club predominantly to meet demand for rugby union and University of Chester to meet extensive student sport use. Fifteen of the seventeen 11v11 pitches are on the FA 3G Pitch Register (meaning they are quality checked and can be used for football match play). It is strongly recommended that the remaining pitches at University of Chester (Main Campus) and The Ellesmere Port C of E College (both previously registered) are assessed and placed on the Register to enable more match play on 3G. The pitch at Chester Rugby Club is also on the FA 3G Pitch Register but is mainly used for rugby union match play and training, whilst University of Chester has since expired.

The geographic spread of existing facilities is uneven and there is a spatial deficiency, with no 3G AGP provision of any size in the south of the Borough in the Malpas/Tarporley area. The majority of 3G AGPs are located in the north west and east of the local area where there are high levels of football demand in key towns such as Ellesmere Port, Winsford, Northwich and the City of Chester. However, there are provision gaps in the Northwich and Ellesmere Port areas despite high levels of population and football participation and it is recommended that these are addressed. Local consultation reveals low availability and it is recommended that this is addressed.

Ten priority projects for potential investment are identified. Each was selected based upon a rationale of high population, existing facility quality, high levels of deprivation and high levels of football demand:

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 organisations 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, organisations such as 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 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.

From the time of the original LFFP the introduction of PitchPower has allowed all Club owned and leased sites to apply for funding to improve grass pitch maintenance.

Some clubs have since been awarded Football Foundation investment through the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund, which should result in pitch quality improving over the next couple of seasons. The aim now should be to get the pitches up to the 'good' standard and work to sustain them. Sites and clubs that have accessed the funding to improve pitches are:

• Capenhurst Sports Club (Capenhurst Villa FC)
• Cassia Green (Whitegate United FC)
• Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club (Chester Nomads FC)
• King George's Field - Christleton (Christleton FC)
• Davenham Football Ground (Davenham Junior FC)
• Garrison Ground (Chester Nomads FC)
• Sea Hill Playing Fields (Saughall Colts)
• Vauxhall Motors Sports & Social Club (Vauxhall Motors FC)

There are currently 22 grass pitch sites in the local area that have been identified as either currently maintained, in part or whole, by grassroots clubs or leagues. There are 84 pitches at these sites which have been assessed via PitchPower and in total the sites are known to have 22 good quality (or better) quality pitches, 33 basic quality pitches and 29 poor.

The total number of pitches includes club owned or operated sites which remain a priority for grass pitch investment and are eligible for the Football Foundation's Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund:

• Blacon Youth (Cairns Crescent)
• Groves Sports and Social Club
• Malpas FC (Malpas & District Sports Club)
• Princes Villa JFC (Former Sutton High School)
• Whitby Sports and Social Club
• Willaston FC (Johnston Recreation Grounds)

The following sites identified in the 2018 LFFP have already been improved without funding via the Football Foundation, most via S106 contributions and/or Council capital funding via its Football Investment Programme:

• Saltworks Farm - pitch layout reconfiguration and improvements to three grass pitches, including installation of sports pitch drainage system in new pitch locations.
• Seacombe Drive Recreation Ground - two adult pitches improved and regraded including installation of sports pitch drainage system.
• Stanney Grange (Thornton Road) - reinstatement and improvement of two unmarked grass pitches (one adult, one youth) and further pitch improvements to two existing pitches.
• Cairns Crescent - improvements made to the surface and drainage of the main adult pitch, including installation of pitch perimeter barrier. Other pitches onsite not yet improved.
• Westminster Park - pitch layout reconfiguration and improvements to two grass pitches, including minor improvements to existing sports pitch drainage system onsite.
• Whitby Park - one of the two adult pitches onsite has been improved, levelled and regraded including installation of sports pitch drainage system. The pitch will be out of use until the 2024/25 season, with no improvements made to the second pitch to enable continuity of football activity onsite.

The following sites were not identified but will be developed without funding via the Football Foundation:

• King George V Playing Fields (Blacon) - improvements made to two unusable grass pitches to bring them into usable condition, funded by S106 and Chester FC Community Trust. Grass pitch improvements will support the newly developed 3G AGP and building adjacent.
• Verdin Exchange - housing development will cause loss of playing pitches which have been reprovided further across the site to good quality. Outstanding funds ringfenced for the improvement and maintenance of pitches thereafter. Winsford Town is the main user at this Parish Council managed site and will assist maintaining the pitches collaboratively with the Parish Council in future.

The priority now is to concentrate on those local authority owned sites that require improvements and agree sustainable solutions for pitch maintenance going forward. The first step is to ensure that all pitches have a baseline quality assessment done via PitchPower. The local authority has assessed 18 sites managed in its portfolio using PitchPower, which have a total of one good quality pitch, 22 basic quality pitches and 33 poor quality pitches. The local authority has committed to support a three year Football Investment Programme of capital investment to support new 3G AGPs and grass pitch improvements across a portfolio of local authority sites between 2022-2024. As part of the programme, the Council is also looking to invest into improving pitches at non-Council managed sites at Winsford Academy and has already done so at Cairns Crescent, both of which have also been assessed using PitchPower.

Of the 22 key club/league/County FA maintained pitch sites referenced above it was determined that three of these should be prioritised for improvements, along with three education sites. A further five local authority managed sites, two Parish Council managed sites and four managed by sports associations/privately (maintained with resident clubs) should be prioritised for improvements. In total this will result in quality improvements to 58 pitches.

Seventeen priority projects for potential investment have been identified. Pitch quality rating was evidenced by PitchPower or the PPS and ratified by local partners where PitchPower data isn't available. Prioritisation was based on a rationale of selecting sites in the poorest condition and a strategic focus to improve local authority and club pitches.

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 AGPs 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 33 key grass pitch sites in Cheshire West & Chester of strategic importance, 24 sites have suitable changing rooms, four sites require improvement, three have no facilities and/or require new changing rooms. A project for new changing pavilion provision as an extension of existing facilities at Moss Farm Leisure Complex has also been identified as potentially required in order to support the development of an additional 3G AGP onsite.

Identified in the 2018 LFFP, Football Foundation funding has helped deliver the following off pitch and ancillary facilities projects:

• Netherpool Road (Naylor Close) - changing pavilion refurbishment, improvements to natural grass pitches and the installation of spectator fencing
• Hoole Playing Fields (Coronation Fields) - new changing pavilion and capital grass pitch works
• King George V Sports Hub (Blacon Ave) - new 11v11 3G AGP, two team changing pavilion, kitchen, office and training/education facility and car parking

Identified in the 2018 LFFP, there is a need for changing facilities to service the pitches at Verdin Exchange Playing Field. Pitches have been reconfigured and improved linked to a new housing development nearby. A Council owned pavilion building lies adjacent to the pitches within the land boundary of the neighbouring primary school, which could be refurbished into changing/ancillary facilities to support the grass football pitches. The group presently occupying the building are awaiting a pending planning decision for relocation to a site elsewhere, which if successful could release their current building for future sporting use. The Council states that it would look to extend the existing building and that the project would likely be funded using available S106 contributions and Council capital funding, without Football Foundation funding.

Of the 21 key sites in Cheshire West & Chester where pitch improvements have been prioritised, seven sites require new/additional or refurbished changing facilities.

Nine 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 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 AGP section of this LFFP.

Indoor environments currently accommodate 20% of football participation and are also popular with players in teams and 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.

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 PlayZone 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.

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

Our research also shows us that 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. This section of the LFFP will concentrate on suitable places for PlayZones.

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. Where some engagement has already been carried out projects will appear in the project list.

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.

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

Once these two things are identified local community engagement is required to identify potential sites for investment. In Cheshire West & Chester the starting point for priority places, identified through previous Local Authority work around deprivation and inactivity, is:

• Blacon
• Ellesmere Port - Central and Grange, Wolverham
• Lache
• Neston
• Winsford - Over & Verdin, Swanlow

The key priority groups in Cheshire West & Chester are:

• Women and girls
• People with a limiting illness or disability
• People aged 55 years and over
• Children and young people aged 5 to 18

This priority group of places and people will be ratified through consultation and the next step is to now begin community engagement to help identify where the specific sites are that will help to tackle inequalities and provide spaces for activity.

A range of local agencies and key (mainly 10+ teams) local football clubs were invited to participate in the LFFP consultation. Those that contributed are listed below:

• Total Environment Team Leader (Design Unit) - Cheshire West & Chester Council
• Greenspace Ranger - Cheshire West & Chester Council
• Equality & Diversity Manager - Cheshire West & Chester Council
• Business Development Manager - Brio Leisure
• Facilities & Investment Manager - Cheshire FA
• Delivery Manager - Football Foundation
• Planning Manager - Sport England
• National Contracts & Partnerships Manager - ActiveCheshire
• Chief Executive - Chester FC Community Trust
• Facilities Development Manager (North) - Rugby Football Union
• Facilities Planning Manager (Recreational Game) - England & Wales Cricket Board
• Clubs & CPA Lead Officer - Cheshire Cricket Board
• Facilities Relationship Manager - England Hockey
• National Clubs Manager - Rugby Football League
• Chester FC - Vice Chair
• Chester Nomads FC - Chairman & Secretary
• Frodsham Juniors - Secretary.
• Groves FC - Secretary
• Hartford FC Club Secretary
• Hope Farm Juniors FC - Secretary, Child Welfare & Treasurer
• Northwich Victoria FC - Vice Chairman
• Saughall Colts JFC - Chair
• Winsford United FC - Secretary