Local Football Facility Plan Gedling

Gedling is in the East Midlands region.

The current population of the authority (ONS 2017 Mid-Year Estimate) is 117,128. This is expected to rise to 131,439 by 2039.

Gedling is ranked 23 out of 40 LAs in the region, and 202 out of 326 LAs nationally on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (ONS).

Gedling's ethnic composition is primarily classed as white (93%). This is higher than the national average (85.4%).

The proportion of Gedling’s population represented by the BAME community is 7%. This is below the national average (14.6%)

Local authority

The Gedling Plan (updated 2018) highlights a further grant reduction of £4.0 million expected over the period 2016/17 to 2021/22, with a planned £1,128,200 savings planned in 2018/19 and a further £2,778,000 between 2019/20-2022/23. Services such as parks and grounds maintenance have already come under increased strain and given the need to make further savings, it is likely that this will continue to impact on the Council's capacity and ability to maintain and manage football pitch provision.

The Authority Playing Pitch Strategy was adopted in 2016. The key findings and stated overarching priorities are to increase the level of full-sized (11v11) 3G FTP provision in the Borough and to improve the quality of grass pitches at key sites through improved maintenance regimes.

County football association

Gedling is covered by the Nottingham 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. It 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 offer a variety of programmes and services to support local communities (sporting and non-sporting). Both Nottingham Forest Community Trust and Notts County Football in the Community run a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities in the local area.

Local leisure operator

Gedling Leisure is the key leisure operator in Gedling. It currently runs five leisure centre sites including:

• Arnold Leisure Centre - no football facilities.
• Redhill Leisure Centre (at Redhill Academy) - 11v11 3G FTP, sports hall.
• Carlton Forum Leisure Centre (at Carlton Academy) - sports hall, potential to manage use of facilities opposite at Huckerby's Field.
• Calverton Leisure Centre (at Colonel Frank Seely Academy) - 7v7 3G FTP, sports hall.
• Richard Herrod Centre - no football facilities.

Local consultation

This has taken place with a broad and diverse set of community groups in Gedling. A total of 12 individuals (representing 11 local organisations) were spoken to. Agencies consulted include:

• Carlton-le-Willows Academy
• Gedling Southbank FC
• Burton Joyce Parish Council
• Carlton Town FC

(See Appendix B for full list of consultees)

There are over 91,000 community football teams in England, spread over an expansive network of clubs and leagues. Gedling has a total of 263 teams, which is comparable to 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 Gedling, seven clubs have more than 10 registered teams. These (based upon 2017-18 affiliation data) are:

• Gedling Southbank - 46 teams
• Arnold Town - 26 teams
• Burton Joyce - 23 teams
• Ravenshead Reds - 21 teams
• Carlton Town - 19 teams
• Calverton Miners Welfare - 17 teams
• Hucknall Sports - 14 teams (Ashfield based team)

Seventeen leagues operate in Nottingham. They offer competitive opportunities for many different players, including women and girls, disability, youth and adults.

Nottingham largest local leagues (2017-18) include:

• Young Elizabethan League (YEL) Saturday – 627 teams – home and away
• Young Elizabethan League (YEL) Sunday – 406 teams – home and away
• Nottinghamshire Girls and Ladies Football League – 154 teams– home and away
• Notts Youth Football League Saturday – 147 teams – home and away
• Notts Youth Football League Sunday– 98 teams – home and away

The County FA reports that there is minimal cross boundary migration to/from Gedling.

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 Gedling there are three football teams / sessions specifically for people with a disability. It is a priority of the County FA to sustain 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. Gedling has one FA Wildcats girls football centre and the priority is to grow this activity.

At 17, Gedling'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 Nottinghamshire Girls and Ladies 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 Nottinghamshire Girls and Ladies League in which matches are also played on a home and away basis; it too is expected to sustain its provision in future years.

For talented players, the most local FA Regional Talent Club (RTC) is Nottingham Forest RTC which is located in Basford. Higher level talent pathway opportunities are also provided regionally and nationally by the FA, culminating in the England Women’s national squads. The nearest Women’s Super League team is Birmingham City Ladies 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:

• Playfootball (Arnold Hill School)

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 futsal teams in Gedling. 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 no FA Just Play Centres in Gedling. Walking football and Just Play are County FA priorities for further growth and development. Other local recreational football programmes include disability turn up and play holiday sessions and other mini kicks schools programmes at Redhill Academy. These are delivered by a range of organisations including Nottingham Forest Community Trust.

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 Gedling is played particularly in the central part of the local authority. Playfootball and Redhill Academy are key heavily used site locations.

The key strengths of local football in Gedling include affiliated provisions, multi team clubs and disability provision; it is recommended that this is sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However, gaps in provision do exist, these include the recreation football offer as well as the formal game.

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

1. Walking Football opportunity
2. Futsal development
3. Increase the accessibility and opportunities for girls within the Wildcat programme
4. Training facilities to allow for the increasing demand within the mini soccer and youth game
5. Capturing the recreational game

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 Gedling. 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.

Existing full-sized (11 v 11) 3G FTPs in Gedling include:

• Arnold Hill Academy (Playfootball Nottingham)
• Redhill Academy/Redhill Leisure Centre
  

In addition, there is currently one small-sided 3G FTP centre in Gedling at Arnold Hill Academy. The 11v11 3G FTP is supported by eight 5v5 3G FTPs, operated in non-school hours by Playfootball.

There are also small sided 7v7 3G FTPs at the following sites:

• Calverton Leisure Centre
• Poplars Sports Ground
• Bill Stokeld Stadium (Carlton Town FC)

Gedling's PPS was adopted in 2016. It indicates a shortfall of five full-sized 3G FTPs. Since then, the sand based pitch at Redhill Academy/Redhill Leisure Centre has been converted to 3G reducing the current shortfall to four full-sized 3G FTPs.

Field Sports Management reports that it is working in partnership with Redhill Academy Trust to convert the full-sized sand based artificial grass pitch and three adjacent 5v5 cages at Carlton Academy (Huckerby's Field) to 3G, along with development of a new pitchside pavilion. If delivered, this proposed project (which is to be developed without Football Foundation funding) would reduce the 11v11 3G FTP shortfall to three pitches.

In addition to the shortfall of full size 3G FTPs, the 11v11 3G FTP at Arnold Hill Academy (Playfootball Arnold) needs to be replaced due to its poor quality.

Both existing pitches are available for community use. One is on the FA Register for 3G FTPs (meaning it is quality checked and can be used for football match play). The 11v11 3G FTP at Arnold Hill Academy (Playfootball Arnold) does not meet the minimum run-off areas required to meet FA Registration criteria for adult football and thus in its current form is only able to achieve FA registration for youth and mini football without extension of the current footprint. In support of full size provision, the small sided 3G FTP at Poplars Sports Ground previously funded by the Football Foundation also features on the FA Register.

The geographic spread of existing facilities is uneven; the majority are located in the central part of the local area. There are provision gaps in the south despite high levels of population and some high levels of deprivation in this area, especially in the Carlton and Netherton localities and where the Borough borders Nottingham in the Colwick area. It is recommended that these are addressed.

Local consultation reveals common issues with low availability and lack of opportunity for match play on 3G. It is recommended that these issues are addressed.

Four priority projects for potential investment have been identified. Each site was selected by local partners based on a rationale of good access, high population, geographic spread, and the present quality of existing facilities:

There are currently 11 grass pitch sites in Gedling with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than 3 pitches but deemed to be of strategic importance). These contain 49 grass pitches. Of these, one venue is considered to have good quality pitches, eight are of standard quality and two of poor quality.

Of the 11 key pitch sites referenced above all but one of these is being prioritised for improvements; a total of 46 pitches. Local consultation did not unearth any further specific common issues.

There is also a new playing field site planned as part of the proposed Top Wighay housing development. This will see development of new grass pitches for football.

Ten priority projects for potential investment are identified. Pitch quality rating was evidenced by PPS and qualified by local partners. Prioritisation was informed by local partners with the rationale of selecting sites that had the most pitches and that were best utilised.

Of the 11 key grass pitch sites in Gedling with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than three pitches but deemed to be of strategic importance ), eight have suitable changing rooms, three require improvement/replacement and none require a new changing room.

Three priority projects for potential investment have been identified. Prioritisation was informed by local partners based upon a rationale of selecting sites deemed to have an unsuitable pavilion requiring replacement or refurbishment.

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.

There is a key challenge around access to indoor capacity for futsal (and opportunities to grow walking football) in Gedling. An indoor futsal league is accommodated at Nottingham Girls & Boys High School on Thursday evenings.

The Young Elizabethan League aspires to develop futsal by introducing a futsal offer within its league season. This may help to avoid the impact of poor weather on outdoor pitches thus keeping people playing throughout, whilst offering a different type of football opportunity. This would require access to indoor space and futsal goals, though further work is needed to understand where capacity exists to introduce and develop futsal where competitive facilities are required.

No priority projects for the improvement of indoor spaces have been identified.

Four 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 and/or where there is limited green space, or where there is reported regular informal football activity.

Three potential opportunities for improved parks and open spaces have been identified. In each case the rationale is based on the site being in an area of high urban population and/or where there is limited green space.

Lambley Lane is a strategically important and large site with great potential for development of informal football facilities to support a better quality formal football offer. It is also located in an area due to experience increased housing growth. Burton Joyce Parish Council has aspirations to develop informal play space within the current grounds of the Poplars Sports Ground site in response to findings of its Neighbourhood Plan consultation with local schoolchildren aged 14-18. Cavendish Playspace is located within a densely populated area and represents one of only a few publicly accessible spaces for people to play informal football.

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

• Business Development Manager - Nottinghamshire FA
• Engagement Manager - Football Foundation
• Planning Manager - Sport England
• Service Manager (Community Relations) - Gedling Borough Council
• Sports & Health Development Officer (Community Relations) - Gedling Borough Council
• Locality Co-ordinator (Netherfield) - Gedling Borough Council
• Strategic Director - Active Partners Trust
• Place Lead - Active Partners Trust
• COO/Deputy CEO - Nottingham Forest Community Trust
• Activity Manager - Notts County FC Football in the Community
• General Manager - Nottingham Forest FC
• Managing Director - Field Sports Management
• Carlton Town FC
• Calverton Miners Welfare
• Gedling Southbank FC
• Burton Joyce Parish Council
• Arnold Eagles Girls & Ladies FC
• Hucknall Sports YCFC