Local Football Facility Plan Kensington and Chelsea

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is located in the Greater London Region.

The current population of the Authority (ONS 2016 Mid-Year Estimate) is 156,726. This is expected to rise to 157,603 by 2039.

Kensington and Chelsea is ranked 20 out of 33 LAs in the region, and 102 out of 326 LAs nationally on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (ONS).

Kensington and Chelsea’s ethnic composition is primarily white (70.61%). This is considerably lower than the national average (85.4%).

The proportion of Kensington and Chelsea’s population represented by the BAME community is 29.39%. This is double the national average (14.6%).

Local authority

The vision of its Community Sport and Physical Activity Strategy is that ‘by 2023 more people in Kensington and Chelsea will be more active and there will be improved health and wellbeing throughout the borough as a result of this...this will be achieved by making physical activity a fundamental and enjoyable part of all people’s lives, and by encouraging the inactive to become active'. The stated priorities are:

• Tackling inactivity with priority group and particular wards.
• Ensuring every child and young person grows up being active on a regular basis.
• Help active people to remain so at a lower cost.
• Working with partners and the community to shape future developments.
• Creating excellent environments that encourage physical activity.

To help deliver the objectives and priorities of the Strategy, a five year action plan will be created to drive the outcomes.

The aim of the Kensington and Chelsea Parks Strategy 2016 - 2025 is to set out priorities for deployment of resources in its parks and open spaces in order to maximise return on investment. The vision is broken down into four priority themes. One of these includes providing a balance of leisure facilities and quiet space across the borough.

The local authority does not have a PPS in place.

County football association

Kensington and Chelsea is covered by London County FA which provides governance 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 club community organisations (CCOs)

These offer a variety of programmes and services to support local communities (sporting and non-sporting). The Chelsea Foundation runs a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within the local area.

Local leisure operator

Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) is the key leisure operator in Kensington and Chelsea. It currently runs two sites; Chelsea Sports Centre and Kensington Leisure Centre.

Local consultation

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

• Westway Sports Centre
• The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
• Chelsea FC Foundation

(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. Kensington and Chelsea has a total of 18 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 ten years there has been a significant national increase in the number of large multi-team football clubs. In Kensington and Chelsea, there is just one large club (Westway); it has has eight teams affiliated (based upon 2017-18 affiliation data).

One league operates in Kensington and Chelsea. It offers competitive opportunity for female players.

Other larger leagues which cover the Kensington and Chelsea (2017-18) include:

• London County Saturday Youth League– 237 teams– spanning across South London from Kensington and Chelsea to as far as Southwark.
• Southern Sunday League teams– 67 adult male team at multiple sites across South London.
• Middlesex Youth Football League – 34 teams–multiple sites across Middlesex.
• Capital Girls League – 90 teams– home and away venue at multiple sites.

The County FA reports significant cross boundary migration (mainly from) Kensington and Chelsea due to teams migrating outwards to play in the Middlesex leagues.

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 Kensington and Chelsea there is one football session 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 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. Kensington and Chelsea presently has no FA Wildcats girls football centres and the priority is to grow this activity.

At four, Kensington and Chelsea’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 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 League. It too plays matches on a home and away basis and is expected to grow provision in future years.

For talented players, the most local FA Regional Talent Club (RTC) is QPR which is located in Play Football Shepherds Bush. 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 Chelsea FC Women 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:

• The Westway Sports Centre

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 Kensington and Chelsea . It is a priority for the County FA to grow Futsal for male, female, youth, adult 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 is currently one FA Just Play Centre in Kensington and Chelsea. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisation such as the Westway Sports Centre. Walking football and Just Play are formats that the County FA has prioritised for further growth. Other local recreational football programmes are delivered by Chelsea FC Foundation across the borough.

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).

The key strengths of local football in Kensington and Chelsea include mini soccer provision and it is recommend that this is sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However, gaps in provision do exist, however facilities are limited due to the small size of the borough.

It is therefore recommended that the future football development priorities for Kensington and Chelsea are:

1. Female youth
2. Female adult
3. Disability

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

In addition, 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 Kensington and Chelsea. 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
• 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 one existing full-sized 3G FTP in Kensington and Chelsea is located at Westway Sports and Fitness Centre

In addition, there are currently nine small-sided 3G FTPs located at:

• Westway Sports and Fitness Centre (five 30x20m, one 55x30m, one 45x20m)
• Holland Park School (61x43m 3G FTP)
• Kensington Aldridge Academy (34x20m 3G FTP)

There is no current PPS and, therefore, demand for full sized 3G FTPs has been calculated using the FA training ratio model which in Kensington and Chelsea identifies that the demand for recreational football is higher than affiliated demand. Taking into account the above sites, there is a shortfall of four full size 3G FTP equivalents.

All of the pitches are available for community use. None is on the FA Register for 3G FTPs (meaning they are quality checked and can be used for football match play). It is strongly recommended that all 3G FTPs are assessed and placed on the Register to enable more match play on 3G.

The geographic spread of existing facilities is uneven; the majority are located in the north of the local area. There are facilities gaps in the south of the borough despite high levels of population and deprivation in this area and it is recommended that these are addressed. Within Kensington and Chelsea, space for new facilities is limited therefore an approach based upon developing predominantly small sided (rather than full sized) 3G pitches has been adopted to help alleviate the borough-wide shortfall.

Local consultation reveals common issues with low 3G availability and it is recommended that this is addressed.

A key site for potential investment is the Westway Centre. This would encompass refurbishment of the full-sized 3G FTP and six small sided 3G FTPs . While this proposal will not meet the identified total shortfall of full size FTPs based on recreational demand, it is intended that the delivery of refurbishments at the Westway Centre, and new-build small sided facilities identified elsewhere in this plan will provide better coverage to cater for recreational demand in Kensington & Chelsea. It is however recommended that future iterations of the plan address this when additional land / development opportunities become available.

Proposed sites were determined on the basis of a rationale that takes account of the level of access, high population, the quality of existing facilities, high levels of deprivation, and the high proportion of people from lower social economic groups:

Playing fields are one of the most important resources for sport in England. All football players should have the opportunity to play on good quality grass pitches. However, FA data shows that 63% of pitches in England are poor / low quality and one in six games is cancelled. As such, poor pitch quality is consistently cited as the number one issue for players.

The priority is, therefore, to sustainably improve grass pitch quality across all main pitch owners (local authorities, education establishments and clubs). However, the level of maintenance required to obtain good quality standards is regularly affected by restricted budgets and limited knowledge/ training. Compaction and grass coverage are two key causes of poor quality pitches. Both are commonly treated via a maintenance driven solution (and do not necessarily require costly drainage schemes).

Playing fields are also a valuable resources for informal play and open-access sites are encouraged but, for many, problems such as dog fouling and vandalism mean that they need to be protected with mitigation measures such as fencing.

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.

While the education sector (37%) and local authorities (32%) are still the principal asset owners of grass pitches, clubs / leagues own or maintain an increasing share (currently 25%). Assets and opportunities have been considered across each sector.

Although large (3+ pitch) strategic sites are important and make up much of the project list within the LFFPs, this does not mean that other club, league and community/voluntary sites are not important or eligible for funding. These sites are key to the Football Foundation's Grass Pitch Programme to deliver 20,000 good quality pitches.

For more information click here.

PitchPower

The PitchPower app is the gateway to any grass pitch improvement funding. It is the tool that will allow clubs and organisations to complete pitch inspections and access funds.

If you haven't signed up and completed a PitchPower pitch inspection, you will need to do this before you can apply for the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund.

Learn more by clicking here.

There are currently three grass pitch sites in Kensington and Chelsea containing three grass pitches. Of these, one has been prioritised for improvement. Whilst the identified site (Kensington Memorial Park) contains only one grass pitch equivalent, it is deemed to be strategically significant in respect of affiliated football in the Borough.

One priority project for potential investment is identified.

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 three grass pitch sites in Kensington and Chelsea, the changing rooms at one site require improvement/replacement. In addition, the changing facilities at Westway Sport Centre are in need of refurbishment.

Two 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 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 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.

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 no indoor facilities that currently require improvement to develop small sided football.

Four potential opportunities for MUGAs are identified. Each is in an area of high urban population with limited green space, high levels of deprivation and high number of people from lower social economic groups and corresponding high local demand for informal football.

Following local consultation, one location has been identified to support small-sided informal football. This is a popular local park/open green space.

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:

• Voluntary Sector Development Manager - Kensington & Chelsea Social Council
• Strategic Commissioner – Youth Review - The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
• Head Of Football - Westway Sports Centre
• London Community Manager - Chelsea FC Foundation