Local Football Facility Plan North Devon

North Devon is in the South West Region.

The current population of the Authority (ONS 2017 Mid-Year Estimate) is 95,440. This is expected to rise to 99,032 by 2039.

North Devon is ranked 9 out of 37 LAs in the Region, and 129 out of 326 LAs nationally on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (ONS).

North Devon's ethnic composition is primarily white (97.94%). This is higher than the national average (85.4%).

The proportion of North Devon ’s population represented by the BAME community is 2.06%. This is below the national average (14.6%).

Local authority

The North Devon and Torridge Joint Local Plan was adopted by both councils in October 2018. It sets out the long-term vision for how the towns, villages and countryside of northern Devon will develop and evolve in the period up to 2031. It describes how this vision will be delivered through a strategy of supporting, distributing and delivering sustainable development and growth.

North Devon has a joint Playing Pitch Strategy in place with Torridge District Council which was adopted in 2017. The key findings and stated overarching priorities in relation to football are to provide a full size 3G FTP in Barnstaple and undertake improvements to a number of natural turf pitches and ancillary facilities to increase capacity and improve the playing experience.

County football association

North Devon is covered by the Devon 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 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). Exeter City Community Trust runs a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within the local area.

Local leisure operator

Parkwood Leisure is the key leisure operator in North Devon. It currently runs a number of key sites on behalf of the local authority including:

• North Devon Leisure Centre
• Tarka Tennis Centre
• Ilfracombe Pool and Fitness Centre
• Park School sports facilities, Barnstaple

Local consultation

This has taken place with a broad and diverse set of community groups in North Devon. 15 individuals (representing 12 local organisations) were spoken to. See Appendix B for full list of the agencies consulted.

Clubs

There are over 91,000 community football teams in England, spread over an expansive network of clubs and leagues. North Devon has a total of 129 teams, which is lower than local areas of a similar size.

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

Over the last 10-years there has been a significant national increase in the number of large multi-team football clubs. In North Devon, four clubs have more than 10 registered teams. These (based upon 2018-19 affiliation data) are:

• Braunton Wanderers - 24 teams
• Barnstaple - 17 teams
• Fremington – 16 teams
• South Molton - 10 teams

Leagues

Seven leagues cater for clubs and teams in North Devon. They offer competitive opportunities for many different players, including women and girls, disability, youth and adults. The largest of these local leagues (2018-19) include:

• The North Devon Youth League – 131 teams – home and away
• The North Devon Gazette League – 67 teams – home and away

The County FA reports that there is no, or only very limited, cross boundary migration to/from North Devon.

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 can entail inclusion in mainstream activity or teams / sessions specifically for people with a disability.

In North Devon there are nine football teams / sessions 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. North Devon has one FA Wildcats girls football centre and the priority is to grow this activity.

At 12, North Devon’s number of female teams is lower 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 Devon County 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 Devon Women’s League. It too plays matches on a home and away basis and is expected to grow provision in future years.

There is no FA Regional Talent Club (RTC) in Devon, however, the Devon FA Girls Advanced Coaching Centre is located in South Hams. 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 Bristol City 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 Soccer Sixes at Tarka Tennis 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 that futsal is available across the country.

There are currently no futsal teams in North Devon. It is a priority for the County FA to grow futsal for youth and 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 are currently no FA Just Play centres in North Devon. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisation such as Charter Standard clubs. Walking football and Just Play are County FA priorities for further growth and development. Other local recreational football programmes include pro-club community scheme activities which are delivered by a range of organisations including Exeter City 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 North Devon is played particularly in the areas of Ilfracombe and Barnstaple. Rock Park, Tews Lane and Barnstaple Forches are key well-used site locations.

The key strengths of local football in North Devon include charter standard club and female provision and it is recommended that this is sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However there are aspects of football provision that are lower than local authorities of a similar size, these include futsal and small-sided, walking football and recreational football. It is therefore recommended that the future football development priorities for North Devon are:

1. Age appropriate formats of competition in youth football
2. Small sided (including Futsal)
3. Weight-loss/health clubs, walking football & other casual participation
4. Female
5. 11v11 adult

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 North Devon. 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 is 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.

There is currently two full-sized (11v11) 3G FTP in North Devon located at:

• RMB Chivenor
• Tarka Tennis Centre

There are also three small-sided 3G FTPs located at:

• Braunton Academy (7v7)
• Ilfracombe Academy (7v7)
• South Molton Community College (7v7)

North Devon has a joint PPS with Torridge District Council - undertaken in 2017. This indicates that there is a shortfall of one full size 3G FTP in the Barnstaple area. This has been addressed via the Tarka Tennis Centre 3G development which has been supported by the Football Foundation.

The two small sided 3G FTPs (at South Molton Community College and Braunton Academy) need to be resurfaced. Both of these were funded by Football Foundation. South Molton Community College has no sinking fund in place and Braunton Academy has a partial sinking fund in place.

Three of the four pitches listed above are available for community use. The full size 3G FTP at RMB Chivenor is an MOD site and therefore does not offer community access.

The small sided 3G FTPs at Ilfracombe Academy and South Molton Community College are 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 the small-sided 3G FTP at Braunton Academy is assessed and placed on the Register to enable more match play on 3G.

The geographic spread of existing facilities is even; they are located in the settlements of Ilfracombe, Braunton, South Molton and Barnstaple. No major provision gaps are identified within North Devon at this time.

Local consultation reveals common issues with high pricing and it is recommended that this is addressed.

As all current shortfalls in 3G FTP provision have been addressed, no priority projects for potential investment are identified at this time. Future iterations of the LFFP should review 3G FTP requirements in North Devon accordingly.

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 eight grass pitch sites in North Devon with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than three pitches but deemed to be of strategic importance). These contain 19 grass pitches. Of these, one site is considered to have good quality pitches and seven are classified as being of standard / poor quality.

South Molton FC, one of the key sites identified above, has aspirations to relocate to a larger site towards at the edge of the town. The sale of the land would require like for like replacement of the sports facilities before any Football Foundation investment is considered at the new site. For the purpose of this plan the existing South Molton FC site has been included within the priority project list until such time as the relocation of the Club is confirmed.

The following sites are to be developed without funding via the Football Foundation, as part of the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan.

• Ilfracombe Strategic Southern Expansion
• Westacott Strategic Extension
• Larkbear Strategic Extension

Local consultation confirms the common issues associated with pitch quality and it is recommended that this is addressed.

Of the eight key pitch sites referenced above it was determined that seven should be prioritised for improvements. This will result in quality improvements to 15 pitches.

Seven priority projects for potential investment are identified. Pitch quality rating was evidenced by PPS and ratified by local partners. Prioritisation was based on a rationale of selecting sites in the poorest condition that are presently, or have the potential to be, well utilised for football.

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 eight key grass pitch sites in North Devon with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than three but deemed to be of strategic importance), three have suitable changing rooms, four have facilities that require improvement/replacement and one has no facilities and requires a new changing room.

South Molton FC; identified as one of the eight key grass pitch sites, has aspirations to relocate to a larger site at the edge of the town. As noted above, the sale of the land would require like for like replacement of the sports facilities before any Football Foundation investment is considered. For the purpose of this plan the existing South Molton FC site is included within the priority project list until such time as the relocation of the Club is confirmed.

Also as noted earlier, the following sites will be developed without funding via the Football Foundation, as part of the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan.

• Ilfracombe Strategic Southern Expansion
• Westacott Strategic Extension
• Larkbear Strategic Extension

In addition, Tews Lane Community Sports Recreation Association, which has also been identified as one of the eight key grass pitch sites in North Devon, recieved Football Foundation investment in 2003 for new ancillary facilities. The changing rooms were designed to be extended as demand increased. This is now required to provide appropriate capacity and layout; future S106 funding has been identified for this project.

Four 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 indicates that, at present, no indoor facilities require improvement to develop small sided football.

Two potential opportunities for MUGAs are identified. In each case the rationale is based on the site being in located in the larger settlements of Ilfracombe and Barnstaple where there is considerable local demand for informal football.

Following local consultation, and assisted by the Sport England Green Spaces Mapping Tool two locations are identified to support small sided informal football. Here, the rationale is based on provision based in highly popular local parks and open green spaces with suitable space / areas to increase informal football.

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

• Fremington Youth - Chairman
• Braunton Wanderers Youth - Chairman
• Combe Martin Youth - Chairman
• Combe Martin Youth - Secretary
• Petroc College - Sports Academies Coordinator (via survey)
• Barnstaple Town - Secretary (via survey)
• Chulmleigh Youth Football Club - Secretary (via survey)
• South Molton Junior FC - Vice Chairman
• Barnstaple Youth - Chair
• Ilfracombe Town Youth FC - Secretary
• Exeter City Community Trust - Head of Community
• North Devon Council – Planning Policy
• North Devon Council – Project, Procurement and Open Space Officer
• North Devon Council - Parks, Leisure and Culture Officer
• SAS Soccer Club – Chair