Local Football Facility Plan Sefton

Demographics for the area can be seen below:

Local authority

The Sefton Local Plan sets out how new development will be managed in the period from 2015 to 2030. It encourages sustainable development and economic growth, and it gives current and future generations more opportunities to live and work in Sefton.

The local authority has a draft Playing Pitch & Outdoor Sport Strategy (PPOSS) which was adopted by Sefton Council in July 2023. The key findings for football include a critical shortfall of 11v11 3G FTPs and capacity shortfalls for grass football pitches (particularly for adult and youth football pitches, both 11v11 and 9v9), including poor quality and limited carrying capacity across the majority of the Council managed and maintained pitch portfolio. The stated overarching priorities are to develop more 11v11 3G FTPs to reduce the shortfall, maximise their use for match play to help reduce grass pitch shortfalls, as well as to support club-led and Council-led maintenance of key sites to increase quality. There is a prevalence of central venue play across many grass pitch sites in Sefton and a strategic priority should be to transition central venue play at specific formats onto 3G pitches as more are built. The PPOSS also identifies similar issues for other grass pitch sports, with capacity shortfalls evident for rugby union and senior cricket.

County Football Association

Sefton is covered by Liverpool FA and Lancashire FA. They each provide governance for, and development support to, all aspects of local football including coaches, referees, volunteers, clubs and leagues; supporting football for all. The County FAs have designated facilities investment lead officers who work 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 Liverpool FC Foundation and Everton in the Community each run a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within the local area.

Local leisure operator

Sefton Council manages most leisure facilities in-house and is the main leisure operator via its Active Sefton brand. It currently runs six key sites including the following key sites for football:

• Dunes Leisure Centre - 4x 5v5 3G FTPs
• Litherland Sports Park - 11v11 3G FTP, 10x grass football pitches (various formats)
• Meadows Leisure Centre - facilities servicing the football pitch at King George V Playing Fields adjacent
• Netherton Activity Centre - 4x 5v5 3G FTPs, 2x 7v7 3G FTPs, 6x grass football pitches (various formats)

Parkwood Leisure operates Crosby Leisure Centre and Formby Pool is managed by an independent trust, neither have outdoor football facilities.

Local consultation

Local consultation took place with a broad and diverse set of community groups to inform the development of the 2019 LFFP, as well as more recently to inform and develop the draft Sefton PPOSS (2023). See Appendix B for full list of consultees who helped inform the LFFP update. It is a requirement that all projects that move through to application phase undertake detailed community engagement to ensure that facilities fully serve the communities they are being designed for.

Clubs

There are over 91,000 community football teams in England, spread over an expansive network of clubs and leagues. Sefton has a total of 701 teams (2022/23).

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 Sefton, 19 clubs have more than 10 registered teams (based upon 2022/23 affiliation data), they are:

• FC Northern - 46 teams
• Formby Community FC – 37 teams
• Crosby Stuart - 35 teams
• Maghull Youth - 31 teams
• Litherland Remyca - 30 teams
• Netherton Junior - 27 teams
• Redgate Rovers - 26 teams
• Silcox Villa – 24 teams
• Southport Trinity - 26 teams
• Marina Sands – 22 teams
• Southport FC - 22 teams
• Bootle Bucks Inclusion – 21 teams
• Southport Athletic – 20 teams
• Northfield Sports Association - 20 teams
• Southport & Ainsdale Amateurs - 18 teams
• St Thomas Lydiate Leopards – 17 teams
• Bootle FC Academy – 14 teams
• Forefield Rangers – 14 teams
• Formby Junior Sports Club - 12 teams

Leagues

Three leagues operate in Sefton. They offer competitive opportunity for many different players, including youth, girls and adults (male and female). While there are no specific league opportunities for disability within Sefton there is however suitable provision provided in neighbouring Liverpool.

Sefton's largest local leagues (2022/23) include:

• Craven Minor League - 216 teams (home and away)
• Hightown Junior League - 225 teams (central venue at multiple grass pitch sites)
• Bootle & Netherton Junior League - 121 teams (central venue at multiple grass pitch sites)

The County FAs report that there is significant cross boundary migration in Sefton due to teams migrating both inwards (from Liverpool, Knowsley and West Lancashire) and outwards (to 3G pitch hub sites in Liverpool) to play at league central venues. The quantitative shortfall of 3G pitches in Sefton leads there to be significant migration outwards to Liverpool, Knowsley and West Lancashire to access 3G pitch provision for training.

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 Sefton there are seven football teams and four football 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 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. Sefton has six 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. There are currently two FA Squad sessions registered in Sefton for 2022/23.

At 112 (including 39 dedicated mini girls teams), the number of female teams in Sefton is higher than local areas of a similar size. The priority of the County FAs is to support existing clubs to grow and encourage more clubs to develop playing opportunities for females. The local girls league is the Hightown Girls League and matches are played on a central venue basis. It is expected to grow provision in future years. The local adult female league is the LCFA Women's League and matches are played on a home and away across Merseyside. It too expects to grow provision in future years. Liverpool FA also runs the She Inspires Football League based at LCFA Sefton Sports Ground, providing a small sided 5v5 or 6v6 offer with 24 teams playing regularly.

For talented players, the most local FA regional talent clubs (RTCs) are Everton Women (Childwall) and Liverpool FC Women (Walton). Higher 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 Everton Women and Liverpool FC Women, both of 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 pitches or small-sided 3G centres.

Key local providers include:

• Liverpool FA - at LCFA Sefton
• Leisure Leagues - at Stanley High School, Formby Activity Centre Ltd, Greenbank High School, Active Soccer Sports Centre
• Goals - at Goals (Liverpool North)

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 five FA Just Play centres in Sefton. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisation such as LCFA and Northern Lights PD. Walking football and Just Play are County FA priorities for further growth and development. Other local recreational football programmes include Active Through Football, delivered by Liverpool FA across the Liverpool City Region, including in Sefton at Netherton Activity Centre.

The key strengths of local football in Sefton include youth and adult male provision and it is recommended that this is sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However, there are aspects of football provision that lower than local authorities of a similar size, these include women and girls' participation and disability.

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

1. Adult Male
2. Adult Female
3. Youth Male
4. Youth Female
5. Futsal

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

Each priority project that progresses to a funding application via the Football Foundation will produce a detailed ‘site development plan’ specifying all football development activity, usage and key partner engagement.

This section reviews existing football facility assets. It identifies current issues and presents opportunities for improvements, including a list of priority projects for potential investment.

Local assets and opportunities have been reviewed in line with four investment priorities:

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

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. An 11v11 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 are four 11v11 size 3G FTPs in Sefton:

• Chesterfield High School
• Litherland Sports Park
• LCFA Sefton Sports Ground
• Marine Travel Arena (Marine FC)

At the time of the 2019 LFFP, there were no 11v11 3G FTPs in Sefton. All four pitches have been built since and with the exception of the pitch at Marine Travel Arena which was self-funded by Marine FC, the three other pitches were FF funded.

There are a further 39 small size 3G pitches across ten sites, used primarily football, all of which are floodlit and available for community use. This includes six small-sided 3G FTP centres currently in Sefton:

• Active Soccer Sports Centre - 3 x 5v5 FTPs
• Dunes Leisure Centre - 4x 5v5 3G FTPs
• Formby Activity Centre Ltd - 4x 5v5 3G FTPs
• Goals (Liverpool North) - 9x 5v5 3G FTPs
• LCFA Sefton Sports Ground - 5x 5v5 3G FTPs
• Netherton Activity Centre - 4x 5v5 and 2x 7v7 3G FTPs

Birkdale High School is exploring feasibility to develop a World Rugby compliant 3G pitch onsite in consultation with potential partner Southport RUFC.

Sefton Council previously developed a proposal for the construction of a new 3G FTP at Orrell Mount Park (Bootle & Netherton area) in consultation with FF with a view to potential funding, the project identified in the 2019 LFFP. The proposal was granted planning permission in 2021 but was not progressed due to the results and feedback from the public consultation undertaken by the Council.

St Michael's C of E High School (Crosby area) has identified ambitions to develop a 3G pitch at its nine acre playing field site, which currently has four adult football pitches. The location identified would be a condemned redgra facility which has been out of use for several decades and deemed unusable for sport.

Though not a 3G FTP by design, a hybrid grass pitch was installed in April 2020 at Bootle FC as part of a pilot supported by Sport England. The pitch was designed to support a maximum of 25 hours of demand per week. It does not meet the technical design specifications of a 3G pitch nor contributes the same level of capacity, but should be noted as being able to provide capacity beyond that of a grass pitch and meeting a training need from some community clubs. The Club has received planning permission for the installation of a further two small sided 3G FTPs on the grass space behind the East stand.

Sefton has a Playing Pitch & Outdoor Sport Strategy (PPOSS) which was adopted by Sefton Council in 2023. The PPOSS indicates that there is a requirement for 17 11v11 sized 3G FTPs for football, against a supply for community football of four 11v11 pitches. The PPOSS consequently indicates a shortfall of 13 11v11 3G FTPs, increasing to 14 when accounting for future demand. Shortfalls remain in the following sub-areas:

• Bootle & Netherton area - shortfall of four 11v11 sized 3G FTPs for football
• Crosby area - shortfall of two 11v11 sized 3G FTPs for football
• Formby area - shortfall of four 11v11 sized 3G FTP for football
• Sefton East area - shortfall of one 11v11 sized 3G FTP for football
• Southport - shortfall of three 11v11 sized 3G FTPs for football

The six small sided 3G pitches at Netherton Activity Centre (built 2011) have exceeded their respective recommended surface lifespans and require replacement, as have the three 5v5 3G pitches at Active Soccer Sports Centre. The 3G pitches at neither site were previously FF funded.

RFU reports demand for additional World Rugby compliant 3G pitches for rugby union activity in Sefton. The need identified above is based on demand for football team training and should pursued projects propose a shared programme of use for football and rugby union (and/or other sports), then there may be case to require and sustain more than the 14 11v11 3G pitches identified to meet demand for football. This should be reviewed as any multi-sport 3G pitch projects are brought forward.

All four 11v11 3G pitches are available for community use and three are on the FA 3G Pitch Register (meaning they are quality checked and can be used for football match play). Litherland Sports Park is not FA registered and it is strongly recommended that it is assessed and placed on the Register to enable more match play on 3G. The five small size 3G pitches at LCFA Sefton Sports Ground are also on the FA 3G Pitch Register.

The geographic spread of existing facilities is uneven; the majority are located in the south of the local area (two 11v11 3G FTPs in each of the Bootle & Netherton and Crosby sub-areas). The greatest facility gaps are in the north (Southport area) and central (Formby) where there are no 11v11 3G FTPs despite high levels of population and high levels of deprivation in this area and it is recommended that these are addressed. The Formby sub-area has just four 5v5 3G FTPs despite demand equivalent for four 11v11 3G FTPs.

Local consultation undertaken through the PPOSS reveals common issues with low availability due to the quantitative lack of 3G FTPs as well as significant export of demand outside of the Borough. The PPOSS identified 140 teams reporting that they access 3G pitch provision outside of Sefton for training requirements due to a lack of provision within the Borough, most travelling to pitches in Liverpool.

Fourteen priority projects for potential investment are identified. Each was selected based upon a rationale of high population and football demand, geographic spread, existing facility quality and high levels of deprivation and proportions of people from lower social economic groups:

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 Football Foundation | PitchPower

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

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

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

From the time of the 2019 LFFP, the introduction of PitchPower has allowed all sites owned and leased sites by eligible organisations to apply for funding to improve grass pitch maintenance. Sandy Lane Playing Fields, a Parish Council managed site, was amongst those previously highlighted in the 2019 LFFP as pitch improvement projects and has since been awarded Football Foundation investment.

Some organisations/sites have since been awarded Football Foundation investment through the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund (GPMF), 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. Organisations that have accessed the funding to improve pitches are:

• Aintree Villa FC (Aintree Golf Centre)
• Fleetwood Hesketh Sports Club (Fleetwood Hesketh Sports & Social Club)
• Hightown Junior League (Hightown Playing Fields)
• Liverpool County FA (LCFA Sefton Sports Ground)
• Liverpool Ramblers AFC
• Lydiate Parish Council (Sandy Lane Playing Fields)
• Maghull FC (Maghull Cricket Club)
• Southport & Ainsdale Amateurs (The Ainsdale Sports Club)

There are currently 16 grass pitch sites in the local area that have been identified as either currently maintained, in part or whole, by grassroots clubs, leagues, Parish/Town Councils or a County FA. Of these, 15 sites have been assessed via PitchPower and are known to have 25 good or better (high or advanced) quality pitches, 4 basic quality and 23 poor quality pitches.

The total number of pitches includes club/league/County FA owned or maintained sites which are a priority for grass pitch investment and are eligible for the Football Foundation's grass pitch maintenance fund. These sites are listed below:

• Brook Vale Playing Fields (Crosby Stuart FC)
• The Hightown Club (Ormskirk FC)
• Northern Club (Forefield Rangers FC)
• Rookery Sports Club (Southport Trinity FC)
• Southport Cricket Club (Southport & Birkdale United FC)
• Clarence Sports Field (Greenloons Formby JFC)
• Preston New Road (Hesketh Casuals FC)

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. Sefton Council has undertaken PitchPower assessments across its football pitch portfolio. Fifteen Council managed sites have been assessed the local authority via PitchPower and are known to have 20 good or better (high or advanced) quality pitches, 19 basic quality and 42 poor.

Of the 16 key club/league/community pitch sites referenced above it was determined that seven of these should be prioritised for improvements. A further 11 local authority managed sites and a Parish Council managed site should be prioritised for improvements, some of which may hold opportunity for future transfer to club or league led management and maintenance models. In total this will result in quality improvements to 63 full size pitch equivalents.

Nineteen priority projects for potential investment have been identified. Pitch quality rating was evidenced by PitchPower or the PPOSS and ratified by local partners where PitchPower data isn't available. Prioritisation was based on a rationale of selecting sites that had the most pitches, that were most well utilised and with a strategic focus to improve club/league maintained pitches and key local authority sites.

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 28 key grass pitch sites in Sefton managed by clubs/leagues/County FA or deemed to be of strategic importance, six sites require improvement, three require replacement and two have no facilities and require new changing pavilions.

Subject to detailed exploration of site options for the possible development of new 3G pitches, it may be that proposed sites could require the development of new or additional ancillary provision such as car parking, additional changing rooms and/or toilets to service increased use of the site brought about by having a 3G pitch.

Eleven 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 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.

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

Football Foundation PlayZones Programme

PlayZones are modern, safe, and engaging facilities that are designed for recreational football and at least one other sport. There are a range of facility types to meet the needs of different sports.

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 Sefton the starting point for priority places, identified through previous Local Authority work around deprivation and inactivity, is:

• Lineacre
• Derby
• St Oswald
• Litherland
• Ford

The key priority groups in Sefton are:

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

This priority group of places and people will be ratified throughout the process 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 were invited to participate in the LFFP consultation. Those that contributed are listed below:

• Facilities Development and Management Officer - Sefton Council
• Football Development Manager - Liverpool FA
• Facilities Investment Manager - Liverpool FA
• Head of Facilities & Investment - Lancashire FA
• Delivery Manager - Football Foundation
• Head of Partnerships - LFC Foundation
• Senior Programme Manager - Everton in the Community
• Planning Manager - Sport England
• Director - Merseyside Sports Partnership
• Multi-Sport Network Manager - Active Partnerships
• Facilities Development Manager (North) - Rugby Football Union
• Facilities Planning Manager (Recreational Game) - England & Wales Cricket Board
• Cricket Development Manager - Lancashire Cricket Foundation
• Facilities Relationship Manager - England Hockey