Local Football Facility Plan Stoke-on-Trent

Demographics for the area can be seen below:

Local Authority

As a key stakeholder in delivering this plan, the Local Authority are responsible for a range of vital services for people and businesses in defined areas. The role of local authorities is to lead and represent their communities. They must engage with their communities and encourage community participation in decision-making, while considering the needs of people currently living in communities and those who will live there in the future

The local authority has a Playing Pitch Strategy in place; this was adopted in 2021 with a Stage E being held in 2023. The key findings of the latest Stage E are as follows:

Central area

• Shortfall of 2.5 11v11 Natural Turf Pitches (NTP)
• Shortfall of 4 youth 11v11 ​NTP
• Shortfall of 3 9v9 NTP
• Shortfall of 1.5 7v7 and 5v5 NTP respectively

Totalling a shortfall of 12.5 in the Central area

Northern area

• Shortfall of 3.5 11v11 3G pitches​ currently with a potential future shortfall of 4
• Shortfall of 2 11v11 NTP
• Shortfall of 7.5 youth 11v11 NTP​
• Shortfall of 3.5 9v9 NTP​
• Shortfall of 2 7v7 NTP​
• Shortfall of 3 5v5 NTP

Totalling a shortfall of 18 in the Northern area

Sothern area

• No shortfalls

SoT have also commissioned a Mitigation Strategy to help identify sites the could be used as mitigation due to the loss of a number of sites/pitches across the LA area. This strategy identified four sites equating to eight pitches to either be brought back into use or additional pitches created in order to mitigate for the loss of pitches at other sites. It is worth noting that all sites are subject to further investigation and potential requirement to upgrade ancillary facilities such as changing rooms and carparking, as well as assessing access to each of these sites.

County Football Associations

County Football Associations (CFAs) provide governance for, and development support to, all aspects of local football including coaches, referees, volunteers, clubs and leagues; supporting football for all. All CFAs have a designated facilities investment lead officer(s) that works to ensure the right facilities are located in the right locations.

Football Foundation

Delivery Managers and Technical Project Managers at the Football Foundation work collaboratively with the CFAs to provide pre-application support and lead on the delivery of priority projects for potential investment. Facility Planning Managers (FPMs) 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)

Supported by facility investment CCOs can offer a variety of programmes and services to support local communities (sporting and non-sporting). They run a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within their local areas. Projects identified in the LFFP help CCOs support delivery on a local level.

Local consultation

Local consultation has taken place via the LFFP steering group and a local club survey, except where it is agreed that views have been captured elsewhere. Furthermore, it is a requirement and key element of project development that those which 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 110,000 community football teams in England, spread over an expansive network of clubs and leagues.

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 England Football Accreditation, 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. The FAs 2024-2028 strategy is due to be released in 2024 which may supersede some information above.

Over the last 10-years there has been a significant national increase in the number of large multi-team football clubs. Locally, the following clubs have more than ten registered teams:

• Abbey Hulton United FC
• Blurton Reds FC
• Blythe Bridge JFC
• Bradwell FC
• Eastwood Hanley FC
• Florence FC
• Foley Meir FC
• FC Hanley
• Hanley Town FC
• Kidsgrove Athletic Youth FC
• Milton United FC
• Port Vale FC
• Stoke City FC
• Unity FC

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. Comets is a recreational, pan-disability football programme for disabled boys and girls aged between 5 and 11. Pan-disability is the largest format of disability football, which sees players with a broad range of impairments and health conditions play together. Comets offers a flexible and inclusive way of playing, one that’s all about playfulness, friendships and having fun. For talented players the FA runs regional centres and England national squads. Projects identified in the LFFP help CFAs support disability football delivery on a local level, which will be identified through local community engagement.

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 and is a key objective of any facility investment. The FA’s 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, 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. 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.

For talented players, the Girls' Emerging Talent Centres (ETCs) across the nation are provided to increase and diversify the talent pool and give more girls than ever the chance to take their first steps on the pathway towards playing professional football. Higher level talent pathway opportunities are also provided regionally and nationally by the FA, culminating in the England Women’s national squads. Women’s Super League and Women's Championship teams provide player pathway opportunities for gifted and talented female players and a spectator interest for fans.

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. Recreational football demand will be explored as part of the community engagement when a facility project is developed to ensure that the needs of the recreational game are captured. 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 Artificial Grass Pitches (AGPs)
• Improved grass pitches
• Off pitch and ancillary facilities (e.g. toilets, changing rooms, catering)
• Small sided facilities

To ensure a consistent and high quality approach, each local area has been reviewed applying a standard approach, supplemented by input from consultation with local partners and stakeholder organisations.

While each investment priority is reviewed individually, it is understood that they can be inter-reliant; account is, thus, taken of these potential connections.

3G pitches 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. All 3G pitches must have sports lighting and offer a broad programme of community use to achieve this.

The high quality, consistent playing surface is the ideal environment to play the game and for young people to learn. With regular maintenance programmes, 3G pitches 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 women and girls, low socio-economic groups, people with disabilities and culturally diverse communities. The way 3G pitches are used allows for match play across all formats of football (5v5, 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11). This enables match play to be transferred from grass to 3G as well as being a fantastic asset for training. Only pitches on The FA 3G Register can accommodate affiliated match play (meaning they are quality checked). It is strongly recommended that all pitches are registered.

Although Football Foundation investment will always be football led, 3G pitches offer a fantastic opportunity to support other sports, particularly traditional grass pitch sports. Where appropriate, and through engagement with other NGBs, projects below will include potential multisport opportunities.

Existing full-sized (11 v 11) 3G FTPs in Stoke-on-Trent include:

• St Peters Academy
• Ormiston- Sir Stanley Matthews Academy
• The Discovery Academy
• Northwood Stadium
• Dimensions Leisure Centre
• Sir Stanley Matthews Sports Centre
• St Thomas More Catholic Academy
• Birches Head High School

Additionally, there are currently 29 small-sided 3G FTP centres in Stoke-on-Trent. Both centres being operated by Powerleague with a further 10 in the area that are privately managed:

• Powerleague x10
• Former Excel Academy x9

Stoke-on-Trent (SoT) has a PPS undertaken in 2021. The PPS indicates that there is a shortfall of three full size 3G FTPs required in the northern area of the LA.

28 of the 37 pitches are available for community use. It is recommend that community use opportunities are explored at Excel Academy . Five are on The FA Register for 3G FTPs (meaning they are quality checked and can be used for football match play) with Dimensions Leisure Centre, Stoke City Dome and Sir Stanley Matthews Sports Centre who are not currently on The FA Register for 3G FTPs. It is strongly recommended that these pitches 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 central area of SoT. There are facilities gaps in the north and it is recommended that this is addressed.

From the Project list below, there are three sites identified with the Goldenhill site discussed by the Steering Group as an aspirational project which could potentially accommodate two 3G pitches which may be delivered in phases. However, with two other sites identified, the second pitch at Golden Hill will be subject to feasibility studies and need analysis to determine if an additional pitch at this site is required. Due to this sites location, it could potentially accommodate Newcastle-Under-Lyme needs which would also require further analysis. Although four sites have been identified, the Goldenhill site development is aspirational at this stage due to it currently being a golf course. Therefore, additional sites have been identified in case Goldenhill isn't viable.

The FA has seen unprecedented growth in football over the last five years, particularly in the youth and women & girls game. Overall participation is estimated to grow year on year, equating to an additional 123 teams (with 43 of these being women and girls teams) in Stoke-on-Trent by 2030. This could represent the equivalent of four additional 11v11 3G FTP, displayed as a future participation growth project below.

Allowances will be made for in the LFFP for ancillary provision for each pitch if needed, however this is subject to the final agreed location of any additional future provision and an assessment as to whether there are existing suitable facilities available.

Three priority projects for potential investment are identified. Each was selected based upon a rationale of good access, high population, geographic spread, existing facility quality and high 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 are postponed each year due to poor pitches. We are therefore on a mission to have 20,000 quality grass pitches across England so that everyone has a great place to play. Since the programme began there are over 7000 quality pitches and the next milestone is to have 12,000 quality pitches by 2028.

The key challenge is to create a sustainable approach to provide good quality football pitches for the long term. While the education sector and local authorities are still the principal asset owners of grass pitches, clubs and leagues own or maintain an increasing share and we will continue to prioritise investment into sites that are maintained by clubs or leagues. Investment into new or additional machinery and equipment is an important step towards sustainability for the voluntary sector. Ensuring eligible organisations can maintain their own sites, supplemented by contracted out major works (e.g. aeration) is a more cost-effective approach in the long term.

See the link for more information on grass pitches Football Foundation | Grass Pitch Improvement

Below is a list of opportunities and funding available to support this ambitious work:

PitchPower: PitchPower is the Football Foundation's free web app for inspecting grass football, rugby and cricket pitches. Using a smart phone or tablet, a pitch inspection can be completed at the touch of a button. This provides a detailed assessment report with recommendations on improving the quality of grass pitches. The PitchPower app is available to all pitch operators as a way to assess grass pitch quality and gain access to grass pitch improvement recommendations. See Football Foundation | PitchPower

The Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund: The fund 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'. to be eligible, organisations such as clubs and leagues must use the PitchPower web app to assess their pitches. Grants are also available towards maintenance machinery and equipment identified through a PitchPower report. Football Foundation | Grass Pitch

Home Advantage: 87% of grassroots football is played on grass with local authority-owned pitches making up 60% of those used for the affiliated game. However, budget pressures often mean local authorities lack the resources to maintain their grass pitches to a high standard, contributing towards the thousands of match postponements every season due to poor quality pitches.

The Home Advantage Programme aims to support grassroots clubs and organisations to take on long-term leases of the local authority sites they play at. Click the link to find out more Home Advantage Programme | Football Foundation

The Football Foundation Groundskeeping Community: a free platform that helps connect people to expert grass pitch knowledge and support. The main objectives are:

• To provide accessible learning resources to help further and extend knowledge
• To connect with leading industry experts and peers, to exchange tips & insights with fellow volunteers & professionals across the country
• To collaborate and build a community through case studies and discussion points

Sign up - Football Foundation (hivelearning.com)

Small grants: Grants up to £25k are available for items such as fencing and storage containers: Fencing | Football Foundation Storage containers | Football Foundation

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. There are eight key pitch sites and it was determined that all of these should be prioritised for improvements. This will result in quality improvements to over 20 pitches. Some of these sites were identified as disused and to be brought back into use, therefore the total exact number of pitches to be improved is undetermined at the time of writing.

It is also worth noting that the steering group discussed the introduction of a new site at Golden Hill which could potentially provide additional pitches for the community. This site will require further analysis to determine it viability to be developed and host football.

Nine priority projects for potential investment have been identified. Prioritisation was based on a rationale of selecting sites that were of strategic importance for the local community via the PPS and steering group members.

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. The process of community engagement once a project has been identified means the facility will properly service the local area and it's people, not just for football but potentially for other sports as well. It is essential to speak to female players as part of this process, as the game continues to grow at significant rates, suitable off pitch and ancillary provision for females is essential. It also means, creating environments that are welcoming to players, spectators, volunteers and officials from all sections of the community. See Football Foundation website for design considerations: Changing Pavilion Design Key Considerations | Football Foundation

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 11v11 pitch equivalents. However, as pitch quality is the number one priority for players this is prioritised before investment in changing room pavilions and 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. Where larger scale investment, such as those identified in this section, is not appropriate, small grants are also available to support upgrades and improvements to changing rooms, toilets and clubhouses. See Changing pavilions and clubhouses | Football Foundation

Of the key grass pitch sites that support and deliver grassroots football, as referenced in the Playing Pitch Strategy and/or through the steering group two require new builds/extensions and none require improvement/refurbishment. Projects are included in this section where it is expected that improved or expanded facilities will contribute to strong sport and community outcomes, such as:

• Large multipitch sites (often three or more pitches) with significant football usage and poor off pitch facilities;
• A priority site for women and girls;
• Club and community sites;
• Sites with new 3G pitches.

The list below identifies priority projects for potential investment.

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.

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 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.

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. 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

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

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. 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. 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.

More about the programme can be found on The Football Foundation website here: Football Foundation PlayZones Programme | Football Foundation

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

• Service Development Manager- City Of Stoke-on-Trent
• Strategic manager- City of Stoke-on-Trent
• Head of Community- Stoke City FC Community Trust
• Director of Community & CSR- Port Vale FC
• Staffordshire University
• Delivery Manager- Football Foundation
• Head of Delivery- Staffordshire FA