Local Football Facility Plan Stratford-on-Avon

Stratford-on-Avon District is in the West Midlands Region.

The current population of the Authority (ONS 2018 Mid-Year Estimate) is 127,580. This is expected to rise to 131,018 by 2039. It must be noted that these figures will be amended once the Core Strategy is reviewed in 2021.

Stratford-on-Avon District is ranked 28 out of 30 LAs in the region, and 258 out of 317 LAs nationally on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (ONS).

Stratford-on-Avon District's ethnic composition is primarily white (97%). This is considerably higher than the national average (85.4%).

The proportion of Stratford-on-Avon District's population represented by the BAME community is 3%. This is substantially below the national average (14.6%).

Local Authority

The Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Corporate Plan (2019 - 2023) aims to make the Authority an excellent place to live, work, learn, visit and invest. To achieve this, it sets out five key objectives:

• Working on regional, national and international stages.
• Responding to the climate emergency.
• Enhancing the quality of Stratford-on-Avon District as a place.
• Nurturing a thriving, innovative and inclusive economy.
• Putting residents and communities at centre stage.

To enhance the quality of Stratford-on-Avon District as a place, the Authority has stated its intent to ensure that all leisure facilities and open green spaces are of the highest standard, offering opportunities to all residents and visitors.

The Authority does not have a playing pitch strategy in place, but is due to produce its 'Stage A' by the end of the year. The District Council intend to prepare a PPS as part of a technical evidence base associated with the Core Strategy review process.

County football association

Stratford-on-Avon District is covered by the Birmingham 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). There is no active CCO in Stratford-on-Avon District.

Local leisure operator

Everyone Active is the key leisure operator in Stratford-on-Avon District. It runs five sites: Stratford, Shipston, Southam, Studley, and The Greig Leisure Centre. There are recreational football cages at both Stratford and the Greig Leisure Centre.

Local consultation

This has taken place with a range of community groups in Stratford-on-Avon District. Nine individuals (representing nine local organisations) were spoken to. Those consulted include:

• Stratford-on-Avon District Council
• A number of local football clubs- see appendix

(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. Stratford-on-Avon District has a total of 219 teams, which is comparable to local areas of a similar size.

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

Over the last 10-years there has been a significant national increase in the number of large multi-team football clubs. In Stratford-on-Avon District, eight clubs have more than 10 registered teams. These are:

• Alcester Town
• Bidford Juniors
• Shipston Excelsior Juniors
• Southam United
• Stratford Town FC /Colts
• Studley Juniors
• Wellesbourne Wanderers
• Solihull Moors

Leagues

Three main leagues cater for competitive football in Stratford-on-Avon District. They offer opportunity for many different players, including women and girls, youth and adults. While there is no specific league opportunity for disability football within Stratford-on-Avon District, provision is made for clubs in the Birmibgham County FA area via the Sandwell (PAN Disability League). The leagues referred to include:

• Coventry & Warwickshire Youth Football League.
• Stratford upon Avon Football Alliance League.
• Central Warwickshire Girls & Womens Football League.

The County FA reports some cross boundary migration to/from Stratford-on-Avon District mainly due to teams playing in the Coventry & Warwickshire Youth League and the Central Warwickshire Girls & Women's League both of which operate on a home and away basis. As a consequence, teams from the District are required to play those located in neighbouring authorities.

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 Stratford-on-Avon District, three football teams / sessions are run 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. At present there is no FA Wildcats centre in Stratford-on-Avon District- the priority is, thus, to initiate and develop this activity.

At ten, the number of femaole teams in Stratford-on-Avon District 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 Central Warwickshire Girls & Women's Football League is the one presently providing competitive opportunity for women and girls. It operates on a home and away basis and it is expected to grow/sustain its provision in future years.

For talented players, the most local FA Regional Talent Club (RTC) is Birmingham City. 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 teams are Aston Villa and Birmingham both of 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:

• Stratford Leisure Centre
• Greig Leisure 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 Stratford-on-Avon District. It is a priority for the County FA to grow futsal for all players.

Recreational football

Recreational football is played where facilities are typically booked and there might be someone to help organise. Examples include FA Just Play sessions, walking football and casual pitch hire for small-sided match play.

There is currently one FA Just Play centre in Stratford-on-Avon District. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisations such as Stratford upon Avon Walking Football Club. Walking football and Just Play are County FA priorities for further growth and development.

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 Stratford-on-Avon District is played at key sites across the authority area. Consultation indicates that Clopton and Bishopton are areas well used for informal football.

The key strengths of local football in Stratford-on-Avon District include junior male, senior male and female provision and it is recommended that this is sustained and encouraged to grow further. However, key gaps do exist; these include the presence of a local disability league and Wildcat Centres. It is therefore recommended that the future football development priorities for Stratford-on-Avon are to:

1. Sustain junior and senior male football
2. Support the female game to ensure it continues to grow
3. Increase opportunities for girls football through the development of Wildcats centres
4. Develop opportunities for futsal
5. Encourage more opportunities for recreational and informal football.

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 Stratford-on-Avon. 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 investment priorities are 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 full-sized (11 v 11) 3G FTPs in Stratford-on-Avon District are located at:

• Stratford Town FC (1)
• Studley Sports Centre (1)
• Southam College (1)

Additionally, there are currently three small-sided 3G FTP centres, at:

• Wellesbourne Sports and Community Centre (0.5) - two 5v5 3G FTPs
• Stratford Leisure Centre- 3 recreational cages
• Greig Leisure Centre- 1 recreational cage

Southam United has submitted plans for a 3G stadia pitch at its Banbury Road site and hopes to have it operational by September 2021. Funding has been secured through a local housing development. It is anticipated that the pitch will primarily support the Club's training and match play demands. Consequently, it will free up slots at the nearby Southam College pitch, which it currently uses.

There is no current PPS and, therefore, demand for full sized 3G FTPs has been calculated using the FA training ratio model 1:38. On the basis that there are 219 teams in Stratford-on-Avon District, there is a requirement for six full sized 3G FTPs. There are currently 3.5 full sized 3G pitch equivalents in Stratford-on-Avon District and there is thus a shortfall of 2.5. With the development of the anticipated pitch at Southam, this reduces the shortfall further to 1.5.

All three full sized 3G FTPs are available for community use and two (Studley Sports Centre and Southam 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 pitch at Stratford Town FC is assessed and placed on the Register to enable match play at that site. The Club is looking to self finance the new surface and is currently working with Birmingham FA and the Football Foundation with a planned installation for 2021.

The geographic spread of existing facilities is uneven; with gaps in the south (Shipston area) and the west (Alcester area) of the Authority. Club consultation confirms this with clubs such as Shipston Excelsior having to travel either to the town of Stratford or to facilities outside of the Authority to access 3G provision and it is recommended that these issues are addressed

Three priority projects for potential investment are identified. This includes a new full sized 3G FTP at Alcester FC and a small sided 3G FTP in Shipston. In addition, Studley Sports Centre has been listed as its 3G FTP surface requires upgrading.

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 14 grass pitch sites in Stratford-on-Avon District with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than three pitches but deemed to be of strategic importance). These contain 57 grass pitches. Of these sites, six are considered to have good quality pitches and eight are considered to be of basic or poor quality. Without access to an up-to-date PPS, evidence was gained via recent PIP reports and local consultation. Once a PPS is completed, this list should be reviewed.

Of the 14 key pitch sites referenced above it was determined that eight sites should be prioritised. This will result in quality improvements to 21 pitches:

Eight priority projects for potential investment have been 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 14 key grass pitch sites in Stratford-on-Avon District with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than three but deemed to be of strategic importance) 11 have suitable changing rooms and three require improvement/replacement. It must be noted that this calculation was determined through via consultation only. Once a PPS is completed, this list should be re-assessed against PPS findings and updated accordingly.

Three 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.

One potential opportunity to develop a MUGA is identified. This is based upon a consultation driven suggestion that there is a need for a recreational project in the town of Stratford to support the local community.

Local consultation indicates that, at present, no parks and open green spaces require improvement to develop small sided 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:

• Stratford-on-Avon District Council
• Stratford Town FC
• Stratford Town Colts,
• Wellsbourne Wanderers,
• Studley Sports Club
• Stratford Town Colts,
• Bidford FC,
• Alcester FC,
• Shipton Excelsior Juniors.