Local Football Facility Plan Three Rivers

Three Rivers is in the South East Region.

The current population of the Authority (ONS 2018 Mid-Year Estimate) is 93,045. This is expected to rise to 106,501 by 2039.

Three Rivers is ranked 44th out of 47 LAs in the region, and 301 out of 326 LAs nationally on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (ONS).

Three Rivers's ethnic composition is primarily white (86.2%). This is comparable to the national average (85.4%).

The proportion of the population represented by the BAME community is 13.8%. This is close to the national average (14.6%)

Local authority

The Council's Sport and Physical Activity Strategy is; GET ACTIVE: Three Rivers District Council Physical Activity Strategy (2018-2021). It incorporates the stated vision to 'reduce the levels of inactivity, increase regular participation and contribute to a healthier, more active Three Rivers.’. It gives priority to increasing levels of physical activity and improving of the lives of local people and suggests that reducing health inequalities will be the result of targeting work in parts of the community that are more inactive than others. The Strategy aims to enhance the lives, individuals, families and communities through their success and achievement in sport and physical activity. Its To achieve this, three strategic priorities are set:

• Encouraging residents in Three Rivers to be active and healthy by enabling sport and physical activities to become a habit of life.
• Promoting the design, development and use of environments that make it easier for people to participate in physical activity and encouraging residents to be more active in every aspect of their day to day lives.
• Working in partnership across all sectors to consolidate and expand Three Rivers’ sport and physical activity opportunities, enabling sport and physical activity to become a habit of daily lives.

The Three Rivers Local Strategic Partnership Community Strategy (2018-2023) has been developed to provide a framework for organisations that form the Local Strategic Partnership, local groups and individuals to work together to improve local quality of life. It comprises five themes of housing, independence and resilience, ambition, health and wellbeing and safety. For each theme, key priorities are set out, alongside the actions required to enable delivery. Those for the Health and Wellbeing theme are that:

• Residents have opportunities to be physically and mentally healthy.
• Residents, especially the vulnerable, have access to health and social care.

The Authority Playing Pitch Strategy was finalised in 2019. It evidences a need to increase the overall supply of full sized 3G FTPs in the District to meet midweek training demand for affiliated football. Further to this, it identifies a need to improve the quality of grass pitches and changing facilities at strategic football sites across the area.

County football association

Three Rivers is covered by Hertfordshire 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). Watford FC Community Sport and Education Trust runs a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within the local area.

Local leisure operator

Everyone Active is the leisure operator in Three Rivers. It currently runs William Penn Leisure Centre and South Oxhey Leisure Centre, neither is considered to be a key strategic site for affiliated football, however, both provide small sided 3G FTPs which are regularly used to accommodate recreational football.

Local consultation

This has taken place with a broad and diverse set of community groups in Three Rivers. 14 individuals (representing 14 local organisations) were spoken to. The agencies consulted include:

• Three Rivers District Council
• Watford FC Community Sports & Education Trust
• Everyone Active

(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. Three Rivers has a total of 251 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 ten years there has been a significant national increase in the number of large multi-team football clubs. In Three Rivers, six clubs have more than 10 registered teams. These (based upon 2018-19 affiliation data) are:

• Chorleywood Common Youth FC (48 teams)
• Evergreen Youth FC (42 teams)
• Abbots Youth FC (17 teams)
• Cassiobury Rangers (14 teams)
• Croxley Green Youth (26 teams)
• Watford Town Youth (10 teams)

Leagues

Nineteen leagues cater for clubs and teams in Hertfordshire. They offer competitive opportunities for many different players, including girls, disability, youth and adults. There are suitable arrangements for the provision of women’s football through a combined county Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Women’s League that hosts 20 Hertfordshire teams. The leagues which operate across the county are:

• East Herts Corinthian League – 57 teams– home and away fixtures on a Sunday morning.
• Escolla Junior League – 4 teams–Futsal League
• Garston Vets Over 35s League – 12 teams. Vets League
• Hertford & District ORC Sports Football League– 32 teams– home and away fixtures on a Saturday morning
• Hertfordshire Development League – 166 teams– home and away fixtures on a Saturday morning for U7-U11 age groups, with festivals throughout the season for certain age groups.
• Hertfordshire Girls Football Partnership League – 257 teams– home and away fixtures on a Saturday morning for youth teams, with festivals for certain age groups throughout the season
• Herts Advertiser Sunday Football League – 45 teams– home and away fixtures on a Sunday morning.
• Herts Senior County League – 59 teams– home and away fixtures on a Saturday afternoon.
• Hitchin Sunday League – 33 teams– home and away fixtures on a Sunday morning
• Mid Herts Rural Minors League – 756 teams– home and away fixtures on a Saturday or Sunday for Youth teams
• Mid Herts Vets Football League – 15 teams– home and away fixtures on a Sunday
• Southern Counties Floodlit Youth League – 36 teams– U18s home and away fixtures during midweek
• Terry Reed North West Essex Sunday League – 18 teams– home and away fixtures on a Sunday
• The Hertfordshire and Borders Churches Football League – 13 teams– home and away fixtures on a Saturday
• The TrophyUK.net Royston Crow Youth Football League – 409 teams– home and away youth fixtures on a Saturday or Sunday
• Watford Friendly League – 616 teams– home and away Youth fixtures on a Sunday
• Watford Sunday Football League – 43 teams– home and away fixtures on a Sunday
• West Herts Saturday League – 19 teams– home and away fixtures on a Saturday
• West Herts Youth League – 554 teams– home and away Youth fixtures on a Sunday.

The County FA reports cross boundary migration to/from neighbouring Bedfordshire, Middlesex, Cambridgeshire, Essex and London.

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 Three Rivers there are two football teams 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. Three Rivers has no FA Wildcats girls football centres and the priority is to initiate and then grow this activity in the area.

At 19, Three Rivers’s number of female teams is higher than local areas of a similar size. The County FA’s priority is to support existing clubs to grow and encourage more to develop playing opportunities for females. The local girls’ league is the Hertfordshire Girls Football Partnership League in which matches are played on a home and away and central venue basis. It is expected to grow its provision in future years. The local adult female league is the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Women's League in which matches are played on a home and away basis. It is expected to sustain its provision in future years.

For talented players, the most local FA Regional Talent Club (RTC) is Arsenal Ladies. 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 Arsenal Ladies which provides player pathway opportunities for gifted and talented female players and a spectator interest for fans.

In addition to Arsenal Ladies, Stevenage FC competes in the FA's Womens National League Division 1 and Watford FC in the FA Womens Premier League Division South.

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:

• Railway Friendly Flexi League
• Herts 6s at Westfield Academy & Wodson Park
• Futsal 5s (Herts at Longdean School and The Hemel Hempstead School
• Youth Futsal Series at Longdean School and The Hemel Hempstead School
• Ultimate Football at Monks Walk School
• Roundwood Park Vets League at Roundwood Park School

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.

Currently 43 futsal teams in Hertfordshire play in ad-hoc tournaments and one-off events delivered by Hertfordshire FA, Regional Youth Futsal Series plus leagues at key site locations including University of Hertfordshire, Ridgeway Academy, Aldenham Sports Centre, Ashlyns School, Longdean School, The Hemel Hempstead School, Clement Danes School, Hitchin Girls School and The Royal Masonic School. 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 are currently no FA Just Play centres in Three Rivers. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisation such as Watford CSE Trust and Three Rivers Council. Walking football and Just Play are County FA priorities for further growth and development. Other local recreational football programmes include pro club community programmes & casual bookings which are delivered by a range of organisations including Herts Sports Partnership, Watford CSE Trust and Stevenage FC Foundation.

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).

Informal football is played throughout Three Rivers. Scotsbridge Playing Fields is a key well-used site location, although it is accepted that most public open spaces offer opportunities for informal football activity.

The key strengths of local football in Three Rivers include the strength of club development that has enabled growth of clubs in the area. This has led to the Three Rivers area now having two large clubs with 20+ teams. Facility investment has supported the growth of clubs in Three Rivers over the last 10 years provision and it is recommended that this is sustained and further encouraged. However, gaps in provision do exist, these include transition of the number of male and female youth teams (and players) into adult football and an increase in provision for players with a disability.

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

1. Increase the number of senior adult male football teams.
2. Increase the number of adult female football teams.
3. Support the transition of youth teams into adult football.
4. Increase the range of recreational programmes across the area.
5. Increase the provision of activities for those with a disability, via an increase in the number of teams and/or recreational football opportunity.

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 Three Rivers. 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.

The full-sized (11 v 11) 3G FTPs in Three Rivers are located at:

• Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School
• Thomas Parmiter Sports Centre

In addition, there are currently five sites which contain a total of seven small-sided 3G FTPs:

• King George V Playing Field - William Penn Leisure Centre (two 5v5)
• Sir James Altham Swimming Pool (one 7v7)
• Southway Playing Fields (one 7v7)
• West Hyde & Maple Cross Youth Centre (one 5v5)
• YMCA Abbots Langley (two 5v5).

The Three Rivers PPS was completed in 2019. It indicates a shortfall of three full size 3G FTPs, with a need to develop provision in the Abbots Langley, Chorleywood and Croxley Green areas of the District. The current quality of existing full sized 3G FTPs is good, both were either developed or have been resurfaced within the last two years.

Both full size 3G FTPs are available for community use and are on the FA Register for 3G FTPs (meaning they are quality checked and can be used for football match play). The geographic spread of existing facilities is even, relative to existing demand for affiliated football. However, as noted above, there are facility gaps in the Abbots Langley, Chorleywood and Croxley Green areas of the District.

Local consultation confirms the issues related to limited 3G FTP availability for midweek training and match play and it is the purpose of this plan to rectify these.

Four priority projects for are identified. Each was selected based upon the basis of being able to address an existing 3G FTP provision gap primarily for affiliated football alongside an associated rationale of enabling good access, servicing a significant local population and maintaining geographic spread.

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 12 grass pitch sites in Three Rivers with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than three pitches but deemed to be of strategic importance). These contain 50 grass pitches. Based on the findings of the 2019 PPS, none are considered to be good quality, 42 are of standard and eight poor quality.

Local consultation confirms common the issue of pitches being overplayed and the projects identified will, when implemented, result in improvements to pitch quality, to address this. Of the 12 key pitch sites referenced above it was determined that eight should be prioritised.

Eight 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 which accommodate the highest level of affiliated football demand in the District.

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 12 key grass pitch sites in Three Rivers with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than three but deemed to be of strategic importance) seven have suitable changing rooms, four require improvement and one has no facilities and requires toilet facilities.

Five 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. Consultation with Everyone Active suggests that there is scope to deliver small sided football sessions in its leisure centres if demand can be established.

Three Rivers District Council operates three MUGA's in the District and has agreed planning permission to develop an additional facility. Existing provision exists at:

• Barton Way Playing Fields
• Manor House Grounds
• Scotsbridge Playing Field
• Hornhill Road, Maple Cross (planning permission agreed)

Local consultation highlights two further opportunities to develop MUGA provision in Three Rivers. The first is at South Oxhey Playing Fields and the second at West Hyde & Maple Cross Youth Centre.

Three Rivers District Council offers informal football facilities at four sites in the District. This provision is located at:

• Batchworth Lane
• Romilly Drive
• Prestiwick Road
• Mead Place

No further locations are identified to support small sided informal football through the development of facilities in parks/open spaces at this time.

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:

• Club Secretary - Mill End Sports FC
• Club Secretary - Evergreen Rovers FC
• Club Secretary - Chorleywood Common FC
• Club Secretary - Watford Ladies FC
• Club Secretary - Sarratt Rebels FC
• Deputy Director - Herts Sports Partnership
• Headteacher - Croxley Danes School
• Regional Manager - Everyone Active
• Youth Manager - Hertfordshire Youth Services
• Engagement Officer - Football Foundation
• Sports Development Officer - Three Rivers District Council
• Head of Facilities & Inclusion - Watford FC Community Sports & Education Trust
• Head of Football Development & Investment - Hertfordshire County Football Association
• Planning Manager - Sport England