Local Football Facility Plan Tunbridge Wells

Tunbridge Wells is in the South East Region.

The current population of the Authority (ONS 2018 Mid-Year Estimate) is 118,054. This is expected to rise to 126,115 by 2039.

Tunbridge Wells is ranked 39 out of 67 LAs in the region, and 281 out of 326 LAs nationally on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (ONS).

Tunbridge Well's ethnic composition is primarily white (94.95%). This is higher than the national average (85.4%).

The proportion of Tunbridge Wells' population represented by the BAME community is 5.05%. This is below the national average (14.6%).

Local authority

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is currently preparing a new Local Plan. This will help guide future development across the borough to 2036 and provide a clear vision of what is to be achieved over that period.

The Authority Playing Pitch Strategy was adopted in 2017 and is currently under review as of December 2019. The key findings and stated overarching priorities in relation to football are to address the current shortfall of two full size 3G FTPs and a predicted future shortfall of three.

County football association

Tunbridge Wells is covered by the Kent 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). The Charlton Athletic Community Trust runs a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities in the local area.

Local leisure operator

Fusion Lifestyle is the key leisure operator in Tunbridge Wells. It currently runs a number of key sites including:

• Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre
• The Weald Sports Centre
• Putlands Sports and Leisure Centre

Local consultation

This has taken place with a broad and diverse set of community groups in Tunbridge Wells. 21 individuals (representing 18 local organisations) were spoken to. The agencies consulted include:

• Langton Green Community Sports Association
• Hawkhurst United FC
• Paddock Wood FC
• Tunbridge Well Foresters
• Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys

(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. Tunbridge Wells has a total of 243 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 Tunbridge Wells, seven clubs have more than 10 registered teams. These (based upon 2018-19 affiliation data) are:

• Hawkhurst United - 15 teams
• Langton Green Community Sports Association - 41 teams
• Paddock Wood - 19 teams
• Pembury Athletic Youth - 17 teams
• Rusthall - 20 teams
• Tunbridge Wells Foresters – 37 teams
• Tunbridge Wells Youth - 35 teams

Leagues

The league most closely aligned to Tunbridge Wells is (2018-19) the West Kent Sunday League (23 teams - home and away). It provides competitive opportunities for adult male play. While there is no specific league opportunity for disability or women & girls, suitable provision is made in neighbouring areas. There is no youth football provision specific to the local area.

The County FA reports that there is significant cross boundary migration to/from Tunbridge Wells due to teams playing in the:

• Crowborough & District Junior Football League
• East Sussex Football League
• Isthmian Youth Football League
• Kent County Football League
• Kent Girls/Ladies Football League
• Kent Youth League
• Maidstone and Mid Kent Sunday F.L.
• Maidstone Boys Primary
• Maidstone Invicta Primary League
• Mid Sussex Youth & Minor Football League
• Rother & District Youth Football League
• Sevenoaks And District Football League
• Southern Counties East Football League
• Suburban Football League
• Sussex Sunday Youth Football League
• Tandridge Youth Football League
  

Disability football

There are 9.4million 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 Tunbridge Wells there are four football teams / sessions specifically for people with a disability. It is a priority of the County FA to sustain 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. Tunbridge Wells has one FA Wildcats girls football centre and the priority is to sustain this activity.

At 11, Tunbridge’s number of female teams is comparable to 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 Kent Girls/Ladies Football League services demand for girl's and women's football. All matches are played on a home and away basis. It expects to grow provision in future years. Women's football is also catered for by the South East Counties Women's League in which matches are also played on a home and away basis. It too expects to grow provision in future years.

For talented players, the most local FA Regional Talent Club (RTC) is Gillingham FC located in Swale. 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 Brighton & Hove Albion Women FC 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.

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 Tunbridge Wells. It is a priority for the County FA to initiate, grow and sustain futsal for youth 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 Tunbridge Wells. There is currently no provision for walking football sessions. Walking football and Just Play are County FA priorities for further growth and development. Other local recreational football programmes include First Class Soccer schools.

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 Tunbridge Wells is played across the borough. Grosvenor & Hilbert Park is a key well-used site.

The key strengths of local football in Tunbridge Wells include youth and mini soccer and it is recommended that this is sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However, gaps in provision do exist; these include adult male 11v11 teams and youth league provision.

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

1. Support the transition of youth teams and players to adult male 11v11 teams/leagues.
2. Grow youth league provision.
3. Ensure club structures are in place to grow in line with the housing growth.
4. Develop comprehensive support to volunteers to allow clubs to retain, grow and provide opportunity to all.
5. Increase women and girls provision through informal ladies sessions and FA Wildcats programme.

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 Tunbridge Wells. 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 (11v11) 3G FTPs in Tunbridge Wells are located at:

• Bennett Memorial Diocesan School
• Mascalls Academy
• St Gregory's Catholic School
• Tunbridge Wells Grammar School For Boys
• Holmewood House School

In addition there is one small-sided (9v9) 3G FTP located at Rose Hill School. This is an independent school which offers only limited community access.

Four of the 3G FTPs are available for community use. Holmewood House School is an independent school and offers only limited community access. Four 3G pitches are on the FA Register for 3G FTPs meaning they are quality checked and can be used for football match play ; Bennett Memorial, Mascalls Academy, St Gregory's , Tunbridge Wells Grammar School.

The Tunbridge Wells PPS was undertaken in 2017 and reviewed in 2019. It indicates a current shortfall of two full size 3G FTPs and a future shortfall of three. In addition to the noted deficit, the full size 3G FTP at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys requires resurfacing.

The geographic spread of facilities is uneven; the majority are located in the west of the local area. There are provision gaps to address in the Authority's east, and central areas despite high levels of population and affiliated demand.

Four priority projects are identified. Of these, one is the potential resurfacing of an existing facility. Each is proposed based upon a rationale of serving affiliated football and community demand in areas where there is high local demand.

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 Tunbridge Wells with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than three pitches but deemed to be of strategic importance) These contain 36 grass pitches. Of these, two are considered to have good quality pitches and 12 contain pitches that are of standard / poor quality.

Local consultation confirms the issues associated with poor pitch quality and the proposals in this plan will start to address this.

Of the 14 key pitch sites referenced above it was determined that 12 of these should be prioritised. This will result in quality improvements to 22 pitches.

12 priority projects are identified. Prioritisation was based on a rationale of selecting sites in poor condition that are, or offer the potential to be, well utilised and reflect the strategic focus to improve football participation.

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 Tunbridge Wells 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 and seven require improvement/replacement.

In addition to the grass pitch ancillary facilities needed, provision may be required to service the proposed new 3G facilities in the local area.

Seven priority projects 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 one indoor facility that would benefit from improvement to develop small-sided football.

Local consultation reveals that no MUGAs are presently required to develop small sided football.

Following local consultation, and assisted by the Sport England Green Spaces Mapping Tool, one location is identified to support small sided informal football.

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

• Langton Green Community Sports Association - Head of Football
• Rusthall FC - Secretary
• Hawkhurst United FC - Secretary
• Pembury Athletic Youth FC - Secretary
• Tunbridge Well Foresters FC - Chairman
• Paddock Wood FC - Chairman
• Paddock Wood Town Council - Town Councillor (Vice-Chairman)
• Hawkhurst Parish Council - Clerk
• Kent Sport - Funding and Partnerships Manager
• Tunbridge Wells Borough Council - Contract Services Manager
• Tunbridge Wells Borough Council - Contract Monitoring Officer
• Tunbridge Wells Borough Council -Urban Designer
• Tunbridge Wells Borough Council - Parks Technical Officer
• Goudhurst Parish Council - Chairman
• Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys - Head of PE
• Charlton Athletic Communtiy Trust - Director of Education and Sport
• First Class Football FC - Committee Member (via survey)
• FC Revo - Secretary (via survey)
• Insulators FC - Secretary (via survey)
• Green Lane FC - Chairman (via survey)
• Hawkenbury Football Club - Secretary (via survey)