Local Football Facility Plan Wakefield

Demographics for the area can be seen below:

Local authority

The Wakefield Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2022-2025) is owned and driven by the Health and Wellbeing Board for the district, which is made up of representatives of organisations who are working to deliver this ambition. This includes local councillors, leaders in health and social care, voluntary organisations, housing, police and fire services, as well as Healthwatch, which ensures the district’s residents are involved. The Health and Wellbeing Strategy is a high-level vision and direction for health improvement for the Wakefield, it will act as a driver for change, bringing together different organisations and communities. The broad priorities are to deliver:

• A healthy standard of living for all
• A healthy start in life for every child
• Preventing ill-health
• Sustainable communities

The Strategy identifies headline issues in Wakefield, such as that cancer and cardiovascular disease are increasing in people aged over 75, childhood obesity is rising faster than elsewhere in the Country in all age groups, more than half of children are growing up in low-income households and one in three people suffer from a mental illness.

Neighbourhood data gathered by Wakefield Council Sports & Health Improvement has identified ten areas of the Borough which are priorities for tackling inequalities. All ten are areas of high deprivation and prevalent experience of poverty and inactivity/obesity, including Airedale Ferry Fryston, Kinsley Fitzwilliam Rycroft, Hemsworth, Knottingley and Featherstone. Furthermore, five of the ten are also priority areas for increasing opportunity for their diverse communities, including Eastmoor, South Kirkby, Lupset, City Centre and Whitewood.

The local authority has a Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) produced in 2016 and later updated in 2020, though now considered to be out of date and requiring renewal. The strategy found that demand could be met by grass pitches at the time, though future demand would lead to capacity shortfalls for football match play. The key finding of the 2016 PPS was a significant shortfall of 3G AGPs for football and despite additional pitches having since been built, there remains a substantial shortfall and a need to develop more new 3G AGPs.

County Football Association

Wakefield is covered by West Riding FA and Sheffield & Hallamshire FA. They provide governance for, and development support to, all aspects of local football including coaches, referees, volunteers, clubs and leagues; supporting football for all. The County FAs each have a designated facilities investment lead officer who works to ensure the right facilities are located in the right locations.

Football Foundation

The Regional Delivery Manager and Regional Technical Project Manager at the Football Foundation work collaboratively with the County FA to provide pre-application support and lead on the delivery of priority projects for potential investment. The Regional Facility Planning Manager (FPM) will lead and be responsible for all aspects of strategic planning and will lead on refreshing of LFFPs.

Sport England

Has a network of planning managers who have a statutory role in the planning system to protect playing fields and provide consultation responses to planning applications relating to sporting facilities . They also play a key role in strategic planning for sports facilities, providing advice and support to local authorities to assess need for facilities in their local area.

Professional community club organisations (CCOs)

These offer a variety of programmes and services to support local communities (sporting and non-sporting). Reds in the Community (Barnsley FC) delivers some football activity in Wakefield, mainly in the south and south eastern areas of the Borough.

Local leisure operator

Aspire Health, Wakefield Council's health and fitness offer is the main leisure operator in Wakefield. It currently runs six key leisure sites including the following with football provision:

• Aspire@ThePark - full-sized 3G AGP
• Featherstone Sports Complex (Featherstone Academy) - non-compliant 90m 3G AGP
• Minsthorpe Leisure - grass playing field, pitches no longer marked
• Thornes Park Stadium - athletics venue with grass football pitches

Local consultation

Local consultation took place with a broad and diverse set of community groups to develop the 2018 LFFP. As part of the refresh process a survey was sent via the County FAs to all football clubs with ten or more teams in the area, or which have less but are known to have their growth restricted by facility issues. Furthermore, it is a requirement that all projects that move through to application phase undertake detailed community engagement to ensure that facilities fully serve the communities they are being designed for.

Clubs

There are over 91,000 community football teams in England, spread over an expansive network of clubs and leagues. Wakefield has a total of 623 teams (2022/23 season).

Survive. Revive. Thrive is the FA Grassroots Football Strategy 2020-2024. To deliver the goals for male and female football, there must be a vibrant, best-in-class club network around the country. The FA will work to encourage as many clubs as possible to achieve FA-Accredited status, assuring quality in everything they offer, including ever-safer and stronger player pathways. This will be coupled with a commitment to improve the quality of thousands of pitches up and down the country, with a particular focus on grass pitches.

Over the last 10-years there has been a significant national increase in the number of large multi-team football clubs. In Wakefield, 21 clubs have more than 10 registered teams. They (based upon 2022/23 affiliation data) are:

• West End Terriers - 40 teams
• Pontefract Collieries - 39 teams
• Ossett Town Juniors - 39 teams
• Altofts Juniors - 26 teams
• Horbury Town Juniors - 25 teams
• Crofton Juniors - 24 teams
• Ossett Albion Juniors - 23 teams
• Durkar Devils - 23 teams
• Ackworth Juniors FC - 21 teams
• Thornes Juniors - 19 teams
• Featherstone Flyers - 18 teams
• Hemsworth Miners Welfare - 17 teams
• Wakefield Owls - 17 teams
• Wrenthorpe Rangers - 13 teams
• Upton United - 13 teams
• Wakefield Jets JFC - 12 teams
• Hall Green United - 11 teams
• Ackworth Girls - 12 teams

Leagues

Two leagues operate in Wakefield, both offering competitive opportunity for adult males. Since the 2019 LFFP the Charles Rice Junior League has folded. Teams from Wakefield now play in leagues based mainly outside of the Borough. While there are no specific league opportunities for youth, mini, adult females or disability football format within Wakefield, there is however suitable provision provided in neighbouring Kirklees, Leeds, Barnsley and Doncaster, or on a County FA wide basis for some formats. Wakefield's only local league (2022/23 season) is for adult male play, the Wakefield & District FA League which has 37 teams playing home and away format fixtures on Saturday afternoons.

The County FA reports that whilst there is not significant cross-boundary migration to play home fixtures at facilities in other local authorities, since the Charles Rice Junior League folded there is no local junior league in Wakefield. Teams now play in league structures based in other districts, such as the Huddersfield and District Junior League (Kirklees), the Garforth Junior League (Leeds), Barnsley & District Junior League (Barnsley) and the Doncaster & District Junior League (Doncaster), meaning typically further travel distances to play away fixtures.

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 Wakefield there are six football teams specifically for people with a disability, as well as six walking football teams. It is a priority of the County FA to grow this provision. For talented players the FA runs regional centres and England national squads.

Women and girls

The FA had big ambitions for women and girls football and managed to double levels of participation between 2017 and 2020. To achieve this required a combined effort across four pathways: education, recreation, competition and talent. Despite achieving this ambitious target more places to play are still required for women and girls. The focus now is to give all girls equal access to football by 2024 and this will be a key objective of any facility investment. The FA’s four-year strategy, titled Inspiring Positive Change, pledges to create a sustainable future for women’s and girls’ football in England. The strategy outlines eight transformational objectives to be achieved by 2024, the following across grassroots football:-

• Early Participation – Every primary school-aged girl to have equal access to football in school and in clubs.
• Development Participation – Every girl to have equal access to participate for fun, for competition and for excellence.
• Club Player Pathway – Collaborate with clubs to develop an effective high-performance, inclusive player-centred pathway.
• Football For All – Recruit and support a motivated, diverse range of local leaders organising football for their communities.
• Coaching – Support the development of exceptional coaches at every level of the game who are representative of our society.
• Refereeing – Ensure that every female referee afforded high-quality bespoke learning and development opportunities from grassroots through to the elite game.

Education environments have a huge impact on the first experience of football for young girls. This pathway can offer many opportunities for females of all ages to develop and grow a lifelong interest in football.

FA Wildcats girls football centres provide the first step on the recreational pathway, the programme provides girls aged 5-11 with regular opportunities to play football in a fun and engaging environment. Wakefield has four FA Wildcats girls football centres and the priority is to grow this activity. FA Squad Girls' football sessions provide girls aged 12-14 with a fun, non-competitive way to play football locally with friends, whether completely new to football, transitioning from Wildcats, or simply wanting to play.

At 92 (there are 27 dedicated girls mini teams), Wakefield’s number of female teams is higher than local areas of a similar size and has grown significantly from 17 teams in 2019. The County FA’s priority is to support existing clubs to grow and encourage more clubs to develop playing opportunities for females. The local girls’ league is the West Riding Girls League in which matches are played on a home and away basis. It is expected to grow its provision in future years. The local adult female leagues are the West Riding County Women's Football League and the Sheffield & Hallamshire Women & Girls League, both of which are played on a home and away basis. They are each expected to grow their provision in future years.

For talented players, the most local FA Regional Talent Club (RTC) is Leeds United Women FC which is located in Sherburn (Selby). 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 Manchester City WFC 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 AGPs or small-sided 3G centres.

Key local providers include:

• Powerplay - at Slazenger Sports & Social, Wakefield Sports Club, Featherstone Academy (Featherstone Sports Centre), Castleford Academy
• Wakefield Football Centre (indoor)
• Leisure Leagues - at De Lacy Academy, The Hut (Airedale), Castleford Academy, Kettlethorpe High School, Frickley Country Park, Pontefract Park, St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College
• A1 Football Factory

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 Wakefield. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisation such as Wakefield Wanderers Walking Football Club. Walking football and Just Play are County FA priorities for further growth and development. Other local recreational football programmes include Active Through Football which is delivered by Wakefield Council, focusing on creating more chances for adults living in the Hemsworth, Upton, South Kirkby, Kinsley, Fitzwilliam, South Elmsall, Havercroft and Ryhill, to improve health and wellbeing through physical activity.

The key strengths of local football in Wakefield include adult male (Saturday and Sunday) provision and it is recommended that this is sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However, there are aspects of football provision that are lower than local authorities of a similar size, these include youth and mini and dedicated women and girls provision.

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

1. Women and girls
2. Disability football
3. Development of player pathways within large multi-team clubs
4. Recreational offer (including walking football, Just Play Centres and flexible 11v11 opportunities)

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

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

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

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

• 3G 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.

There are now nine full-sized (11 v 11) 3G AGPs in Wakefield, all available for community use. This has increased by five pitches since the 2018 LFFP, when there were four full-sized 3G AGPs. Four of the nine pitches meet FA recommended full-size pitch dimensions (100x64m). Existing full-sized 3G AGPs in Wakefield include:

• Castleford Academy x2 pitches (100x64m and 93x57m)
• De Lacy Academy (100x64m)
• Frickley Country Park (100x64m)
• Fitzwilliam Stadium (Hemsworth Miners Welfare - stadia pitch, 95x61m)
• Pontefract Park (Aspire@ThePark, 90x60m)
• Kettlethorpe High School (90x55m)
• Minsthorpe Community College (91x55m)
• St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form (100x64m)

The 2018 Wakefield LFFP identified full-size 3G AGP projects at Pontefract Park (Aspire@ThePark) and St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form which were both subsequently FF funded and built. A 3G AGP project was also identified in the Wakefield South East Area, since built at Frickley Country Park without FF funding. A stadia 3G AGP has also since been developed at Fitzwilliam Stadium (Hemsworth Miners Welfare) without FF funding.

There are 20 smaller sized 3G pitches servicing Wakefield, notably including:

• Crofton Community Centre (55x37m, meets FA recommended 7v7 dimensions but not FA 3G registered)
• Outwood Grange (55x37m, meets FA recommended 7v7 dimensions but not FA 3G registered)
• Featherstone Academy (90x52m, non-compliant 3G surfaced area, used by clubs for training but not marked as a recognised pitch format)
  

Wakefield has a Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) produced in 2016 and though updated in 2020, is no longer considered current due to its age. Consequently, demand for full sized 3G AGPs has been calculated using the FA training model 1:38. There are 623 teams in Wakefield (2022/23 season), representing a total requirement for 16 full-sized 3G AGPs. There are nine existing full-sized 3G AGPs, however when analysed at a sub-area level there remains a current shortfall of eight full-sized 3G AGPs in the following sub-areas:

• South East​ - one full-sized 3G AGP required
• Wakefield Central ​- one full-sized 3G AGP required
• Wakefield North West - four full-sized 3G AGPs required​
• Wakefield Rural - two full-sized 3G AGPs required

The FA training model gives an indicative position on the number of 3G AGPs required for football, based on County FA affiliation data and the number of teams based in the PPS sub-areas in 2022/23. There is a need for a new Wakefield PPS to fully explore the nature of existing 3G AGP facility use, including use and demand from other sports such as rugby league and rugby union, to verify and evidence this indicative need for additional pitches.

In addition to the shortfall of full-size 3G AGPs there are also three 3G AGPs that will require replacement in the next three years, at Kettlethorpe High School (built 2015), Minsthorpe Community College (last resurfaced 2011) and De Lacy Academy (built 2006, previously FF funded).

All nine full-sized 3G AGPs are available for community use. Eight are on the FA 3G Pitch Register (meaning they are quality checked and can be used for football match play). It is strongly recommended that Minsthorpe Community College is 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 south east and north of the Borough. There are facilities gaps in the north west (Ossett, Horbury, Stanley) and the south west (rural areas including Crofton, Netherton, Sandal) despite high levels of football demand, population (north west) and high levels of deprivation and it is recommended that these are addressed. Local consultation reveals common issues with low availability (due to quantitative shortfalls) and it is recommended that these are addressed.

Pontefract Collieries FC aspires to convert its grass stadia pitch to a 3G surface. The Club plays at Step 4 of the National League System and would require a FIFA Quality 3G surface to be compliant for match play at this level, though could seek a FIFA Quality Pro surface to futureproof use of the pitch should it achieve future promotions to Step 2 or higher. At present the Club has been tasked with evidencing the demand to justify the need for investment into a third 3G pitch in the Pontefract and Knottingley sub-area, either FF funded or via other funding sources. There is not presently sufficient demand in the Pontefract and Knottingley sub-area to require the provision of a third full size 3G pitch for football beyond the two existing at De Lacy Academy and Pontefract Park, until such time that it could be evidenced that demand has increased or that there is sufficient strategic need for another 3G surface in the area.

The FA has seen unprecedented growth 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 293 teams in the local authority by 2030, of which 129 will come from women and girls. This could represent the equivalent of up to eight additional 11v11 3G FTPs.

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. This is displayed as a future participation growth project below.

The following priority projects for potential investment are identified:

The Football Foundation is on a mission to transform the quality of grass football pitches across England, because great facilities enhance physical and mental wellbeing, strengthen communities and empower people. The quality of football pitches is a huge issue for community football; 150,000 matches were postponed due to poor pitches during the last full football season. We are therefore on a mission to improve 20,000 grass pitches across England.

The Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund is a £21m fund that provides eligible organisations with a tapered six-year grant to help them sustain pitches already at a 'good' level and enhance pitches that are either considered 'poor' or 'basic'. In order to be eligible, organisations such as clubs and leagues must use the PitchPower app to assess their pitches. This provides a detailed assessment report with recommendations on improving the quality of grass pitches. The PitchPower app is available to all pitch owners as a way to assess grass pitch quality and gain access to grass pitch improvement recommendations. See PitchPower.

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

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

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

From the time of the 2018 LFFP, the introduction of PitchPower has allowed all club owned and leased sites to apply for funding to improve grass pitch maintenance. The Sidings and Kellingley Welfare Social Club were amongst sites previously highlighted in the 2018 LFFP as pitch improvement projects and have since been awarded Football Foundation investment.

Some organisations/sites have since been awarded Football Foundation investment through the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund (GPMF), which should result in pitch quality improving over the next couple of seasons. The aim now should be to get the pitches up to the 'good' standard and work to sustain them. Organisations that have accessed the funding to improve pitches are:

• Airedale FC (Carlyle Road Sports Ground)
• Altofts FC and Altofts Ladies (Altofts Community Sports Club)
• Crofton Juniors (The Sidings)
• Durkar Devils (Slack Lane)
• Hall Green United Juniors (Hall Green United Football Club)
• Hall Green United FC (Haslegrave Sports Ground)
• Kellingley Welfare FC (Kellingley Welfare Social Club)
• Kinsley Boys FC (Kinsley Timber Stadium)
• Nostell Miners Welfare (Crofton Community Centre)
• South Elmsall Community Facilities (Frickley Country Park)
• Thornes JFC (Thornes Juniors Football Club)
• Wakefield Jets (Stanley Sports & Social Club)

Crofton Juniors (The Sidings), Upton United Juniors (Upton Country Park Playing Field), Horbury Town (Slazenger Football Fields) and Altofts Juniors (The Brig) have all also received GPMF funding for additional pitch maintenance equipment, but of these only Crofton Juniors has yet accessed a revenue grant through the fund.

South Hiendley JFC has submitted a Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund application to FF to improve the quality of pitches at South Hiendley Welfare. Pontefract Collieries FC has submitted an application to FF for capital improvement works to playing field onsite which would allow for the creation of two additional youth/mini pitches. Altofts Juniors has submitted an application for FF funding for grass pitch works to develop two new youth 9v9 pitches at The Brig. All three applications are awaiting decision.

There are currently 21 grass pitch sites in the local area the have been assessed via PitchPower and are currently maintained, in part or whole, by grassroots clubs or leagues. In total there are 18 known to have good or better (high or advanced) quality pitches, 19 basic quality and 27 poor quality pitches.

The total number of pitches includes club owned or operated sites which are a priority for grass pitch investment and are eligible for the Football Foundation's grass pitch maintenance fund. These sites are listed below (if possible):

• Altofts Juniors (two sites: The Brig and Church Road Playing Fields)
• Hemsworth Miners Welfare FC (Fitzwilliam Stadium)
• Horbury Town (Slazenger Football Fields)
• Upton United Juniors (Upton Country Park Playing Field)
• West End Terriers (Cemetery Road)
  

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. Wakefield Council has so far undertaken PitchPower assessments at just two of its sites, Thornes Park and Ferry Lane, with assessment of a third site Slack Lane submitted by user club Durkar Devils.

It was determined that six key club/league maintained sites should be prioritised for improvements, along with two education sites. A further four local authority managed sites should also be prioritised for improvements, some of which may hold opportunity for future transfer to club or league led management and maintenance models. In total this will result in quality improvements to 12 sites, together totalling 34 full size pitch equivalents.

Twelve priority projects for potential investment have been identified. Pitch quality rating was evidenced by PitchPower (or the historic PPS and ratified by local partners where PitchPower data isn't available). Prioritisation was based on a rationale of selecting sites with a strategic focus to improve club pitches and key local authority sites.

These can provide a number of different benefits. While the primary function is normally the provision of changing rooms to accommodate match-play and training (for players and officials), there can be equal value in facilities such as community and education rooms, catering facilities and spectator toilets.

Each project will take a progressive approach to pavilions and clubhouses (beyond the provision of changing rooms) and be open to new opportunities to engage the whole community. 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 through the steering group, one site requires improvement/refurbishment and three require new builds/replacement. Two of them (Ferry Lane and Lofthouse Gate) have no existing facilities and require both a new pavilion building and works to develop access and car parking provision. Projects are included in this section where it is expected that new or refurbished facilities will contribute to strong sport and community outcomes, such as:

• Large multi-pitch 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.

Southdale Fields is an offsite playing field presently serviced by facilities within the main Ossett Academy building, however will require the development of a separate onsite pavilion to service a proposed 3G AGP and grass pitches. Similarly, a replacement pavilion would be required at Dimple Wells (Ossett Cricket & Athletic Club) to allow for redevelopment of a new access road into and through the site to service a proposed new 3G AGP. There would also be a need for refurbishment and reconfiguration of some of the existing four changing rooms at City of Wakefield Golf Club to service a new 3G AGP proposed at the site.

Identified as a priority project in the 2018 LFFP, the pavilion at Springmill Playing Fields has since been refurbished supported by FF funding.

The FA has seen unprecedented growth 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 293 teams in the local authority by 2030, of which 129 will come from women and girls. This could represent the equivalent of up to eight additional 11v11 3G FTPs.

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. This is displayed as a future participation growth project below.

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.

Research suggests that small-sided players in teams and leagues, and in organised recreational sessions, prefer a 3G surface type because it replicates a good standard natural turf pitch. These facilities have already been covered in the 3G AGP section of this LFFP.

Indoor environments currently accommodate 20% of football participation and are also popular with players in teams and leagues and recreational sessions . Indoor sports halls are most popular, along with some community halls and indoor 3G centres. Environments need to be engaging, have clear line-marking and the correct size goalposts.

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

Football Foundation PlayZone Programme

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

Through this programme we want to address stubborn inequalities in activity levels and access to sports facilities within four priority groups:

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

Our research also shows us that when it comes to small sided facilities one size does not fit all and localised design and ownership will yield the greatest engagement from under represented groups. Activation is also as important as the facility itself for these groups. This section of the LFFP will concentrate on suitable places for PlayZones.

Suitable places will be identified through a combination of mapping, to include identification of our priority groups and crossover with other multi-sport priorities. Further community engagement will be required for design and delivery. Where some engagement has already been carried out projects will appear in the project list.

All projects will then need to be developed by a cross sector consortium where partners who understand and represent the people and the place come together to drive the project forward and create access and opportunities for priority groups.

Our research shows us that community engagement is the key to developing great small sided facilities and that we shouldn't try and identify sites without first identifying two key things:

• Key priority places within the local authority
• Key priority groups within the local authority

Once these two things are identified local community engagement is required to identify potential sites for investment.

The key priority groups in Wakefield are:

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

This priority group of places and people will be ratified throughout the process and the next step is to now begin community engagement to help identify where the specific sites are that will help to tackle inequalities and provide spaces for activity.

Wakefield Council received FF Active Through Football funding, working with local partners including Frickley Athletic Foundation, Non-League Yorkshire (NLY) Community Sport and The Coalfields Regeneration Trust. The aim is to create more chances for adults (16+) living in the Hemsworth, Upton, South Kirkby, Kinsley, Fitzwilliam, South Elmsall, Havercroft and Ryhill area, to improve health and wellbeing through physical activity.

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:

• Specialist Health Improvement Officer (Sports Development & Physical Activity) - Wakefield Council
• Health Improvement Specialist - Wakefield Council
• Service Manager (Sport and Health Improvement) - Wakefield Council
• Greenspace Operations Manager - Wakefield Council
• Operations Manager - Wakefield Council
• Senior Planning Officer (Spatial Policy) - Wakefield Council
• Corporate Property & Estates Team Leader - Wakefield Council
• Facilities & Investment Manager - West Riding FA
• Football Development Manager - Sheffield & Hallamshire FA
• Delivery Manager - Football Foundation
• Principal Planning Manager - Sport England
• Development Manager (Wakefield) - Yorkshire Sport
• Facilities Development Manager (North) – Rugby Football Union
• Facilities Planning Manager (Recreational Game) - England & Wales Cricket Board
• Head of Region (West Yorkshire) - Yorkshire Cricket Foundation
• Facilities Relationship Manager - England Hockey
• National Clubs Manager - Rugby Football League
• Club Secretary - Wrenthorpe Rangers
• Secretary - Ossett Town Juniors FC
• Club Secretary - Horbury Town Juniors FC
• Club Secretary - Airedale FC
• Chairman/Secretary - Featherstone Academical FC
• Secretary - Crofton Juniors FC
• Secretary - Nostell Miners Welfare FC
• Secretary - West End Terriers FC