Local Football Facility Plan Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton is located in the West Midlands region. It has a rich football heritage and is home to Premier League Club Wolverhampton Wanderers FC .

The current population of the Authority (ONS 2016 Mid-Year Estimate) is 256,621. This is expected to rise to 284,330 by 2039.

43.3% of the Wolverhampton population is within NS SEC classification 6-8 (lower socioeconomic groups). This figure is significantly higher than the national average (30.6%)

Wolverhampton's ethnic composition is primarily White (68%) and this is lower than the national average (85.4%).

The proportion of Wolverhampton's population represented by the BAME community is 32%. This is above the national average (14.6%).

The main ethnic group of the BAME community is Asian, which accounts for 18% of the total population

Local Authority

Wolverhampton Council’s Joint Health and Well Being Strategy commits it to improving the health and wellbeing of the most disadvantaged residents in Wolverhampton and reduce inequalities in health and well being.

The local authority has a Playing Pitch Strategy in place; this was updated in 2018. The key findings are that there is a shortfall of one full size 3G pitch in Wolverhampton and in some instances, there are quality deficiencies amongst natural grass playing pitches

County Football Association

Wolverhampton is covered by Staffordshire and Birmingham County FAs. They provide governance 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 Club Community Organisations (CCOs)

These continue to expand and enhance their range of community delivery, offering a variety of programmes and services to support local communities (sporting and non-sporting). The Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation runs a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within the local area.

Local leisure operator

WV Active is the key leisure operator in Wolverhampton. It currently operates key strategic football sites including WV Active Aldersley..

Local consultation

This has taken place with a broad and diverse set of community groups in Wolverhampton. A total of 15 individuals (representing 11 local organisations) were consulted. These include:

• Aladdin’s Education Centre
• Ashmore Park Community Hub
• Beacon Centre for the Blind
• City of Wolverhampton Council (CWC)
• Wolves Community Trust (WCT)
• Wolverhampton & District Sunday League

(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. Wolverhampton has a total of 181 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 Wolverhampton, four clubs have more than 10 registered teams. The largest of these (based upon 2017-18 affiliation data) are:

• Bilbrook Juniors FC - 28 teams
• Old Wulfrunians’sJuniors FC – 19 teams
• Wolverhampton Olympic FC - 11 teams
• Wednesfield FC - 10 team

Two leagues operate in Wolverhampton. They offer competitive opportunities for many different players, including youth and adults. While there are no specific league opportunities for disability football within Wolverhampton, there is however suitable provision provided in neighbouring Sandwell. Within Wolverhampton there are also a number of adult teams which play within the National League System. This is an inter connecting system of leagues with incremental steps that are achieved via promotion or relegation. Within this system there are various requirements that teams must meet from a ground grading perspective in order to play at that particular level . These requirements become more onerous the higher up the system a club goes.

A number of junior teams also play within the Midland Junior Premier League and Midland Floodlit Youth League. These leagues are seen as a step up from traditional grass roots football and therefore teams competing in them have to meet requirements linked to changing and catering provision.

Wolverhampton largest local leagues (2017-18) include:

• Bilston Youth Partnership League
• Wolverhampton and District Sunday League

The County FA reports that there is some cross boundary migration in Wolverhampton due to teams migrating outwards to the Walsall Youth 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 Wolverhampton there are ten football teams / sessions specifically for people with a disability. It is a priority of the County FA to grow and sustain this provision. For talented players the FA run 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. Wolverhampton has two FA Wildcats girls football centres and the priority is to grow this activity.

With five dedicated female teams, Wolverhampton’s number of female teams is lower than 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 local girls league is the Stourbridge and District Youth League and matches are played on a home and away basis. The league is expected to grow and sustain its provision in future years. The local adult female league is the Birmingham County Women’s League and matches are played on a home and away basis and the league is expected to sustain its provision in future years.

For talented players, the most local FA Regional Talent Club’s (RTC’s) are Aston Villa FC, Birmingham City FC, Stoke City FC, West Bromwich Albion FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. 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 Birmingham City Ladies 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 & 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:

• Leisure Leagues; Our Lady & St Chad Catholic Academy
• Powerplay; CodsallLeisure Centre, WVActive Aldersley

Futsal is an exciting, fast-paced, small sided team game that is widely played across the world. Typically it’s 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 Futsal is available across the country.

There are currently no futsal teams in Wolverhampton It is a priority for the County FA to grow Futsal for both 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 Wolverhampton. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisation such as Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation. Walking football and Just Play are areas that the County FA has prioritised for further growth and development. Other local recreational football programmes are delivered by the Wolverhampton Wanderers 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).

The key strengths of local football in Wolverhampton include adult male, youth and mini soccer provision and it is recommend that this is sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However, gaps in provision do exist, these include girls, women's and disability football.

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

1. Girls and women’s
2. Disability
3. Recreational football
4. Futsal
5. Wildcat Centre’s

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

Additionally, 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 Wolverhampton. 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 inline with four investment priorities:

1. 3G FTPs
2. Improved grass pitches
3. Changing room pavilions / clubhouses
4. 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 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 national ‘Mini Pitch’ programme delivers small 3G FTPs at primary school sites to provide a high quality introduction to football and get children more physically active. While mini pitches are reviewed in this section, they are not included in the demand and supply analysis for 3G FTPs.

FA data states that there are currently four 3G FTPs in Wolverhampton. Pitches located at Heath Park and Jack Hayward Training Ground (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC’s training base) offer limited community use and are generally considered to be unavailable to access for community clubs and teams. There is a shortfall of one full size 3G FTP relative to assessed demand (Playing Pitch Strategy 2018).

There is also one indoor 3G pitch located at WV Active Aldersley operated by Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation. This has not been factored into the above modelling as it does not accommodate affiliated football demand. The pitch is used to offer a range of recreational and informal football programming across the City.

Existing 3G FTPs in Wolverhampton include:

• Our Lady St Chads Catholic Academy
• City of Wolverhampton College
• Heath Park
• Jack Hayward Training Ground

Additionally, there is one small-sided 3G FTP centre in Wolverhampton:

• All Saints Games Area

Two of the four pitches in Wolverhampton are available for community use. It is recommend that community use opportunities are explored at Heath Park to reduce unmet affiliated training demand and recreational demand. Jack Hayward Training Ground is unlikely to be made available for community use in the future as it is the training ground of professional football club Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. The site is used exclusively to accommodate its training demand.

Both community accessible FTPs are on the FA Register for 3G FTPs (meaning they are quality checked and can be used for football match play). It is strongly recommend that if access to Heath Park can be secured that it is certified to accommodate more match play on 3G.

The geographical spread of existing facilities is uneven; the majority are located in the east of the local area. There are facilities / provision gaps in west and central areas and it is recommended that these are addressed.

Local consultation reveals common issues with low availability and no community access and it is recommended that these issues are addressed.

Two priority projects for potential investment have been identified. Undersupply was calculated using the FA 3G FTP demand and supply model. Each site was selected by local partners based on a rationale of good access, high population, geographical spread, success and quality of existing facilities.

The 3G FTP at WV Aldersley is identified as requiring resurfacing to ensure the venue can continue to offer and accommodate high levels of recreational and informal programming.

1 - Highfields School– new floodlit 11v11 FTP

• Existing facilities – one adult pitch, one junior pitch
• Existing users – 11 affiliated teams
• Rationale – participation growth in: junior football, senior football, women’s and girls football, over 50s participation and recreational football

2 - WV Active Aldersley (Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation) - refurbishment of indoor 9v9 FTP

• Existing facilities –9v9 indoor 3G FTP
• Existing users – recreational programming
• Rationale – participation growth in: senior football, junior football, recreational/informal football, BAME and lower socio-economic group engagement

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 standard and 1 in 6 games are 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.

In many local areas the key challenge is to create a sustainable approach to provide good quality football pitches for the long-term. Many local authorities (78%) intend to increase pitch hire fees in the future. However, many 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 17 grass pitch sites in Wolverhampton with three or more full-size pitch equivalents containing 72 grass pitches. Of these, just one site, containing six pitches is identified as being poor quality.

Local consultation highlights that pitch quality is generally not a concern for community clubs in Wolverhampton. Just one site, Windsor Avenue Playing Fields is identified as requiring improvements to pitch quality.

One site has been identified for potential investment. Windsor Avenue Playing Fields has seven poor quality pitches. Pitch quality rating was evidenced by Wolverhampton's PPS and consultation with CWC. Wolverhampton & District Sunday League has aspirations to develop the site as a central venue location for senior women's football.

3 - Windsor Avenue Playing Fields– works to natural grass pitches

• Existing facilities – seven adult pitches
• Existing users – six affiliated teams. Future site of Wolverhampton & District Women's League
• Rationale – participation growth in: senior football, women’s and girls football, over 50s participation and informal football

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 17 key sites with three or more full-size pitch equivalents in Wolverhampton, 15 have suitable changing room pavilions/clubhouses, one has existing facilities that need improvement and one has no facilities. Dixon Street Playing Fields has no changing provision but given limited demand on the site, it is not identified as a priority project.

In addition, three sites have been identified which accommodate high levels of both recreational and informal football. Ashmore Park Community Hub, All Saints Action Network (ASAN) and WVActive Aldersley (Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation) are identified as having a requirement for new changing provision.

Check infographic

Four priority projects for potential investment have therefore been identified. Each project has three or more full-size pitch equivalents and has either no facilities or was deemed to have an unsuitable pavilion:

2 - WVActive Aldersley (Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation) – new changing pavilion

• Existing facilities – indoor 9v9 FTP
• Existing users – high levels of recreational programming
• Rationale – participation growth in: senior football, women’s and girls football, over 50s participation and informal football

3 - Windsor Avenue Playing Fields– refurbished changing pavilion

• Existing facilities – seven adult pitches
• Existing users – six affiliated teams. Future site of Wolverhampton & District Women's League
• Rationale – participation growth in: senior football, women’s and girls football, over 50s participation and informal football

4 - All Saints Action Network (ASAN) – new changing pavilion

• Existing facilities –three small sided 3G FTPs
• Existing users – high recreational/informal use.
• Rationale – participation growth in: senior football, women’s and girls football, over 50s participation and informal football

5 - Ashmore Park Community Hub – new changing pavilion

• Existing facilities –two adult pitches, indoor sports hall
• Existing users – high recreational/informal use.
• Rationale – participation growth in: senior football, women’s and girls football, over 50s participation and informal football

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 & 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 & 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 reveals there are two indoor facilities that require improvement to develop small-sided football. Including:

5 - Ashmore Park Community Hub– refurbishment of indoor football facility

• Existing facilities – two court sports hall
• Existing users – high recreational use
• Rationale – participation growth in: recreational/informal football, BAME and lower socio-economic group engagement

6 - WVActive Bilston – Bert Williams– refurbishment of indoor football facility (in partnership with Beacon Centre for the Blind)

• Existing facilities – four court sports hall
• Existing users – high recreational use
• Rationale – participation growth in: over 50s , disability football and recreational football.

Two potential opportunities for MUGA’s have been identified. In each case the rationale is based on the site being in an area of high urban population , limited green space , high levels of deprivation, high levels of lower social economic groups and corresponding high local demand for informal football:

7 - Aladdin's Education Centre – sand-based MUGA refurbishment

Existing facilities – 7v7 FTP

Existing users – high recreational/informal use

Rationale – participation growth in: recreational/informal football, BAME and lower socio-economic group engagement

8 - Bob Jones Community Centre – MUGA refurbishment

Existing facilities – MUGA

Existing users – high recreational/informal use. Adjacent primary school.

Rationale – participation growth in: recreational/informal football, BAME and lower socio-economic group engagement

Following local consultation, no locations have been identified to support small-sided informal football. Consultation suggests that access to open green spaces and parks is not an issue in Wolverhampton.

• City of Economy – CWC
• Club Secretary – Bilbrook Juniors FC
• Club Secretary – Old Wulfrunians Juniors FC
• Community Manager – Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation
• Health Improvement Manager - CWC
• Housing Development Officer – CWC
• Innovation & Funding Officer – Beacon Centre for the Blind
• Lead Planning Manager – CWC
• League Secretary – Wolverhampton & District Sunday League
• School Sport Officer – Connected Schools Partnership
• Sport Manager – City of Wolverhampton College
• Site Manager – Ashmore Park Community Hub
• Site Manager – Aladdin’s Education Centre
• Parks & Open Spaces Officer – CWC
• WVActive Manager – WVActive