Local Football Facility Plan York

York is in the Yorkshire Region.

The current population of the Authority (ONS 2017 Mid-Year Estimate) is 208,163. This is expected to rise to 224,542 by 2039.

York is ranked 20 out of 21 LAs in the region, and 270 out of 326 LAs nationally on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (ONS).

York's ethnic composition is primarily white (94%). This is higher than the national average (85.4%).

The proportion of York's population represented by the BAME community is 6%. This is below the national average (14.6%).

Local authority

City of York Council’s joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2017-2022) sets out the ambition for all York residents to have the best possible health and wellbeing throughout the course of their lives. As part of achieving this, four themes are identified for health and wellbeing within York:

• Mental health and wellbeing
• Starting and going well
• Living and working well
• Ageing well.

The themes of starting and going well and living and working well highlight the need to tackle inequalities, including health inequalities, within poorer communities and more vulnerable groups. Furthermore, it states there is a need to encourage residents to make good choices about their health and also support people to maintain a healthy weight and manage health conditions.

The Local Plan for the City of York (2018) is still in development and will replace the previous Local Plan (2005). It commits to protecting and providing accessible and new varied opportunities for leisure and recreational activities in order to promote healthy lifestyles and improve wellbeing, including ensuring that residents living within the main built up areas of York have access to a range of well located recreational open spaces and sports facilities and safe walking and cycling routes to them. It acknowledges that this is an essential part of creating happy, healthy and inclusive communities.

The Authority is in the process of developing a new playing pitch strategy to replace the previous one, which was adopted in 2014.

County football association

York is covered by the North Riding County FA and East Riding County 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 have designated facilities investment lead officers 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 York City Football Club Foundation runs a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within the local area.

Local leisure operator

GLL is the key leisure operator in York. It currently runs one key site, which has a sports centre, grass pitches (three) and a full size sand dressed AGP. It is also due to take on operation on two other key sites in York; Burnholme Community Hub and Sports Facilities and the York City FC Community Stadium. The latter will include a sports centre and three small sided 3G FTPs. Burnholme Community Hub and Sports Facilities will also include a sports centre, as well as two grass pitches and a 9v9 3G FTP.

Local consultation

This has taken place with a broad and diverse set of community groups in York. 35 individuals (representing 32 local organisations) were spoken to. The agencies consulted include:

• North Yorkshire Youth
• York Mind
• University of York
• York LGBT Forum
• York St Johns
• Wheldrake Recreation Association

(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. York has a total of 460 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 York, 11 community clubs have more than ten registered teams. These (based upon 2018-19 affiliation data) are:

• Bishopthorpe White Roses Juniors - 32 teams
• Copmanthorpe FC - 18 teams
• Dringhouses FC - 13 teams
• Hamilton Panthers Juniors - 15 teams
• Haxby Town Juniors - 18 teams
• Huntington FC - 11 teams
• Poppleton FC - 27 teams
• Rawcliffe Juniors - 18 teams
• Strensall Tigers FC - 16 teams
• Wiggington Grasshoppers Juniors - 22 teams
• York Railway Institute Junior Boys - 18 teams

In addition, there are two university clubs in York with more than ten registered teams:

• University of York Association FC - 14 teams
• York St John University - 11 teams

Leagues

Seven leagues serve clubs and teams in York. They offer competitive opportunities for many different players, including women and girls, youth and adults. There is no specific league opportunity for disability football in York. The largest local leagues (2018-19) include:

• The YMSV York Minor League - 103 teams
• York & Ryedale - 191 Teams
• City Of York Girls League - 68 teams

The County FAs report some cross boundary migration to/from York due to teams playing in leagues serving teams and clubs from wider catchments.

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 York there are five football teams / sessions 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. York has five FA Wildcats girls football centres and the priority is to grow this activity.

At 60 , York’s number of female teams is higher than local areas of a similar size. The priority of both county FA's is to support existing clubs to grow and encourage more clubs to develop playing opportunities for females. The local girls’ league is the City of York 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 league is the North Riding Womens League. It too plays matches on a home and away and is expected to grow its provision in future years.

For talented players, the most local FA Regional Talent Club (RTC) is York which is located in York. Higher level talent pathway opportunities are also provided regionally and nationally by the FA, culminating in the England Women’s national squads.

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.

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

• Powerleague
• GLL

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 20 futsal teams in York. It is a priority for the two county FAs to grow futsal for male, female, youth and adult 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 eight FA Just Play centres in York. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisation such as York City Football Club Foundation. Walking football and Just Play are priorities for both county FAs for further growth and development. Other local recreational football programmes include club community scheme activities that deliver on a wide range of health, education and sport based programmes.

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 York is played particularly in the north, south and central part of the local authority. Homestead Park, Crombie Avenue and Wheldrake Recreation Ground are well-used site locations.

The key strengths of local football in York include strong club based activity, good community/school links and proactive partners including the local authority and York City FC Foundation. It is recommended that this is sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However, gaps in provision do exist these include: 3G FTPs, disability football provision and Futsal provision. It is therefore recommended that the future football development priorities for York are:

1. Increasing women and girls football
2. Sustaining and growing the affiliated game
3. Grow participation in disability football
4. Ensuring an affiliated futsal offer is available

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

Additionally, each 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 York. It identifies current issues and presents opportunities for improvements, including a list of priority projects for potential investment. Local assets and opportunities have been reviewed in line with four investment priorities:

• 3G FTPs
• Improved grass pitches
• Changing room pavilions / clubhouses
• Small sided facilities

To ensure a consistent and high quality approach, each local area is reviewed applying a standard approach, supplemented by input from consultation with local partners and stakeholder organisations.

While investment priorities are reviewed individually, it is understood that they can be inter-reliant; account is, thus, taken of these potential connections.

3G FTPs are a high quality and indispensable part of modern football facilities; their impact cannot be underestimated. In recent years the industry has seen major innovations and improvements to artificial surfaces (and sports lighting). This has created playing surfaces that replicate a good standard natural turf pitch whilst significantly increasing levels of use (x20). All FTPs must have sports lighting to achieve this.

The high quality, consistent playing surface is the ideal environment to play the game and for young people to learn. With regular maintenance programmes, FTPs can be heavily used all year round with no decline in quality. They almost completely negate annoying fixture cancellations during winter months, helping football to be a key part of a regular physical activity habit.

High capacity levels offer a great opportunity to embrace all formats and engage all participants. A full-sized 3G caters for an average of 1,200 participants per week and is suitable for various location types. That means being fully inclusive to all sections of the community, with a particular focus on under-represented groups such as women and girls, people with a disability, BAME communities and people from lower socio-economic groups.

The way 3G FTPs are used is rapidly changing; current line-marking systems allow for match play across all formats of football (5v5, 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11). This enables significant levels of match-play to be transferred from grass to 3G.

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

• York College
• York Sports Village
• York St John (x2)

In addition, there is one small-sided 3G FTP centre; Play Football in York. There are also three small sided 3G FTPs at York Sports Village and a 9v9 3G FTP at Burnholme Community Hub. A 9v9 3G FTP is also due to be developed at Milthorpe School; however, it is subject to further negotiation about floodlighting. This will be funded through the Football Foundation.

York City FC Community Stadium is currently being developed without funding via the Football Foundation. It will provide three 5v5 3G FTPs.

York's emerging PPS is being prepared on the basis that there are is an overall total of 460 affiliated teams in the Authority. Discounting university and indoor (futsal) teams leaves a figure of 333. This is the number of teams used to determine the requirement for eight full size 3G FTPs. This means that there is a current shortfall of four. It should also, however, be noted that three of the four current full size 3G FTPs are located at education sites, where community access by affiliated clubs is restricted due to the priority given to student use. On this basis it is considered that a shortfall of seven 3G FTPs is more reflective of the current supply / demand position.

In relation to the above, the position on 3G FTPs should be reviewed and agreed following the completion of the emerging PPS. The LFFP should then be amended if required.

One pitch; York St John is on the FA Register for 3G FTPs (meaning it is quality checked and can be used for football match play). It is strongly recommended that the remainder, plus any 3G FTPs developed in the future, are assessed and placed on the Register to enable more match play on 3G.

The geographic spread of existing facilities is uneven. There are facilities / provision gaps in the centre, north and west of York despite high levels of population and higher levels of deprivation and it is recommended that these are addressed.

Local consultation reveals common issues with high costs of 3G FTP hire, low availability and thus limited community. It is recommended that these issues are addressed.

Nine priority projects have been identified and further exploration and discussions with key partners is required due to the potential complexity of several sites. Each was selected based upon a rationale of them serving key settlements, enabling good access, catering for areas with high football demand, improving the geographic spread of facilities and catering better for people from lower social economic groups.

Should the plan not deliver on the agreed shortfall position of seven 3G FTPs, or should demand significantly increase as a consequence of population growth the strategic developments ST14 Clifton Gate - North of York (1,348 homes) and ST15 Elvington (3,339 homes) should be considered for provision of 3G FTP provision. These are; however, not currently included in the project list.

As previously mentioned, the position on 3G FTPs should be reviewed and agreed following the completion of the emerging PPS. The LFFP should then be amended if required.

It is important to ensure that development of any 3G FTP provision does not impact on other sports in the area through loss of grass pitch, non turf wicket or sand based AGP provision. To ensure this, consultation should be undertaken with the required NGBs and Sport England as part of any proposed 3G FTP project.

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 26 grass pitch sites in York with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than three pitches but deemed to be of strategic importance). These contain 96 grass pitches.

Local consultation confirms the common issues of poor pitch quality and a lack of mini pitches to accommodate demand. Whilst it is recommended that quality is improved, consultation reveals a need to approach accommodating mini play across the City more strategically. This is most likely to occur in the form of 3G FTP sites that can be accessed by leagues as central venues.

Of the 26 key pitch sites referenced above it was determined that nine should be prioritised. This will result in quality improvements to 23 pitches. One site; Poppleton Junior Football Club (The Millfield Ground), has potential to be extended into a neighboring field. This would provide additional grass pitch provision. The number of pitches and configuration is yet to be decided.

Further to the above, Bishopthorpe White Roses Football Club is being developed without Football Foundation funding. This site has undergone a PIP site visit and it should be ensured that the maintenance regime recommended in the PIP report is actioned to ensure pitch quality once it is operational.

Nine priority projects for potential investment are identified. Prioritisation was based on the rationale of selecting sites in poor condition, that were (or offered the potential to be) well utilised.

It is also important to note that a number of strategic housing sites will deliver grass pitch provision. It should be ensured that the quality of this provison is good and that the pitch configurations are reflective of established demand in the City. These include:

• ST9 Haxby & Wiggington
• ST14 Clifton Gate (North of York)
• ST15 Elvington
• Moor Lane

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 26 key grass pitch sites in York with three or more full-size pitch equivalents (or with fewer than three but deemed to be of strategic importance) 21 have suitable changing rooms, four require improvement/replacement and one requires a new pavilion.

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.

Although no indoor facilities are identified as requiring improvement to develop small sided football, one site; Burnholme Community Hub is due to have futsal markings and goals provided through the FA Futsal Fund. This will be accessed by a range of users, including the York City FC Foundation. York City FC Community Stadium is also being considered for such provision as part of the sites development.

Four potential opportunities for MUGAs are identified. In each case the rationale is based on the site being in an area of substantial population with a relatively high proportion of people from lower social economic groups and corresponding high local demand for informal football:

1. Wheldrake Recreation Ground - potential to convert two unused bowling greens into a MUGA to provide training space for Wheldrake Junior FC, as well as providing opportunities for walking football (including women's walking football) within a rural settlement.
   
2. Strensall Sports Field - a floodlit MUGA that requires refurbishment. This is currently well used by the Club for training for under 11's up to under 16's. York City FC Foundation has also highlighted that it will use this site for running sessions.
   
3. Crombie Avenue/Clifton Green Primary School - potential to improve the MUGA on site which can not only be used by students and local young people for informal play but also by Refugee Action York for sporting activities including football as part of its work. Refugee Action York is closely linked with York Mind.
   
4. Homestead Park - a site which is well used for football and general physical activity initiatives. Potential to refurbish the MUGA to support with this.
   
5. Groves/Guildhall Ward - an area of higher deprivation where Door84 Youth Centre operates. Potential to link this organisation into a site for it to deliver its open sessions. These sessions are for under 8's through to under 25's. There is also a community project for adults with disabilities run by the organisation.

Following local consultation, no locations in addition to those above have been 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:

• Active York - Chairman
• Bishopthorpe White Rose Juniors - Secretary
• City of York Council - Community Sports Development Manager
• City of York Council - Development Officer
• City of York Girls League - League Secretary
• Copmanthorpe FC - Chairman
• Door84 - Centre Manager
• East Riding County FA - Football Development Manager
• England Hockey - Facilities Relationship Manager
• Football Foundation - Engagement Manager
• GLL - Community Sport Manager
• GLL - Partnerships Manager
• Hamilton Panthers FC - Secretary
• Healthwatch York - Manager
• Manor School - Lettings Manager
• North Riding County FA - Football Development Manager
• North Riding Womens League - League Chairman
• North Yorkshire Sport - Head of Development
• North Yorkshire Youth - Youth Mentor
• RFU - Area Facilities Manager
• School Sports Partnership
• Sport England - Planning Manager
• York St Johns - Chief Operating Officer
• Poppleton FC - Secretary
• The YMSV York Minor League - League Chairman
• University of York - Business Manager
• University of York - Head of Sport
• York & Ryedale League - League Chairman
• York City & District U19's League - League Chairman
• York City Football Club Foundation - Foundation Manager
• York LGBT Forum - Co-Chair
• York Mind - Activities Manager
• York Minster Engineering League - League Chairman
• York Railway Institute Juniors - Secretary
• Wheldrake Recreation Association - Chairman