Local Football Facility Plan York

Demographics for the area can be seen below:

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 is still in development and will replace the previous Local Plan (2005). Once adopted, the new Local Plan will determine how the city develops over the next 15 years and beyond. 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 York Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) is complete and is expected to be adopted in 2023. The emerging PPS evidences that there is a significant shortfall of full size 3G AGP provision in all three sub-areas of the City and therefore a need for several new pitches. Priorities are also to improve grass pitch quality at key strategic and overplayed sites, as well as to support the improvement of off-pitch facilities to promote growth in club and female participation.

County Football Association

York is covered by both North Riding County FA and East Riding County FA. They each 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 development 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). York City Football Club Foundation runs a variety of health, education, engagement, football and sporting activities within the local area.

Local leisure operator

Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) is the key leisure operator in York. It currently runs four sites, including two key sites for football; York Leisure Centre (3x small sided 3G AGPs, indoor sports hall) and Burnholme Sports Centre (7v7 size 3G AGP, indoor sports hall). GLL also operates Energise Leisure Centre which has a sports hall and a full size sand based AGP used for some football activity, as well as Yearsley Swimming Pool which has no pitch provision.

Local consultation

Local consultation took place with a broad and diverse set of community groups in the original LFFP (2019) and to inform the recent PPS (2022). See Appendix B for full list of consultees who helped inform the LFFP update.

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 481 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 York, 14 clubs have more than 10 registered teams. The largest of these (based upon 2022/23 affiliation data) are:

• Bishopthorpe White Roses Juniors - 35 teams
• York Railway Institute Junior Boys (including York RI Girls) - 29 teams
• Fulford FC - 31 teams
• Wigginton Grasshoppers Juniors - 29 teams
• Poppleton FC - 22 teams
• Huntington FC - 24 teams
• Hamilton Panthers Juniors - 25 teams
• Haxby Town Juniors - 20 teams
• Copmanthorpe FC - 20 teams
• Rawcliffe Juniors - 17 teams
• Strensall Tigers FC - 19 teams
• Wheldrake Juniors - 14 teams
• Dunnington - 14 teams
• Elvington Harriers - 14 teams
  

In addition, there are two university clubs in York :

• University of York Association FC - 9 teams
• York St John University - 18 teams

Leagues

Two leagues operate in York. They offer competitive opportunity for many different players, including adult male, adult female, youth, girls and disability. York's largest local leagues (2022/23) include:

• York & District Youth Football League - 350 teams (home and away)
• City of York Girls Football League - 100 teams (home and away)

Since the 2019 York LFFP, the York & Ryedale Football League and the York Minor League has both since merged into the York & District Youth Football League, which is now the single main junior league for boys and mixed junior football.

The County FA reports some cross boundary migration to York, particularly the York & District Youth Football League which draws teams from neighbouring Scarborough and Ryedale, including some teams based in other local authorities affiliating to East Riding FA and West Riding FA.

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 ten football teams specifically for people with a disability, as well as a girls Cerebral Palsy (CP) session run by York RI FC. It is a priority of the County FA to grow disability provision. For talented players the FA runs regional centres and England national squads. Disability football is played at Countywide central venues operated by North Riding FA, one of which (York Sports Village 3G pitches) is held within the City, for adult, U12 and U16 teams.

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. York has six 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. There is one registered FA Squad Girls session in York.

At 62, the number of female teams in York is higher 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 City of York Girls Football 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 Football League in which are played on a home and away basis. It is expected to grow its provision in future years.

For talented players, the most local opportunity is the York City FC Foundation Regional Talent Centre which is based within the local authority, as is the FA accredited York City FC Foundation Emerging Talent Centre which is a recreational programme. Higher level talent pathway opportunities are also provided regionally and nationally by the FA, culminating in the England Women’s national squads. Locally, York City Ladies FC plays in the FA Women's National League Division One North and 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

• Burnholme Sports Centre - 7v7 3G AGP (operated by Powerplay)
• WePlayFootball - 3x 7v7 and 2x 5v5 3G AGPs
• York St John University (Haxby Road) - 3x 11v11 3G AGPs (operated by Leisure Leagues)
• York Sport Village - 3x 5v5 3G AGPs, 11v11 3G AGP (operated by Football Mundial)

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 seven FA Just Play centres in York. Walking football sessions are delivered by a range of community organisation such as York City Football Club Foundation, which delivers five FA Just Play Centres, of which four are for walking football and one has a mental health focus. Walking football and Just Play are County FA priorities for further growth and development.

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 these are sustained and also encouraged to grow further. However, gaps in provision do exist, these include disability provision and a lack of 3G AGP facilities for community football.

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

1. Increasing women and girls participation
2. Sustaining and growing the affiliated game
3. Grow participation in disability football

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 six full-sized (11 v 11) 3G AGPs in York. Four pitches meet FA recommended full size pitch dimensions (100x64m):

• York College (100x64m)
• York Sport Village (100x64m)
• York St John University (Haxby Road) x3 - two football build pitches (90x56m and 95x56m), one dual-compliant rugby build pitch (100x68m football pitch).
• York Stadium (105x66m) - dual-compliant stadia 3G AGP used for football and rugby league. Unavailable for wider community use.

There are a further 13 smaller size 3G AGPs servicing York, of which all are available for community use. Just one is 60mx40m sized or larger, the substantially sized pitch at Millthorpe School, which is 82x50m. Additionally, there is one commercial small-sided 3G AGP centre in York at PlayFootball, which has six 3G AGPs of various small sizes, whilst both York Sports Village and York Stadium each have three small sided 3G AGPs for small sided football.

York has a PPS which was finalised in 2022 and is to be adopted in 2023. The PPS indicates that there is a need for nine full 3G AGPs to meet current demand, increasing to at least ten to meet future demand. Against existing supply of five full size 3G AGPs available for community use, this represents a shortfall of at least four full size 3G AGPs, increasing to at least five to meet future demand. Three of the five existing available full size 3G AGPs are managed by the higher education sector.

Despite half of the existing full size 3G AGP provision being located in the North of the City at York St John University (Haxby Road), in practice the programme of use for the three pitches is heavily made up of student sport activity and local stakeholders through the PPS report that there is little to no capacity on the pitches midweek for community team training. Despite being dual-use for football and rugby, York City FC Foundation reports that the rugby build pitch is only accessed for rugby league activity by York RLFC which has an agreement for use in the evenings and weekends. As a result there is no football activity midweek as the pitch is fully used for rugby, therefore contributes no capacity to meet community training demand. Consequently, due to limitations on capacity available to the community at existing pitches, the steering group has agreed that there is a further need for 3G AGP provision in the north of the City of two full size 3G AGPs with full community use programmes.

York City FC Foundation reports that York City FC Ladies was previously based at York St John University (Haxby Road) using a 3G APG, however the pitch was not considered to be fully compliant with Women's National League (WNL, Tier 4) stadia accreditation requirements for matches. Having received WNL dispensation to use the pitch previously, the league took the position not to allow continued dispensation from 2023/24 season onward. Though York City FC Ladies development teams still play matches onsite on the 3G AGPs on Sundays, the women's first team has had to move to the York Sport Athletics Stadium. This grass pitch also still does not fully meet WNL criteria due to the surrounding running track but is reportedly a short term solution. The Club has an aspiration to access a fully WNL compliant facility in the local authority or risks exporting demand from York to meet WNL requirements in future.

In addition to the total current shortfall of six full size 3G AGPs, the pitch at York Sport Village will soon require replacement. However, there are proposals to convert the existing pitch to a sand based surface to meet hockey needs, potentially releasing other sand based pitches in the City for conversion to 3G. The wider plans for York Sports Village also include the development of two new full size 3G AGPs, to mitigate the aforementioned loss and to add an extra new pitch to meet university and community demand. If brought to fruition, as a potential double 3G AGP venue the site has been identified as a possible 3G central venue league opportunity.

Five of the six full size 3G AGPs are available for community use to some extent, though capacity for community use is limited at York St John University where student sport has priority within the programme of use across the three 3G AGPs. It is recommend that increased community use opportunities are explored at this site. York College and one pitch at York St John University 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 the four remaining pitches are assessed and placed on the FA 3G Pitch Register to enable more match play on 3G.

The geographic spread of existing facilities is uneven; the majority (three pitches) are located in the north of the local area. There are provision gaps in the central and western areas despite high levels of population and it is recommended that these are addressed.

Local consultation undertaken through the York PPS identifies common issues with low availability, due to the quantitative shortfalls for 3G AGPs and prioritisation of student programming at existing pitches within Higher Education management. It is recommended that this is addressed.

There are sites in the City which aspire to develop new AGP and floodlighting provision for hockey. Subject to securing community use for hockey at these sites if developed, and in consultation with England Hockey, there may be future opportunity for the conversion of other existing sand based AGPs to 3G surfaces to help meet shortfalls for football, as well as for other pitch sports where demand exists.

The RFL identifies that there is a demand for increased access to compliant 3G AGP provision to support rugby league activity in York, particularly for training. Opportunity to develop a 3G AGP is being explored at York Acorn Rugby Club led by York Acorn Rugby League. Initial thoughts focused on a small size pitch/MUGA on the site of an old bowling green, though it is reported that provision of a full size 3G AGP is now preferred by the Club, with an existing grass football pitch a possible location. The project would likely be rugby league rather than football led, on the site of the rugby league club but identified as able to be used by Dringhouses AFC as a possible project football partner.

The FA has seen unprecedented growth in football 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 203 teams by 2030, of which 99 will come from women and girls. This could represent the equivalent of at least five 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 (e.g. clubs and leagues) 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, 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 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 and 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 original LFFP the introduction of PitchPower has allowed club maintained sites to apply for funding to improve grass pitch maintenance. Some clubs have since been awarded Football Foundation investment for their sites through the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund, which should result in pitch quality improving over the next couple of seasons. The aim now should be to get the pitches up to 'good' standard and work to sustain them. Clubs that have accessed the funding to improve pitches are:

• Bishopthorpe White Rose FC (White Rose Park)
• Dringhouses FC (Dringhouses Sports Club)
• Elvington FC (Lower Derwent Sports & Social Club)
• Hamilton Panthers (Little Knavesmire)
• Osbaldwick FC (Osbaldwick Sports Club)
• Poppleton United FC (Poppleton Centre)
• Rawcliffe Junior FC (Rawcliffe Junior Football Club)
• Strensall Tigers FC (Strensall Sports Field)
• Wigginton Grasshoppers 82 (The Wigginton Sports & Playing Fields)
• York Acorn RLC (York Acorn Rugby Club)
• York RI (New Lane Pitches - York RI AFC)

Strensall Sports Field and York RI (New Lane Pitches) were identified in the 2019 LFFP for improvements to grass pitches, both have since been funded through the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund. The plan also identified Hopgrove Playing Fields and Fulford Parish Field (School Lane) for grass pitch improvements, both of which have since received Football Foundation towards additional new pitch maintenance equipment, however further investment is still required to improve these pitches to good quality.

There are currently 23 grass pitch sites in the local authority which are identified as being maintained to varying extent by grassroots clubs, leagues or by the public sector (e.g. Parish Councils, Playing Field Associations) and have been assessed via PitchPower. Not all sites maintained by these organisation types have been assessed using PitchPower, but the 23 which have are known to have in total 42 good (or better, high/advanced) quality pitches, 16 basic quality pitches and 20 poor quality pitches.

The following club owned or operated sites remain a priority for grass pitch investment and are eligible for the Football Foundation's Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund:

• Hopgrove Playing Fields (Heworth AFC)
• Fulford Parish Field (School Lane - Fulford FC)
• Wheldrake Recreation Centre (Wheldrake Juniors)
• Dunnington Playing Fields Association (Dunnington FC)
• Heslington Sports Field (Heslington FC)

The Millfield Ground (Poppleton Junior Football Club) has potential to be extended into a neighbouring field to develop additional pitch provision. Poppleton JFC is looking to purchase the adjacent field from a local farmer, with exploratory discussions suggesting the land could have opportunity to provide a new cricket pitch and football pitches.

Similarly, Wigginton Grasshoppers 82 has identified opportunity to lease land adjacent to The Wigginton Sports & Playing Fields from a private landowner and aspires to develop the site as playing field to establish two youth 9v9 pitches. The site is located within Greenbelt and the Club has option to secure a 10 year lease for the land.

Through the use of PitchPower, to date it has been identified that there is a need for additional or new maintenance machinery and equipment at Strensall Sports Field (Strensall Tigers).

A number of proposed strategic housing sites will deliver new grass pitch provision. It should be ensured that the quality of this provision is good and that the pitch types and configurations both meet shortfalls identified in the York PPS and meet the requirements of local clubs which will use the sites. These include:

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

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. City of York Council has not yet undertaken PitchPower assessments of the sites it directly maintains within its portfolio.

In total there are 22 key pitch sites and it was determined that 13 of these should be prioritised for improvements. This will result in quality improvements to 43 full size pitch equivalents at these sites.

Thirteen priority projects for potential investment have been identified. Pitch quality rating was evidenced by PitchPower reports at club sites or the PPS and ratified by local partners where PitchPower data isn't available. Prioritisation was based on a rationale of selecting sites that were most well utilised and a strategic focus to improve club pitches.

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, two sites require improvement/refurbishment and two require new builds/replacement. 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.

Identified in the 2019 LFFP, Wigginton Playing Fields has now received funding from the Football Foundation and a new pavilion and car park has since been developed.

In addition to the 22 key sites identified above, there are proposals for the development of new 3G AGP at York Sport Village which, if delivered, will also require a new build pavilion to meet increased demand for both football activity as well as other sporting clubs/groups which may use the pitch or the new sand based AGPs also proposed alongside.

The FA has seen unprecedented growth in football 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 203 teams by 2030, of which 99 will come from women and girls. This could represent the equivalent of at least five 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. In York the starting point for priority places, identified through previous Local Authority work around deprivation and inactivity, is:

• Westfield
• Clifton
• Hull Road

The key priority groups in York are:

• Women and girls
• People with a limiting illness or disability
• People aged 55 years and over
• Children and young people aged 5 to 18

This priority group of places and people will be ratified through consultation 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.

A range of local agencies were invited to participate in the LFFP consultation. Those that contributed are listed below:

• Community Sports Development Manager - City of York Council
• Head of Football Development & Operations - North Riding FA
• Football Development Officer - North Riding FA
• Football Development Manager (Strategic Investment and Football Development Lead) - East Riding FA
• Delivery Manager - Football Foundation
• Planning Manager - Sport England
• Head of Development - North Yorkshire Sport
• Foundation Manager - York City FC Foundation
• Facilities Development Manager (North) - Rugby Football Union
• Facilities Planning Manager (Recreational Game) - England & Wales Cricket Board
• Head of Region (North Yorkshire) - Yorkshire Cricket Foundation
• Facilities Relationship Manager - England Hockey
• National Clubs Manager - Rugby Football League
• Facilities Manager - Rugby Football League