|
MILLIONS UP FOR GRABS FOR SCHOOL SPORTS
The Football
Foundation, the largest sports charity in the UK, is calling on England’s
25,000 educational establishments to apply for funding support from as
little as £100 to as much as £1m.
Their new partnership
with the New Opportunities Fund announced earlier this year has delivered
£30m funding ring-fenced for improving school sports facilities. Over half
this money has been set aside for the top 25% most deprived areas in the
country, targeting money where it is most needed. It is easy to access
and funding is available up to 100% of total project costs.
|
To provide a strategic backdrop for its £52.5m annual
budget, the Foundation recently launched the Register of English Football
Facilities (REFF), the most comprehensive audit of the country’s pitches
ever undertaken. REFF also means that for the first time players, parents
and pupils can access information on the type of amenities available at
sites across their area, get detailed route planning advice and
information on how to book pitches on the online at
www.reff.org.uk |
 |
REFF has highlighted the
desperate state of grass roots football. Over 40% of pitch operators say
their sites are vulnerable to flooding, whilst 38% reported having no
changing rooms at their facilities. In the women’s game the situation is
worse with only 6% of sites having dedicated changing rooms and this in
the same year that football overtook netball as the nation’s favourite
sport for women and girls.
Work remains to be done on collecting data on
the educational sector. In order to assess priorities and to strategically
target funding the Foundation are asking schools to report on the state of
their own pitches and changing rooms by contacting
enquiries@reff.org.uk.
“This information will give us a comprehensive
picture of exactly what is out there” said Tanya Cavanagh, project manager
of REFF. “We would like to see many more schools coming forward with
applications as well providing information on their sites.”
|
Fernwood School, Nottingham were awarded a £280,000
Foundation grant to improve their existing pitches and to construct a new
floodlit artificial pitch,
increasing participation rates for boys and girls both within the school
and their community and specifically targeting young footballers from
ethnic communities.
|
 |
Conyers School in Yarm,
Cleveland, also received a £304,000 award to develop a floodlit, synthetic
turf pitch for use both by pupils and the surrounding community. The
Prudhoe Community High School were also awarded £750,000 to provide a full
size synthetic pitch, two small sided pitches all with floodlights and six
new changing rooms for use by players and match officials.
It is not all about bricks, mortar and grass
however, further funding is available for coaching, kits, equipment and
education schemes. The Foundation is now, along with the Department for
Education and Skills, a key funding partner in the expansion of the
Playing for Success programme.
Whilst many
young people
may feel overwhelmed inside the structure of formal
education or constrained by traditional classrooms these Playing for
Success schemes take education out of schools and into football clubs.
Children enjoy being taught in the inspiring surroundings, where their
heroes play in grounds that have become hubs of community activity.
|
The schemes have reaped outstanding dividends,
motivating pupils and encouraging them to learn. Primary school children
have shown an average increase in numeracy of 21 months and secondary
pupils by eight months. Literacy rates showed an average increase amongst
secondary school pupils by six months. Thanks to further Foundation
investment, pupils in the North East are also being encouraged to read by
stars such as Kevin Phillips, Gareth Southgate and Shay Given as part of
the Read the Game initiative. Nationally, Premiership and
Football League clubs in conjunction with the National Literacy Trust are
putting forward their own reading champions, urging pupils to pick up a
book and to start reading. |
 |
In addition, schools in Liverpool, Exeter,
Reading and London and over 30 other towns, cities and villages across the
country are reaping the rewards of professional coaching schemes,
particularly girl players who have often been denied the same
opportunities as the boys.
These examples only scratch the surface of
what can be achieved by schools using the power of football. It is vital
that teachers, governors and the education authorities develop the
potential of their pupils through the ability of the game to motivate.
Does your school have poor facilities or want
to undertake vital education projects using football as the catalyst? Do
you need extra coaching resources particularly for girls or disabled
pupils or social inclusion projects for pupils from ethnic backgrounds?
Does your school need an extra football kit or new equipment?
Give the Foundation a
call on 0800 0277766 or visit their website on
www.footballfoundation.org.uk - help your school get on top of its
game.
|