Over 7m people play football on a weekly basis and they are supported by 400,000 volunteers, 300,000 coaches and 27,000 referees who give up their time to keep the game going.
And 150 of those grassroots heroes were honoured at a special event marking their superb efforts at Buckingham Palace last year.
As a not-for-profit organisation, The FA generates revenue from the England teams, The FA Cup and Wembley Stadium in order to invest in grassroots football up and down the country.
The FA and its County FAs give help, guidance and learning to their army of volunteers and provide teams and clubs access to free league administration systems.
The FA Tesco Skills programme has provided over 5m opportunities to play the game since it launched in 2007. It provides football physical literacy sessions for 5-11 year-olds while The FA’s TEAM 16 initiative provides intra-school football for teenagers.
FA Tesco Skills is just one of the initiatives benefiting the grassroots game
Additionally, FA Vauxhall Mash-Up helps 10,000 children per year to play in satellite clubs after school.
The FA has changed youth football so it is more fun and helps develop better skills. There are more FA Charter Standard Clubs – a status awarded to well-run clubs – while the Respect programme has increased referees numbers and improved player and spectator behaviour.
Many of The FA’s facilities are delivered by the Football Foundation – a charity co-funded by the governing body, the Premier League, and government. Last year, the Football Foundation confirmed it will support £150million worth of facility grants up to 2015.
All of The FA’s investment in facilities, coaching, schools, youth football, talent development, anti-discrimination projects and many more areas is funded by generating revenue from sponsorship, media rights and events.
This year, The FA will continue to tackle the key challenges affecting the game. The governing body is committed to supporting our volunteers by providing better technology solutions, encouraging more people to play football more often across a range of formats, and improving facilities.
