The FA has today launched the most comprehensive survey of grassroots football it has ever undertaken.
Contributions are being sought from players, coaches, referees as well as the staff and volunteers that form the 400,000-strong grassroots football workforce, and will give the fullest picture yet of the experiences and views of those involved in the national game.
FA Chief Executive Martin Glenn said: "We are on the cusp of a real revolution within grassroots football and, as we move forward, it is vital we ensure that we are listening to those that it impacts upon directly.
"Our new four year strategy has been designed to be adaptable to ensure that we are able to meet the key objectives we have set. This will be achieved through listening as well as acting.
Players, coaches, referees, staff and volunteers are all encouraged to take the new grassroots survey
"The grassroots football audience consists of a cross section of diverse communities and this survey will help us ensure we service these groups efficiently via a range of methods, from inclusion initiatives to implementing technology.
"And, as we build on the increases in boys and girls participation and growth in disability football, feedback from such a large sample group will help us refine our goals and targets."
The recommendations have been outlined in Greg Dyke’s Chairman’s Commission, which sets out the ambition to build football hubs in 30 cities, as well as a 50 per cent increase in the total number of full-size, publicly accessible 3G artificial grass pitches across England, to over 1000.
Thanks to matched funding by the Government, £4m per year will be invested in grassroots coaching and there will be a network of County Coaches, tasked with improving and supporting coaching across grassroots football with club mentoring programmes.
The extension of coach bursaries will get more women and people from BAME and LGBT backgrounds into the profession and there will be a drive to get more top level grassroots coaches into the game.
And The FA is committing £48m directly through its funding of the Football Foundation, as well as investment in 100 new turf pitches and improvements to a further 2000 as part of The FA’s Pitch Improvement Plan.
The survey will run through to 30 October and you can contribute by clicking here.
