Introduction

A lack of investment into facilities is a re-occurring theme when the grassroots community are asked as to their priorities in football. The recent ‘Big Grassroots survey’ revealed that facilities remain a top priority for many involved in grassroots football.

The National Game Strategy launch in 2008 highlighted the key challenges in relation to facilities in football.

Our challenges:-
• Improving the quality of and access to existing facilities to support grassroots football.
• Understanding what is needed to meet the demand for quality facilities in every local authority area.
• Addressing increasing costs to clubs of hiring facilities for training and playing matches.
• Campaigning against the loss of playing fields.

The FA is committed to improving football facilities at all levels of the game and provides guidance to all clubs in the National Game. This includes having the correct pitch sizes, goalpost dimensions, outline maintenance plans, performance standards, design information and technical guidance.

The FA administers capital elements of its redistributions into grassroots football via the Football Foundation. The strategic lead for this investment is the role of The FA through the Facilities and Investment Team. This process has been in place since the formation of the Foundation in 2001 and has resulted in the delivery of over £700m of capital investment (total project cost).

In this section you can find more detailed information of The FA’s role in facilities, including assistance on development and finding funding and technical guidance.