As President of The Football Association I will be playing my full part in The FA’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

Like you, I am a football fan. I have loved the game from a very young age - as a player with my friends, and as a supporter of club and country.

I consider it a huge honour to lead The FA - it is an organisation which reaches every community, bringing the simplest enjoyment to people of all ages and all abilities.

Over 150 years, football has become part of the very fabric of our society and I hope the year ahead will allow us to celebrate every aspect of this great game.

As many of you will know, The FA’s work is far reaching. It is a diverse not-for-profit organisation, which invests over £100m into the game every year delivering facilities for grassroots football, coaching programmes for boys and girls, and development programmes for those with disabilities.

It is a regulator of the game at all levels, ensuring that football is played in a safe, fun and welcoming environment for everyone – whatever their background.

Our flagship facilities at St. George’s Park and Wembley Stadium are the inspirational homes of 24 England teams and world leading coach education facilities.

My hope is that our 150th year really shines a light on all of this great work.

However, in particular, I would like it to highlight the incredible efforts of the 400,000 volunteers that deliver the game week in, week out, up and down the country. The mums and dads, coaches, referees and administrators who give their time to make pitches ready, organise the fixtures and wash all those kits.

The Olympics and Paralympics highlighted the spirit of the British people to volunteer, but I know it is something that has always been part of our great game.

I am delighted that The FA will be honouring this army of volunteers through a special 150 Grassroots Heroes initiative. They deserve our full praise and unstinting thanks.

Of course any celebration of our 150th anniversary demands an exciting year of football.

England playing Brazil home and away, and our friends from Scotland and the Republic of Ireland at Wembley.

The honour of not only hosting the Champions League Final at Wembley, but also the UEFA Congress here in London, too. And of course, Hope and her Women’s team taking on the best of Europe in the UEFA European Championship in Sweden next summer.

Finally, it is fitting there will also be a National Football Day in August for all - from the grassroots to the elite level - to celebrate the nation’s favourite game.

Enjoy this exciting year ahead.

HRH The Duke of Cambridge, K.G., K.T.
President of The Football Association