FA Chairman Geoff Thompson, Chief Executive Brian Barwick and Head of Football Development Kelly Simmons attended the Charter presentation in Rome on Tuesday.

Kelly Simmons said: "It is fantastic to receive this recognition of the work The FA is doing at the grassroots of the game.

"We are delighted to be among the first federations in Europe to receive the Charter. It shows that the programmes we are running are of the highest quality and we are committed to continuing to develop and expand our work across all areas of grassroots football."

The Charter recognises the FA's work on the following programmes - The FA Certificate in Coaching Football Level 2, FA Level 1 Club Coach as well as Charter Standard holiday courses. These programmes have been introduced to raise the quality of coaching provision given to players across England in the hope of improving the standard of play at all levels.

UEFA President Lennart Johansson said: "Grassroots football provides the foundation of our game. If the grassroots are not cultivated, football at all levels will suffer, and it is UEFA’s desire to help the associations develop thriving grassroots programmes."

The FA also receives UEFA support for its grassroots work with the Hat-Trick regeneration programme. Launched in March, the £4.5m programme uses football to tackle a wide range of social problems in some of England’s most deprived communities.

With partnership funding from both UEFA and the Government, the three-year scheme sees appointment of 19 community football workers whose role is to provide a range of football opportunities for young people aged 7-16, while helping to address issues such as health, social exclusion and anti-social behaviour.