10YEARS OF TEAMWORK

Professor Barrie Houlihan & Dr Steven Bradburymarch 2013

McDonald’s national grassroots football partnerships 2002–2012

Coaching the coaches, valuing the volunteers & growing the game

10 YEARS OF TEAMWORK

ExEcutivE Summary PagE 4

introDuction PagE 8 1.1 Evaluation context

1.2 Methods and sample group

1.3 Structure of the report

tHE wiDEr contExt PagE 9 2.1 The wider social and sport policy context

2.2 The wider grassroots football context

2.2.1 UK FAs and the grassroots game:

strategic and operational overview

I. England

II. Scotland

III. Wales

IV. Northern Ireland

2.2.2 UK FAs and the grassroots game:

progress and key achievements

I. Coach education and development

II. Club and workforce development

III. Children and young people

2.2.3 UK FAs and McDonald’s:

the national grassroots football partnership

mcDonalD’s graSSrootS footBall PartnErSHiP: contriBution to graSSrootS footBall PagE 12

3.1 Coach education and development

3.1.1 Key areas of input and investment

3.1.2 Delivery mechanisms and support

3.1.3 Enabling access and increasing participation

3.1.4 Improving the quality of coaches

and coaching practice

3.1.5 Improving coaching infrastructures,

appeal and sustainability

3.2 Club and workforce development




3.2.4 Improving the quality of clubs and

the volunteer workforce

3.2.5 Improving club infrastructures, appeal

and sustainability

3.3 Children and young people




3.3.4 Improving the quality of experiences of

football for children and young people

3.3.5 Improving club and coach infrastructures,


3.4 Supporting the strategic aims and

objectives of UK FAs

iDEntifying tHE PotEntial futurE contriBution of mcDonalD’s to graSSrootS footBall PagE 30

4.1 The wider social sport policy context

4.2 The wider grassroots football context

4.2.1 Coach education and club development

I. Key priorities

II. Key challenges

4.2.2 Club and workforce development

I. Key priorities

II. Key challenges

4.2.3 Children and young people

I. Key priorities

II. Key challenges

final rEcommEnDationS PagE 34 5.1 Coach education and development

5.2 Club and workforce development

5.3 Children’s and youth football

5.4 Supporting the strategic aims

and objectives of UK FAs

Ten years of Teamwork reporT 3

Executive Summary

Ten years ago, we took the decision to invest the majority of our

UK sponsorship funds into football and crucially into the grassroots

of the game.

We wanted to invest back into the communities that we, our

customers and our people are part of: supporting the unsung heroes

who make the game happen, attracting more people to play a part

in the game and developing the coaching skills of tens of thousands.

We clearly couldn’t do that alone. To achieve any positive impact

on grassroots football, we needed the expertise, organisation and

vision of the guardians of the game in England, Scotland, Wales and

Northern Ireland.

The partnerships we established in 2002 with The Football Association,

The Scottish Football Association, The Football Association of Wales

and, in Northern Ireland, with the Irish Football Association were

created with bold ambitions for grassroots football at their heart.

Our collective ambitions included the creation of tens of thousands of

trained coaches, the promotion of higher standards at the grassroots

level and more recognition for the hundreds of thousands of people

who selflessly devote themselves to supporting the people’s game.

Speaking on behalf of the entire McDonald’s business, I can confidently

say that we are immensely proud of what our partnerships with each

of the Football Associations has achieved.

But football they say is about results, and that is the role of this report.

We asked the Institute of Youth Sport to audit our programme to assess

what our Football Association partnerships have achieved over the past

ten years; and, more importantly, in what way improvements and

innovations could be made to achieve more in the future.

The publishing of this report is timely given the recent success of

London 2012 and as we look to the future, I hope businesses,

communities and Government can work together to create a

lasting legacy for sport in the UK.

JILL mcDONaLD

UK Chief Executive, McDonald’s

Foreword

Ten years of Teamwork reporT4

Executive Summary

The wIDer cONTexT

• Since the mid-1990s, there has been a steady rise in the numbers

of people involved in formal and informal volunteering, especially

in sports. The 2000s onwards have been an encouraging period

for youth sport despite the economic crisis that began in 2008

posing severe challenges. Supported by the government strategy

Game Plan, the School Sports Partnership programme increased

the proportion of children taking part in at least two hours of

sport per week from 25% in 2002 to 90% in 2009. It also helped

foster positive links between schools and sports clubs, including

football clubs.

• Professional and amateur grassroots football in the UK is governed

by the four national football associations of England: (The FA),

Scotland (The Scottish FA), Wales (FAW/WFT) and Northern

Ireland (IFA). UK FAs differ markedly in the size and scope of their

financial and operational infrastructures. Since 2002, UK FAs have

each drawn up a series of broadly comparable strategies designed

to enhance grassroots football, featuring a strong emphasis on

raising standards and the development of clubs, coaches, and

young players.

• UK FAs report significant progress in increasing the quantity and

quality of the coaching workforce in grassroots football over the

past ten years. For example, The FA reports around 56,000 Level

1 and 14,730 Level 2 coaches at FA Charter Standard clubs in

England. UK FAs also report a marked increase in clubs achieving

recognised club accreditation status during this period. Whilst most

accredited clubs are situated in England, work of this kind has

recently gathered momentum in Scotland, Wales and Northern

Ireland. UK FAs also report a general rise in participation of

children and young people at accredited clubs. In England there

has been a 19% rise in mini-soccer teams and a 7% rise in youth

teams at accredited clubs since 2008. All UK FAs report a rise in

the number of girls’ teams at accredited clubs.

• McDonald’s has a longstanding relationship with football in the

UK. In 2002, McDonald’s became the UK FAs’ official Community

Partner and has since made a significant financial investment to

support the development of the grassroots game. This investment

is split proportionately across the UK FAs to support work to

improve coach education and development, club and workforce

development, and children’s and youth football.

mcDONaLD’s grassrOOTs

FOOTbaLL ParTNershIP:

rEtroSPEctivE analySiS

(I) cOach eDucaTION aND DeveLOPmeNT• Since 2002, the main focus of the McDonald’s grassroots football

partnership has been around coach education and development.

McDonald’s input has been designed to support the work of

UK FAs to redevelop the grassroots coaching infrastructure and

increase the quantity and quality of coaches and coaching practice.

• Between 2002 and 2006, McDonald’s investment has been used

by UK FAs to support delivery of entry level coaching qualifications

by providing free or subsidised places at coach education

courses for teachers and parents at primary schools in Scotland,

Wales and Northern Ireland and coaches at accredited clubs in

England. Since 2006, all UK FAs have used McDonald’s investment

to subsidise access to Level 1, Level 2 and New Youth coaching

awards at accredited clubs. In Wales, the WFT has provided ongoing

mentoring support to coaches as part of a UEFA commended

coach re-validation programme. Overall, this has enabled coaches

to match aspirations with applicability of content across vertical

and horizontal coaching pathways.

tHiS PagE: Young footballers attend a McDonald’s KickStart grant event

nExt PagE: The partnership has had a positive impact on the growth of girls’ football


Executive Summary

• The McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has contributed

to increasing the number and diversity of qualified coaches across

the UK. Over the last ten years, the McDonald’s partnership has

supported 25,000 coaches to achieve Level 1, Level 2 and New

Youth Award coaching qualifications, including a significant

number of BME groups and women. The provision of financial

subsidies has helped coaches to circumvent barriers of cost and

increased accessibility to coach education courses. In particular,

it has helped to engage large numbers of coaches with no prior

experience of coaching and has enabled them to ‘open the door’

and take their first steps along the coaching pathway.

• Results have included a series of positive personal and social

benefits for older and younger adults undertaking coaching

qualifications. These include: increased self-esteem, confidence

and communication skills and organisational, planning and

problem solving skills. This is especially the case amongst young

coaches whose participation in the sport as volunteer coaches

and leaders has contributed towards increased social capital and

a stronger sense of active citizenship.

• Improvements have been seen in the technical development of

coaches and support delivery of new innovative coaching practice at

local level. It has also supported efforts towards changing traditional

coaching philosophies from a ‘win at all costs’ mentality, towards an

approach which prioritises fun, inclusivity and the learning needs of

children. This is enhanced through increased opportunities for social

interaction and information sharing between coaches from different

backgrounds and experiences at coaching courses.

• Accredited clubs have been supported in establishing more robust

coaching infrastructures and increasing size and scope of coaching

capacities, with particular regard to coaching children and young

people. Increased quantity, quality and professionalism of grassroots

coaches has heightened the appeal of accredited clubs to children,

young people and parents.

(II) cLub aND wOrKFOrce DeveLOPmeNT• Since 2006, McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has

supported an increasingly expansive strategic and operational focus

of UK FAs to develop clubs and voluntary workforces in accordance

with nationally recognised club accreditation programmes. In doing

so, McDonald’s has worked with UK FAs to develop a range of

financial, educational and resource based support to ‘skill-up’

volunteers and improve club infrastructures. These have included:

CPD workshops, The FA Your Game website, the McDonald’s

KickStart website, the McDonald’s KickStart grants scheme, the

McDonald’s Club Twinning programme, provision of kit and

equipment to accredited clubs, and the annual Community

Awards programme for volunteers in England, Scotland, Wales

and Northern Ireland.

• The increasingly expansive programme of support enabled by the

McDonald’s national grassroots football partnership has helped

define the roles and responsibilities of UK FA regional development

teams and quickened the momentum of club and workforce

development in the UK. This has included increasing the capacity

of UK FAs to deliver a greater number and range of CPD courses

and increasing the quantity and quality of volunteers with key skills

and responsibilities for club management, administration, and child

protection and welfare issues. Financial support has increased access

to kit, equipment and resources essential to training sessions and

competition organisation.

• The work of the McDonald’s partnership to develop a series of

regional and national Community Awards events has provided an

important conduit to recognise and reward volunteers in grassroots

football, helping build closer relationships between clubs and local

and national FAs and increased volunteer retention and club

sustainability over time.

• The McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has helped clubs to

establish stronger infrastructures and enabled a more professional

approach to service provision at grassroots. Clubs have become

more centrally positioned as community sports hubs with increased

appeal to children, young people and their families.


Executive Summary

(III) chILDreN aND yOuNg PeOPLe

• The McDonald’s grassroots football partnership focuses on increasing

and broadening participation and ensuring quality experiences

of football amongst children and young people, underscored by

assisting accredited clubs to establish child protection and welfare

policies and increase and improve the quality of grassroots

coaching infrastructures.

• Results have seen a rise in the amount, frequency and scope of

football provision targeting children and young people and the

growing numbers taking part in organised football at grassroots

clubs. It has also had a positive impact on broadening the diversity

pool of young participants, in particular the growth in girls’

football. Programmes such as Mums on the Ball – a scheme that

created female only courses designed to get mums into the game

and qualify as coaches – have increased the number of female

coaches acting as positive role models for young female footballers.

• Increased participation has helped engender a series of positive

social and personal benefits for children and young people

involved in playing the game. For younger children, benefits

include increased confidence, communication and inter-personal

skills, whilst older children are reported as exhibiting increased

motivation, improved attitudes and behaviour and a growing

sense of personal responsibility.

• The McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has helped UK

FAs and clubs to quicken the pace of the introduction of new

diverse formats such as mini-soccer, futsal and small sided games

and helped increase the number of children playing football.

In England there are presently around 66,000 mini-soccer and

youth teams at FA Charter Standard clubs. Further, the work of

McDonald’s to support the delivery of football festivals at schools

and clubs has provided increased opportunities for children and

parents in fun, family orientated football activities in a safe,

supportive and non-competitive environments.

• Improvements in the technical development and child-friendly

skill sets of coaches has had a positive effect on improving the

quality of experiences of football amongst children and young

people, raising the standards of children’s and youth football in

an inclusive learning environment for young participants.

(Iv) suPPOrTINg The sTraTegIc aIms aND ObJecTIves OF uK Fas • McDonald’s contribution to grassroots football has had a beneficial

impact on the work of UK FAs to meet a series of objectives

within their respective strategies for the development of the

grassroots game. This includes increasing the number and quality of

accredited clubs, raising standards of coaching provision, improving

the technical development of young players, and increasing

participation to include previously under- represented groups, such

as women and girls.

• Public relations input has significantly raised the profile and shone

a positive light on the grassroots game. In particular, the work of

McDonald’s and UK FAs to develop national Community Awards

has meant increased recognition and reward for club coaches and

volunteers involved in delivering and sustaining the grassroots

game at the local level.

mcDONaLD’s grassrOOTs FOOTbaLL ParTNershIP: ProSPEctivE analySiS

(I) The wIDer sOcIaL aND sPOrTINg cONTexT• Many UK households are experiencing a steady decline in

living standards and a reduction in disposable income.Youth

unemployment remains high, especially in regions already

experiencing socio-economic deprivation. Since 2008, there

has been a significant decline in rates of formal and informal

volunteering.

• Since 2010, there has been a substantial reduction in funding for

school sport. This is likely to halt progress in increasing participation

in sport and physical activity amongst children. While the most recent

data from the DCMS Active People survey does show an increase

in participation since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic

Games among those aged 26 or over, there has been no increase

in participation among the 16-25 year olds in the six years since

October 2006.

(II) cOach eDucaTION aND DeveLOPmeNT: McDonald’s contribution has led to improving the technical development of young players


Executive Summary

PrIOrITIes aND chaLLeNges

• UK FAs continue to express strong commitment towards coach

education and development in the medium term, with emphasis

on increasing quantity and quality of coaches. The new FA Youth

Development Review places further emphasis on the importance of

Youth Awards and child centred coaching practice. The commitment

of UK FAs reflects the aspirations of accredited clubs. Forthcoming

priorities include: increasing the number and diversity of coaches;

developing young coaches; further enhancing the skill-set of existing

coaches; and engaging in wider coach networks to share best

practice in coaching children.

• Challenges to coach education and development include balancing

resource limitations with increasing demands on UK FA regional and

county development teams to deliver a comprehensive service of

coach education, especially at smaller FAs with limited funds and at

larger FAs where rapid expansion of club accreditation programmes

has increased demand for coach education. These challenges

are exacerbated by economic recession and increasingly limited

disposable income of coaches and clubs.

(III) cLub aND wOrKFOrce DeveLOPmeNT: PrIOrITIes aND chaLLeNges• UK FAs continue to express commitment to improving club and

workforce development. In particular UK FAs are keen to assist

more clubs to achieve accreditation and to support clubs to

achieve ‘gold star’ status. Priorities for clubs include: attaining

further accreditation; increasing the number and diversity of

volunteers with emphasis on parents and young people;

improved service provision to children and young people.

• Challenges to club and workforce development include: cost

of CPD workshops and in-service training; decline in adult and

youth volunteering; difficulties in recruitment and retention of new

volunteers; over-reliance on a small number of ‘stalwart’ volunteers.

(Iv) chILDreN aND yOuNg PeOPLe: PrIOrITIes aND chaLLeNges• UK FAs continue to focus on developing children’s and youth

football. The new FA Youth Development Review provides an

ambitious strategy which promises to build on existing good

practice and further embed mini-soccer and small sided games

as central pillars of children’s and youth football. The commitment

of UK FAs and the new Youth Development Review has been

warmly welcomed by grassroots clubs in these areas. Priorities

include: increased focus on youth orientated coaching awards;

delivery of more and better quality child centred football provision.

• Challenges to children’s and youth football include limited

affordability, and the accessibility and quality of training and playing

facilities. This is specially the case with reference to local authority

cut-backs and poor pitch maintenance, lack of access to schools

facilities, and the high cost of hiring private leisure facilities.

Further challenges include the limited operational capacities of

UK FAs, schools and local authorities to implement the practical

considerations of the FA Youth Development Review, in particular

the emphasis on additional material and resource support required

to ‘bring to life’ this process.

(v) FINaL recOmmeNDaTIONs• In Section 5 of this the report, the IYS research team provides a

series of recommendations designed to inform the potential future

of work of McDonald’s and the UK FAs to continue to develop the

grassroots game in the UK. Recommendations are intended to

build on existing good practice, complement future priorities and

circumvent those forthcoming challenges briefly alluded to above

and discussed more fully in the main sections of this report.

Carlos Santos at the Coach of the Year assessment day


Executive SummaryIntroduction

1.1 evaLuaTION cONTexTThis research report has been undertaken by Professor Barrie Houlihan

and Dr Steven Bradbury at the Institute of Youth Sport, School of

Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University. The

report evaluates the work of the partnership between McDonald’s and

the Football Associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern

Ireland to develop grassroots football between 2002 and 2012. In

doing so, the report examines the ways in which McDonald’s and the

four UK FAs have worked together to improve three key areas of the

grassroots game: coach education and development, club and workforce

development, and children’s and youth football. The report also offers

some prospective analysis of forthcoming priorities and challenges

which are likely to impact on grassroots football in the next three to five

years. Finally, the report makes some key recommendations designed to

enhance the potential future contribution of McDonald’s to support the

ongoing work of the UK FAs to develop grassroots football in the UK.

1.2 meThODs aND samPLe grOuPThe IYS research team utilised a mixed methods approach to data

collection and analysis. This involved conducting a review of academic

and policy related literature relating to the socio-economic, sport

policy, and football specific environment, and a full analysis of UK FAs’

national strategic documents focusing on the grassroots game. The

team also examined a range of reports and promotional accounts which

illustrated McDonald’s contribution to grassroots football over the

last ten years. The IYS research team also conducted semi-structured

interviews with 40 research participants involved in delivery of the

grassroots game at the national, regional and local level in England,

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They included: eight national

level senior administrators, thirteen regional and county development

officers, and nineteen key organisers and coaches at grassroots clubs.

Interviews were also undertaken with four senior staff at McDonald’s

and Red Consultancy. This multi-layered approach to conducting

research enabled the IYS research team to build up a holistic picture of

the processes and outcomes of the work of McDonald’s and UK FAs to

develop grassroots football in the UK over the past ten years.

1.3 sTrucTure OF The rePOrTThe findings featured in this report follow a clear format. In Section 2,

the report begins by providing some wider context with respect to the

socio-economic and sport policy context within which work to develop

grassroots football has been ‘played out’. This section also provides

a brief overview of the strategic focus and operational capacities of

the four UK FAs in relation to the grassroots game, and highlights

some recent progress and achievements on this score. It also outlines

the shape and scope of McDonald’s input into the grassroots game

and its relationship with UK FAs to this end. In Section 3, the report

provides a retrospective analysis of the work of McDonald’s and UK FAs

to develop grassroots football, with respect to three key areas of focus:

coach education and development, club and workforce development,

and children and young people. Section 4 offers a prospective analysis

of the key issues which are likely to impact on grassroots football in

the medium term, with particular emphasis on wider socio-economic

and sport policy factors, and key priorities and challenges facing the

grassroots game. Finally, in Section 5, the report provides a series

of key recommendations designed to inform the potential future

contribution of McDonald’s to support the work of UK FAs to

continue to develop the grassroots game across the UK.

The Wider Context


2.1 The wIDer sOcIaL aND sPOrT POLIcy cONTexTThe years between the mid-1990s and 2012 have generally been an

encouraging period for youth sport initiatives although the economic

crisis that began in 2008 poses severe challenges to the maintenance

of momentum. This will be discussed more fully in Section 4 of this

report. At least up to 2008, many of the social and economic factors

that provide the foundation for successful youth sport initiatives,

such as employment, child poverty and trends in volunteering, were

positive. Unemployment fell steadily from January 1997 (2.18m)

to January 2008 (1.62m) before rising sharply to 2.65m in January

2012 (Office for National Statistics, various years). The proportion of

children living in poverty fell slightly from 34% in 1997 to 29% in

2009 (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2011). Between 2001 and 2009,

those volunteering at least once a month increased slightly from 39%

to 41% with the number volunteering in sport reaching a total of just

over 2m in 2009/10. Disposable income increased steadily from 2000

and continued to increase even when GDP began to decline in 2008.

Within this broadly positive socio-economic context, successive

governments have continued to support sport through specific policy

initiatives and the allocation of resources from the Exchequer as well

as from the National Lottery. One of the main reasons for the increased

government support for sport was the belief that sport could help

the government achieve a range of social objectives, particularly those

associated with social inclusion. In 2002 the government published

its major strategy document, Game Plan, which set the goals of

increasing participation in sport and achieving greater international

sporting success. Central to the strategy was the focus on economically

disadvantaged groups, in particular, young people. Ambitious targets

were set including raising adult participation levels from 30% to 70%

by 2020.

A number of initiatives were introduced to help achieve Game Plan’s

objectives for young people’s participation. Of particular importance

was the introduction of the network of School Sport Partnerships

(SSPs) and Specialist Sports Colleges. Central to the work of Specialist

Sports Colleges (innovative hubs for the development of school sport

and PE) and SSPs was the development of after-school sports activities

and the fostering of links between schools and local sports clubs.

This was seen as a way of creating pathways along which children

could progress and by which children could remain involved in sport

after leaving school. The success of these initiatives was clear, with

the proportion of children participating in at least two hours of sport

per week increasing from 25% in 2002 to 90% in 2010.

The government elected in 2010 maintained, although more

modestly, the prioritisation of youth sport. The policy document

Creating a sporting habit for life, published in January 2012, gives

particular priority to those in the age range 14 to 25 years and is

premised on the assumption that ingraining a life-long commitment

to sports participation requires a long term strategy and involves

generational change in behaviour patterns. The strategy is supported

by £1bn investment over a five year period and identifies national

governing bodies of sport and local sports clubs as essential partners

in delivering the government’s objectives. The strategy is also supported

by the introduction of a hierarchy of inter-school competitions which

will culminate in an annual School Games modelled on the Olympics.

2.2 The wIDer grassrOOTs FOOTbaLL cONTexT

2.2.1 uK Fas and the grassroots game:

strategic and operational overview

I. England

The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body for football in

England. The FA Board is the principal decision making body within the

FA and features equal representation from two distinct sub-boards: the

Professional Game Board (PGB) and the National Game Board (NGB).

The work of the PGB and NGB is driven by the FA Group Strategic

Plan: the FA’s overarching national strategy for the governance and

development of the grassroots, domestic and international game

in England. The work of the NGB is driven by the National Game

Strategy (NGS) 2011–2015. The NGS outlines six key areas of strategic

focus: Growth and Retention, Raising Standards, Better Players,

Running the Game, Workforce, and Facilities. The NGB management

team has overall responsibility for the delivery of the NGS and works

collaboratively with the FA Football Development team and the FA

Learning department to deliver against its strategic aims and objectives.

At an operational level, the implementation of the strategy is

supported by nine FA funded regional development officers and teams

of around ten FA funded football development staff at each of the

52 County Football Associations (CFA) of England. CFA development

staff deliver activities at the local level and work with a range of key

statutory and commercial partners, as well as with volunteers at clubs,

leagues and other football providers.

lEft PagE: Above Image: McDonald’s ambassador Sir Geoff Hurst at Farringdon Football Festival | Bottom image: Women’s football is on the rise in Scotland

tHiS PagE: Llay United FC, Wales

The Wider Context


II. scotland

The Scottish Football Association (The Scottish FA) is the governing

body for football in Scotland. The Scottish FA Board is the principal

decision making body within the Scottish FA and is complemented

by two operational sub-boards: the Professional Board (PB) and the

Non Professional Board (NPB). The work of the PB and NPB is driven

by Scotland United: A 20/20 Vision, the Scottish FA’s overarching

strategy for the governance and development of Scottish football. The

Scottish FA along with the members of the NPG have now created a

Plan for the Non-Professional Game, to be launched in March, which

builds further on the strategic direction of Scotland United a 20/20

Vision. The Scottish FA Football Development management team has

key responsibility for the development of grassroots football across

Scotland and works collaboratively with key partners within the

Scottish FA to deliver against shared strategic aims and objectives.

These partners include: the Scottish Schools, the Amateur, Junior and

Women’s FA, and regional associations. At an operational level, work

to develop the grassroots game is supported by six Scottish FA funded

regional development teams and by football development officers

within each of the 32 Local Authorities across Scotland. These latter

positions are funded jointly by the Scottish FA, Sport Scotland and

Local Authorities. Scottish FA development teams work with a range

of statutory, commercial and football club partners to deliver activities

and events designed to raise standards and grow the grassroots game.

III. Wales

The Football Association Wales (FAW) is the governing body for football

in Wales. The FAW Board is the principal decision making body within

the FAW and is supported by a series of standing committees focusing

on the grassroots, domestic and international game. The FAW Strategic

Plan is the overarching strategy for the governance and development

of Welsh football. Responsibility for the development of the grassroots

game is undertaken by the Welsh Football Trust (WFT). The WFT

was founded in 1996 and is funded by the FAW, Sport Wales, Welsh

Assembly Government and the Welsh Premier League. The WFT has

a four year national strategic plan: Growing the Game and Raising

Standards 2010–2014. The WFT national management team has

overall responsibility for the delivery of the WFT national strategic

plan. At an operational level, the implementation of the strategy

is supported by six teams of around six to eight WFT regional

development officers. These officers work with key statutory and

commercial partners and with clubs and coaches to deliver training

and resource support at the local level.

Iv. Northern Ireland

The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for football

in Northern Ireland. The IFA Board is the principal decision making

body of the organisation and has developed the IFA Strategic Plan:

an overarching strategy for the governance and development of the

grassroots, domestic and international game. The national strategy

outlines intentions to encourage a culture of lifelong participation

in the game and to utilise the power of football to generate a series

of wider social outcomes at the local level. Responsibility for the

implementation of the participation and education elements of the

IFA national strategic plan sits with the IFA Grassroots management

team. At an operational level, the delivery of the strategy is undertaken

by a team of 15 IFA funded regional development officers. Regional

development staff work with key partners at the local level including

schools, clubs and local authorities to promote best practice in football

across a range of settings.

2.2.2 uK Fas and the grassroots game:

progress and key achievements

I. Coach education and development

There has been significant progress in increasing the numbers of

qualified coaches in the UK over the last ten years. For example, the

FA National Strategy 2011–2015 has reported that there are presently

around 56,000 Level 1 coaches and 14,730 Level 2 coaches situated at

FA Charter Standard clubs in England, as well as tens of thousands of

qualified coaches outside of this framework. Similarly, interviewees at

the Scottish FA, WFT and IFA report that around 12,000 coaches were

undertaking equivalent courses across the home nations on an annual

basis. UK FAs also report some success in diversifying the grassroots

coaching workforce to include more women, BME groups and young

people (16–24 years old). In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the

delivery of school based programmes has engaged significant numbers

of primary school teachers and parents in coach education courses.

The significant increase in the number and diversity of coaches in the

UK in recent years is strongly underpinned by increased opportunities

to access coach education courses, for example, in terms of the number

and frequency of coach education courses, the range of venues at

which they are delivered and the increased flexibility of delivery in

order to meet local needs and lifestyle priorities. The provision of

financial subsidies to circumvent cost barriers has also opened up coach

education to a broader cohort of participants than has been the

case in the past. UK FAs have also developed more comprehensive

and structured coaching pathways over time. This has afforded

increased opportunities for coaches to better ‘match-up’ their skills

and aspirations with applicability of content, for example, in terms of

vertical progression (upwards across levels with an emphasis on the

technical development of players) and horizontal progression (sideways

across modules towards key specialisms focusing on children, youth

and disability). The delivery and take-up of these latter courses is likely

to gather pace in forthcoming years and forms a central pillar of the

recently ratified Youth Development Review (YDR) in England.

tHiS PagE: UK FAs report increase in participation in football of girls and women

nExt PagE: McDonald’s ambassador Pat Jennings

The Wider Context


II. Club and workforce development

There has been significant progress in terms of work to improve club

and workforce development across grassroots football in the UK. This

is evidenced through the increasing number of clubs in the UK which

have achieved nationally recognised club accreditation status. For

example, in England since 2001, more than 6,000 clubs have achieved

FA Charter Standard status, including around 500 which have achieved

the coveted FA Charter Standard Community Club award. In Wales the

same stands true, with mandatory requirements for all youth team

clubs to achieve accreditation as part of the Welsh Football Trust’s

Club Accreditation Scheme. Whilst the focus on club accreditation

began a little later across some of the home nations, there are strong

signs that work of this kind is gathering pace. For example, since 2006

more than 300 clubs in Scotland have achieved Scottish FA Quality Mark

status and the IFA reports a strong momentum towards improved club

development in the grassroots game.

Overall, there are an estimated 400,000 volunteers working to support

the organisation and delivery of grassroots football in the UK. Findings

drawn from UK FA national reviews suggest these figures have remained

fairly stable over time and that the volunteer workforce at grassroots

clubs has become more diverse in recent years. UK FAs also report a

stronger emphasis on the design and delivery of specialised training

and resource support to help professionalise the volunteer workforce

at clubs and formalise club operations within wider club accreditation

frameworks. To this end, there are strong signs that the increasingly

focused work of UK FAs has improved the infrastructure and capacity

of clubs and enabled an improved standard of service provision to

local client groups of young footballers and their families.

III. children and young people

There has been significant progress in terms of work to increase

participation in organised football amongst children and young

people in recent years. For example, the FA National Game Strategy

2011–2015 reports that in 2011 there were 29,932 mini soccer teams

and 36,740 male youth teams at FA Charter Standard clubs in England:

a rise of 19% and 7% respectively over the previous three year period.

Similarly, the Scottish FA, WFT and IFA all indicate a rise in participation

levels at accredited club and a more general shift from ad hoc to more

sustained participation amongst young players over time. UK FAs also

report broadening patterns of participation, with particular respect

to girls and young women. For example, the FA and WFT report a

15% and 27% increase respectively in the number of girls’ teams

at accredited clubs. Despite these promising figures, there remains

a marked drop off rate in levels of participation in organised football

amongst adolescent boys and girls across the UK.

UK FAs report an increased and broadened delivery of children’s and

youth football provision in recent years. For example, the Scottish FA,

WFT and IFA report delivering an increased number of curricular and

extra curricular programmes in primary schools targeting 5–11 year

old boys and girls. Similarly, the FA reports the general growth in links

between schools and FA Charter Standard clubs, primarily through

the School Sports Partnership programme. The FA also report that the

quantity and quality of provision for children and young people has

been greatly enhanced by its longstanding and highly successful coach

education programme. On this latter score, the FA reports that 74%

of all children’s and youth teams at FA Charter Standard Clubs now

have a qualified Level 1 coach: an increase from a 1% standing start

when figures were first collated in 2001. Similarly, all UK FAs report

increased opportunities for children and young people to take part in

more flexible formats of football, such as mini-soccer and small-sided

games. Whilst these activities have been delivered at a range of school

and club based settings, in Northern Ireland, the development of 50

small-sided games development centres has provided a conduit into

football participation for large numbers of boys and girls.

2.2.3 uK Fas and mcDonald’s:

the national grassroots football partnership

McDonald’s involvement in grassroots football first began in 1995

when it became the Official Restaurant of the Premier League, Scottish

Premier League and Irish Football League; then, in 2002, McDonald’s

became the UK FAs’ official Community Partner. McDonald’s soon

appointed former international players Sir Geoff Hurst (England),

Kenny Dalglish (Scotland), Ian Rush (Wales) and Pat Jennings (Northern

Ireland) as McDonald’s UK national ambassadors to help support and

raise the profile of the new national grassroots football partnership.

McDonald’s also appointed former Manchester United youth team

coach Eric Harrison as its Head of Grassroots Coaching. Since this time,

McDonald’s has invested around £50 million (£5 million per annum)

into football in its capacity as the UK FAs’ official Community Partner.

This significant financial investment is split proportionately across each

of the UK FAs and involves a combination of direct funding, which is

used autonomously by UK FAs, and funding which is ring-fenced for

specific activities. McDonald’s also provides additional grant award

funding to support specific initiatives, activities and events, and training

and resource support for grassroots coaches and clubs. The flexibility

of this funding process takes account of the very different structural

and operational capacities of UK FAs and the differing national

contexts in which they function, and has allowed UK FAs to operate

a range of different delivery mechanisms in order to generate a series

of similar strategic and operational outcomes. Broadly speaking, the

McDonald’s grassroots football partnership is designed to support the

work of UK FAs to increase the numbers of qualified coaches, skilled

volunteers and accredited clubs in grassroots football in order to grow

participation and ensure quality experiences of the game amongst

children and young people.

McDonald’s grassroots football partnership: contribution to grassroots football


3.1 cOach eDucaTION aND DeveLOPmeNT


Since 2002, the main focus of the McDonald’s grassroots football

partnership has been on coach education and development in

grassroots football. This key area of focus was initially identified by

McDonald’s and UK FAs as an area of the game which was in relative

decline, as evidenced by the low levels of qualified coaches and the

limited quality of experiences amongst children and young people.

McDonald’s input was intended to support a new strategic push on

the part of UK FAs to redevelop the grassroots coaching infrastructure

and increase the quantity and quality of coaches and coaching practice.

Between 2002 and 2006, McDonald’s investment was primarily utilised

by UK FAs to support work to deliver Level 1 (or national equivalent)

coaching courses. These courses are delivered by UK FA endorsed

coach education tutors and are designed to equip new coaches with

the requisite skills and knowledge to deliver coaching activities to a

broad range of client groups, especially children and young people.

In England, the FA has used this investment to provide subsidised

places on courses for coaches at clubs engaged in the FA Charter

Standard club accreditation process. In Scotland, Wales and Northern

Ireland, where the development of club accreditation programmes were

still in their relative infancy, funding was initially used to subsidise coach

education courses for teachers and parents delivering curriculum time

and extracurricular football sessions in primary schools.

Since 2006, McDonald’s investment has been utilised by UK FAs

to complement the development of new vertical and horizontal

pathways for coaches, including subsidising access to more advanced

Level 2 courses and new, age appropriate, Youth Awards. In some

cases, investment has also been used by UK FAs to subsidise specialist

goalkeeping and disability coaching courses. In Scotland, Wales and

Northern Ireland, there has also been a marked shift away from school

based programmes towards supporting coaches at accredited clubs.

McDonald’s investment has also been focused towards engaging under-

represented groups, such as those drawn from socio-economically

deprived locales and women. On this latter score, in 2008, the

McDonald’s grassroots football partnership launched the Mums on

the Ball programme as a means of engaging and inspiring mums

and female spouses to get involved in grassroots football as coaches.


Since 2002, the McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has

helped to increase the capacities of UK FAs to deliver coach education

and provide ongoing mentoring and validation for qualified coaches.

This has enabled UK FA development teams to increase the number,

frequency and flexibility of coach education courses. This more layered

approach to the delivery of coach education was cited by interviewees

as a key factor in increasing access to courses and broadening the

diversity of the pool of qualified coaches to include more women

and BME groups. The McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has

also helped UK FAs to broaden the scope of coach education courses

to include Level 1, Level 2 and new Youth Awards. This has enabled

coaches to match up aspirations with applicability of content and

realise coaching ambitions across vertical or horizontal pathways, and

has increased the appeal of coach education to this end. For example:

“We’ve now got our new courses which the McDonald’s programme

supports through the FA Youth Awards, which have dramatically

changed in content. They’re excellent courses designed to really

focus the coaches working with grassroots kids.’’

Mick Baikie, National Clubs Services Manager, The FA

“I think, with the help and marketing of the FA Learning Coaching

Pathway, people are more aware that there are alternative routes

into coach education. And certainly with the support of McDonald’s,

we’re seeing a growth in the Youth Award modules. That has been

vital for developing coaches and young players, and making sure the

workforce is aligned to the sort of style and type of coaching that

they’re involved with.” Kelly Ellis, Head of Football Development,

Leicestershire and Rutland FA

lEft: McDonald’s ambassador Sir Geoff Hurst at the Tiptree Mums on the Ball event

aBovE: Tim Durkin-Brown, FA Community Awards Coach of the Year 2011



The McDonald’s grassroots football partnership was also cited by

interviewees as an important factor in enabling the provision of ongoing

mentoring support designed to enhance the progression of coaches.

For example, in Northern Ireland, IFA development officers have used

McDonald’s funding to provide informal ‘follow-on’ sessions for

recently qualified Level 1 coaches in order to share best practice and

signpost coaches to further training and resource support. In Wales,

the WFT has developed a more formalised process of revalidation

for qualified coaches which has been commended by UEFA. This

programme includes: one-to-one mentoring support, refresher courses

and workshops, and a process of coach education ‘re-sits’ to ensure

consistency of standards and service provision over time. UK FA based

interviewees below reference the processes and positive outcomes

of work of this kind:

“On the coach mentoring side, the support that we’ve given

them makes those people feel valued and that we’re interested

in their development. So that’s been an encouraging thing for

them. Obviously without McDonald’s support that would be a lot

more difficult. So that’s been good for us and helped us with the

work that we’re doing.” Johnny Michael, Grassroots Development

Officer, Regional IFA

“When we’re talking about revalidation courses, the recent

grassroots conferences included three validation workshops back

to back. We delivered six of those in total, one in each area, and

we had around eighty at each conference. That was funded

through McDonald’s and proved to be very successful.”

Jay Probert, Regional Development Coordinator, WFT

3.1.3 enabling access and increasing participation

The McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has made a significant

contribution to increasing the number and diversity of qualified

coaches across the UK. Between 2002 and 2006, more than 10,000

coaches have achieved Level 1 coaching qualifications as a result of

McDonald’s investment into the grassroots game. Since 2006, a further

10,000 coaches have benefited from McDonald’s input to achieve a

more diverse range of coaching qualifications, including Level 1, Level

2 and new Youth Awards. These coaches have been drawn from a

diverse range of social and professional backgrounds and have included

significant numbers of women. Interviewees at national FAs comment

further on the numerical growth of qualified coaches and McDonald’s

contribution to these positive outcomes over time:

“I think if you see where we were a little over 10 years ago, 0.6%

of our teams had a qualified coach with them. Now it’s around

75%, and our target is 80% of our teams with a qualified coach.

So in terms of that alone, if there was nothing else, that would

be phenomenal, and McDonald’s has certainly played its part in

that process.” Pete Ackerley, Senior National Game Development

Manager, The FA

“Coach education has been and will remain our priority. Coach

education numbers have increased over the years. There was

a significant jump from 6,000 people to around 9,000 people

annually going through certificate courses within Scottish football.

That was due to the initiation of a regional structure, an increase

in staff and an increase in focus on community clubs, and that’s

been assisted by the input of McDonald’s.” Andy Gould, Head of

Regional Development, The Scottish FA

case sTuDy: hazeL haverON

Hazel Haveron is a community football coach at Ballinamallard

Youth FC in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. Ballinamallard

Youth FC has achieved club accreditation status and presently runs

around 20 teams for children and young people from the ages of

five to 18 years old. Hazel first became involved in Ballinamallard

Youth FC about 12 years ago when she took her young son to

take part in mini-soccer sessions at the club. Hazel soon began

providing wider informal support towards the running of the club

and also helped out with on-field activities as part of mini-soccer

sessions. In 2008, Hazel was approached by the IFA regional

development officer and asked if she would like to undertake

a Level 1 coaching qualification. The award was sponsored by

McDonald’s as part of the Mums on the Ball initiative. Despite

being a little nervous, Hazel soon gained in confidence and

passed the Level 1 coach education course with flying colours.

Since that time, Hazel has continued to coach mini-soccer

sessions and has recently focused on developing girls’ football

at the club. Hazel has also undertaken further volunteer support

workshops and has assumed the position of child protection

and welfare officer at the club.

Going on the McDonald’s course, I’ve learnt to communicate

more, and to organise better. It’s actually working with people and

realising that people grow or improve at football at different ages

and different stages. I was so dubious of it, and I thought long and

hard about it, thinking “Oh God, I don’t know if I can do this.”

But, you know, I have learnt a lot from it, and I hope I have passed

on some of the stuff that I have learnt. There’s coaches coming

in now and they would come and ask my opinion on stuff which

would never have happened. What man would come and ask a

woman for advice on football coaching? But it’s at least once a

week you get one of the coaches asking “well, what do you think

here, what about this”, I’m able to help them and direct them to

the best ways of doing things.”

Hazel Haveron

“



The growth and diversification of the grassroots coaching workforce

has been supported by the work of the McDonald’s grassroots

football partnership to subsidise coach education courses for coaches

at accredited clubs. In some cases, these subsidies have also been

‘match-funded’ by clubs, local authorities, housing associations and

McDonald’s restaurants involved in Twinning programmes. Interviewees

at all levels of the grassroots game referred positively to the impact

of financial bursaries in enabling access to courses for individuals and

clubs which otherwise would not have had the means to engage in

this process. The linkage between affordability, accessibility and the

increase in qualified coaches is outlined by FA based interviewees

below:

“I think in terms of the bursaries that have been made available

by McDonald’s, in terms of making it affordable, that’s had a

massive impact on increasing the numbers of coaches that can

access courses.” Pete Ackerley, Senior National Game Development

Manager, The FA

“The biggest contribution of the McDonald’s funding has been the

discounted coach education courses that we provide through the

quality mark programme. The feedback has been that more people

are going on because it’s more affordable. It’s definitely breaking

down barriers for those who wanted to go on previously but

couldn’t afford it.”

Kevin Lee, Club Development Manager, East Scottish FA

The provision of financial bursaries for coach education courses were

also felt by interviewees to have been particularly helpful in engaging

coaches from socio-economically deprived backgrounds, women, BME

groups and young people. The interviewees below comment further

in this respect:

“I think McDonald’s has contributed in terms of the diversity of

coaches because we targeted specific areas through those courses

and provide them free. So we’ve now got more of those groups

who have traditionally been under-represented within the coaching

fraternity.” Mick Baikie, National Clubs Services Manager,The FA

“Certainly McDonald’s has provided a number of free spaces on

coaching courses, which when they’ve come up, we’ve snapped

their hands off. What we try and do is regenerate the older youth

players, 17, 18, 19, back through the academy, so that they’re

helping on Saturday morning, particularly with the younger ones.”

Rob Farrar, Club Chairperson, Oadby Owls FC

On this latter score, there was a strong consensus amongst

interviewees with regard to the wider personal and social benefits

accrued through achieving coach education qualifications, in

particular, with reference to increased self-esteem, confidence and

communication skills. The practical delivery of coaching sessions was

also felt to have increased organisational, planning and problem solving

skills and encouraged increased self-sufficiency and independence

amongst coaches. These skills were considered to have significant

transferability to other areas of social life and to have a particular

resonance for the educational development and employability of

young coaches. These findings chime strongly with wider academic

and policy narratives which suggest that youth sports volunteering

can help develop social capital and contribute towards increased

youth citizenship. Two grassroots club organisers comment further:

“We’ve developed a number of our 16, 17, 18 year old coaches

who have got Level 1s, and you know it develops there social skills.

I mean, we’ve got a lad who has just finished now at the academy

because he’s going off to university, but his parents spoke to me

about how it’s developed him as a person and his confidence,

whereas he was quite a shy person, he can now talk straight and

direct.” Rob Farrar, Club Chairperson, Oadby Owls FC.

“They can see that we’ve invested time and money and everything

in them, in our young coaches. We’ve got these young lads turning

up on a Friday night to coach, on a Saturday and a Sunday, and

that’s a big commitment for a 16, 17, 18 year old. I think they’re

so aware now of how hard they’ve got to work in order to stand

out from the crowd. If they’re not getting that investment at home,

if they can get that investment at the club, get somebody else to

believe in them, it does make that difference to them. And you can

see how motivated they become and how it raises their aspirations”

Nicky Morris, Club Chairperson, Newtown White Stars FC

The provision of financial subsidies has also generated the significant

benefit of engaging coaches with no prior experience of more

formalised coaching practices. To this end, the McDonald’s grassroots

football partnership was felt to have played a key role in ‘opening

the door’ into grassroots coaching and helping coaches to ‘step onto

the ladder’ of the coaching pathway. Interviewees also felt that the

completion of Level 1 courses acted as a catalyst for more sustained

coaching contributions over time. For example:

“I would say the key benefits are that they have provided us

with numerous opportunities to bring people either into the

coaching family, particularly with Level 1s, or they’ve helped us

develop coaches further. I think what McDonald’s has done, and

they’ve done it brilliantly in my personal view, is they’ve opened

up opportunities for people to get into football, and that has

helped clubs because it’s a cost they haven’t had to find.”

Steve Smithies, Club Coach, Nantwich Town FC

“I think primarily opening the door to non-coaches, effectively

getting them on that first rung of the ladder in terms of [Level 1]

football leaders. Because a lot of the people that we’re dealing

with are parents, they’ve got involved in football with their children.

The McDonald’s courses help them make the step onto the first

stage of the coaching ladder.”

Andy Pask, Club Development Officer, South Wales FA



3.1.4 Improving the quality of coaches

and coaching practice

The McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has contributed

to the more general improvements in the quality of coaches and

coaching practice in grassroots football across the UK. A number of

interviewees felt that the provision of coach education courses and

additional mentoring programmes had led to a marked improvement

in the technical development of coaches, with particular respect to

increasing knowledge, skill sets and competencies. Further, these

support mechanisms were also felt to have engendered an increased

sense of critical self-reflection amongst coaches and enabled the

delivery of new, innovative, coaching techniques. The interviewees

below reference the role of the McDonald’s grassroots football

partnership as a ‘key driver’ in this process:

“I think the coaches become more motivated when they go to

these courses. They come back more focused on what they want

to do and it obviously brings out new ideas for them to take onto

the training grounds. Without that kind of injection of knowledge

and experience, sometimes it can be a bit stale, so going to these

courses certainly gives them a greater knowledge of how deliver

to the kids. So coach education is absolutely critical, you know.”

Stewart McKenzie, Club Coach, Cumbernauld Colts FC

“I’ve been doing some coach development with some of the local

clubs and we’ve had some great feedback from the guys about

how much they’ve got out of somebody coming down with them

for 4 to 6 weeks and giving them new ideas. Giving them lots of

information about things that they can do with their team, and

taking the sessions and showing them different ways of doing

things that they just haven’t thought of, they haven’t seen before.”

Ken Duncan, Grassroots Development Officer, Regional IFA

“I think that they’ve raised the bar and really it’s such a professional

approach. I think that what McDonald’s brings to it is this sort of

badge of quality, I think that the support they give the FA means

that it’s a good professional product.” Roy Waterfield, Chief

Executive Officer, Shropshire FA

case sTuDy: KeITh gIbsON

Keith Gibson was working as a computer programmer at a local

bank in Craigavon in Northern Ireland when he first began to

pursue his dream of becoming a football coach. Keith was helping

out with his son’s local team and at a youth club when he saw

McDonald’s coaching courses advertised in the local newspaper.

Keith soon undertook his Level 1 and Level 2 coaching awards and

his coaching journey began. He began delivering coaching sessions

at local boys clubs and in schools alongside the local council and

IFA regional development officers whilst still working on

‘personalised hours’ at the bank. In 2006, following the

expansion of the IFA grassroots programme, Keith successfully

applied for a position at the IFA and has since been employed

as a full-time regional development officer. Over the last six years,

Keith has delivered coaching sessions in schools and clubs, helped

to develop and mentor new coaches, and assisted clubs to achieve

club accreditation status. He has also successfully achieved his

coaching ‘A’ licence and was nominated as the Northern Ireland

coach of the year.

McDonald’s has been incredibly good to me, I have to say.

They’ve helped with my qualifications through to the A licence,

I was nominated to be the Northern Ireland representative at a

UK awards day, and then within my job as a grassroots officer,

obviously they do fund a lot of our programmes. On a personal

level, I’ve benefited hugely from it, obviously it’s been a complete

career change for me, so that’s been a huge thing, and a change

of lifestyle as well. I took a career break for three years to have a

go at it. I’ve been employed now with the IFA for six years, so the

career break has gone. There’s no going back now!”

Keith gibson

“

lEft PagE: McDonald’s has opened up opportunities for people to get into football

tHiS PagE: McDonald’s event at Johnstown FC, Wales



case sTuDy: TIm DurKIN-brOwN

Tim Durkin Brown is a community football coach at Eagle Juniors

FC in Warrington in the North West of England. Eagles Juniors FC

has achieved FA Charter Standard Development Club status and

presently runs around 20 teams for children and young people

from the ages of five to 18 years old. Tim first became involved in

Eagle Juniors about 10 years ago when he took his five year old

son along to take part in mini-soccer sessions at the club. Tim soon

began to help out informally with organising sessions and was

asked by the club if he would like to attend a McDonald’s funded

Level 1 coach education course. Tim seized the opportunity and

has never looked back. Over the last ten years Tim has gone on to

attend further McDonald’s funded coach education courses and

workshops and has delivered coaching sessions and run team’s

right across the age ranges of the club. In honour of his expanding

skill set and extensive voluntary coaching efforts, Tim was awarded

the FA/McDonald’s National Grassroots Coach of the Year in

2011. Tim has since attended a coaching master class at Wembley

alongside key figures within the professional game and has

assumed the position of development officer at Eagles Juniors FC

with responsibilities for mentoring and supporting other coaches

at the club.

I’d say that I was an average coach before all this came to

light. I mean, I was just there to train kids of whatever age group

and to develop the kids to the best of my ability. But since I did

the McDonald’s courses and won the national coach of the year

it’s made me a lot more confident. I believe in what I’m actually

coaching and to think that other people believe in what you’re

doing is great. The stage fright’s become less now because you

go to different venues, people are asking you to put a coaching

session on and it just builds from there. So it’s absolutely just

out of this world. I do believe the lads have seen a difference, a

difference of approach to how we’re actually going about things,

and that’s all through the process of winning national coach of

the year. Well, to be perfectly truthful, if it wasn’t for McDonald’s,

I wouldn’t be where I am now and the kids wouldn’t have got

what they’ve got now.”

tim Durkin-Brown

“

A number of interviewees also cited additional benefits of attending

coach education courses in terms of bringing them into contact with

other coaches from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.

Coaching courses and additional ‘follow-up’ workshops were framed

by interviewees as a site of communal learning, collegiality and mutual

support. This was also felt to have enabled the ‘cascading down’ of

newly acquired skill sets to other coaches within club based settings.

For example:

“I think what they find when they go on a coach education course,

there’s a level of social interaction and support from each other, and

you just build up those relationships. So, more often than not it’s an

opportunity for coaches to come together and share good practice

and it’s a forum for coaches to discuss innovative techniques or the

ways in which they deliver packages on a Wednesday night or a

Saturday morning.”

Jay Probert, Regional Development Coordinator, WFT

“What I did, in my role at the club, I was able to go on these

courses and then I was actually able to arrange some meetings and

get together with the coaches at the club and cascade down the

stuff that I’d picked up, you know, the best practice stuff. So again,

what McDonald’s has enabled us to do there is to get coaches on

courses and then those coaches tend to share the knowledge of the

course with other people.”

Steve Smithies, Club Coach, Nantwich Town FC

FA Community Awards Coach of the Year 2011, Tim Durkin-Brown with Stuart Pearce



3.1.5 Improving coaching infrastructures,


The work of the McDonald’s grassroots football partnership to

increase the quantity and quality of coaches within the grassroots

game is intrinsically linked to wider processes of club and workforce

development and national club accreditation processes. To this end,

work to increase the size and scope of coaching capacities has enabled

clubs to deliver more and better quality coaching sessions to children

and young people. A number of interviewees suggested that progress

on this score was underpinned by the abilities of clubs to recruit

parents of younger children to undertake coaching courses and to

coach specific groups of children as they move upwards through

the age ranges of organised football over time. The interviewees

below comment further on the inter-relationship between coach and

club development and the contribution of McDonald’s to increasing

the sustainability of coaching over time:

“Coach education is tied in with the club development because

a club can’t survive if it doesn’t have coaches. That’s why I think

it’s key to promote good coach education, to try and promote

the philosophy that we want more and better quality coaches.”


“The benefits have been that we’ve actually got the coaches

qualified. So from our point of view, the coaches that we’ve put

on the McDonald’s course were the ones who were just starting

out. This will hopefully give us a 10 year succession plan and secure

the future for the club and its kids.”

Grant Perry, Club Chairperson, Bishops Castle FC

There was a strong consensus amongst interviewees that the work

of McDonald’s and UK FAs had also helped to professionalise the

coaching infrastructures at clubs. This was especially the case with

reference to the increased numbers and heightened skill sets of

coaches, the consequent improvements in approach and delivery

of coaching sessions, and the increasingly professionalised outward

appearance of coaches. On this latter score, interviewees alluded

to the positive impact of McDonald’s branded kit and equipment in

heightening the appeal and ‘selling point’ of clubs to children and

their families. For example:

“Having qualified coaches is a way of selling the club to parents

who can be reassured about the quality of experience our coaches

can provide for their children.” Lester Shore, Club Chairperson,

Whitchurch Alport Juniors FC

“The benefit is that the coaches got kitted out and it’s great to see

when you go down to a grassroots football coaching session and

they are kitted out in the McDonald’s gear. It gives the look that

the FA is trying to portray for grassroots football.”

Hannah Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, West Riding FA

“All our coaches have coaching jackets and coaching shirts, and

have obviously got the coaching qualification. It adds to the prestige

of the club. I mean they look the part and they are the part.”

Rob Farrar, Club Chairperson Oadby Owls FC

3.2 cLub aND wOrKFOrce DeveLOPmeNT



developed a more expansive focus to support the growing strategic

and operational focus of UK FAs to support clubs to achieve nationally

recognised programmes of club accreditation. To this end, McDonald’s

has assumed a more central position as a key partner in the FA Charter

Standard programme in England, the Quality Mark programme in

Scotland, and national club accreditation programmes in Wales and

Northern Ireland. In doing so, McDonald’s has worked collaboratively

with UK FAs to develop educational and resource support and a

programme of volunteer recognition awards for clubs and volunteers.

In terms of educational support, McDonald’s has worked with UK

FAs to support the delivery of a range of continued professional

development (CPD) workshops to volunteers at clubs. These in-service

training courses are intended to equip volunteers with the requisite

skills, knowledge and understanding to run clubs effectively and

provide a quality service to key client groups of young footballers.

Training of this kind has included a focus on club management and

administration, club finances and sponsorship, and child protection

and welfare issues. Completion of these courses and the allocation

of volunteers to key roles and responsibilities within clubs are

essential to meet the assessment criteria of national club accreditation

programmes. A part of this process, in 2010 McDonald’s supported the

work of the FA Learning department to develop and launch the Your

Game website. The website is designed to act as a key educational

resource in terms of its content and in helping signpost users to access

appropriate courses delivered by County FA development teams across

England. More recently in 2012, McDonald’s developed and launched

a new grassroots football website called KickStart. This website has

a broader UK wide scope than the English based Your Game website,

and is intended to appeal to a wider range of football providers

both within and outside of national club accreditation frameworks.

The website features a range of educational content under three

key headings; Get Informed, Get Inspired, and Get Funding. More

specifically, KickStart is a virtual medium through which users can

identify relevant coach and club accreditation pathways, increase

awareness of McDonald’s initiatives and events, and are signposted

towards funding agencies.

Laura Woodcock coaching young players at a Coach of the Year assessment day




developed a series of financial resource support packages for clubs

working through incremental stages of national club accreditation

programmes. Further, in 2009 the McDonald’s grassroots football

partnership launched the McDonald’s Twinning programme which

is intended to build productive relationships between restaurant

franchisees and accredited grassroots clubs. Franchisees are encouraged

to provide kit and equipment for teams and organisational support

for tournaments, festivals and other football events targeting children,

young people and their families. The programme is also intended to

provide clubs with business advice and direction on issues such as

finance, sponsorship and managing the workforce. More recently,

in 2012 McDonald’s also launched the McDonald’s KickStart grants

scheme. This gives clubs the opportunity to apply for a range of

essential items such as training courses, pitch hire and equipment.

Starting first in Scotland in 2003 and filtering through all of the home

nations over the last eight years, the McDonald’s grassroots football

partnership launched the national grassroots annual Community

Awards programme. This programme is designed to recognise and

reward the efforts of clubs and volunteers working in the grassroots

game. In practice, key stakeholders in the grassroots game in each

country in the UK put forward nominations across a range of key

categories, including: Leagues, Clubs, Volunteers, Coaches, and

Outstanding Services to Football. The selected finalists are recognised

and rewarded at national awards ceremonies and receive awards

from McDonald’s national ambassadors and UK FA representatives.


Since 2006, the more expansive focus of the McDonald’s grassroots

football partnership has significantly enhanced the work of UK FAs

to support club and workforce development. It has enabled UK FA

development teams to increase the number, frequency, flexibility and

venues of CPD courses and in-service training offered to the grassroots

club workforce. Interviewees reported these more expansive and locally

tailored delivery mechanisms had increased the appeal, accessibility and

take-up of courses of this kind. Other educational and resource support

such as the Your Game website and kit and equipment was also felt to

have helped to quicken the pace of club and volunteer development.

FA based interviewees comment further:

“I think the financial element of McDonald’s support first of all

is crucial. It’s important because it’s certainly allowed us as a small

association to improve our resources quicker than we would

normally do, with particular regard to the quality mark scheme.”


“For us, McDonald’s has allowed us to run programmes and not

have to go to schools or clubs and look for them to put their hand

in their pocket, and that’s meant there’s been a lot more ‘buy in’

because you’re not asking them for money.”


The contribution of the McDonald’s grassroots football partnership

was felt by some interviewees to have played a key role in helping

better define the roles and responsibilities of UK FA development staff

working with clubs and volunteers. This was most notably the case in

Northern Ireland where McDonald’s funding was used to part fund the

wages and help focus the work programmes of regional development

officers. UK FA based interviewees below comment further on the

beneficial impact of engendering productive relationships at the

local level:

“The sponsorship has been invaluable, not only to keep our 15

development officers in employment, but to enable them to go

out and focus part of their work programme on a ‘hands on’ basis

in working with the clubs. So they’ve been out meeting with the

chairman, the secretary, and speaking about how they can put in

place better infrastructures, whereas before it might have been

only the coaches they were in contact with.”

Lee Carroll, Head of Grassroots Football, The IFA

“The McDonald’s funding helped us kick start the quality mark

scheme in the first instance, otherwise we might have been toiling

a little bit. It added a lot of value, you know, for us to go to clubs

in the first instance, we needed to be seen to be giving them

something, whether it was kit and equipment or whether it was

coach education or club development workshops.”

David Drummond, Regional Manager, South East Scottish FA

McDonald’s ambassador Ian Rush with 2012 FAW People’s Award winner, Mary Ball




The McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has had a strongly

beneficial impact on increasing the numbers of clubs achieving

nationally recognised club accreditation status. At the present time,

more than 6,000 clubs across the UK have achieved accreditation of

this kind. Interviewees drew clear linkages between the efforts of the

McDonald’s grassroots football partnership and this growing number

of accredited clubs across the home nations. For example, interviewees

referenced the ‘usefulness’ and ‘applicability’ of educational and

resource support such as CPD workshops and the Your Game website

and felt these support mechanisms had helped skill up an increased

number of volunteers. This had in turn enabled clubs to establish

increasingly robust operational infrastructures and delivery capacities.

Two senior staff at national FAs comment further:

“In terms of our recent funding submission to Sport England, I

was able to evidence and clearly prove that they should invest

some funding to support our charter standard club environment,

because when you look at the growth in teams in football clubs,

where there’s a charter standard on it, they grow the numbers of

teams year on year, as opposed to lose teams year on year. That

quality measure is growing participation in our sport.”

Pete Ackerley, Senior National Game Development Manager, The FA

“In the past it was a schools programme. That was fine, but where

it sits now, it’s far more relevant to the work that we’re doing in

conjunction with local authorities. So I think that now, the impact

that we’re getting from this project and these programmes, we

have 323 quality mark clubs and many of those clubs becoming

stronger, more robust clubs with many teams, and the quality mark

programme has really helped that.”

Andy Gould, Head of Regional Development, The Scottish FA

The work of the McDonald’s grassroots football partnership

to enable financial subsidies for CPD workshops was felt by

interviewees to have quickened the pace of club and workforce

development at clubs involved in national accreditation

frameworks. These subsidies were often used as leverage by UK

FA development teams to encourage volunteers to engage in key

learning programmes. Similarly, the incentive approach of enabling

access to kit and equipment was felt to be a useful mechanism

for engaging clubs and their voluntary workforce in the club

accreditation process. For example:

“So we run quite a large number of courses anyway, and through

the McDonald’s funding to run them as free and subsidised courses

has been a great benefit. In terms of working with the clubs

to get them the appropriate qualifications to become a charter

standard club, and in other instances rewarding clubs because

they’ve achieved charter standard and are able to access the free

or subsidised courses as a result.”


“It’s a benefit of becoming a chartered standard club that you

then have opportunities to put a member of your club workforce

on various courses. So the clubs would benefit by not having to

pay out that set amount of money because most clubs, certainly

chartered standard clubs, will pay as a club rather than ask an

individual to pay to go on courses.” Kelly Ellis, Head of Football

Development, Leicestershire and Rutland FA

East Dunbartonshire Football Festival



3.2.4 Improving the quality of clubs and the volunteer workforce

The increasingly expansive programme of support provided by the

McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has had a significant

impact on improving the quality of clubs and their volunteer workforce,

with particular respect to club management and administration.

In particular, CPD workshops were felt by interviewees to have

empowered volunteers with new skill sets and competencies relevant

to the ‘changing face’ and increasingly professionalised structure

of the grassroots game. To this end, volunteers were felt to have

become much better equipped to assume key organisational roles and

responsibilities within clubs, with particular respect to child protection

and welfare positions. The interviewees below comment further:

“We’ve got a more skilled workforce, we’ve got identified job roles,

we’re building up skill sets that are required to run a club, and run it

properly. We’ve gone from clubs with two or three teams, to small

to medium sized enterprises, a significant turnover, with significant

financial and legal structures and responsibilities.”

Pete Ackerley, Senior National Game Development Manager, The FA

“I think although they’re volunteers they are a much more

professional workforce in the standard they maintain and that’s all

to do with the way the FA and McDonald’s has developed the range

of courses that are out there.”

Hannah Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, West Riding FA

A number of interviewees also reported additional benefits of

attendance at CPD workshops in terms of opportunities to liaise with

and learn from volunteers at other clubs. Course attendance was felt

to act as a catalyst for longer term relationships between volunteers

at different clubs and to have encouraged networks of information

sharing and mutual support. Course attendees were also likely to

implement internal good practice as a result of attending courses

of this kind. For example:

“What we find is, by up-skilling these volunteers, they’re obviously

taking that back into their clubs. To some extent you’re getting

a little bit of a domino effect of people that have had a positive

experience by attending a course, taking it back to their club, and

learning others ways of implementing good practice.” Kelly Ellis,

Head of Football Development, Leicestershire and Rutland FA

The work of the McDonald’s partnership to recognise and reward

volunteers was felt to have had a positive impact in supporting the

work of UK FAs to improve club and workforce development. To this

end, interviewees strongly alluded to the importance of the Community

Awards as a mechanism for recognising and rewarding the efforts of

the ‘unsung heroes’ of grassroots football. This was felt to be especially

important in the case of older ‘life-time’ volunteers, younger volunteers

showing enthusiasm and initiative, and volunteers with specialised skill

sets working with ‘hard to reach’ groups. The Community Awards were

also felt to have positively promoted the social, economic and sporting

value of volunteering and to have helped build closer ‘emotional

relationships’ between volunteers, clubs and national FAs. On this

latter score, interviewees drew clear linkages between the ‘thank-you

effect’ of volunteer recognition and the increased likelihood of the

sustainability of volunteering over time. For example:

“It has really allowed us to shine a light on the grassroots award

programme. It just grows from strength to strength now in the

regions, it’s been a great addition. We can tell more stories,

and the profile of grassroots football is important but is always

challenging to put into the limelight. So McDonald’s has provided

good support on that side of things.”


“I think it’s really important. Most people volunteer because their

own children are in clubs and they start helping out. But there’s

not a lot of recognition and you get taken for granted quite a bit.

You turn up every Saturday, rain, hail or shine, and when everybody

goes away. There’s no parents staying behind and help you clear

up, and sometimes you think “God, why am I doing this?” But

McDonald’s make you feel as if what you’re doing is worthwhile,

and people do appreciate it, and it’s nice to know there is that

support out there.”

Chris Parkin, Club Secretary, Mumbles Rangers FC

McDonald’s Peckham Football Festival

2012 FA Community Young Volunteer of the Year, Taome Caville, with award hosts Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara and England Women’s international Casey Stoney



3.2.5 Improving club infrastructures, appeal and sustainability

The increasingly programme of educational, resource and

financial support enabled by the McDonald’s grassroots football

partnership has had an identifiably positive impact on improving

the infrastructures, appeal and sustainability of clubs. This support

has enabled clubs to establish clear policies and procedures

designed to enhance organisational infrastructures and to provide

a more professional approach to service provision. This has enabled

clubs to increase their operational capacity and ‘reach out’ to a

wider range of key stakeholders within the game, including local

authorities, funding agencies and facility providers. In doing so, many

clubs have experienced a marked organisational and cultural shift

from weekend football providers to assume a more central position in

the popular consciousness as ‘community sports hubs’. The increasing

professionalism of grassroots clubs and their voluntary workforce has

also increased their appeal to children, young people and their families.

This has had a significant impact on increasing participation levels and

the enabling longer term sustainability of clubs. Two senior figures at

national FAs outline below the inter-relationship between the increased

quality and heightened appeal of accredited clubs:

“The chartered standard club, it’s actually starting to build that

minimum quality standard that is recognisable and is becoming

the benchmark. If I was a parent or a grandparent, I’d be saying

where should I take him or her? Is it safe? Is it going to be a right

environment? Is it going to be an enjoyable experience? And the

charter standard provides that badge of assurance.” Peter Ackerley,

Senior National Game Development Manager, The FA

“I’m under no shadow of doubt, if it wasn’t for the quality mark

programme, and in my opinion, the McDonald’s programme, the clubs

wouldn’t be in a position just now to do what they’re doing. You

have clubs now who are community sports hubs that have community

groups involved in it.”


The improved infrastructure, appeal and sustainability of clubs have

also been underpinned in many cases by the work of McDonald’s and

UK FAs to develop the McDonald’s Twinning programme. McDonald’s

report that, since its launch in 2008, more than 750 restaurants and

accredited clubs have ‘signed up’ to the programme and have worked

together on a range of initiatives, activities and events. Whilst the

shape and scope of franchisee support for clubs has varied across

local contexts, a number of interviewees reported developing strong

and productive relationships on this score. This was especially the case

where McDonald’s franchisees had utilised their transferable business

skills and acumen to provide advice, encouragement and direction on

the financial and human resource management of clubs.

case sTuDy: cumberNauLD cOLTs

Cumbernauld Colts FC is based in Cumbernauld in the

central belt of Scotland. The club has around 350 players

and an unbroken pathway of teams for boys aged six

upwards through to the adult game. It also has provision

for girls’ youth teams. There are around 80 volunteers

involved in the clubs, including 70 qualified coaches,

all of whom have done additional first aid courses. The

club has expanded rapidly from just one team in 1999 to

around 30 teams at the present time. Cumbernauld Colts

achieved the Scottish.

FA Quality Mark Standard status in 2007, and in 2008

achieved Quality Mark Community status. The expansion

and development of Cumbernauld Colts has been led by

Stewart McKenzie who was the Scottish FA/McDonald’s

Grassroots Merit Award Winner in 2008. The development

of the club has also been enabled by McDonald’s wider

support for the Scottish FA Quality Mark scheme and

through direct financial subsidies for coach education

courses and the provision of kit and equipment.

McDonald’s has been the catalyst for much of our

development because they sponsor the Scottish FA and the

Quality Mark programme. So McDonald’s and the Scottish

FA have been able to provide us with support, through coach

education, discounts, kit, and we won one of the awards

as well. Quality Mark gives you a framework to ensure that

you’re doing things in a structured and appropriate way,

whether that be in terms of your finances, child protection or

coach education, so you can then deliver a safe environment

for the players within your organisation. It raises your status

within the game, locally and nationally, it gives parents an

assurance that your club’s operating in an appropriate way

and they want to bring their kids to those particular clubs.”

stewart mcKenzie

“

McDonald’s ambassador Kenny Dalglish at Cumbernauld Colts, Scotland



3.3 chILDreN aND yOuNg PeOPLe


Since 2002, the McDonald’s grassroots football partnership

has featured a strong emphasis on increasing and broadening

participation and ensuring quality experiences of football amongst

children and young people. This key area of focus was identified as

an area of the grassroots game which needed additional support in

order to ensure the sustainability of football across the UK. To this

end, the work of the McDonald’s grassroots football partnership to

improve the infrastructural development and organisational capacities

of clubs and to ‘skill up’ volunteers with appropriate knowledge about

child protection and welfare issues at clubs can be seen as part of this

process. Work of this kind is intended to bring about a cultural change

in the ways in which clubs prioritise engaging and developing children

and young people in and through football.


develop children’s and youth football has also been directed through

the conduit of coach education and efforts to increase the number

of qualified coaches in the UK. For example, between 2002 and 2006,

McDonald’s investment supported the work of the Scottish FA, WFT

and IFA to help primary school teachers and parents to achieve Level 1

coach education qualifications. UK FA development teams and newly

qualified parent and teacher coaches then delivered quality curriculum

time and extracurricular football sessions to cohorts of 5–11 year olds

in schools. Since 2006, the Scottish FA, WFT and IFA have shifted

emphasis away from school based activities towards a more club

centred approach, mirroring the longstanding work of the FA around

club and coach development. During this latter period, McDonald’s

investment has been used by UK FAs to subsidise Level 1, Level 2 and

new Youth Awards for coaches primarily involved in delivering sessions

to children and young people at accredited clubs. In addition, the

increased number of women coaches engaged through programmes

such as the Mums on the Ball programme has had a positive effect in

encouraging more girls and young women to play the game.

McDonald’s has also provided a range of more direct financial and

resource support for clubs and coaches to help increase opportunities

for quality participation in football amongst children and young

people. For example, McDonald’s has provided ‘start-up’ kit and

training equipment such as balls, bibs and cones to help support

clubs, coaches and their teams. This process of reward for efforts

to engage children at the local level has been supplemented more

recently through the additional support enabled by the McDonald’s

Twinning programme and McDonald’s KickStart grants scheme.

McDonald’s has also worked directly with UK FA development teams

and accredited clubs to deliver a range of branded football festivals

and fun days across the UK. These events have been supported by

McDonald’s restaurant staff and volunteers and have been attended

by McDonald’s national football ambassadors. Events of this kind

have been designed to engage children and their parents in fun

and family orientated football activities in a safe, supportive and

non-competitive environment. Central to these events has been the

delivery of ‘fundamental skills’ training and opportunities to play more

diverse formats of the game, including futsal, mini-soccer and other

small-sided games. These festivals have acted as a ‘taster sessions’

for children (and their families) with little prior experience of playing

the game and have enabled clubs to identify, access and engage new

cohorts of children in structured and sustained football activities.

case sTuDy: mumbLes raNgers Fc

Mumbles Rangers FC is based in Swansea in South Wales and

presently has around 30 teams for children and young people

including mini-soccer teams, small-sided teams and full-size youth

teams catering for boys and girls. The club also has three adult

teams and a veterans’ team. There are more than 100 volunteers

involved in the club, including around 70 qualified coaches,

of which about 10 have achieved their Level 2 (C certificate)

coaching award. The club has recently achieved the Silver Award

of the McDonald’s sponsored Welsh Football Trust national club

accreditation programme. In recent years, the club has formed a

strong relationship with the franchisee at the local McDonald’s

restaurant as part of the McDonald’s Twinning programme. This

has been very beneficial to the club in terms of providing kit and

equipment, organising open days at the clubs, and providing the

club with additional volunteer support from McDonald’s staff.

More specifically, this franchisee has provided significant business

advice, expertise, and direction and this has helped the club to

significantly expand its operational capacity and expand the size

and scope of its football provision to include more children and

local youngsters.

Without a doubt it’s given us direction, and it’s given us

encouragement and it’s raised our profile. That’s enabled us

to introduce better quality management into the club. He’s [the

franchisee] been predominant in the coaching and funding the

coaching. He’s helped us with a particular age group and funded

kit and things like that. Without McDonald’s and the McDonald’s

Twinning programme, we wouldn’t be where we are today,

without a doubt. I think when we started we had 20 or 21 teams

and in the last five years we’ve grown 10 teams. We’re finding

we’re now the club of choice in the area, so it’s brilliant.”

chris Parkin

“




The McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has made a significant

contribution to increasing opportunities for participation in organised

football amongst children and young people. In the first instance,

McDonald’s input has enabled UK FA development teams to work

closely with clubs to improve their organisational infrastructures and

achieve nationally recognised club accreditation status. Further, the

longstanding support of McDonald’s to increase the quantity and quality

of club coaches has enabled around 25,000 coaches to achieve Level

1, Level 2 and new Youth Awards. This support has enabled clubs to

dramatically increase the extent, frequency and scope of football

provision targeting children and young people. For example, in England,

the FA reported that in 2011 there were 29,932 mini-soccer teams

and 36,740 male youth teams at FA Charter Standard Clubs: an

increase of 19% and 7% respectively over the previous three years.

Similarly, interviewees in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

reported an increased delivery of organised football provision for

children and young people. In these latter cases, work undertaken

between 2002 and 2006 significantly increased opportunities to

play the game in primary school settings. For example, in Wales,

around 1200 ‘after schools’ football clubs were established by

parents and teachers during this period. UK FA based interviewees

comment further on the growth in children’s and youth football

and McDonald’s contribution to this process:

“I think the chance to play the game would not be there to the

extent and at the level it is if not for McDonald’s. The quality of

what we provide is definitely enhanced by the fact that we’ve got

McDonald’s support. I think it forces an organisation to become

more thoughtful on the quality of what they do because you’ve

got other people that will contribute and you know that partnership

approach means that you drive each other on a little bit.”


“As a regional grassroots officer, certainly the support locally and

nationally of McDonald’s has opened up a lot of doors for us to

get into schools that we maybe wouldn’t have got into in the past.

We have schools over here who focus very much on rugby or some

schools who focus very much on GAA. We were able to get into

those schools and give the kids a different programme and the

chance to try football.”


There was a strong sense amongst interviewees that the McDonald’s

grassroots football partnership had helped quicken the pace of the

introduction of new, more diverse, football formats for children and

young people, including futsal, mini-soccer, turn up and play, and

small-sided games. Interviewees referenced the positive impact of

qualified coaches, kit and equipment, and support from the McDonald’s

Twinning programme in helping to broaden the range of football

opportunities on offer at clubs. McDonald’s football festivals and

support from national ambassadors were also cited as a positive input

in terms of ‘raising the profile’, ‘shining a light on’ and ‘validating the

efforts’ of the day-to-day work of clubs to this end. For example, the

interviewee below references the impact of McDonald’s investment in

supporting the efforts of the IFA to develop a co-ordinated programme

of small-sided games in Northern Ireland:

“We run the McDonald’s games development centres on Saturday

mornings which is really taking off now. We have approaching 50

venues across the country for small-sided games, which are staffed

and co-ordinated by coaches and volunteers, with three different

types of pitch and different goals for 5, 7 and 9 a side. McDonald’s

sponsorship has enabled us to do that. Without that support we

may have struggled host venues, and then you have children losing

out, so that’s a big growth area for us.”

Lee Carroll, Head of Grassroots Football, The IFA

lEft: McDonald’s ambassadors Ian Rush and Eric Harrison share tips and advice with young players

aBovE: McDonald’s ambassador Kenny Dalglish at the East Dunbartonshire Football Festival




The efforts of the McDonald’s grassroots football partnership has

assisted the work of UK FAs to increase and broaden participation

in organised football amongst children and young people, especially

amongst the 5–14 years old age range at accredited clubs. Interviewees

cited McDonald’s support to develop coach education, club and

workforce development, and more diverse formats of the game

as key factors in encouraging rising participation rates amongst

children and young people. There was also a strong sense amongst

interviewees that the McDonald’s grassroots football partnership had

helped to broaden the diversity pool of young participants, especially

in relation to girls’ football. To this end, a number of club based

interviewees reported increased and more focused efforts to establish

a sustainable framework of girls’ football in recent years. In some

cases, interviewees drew a clear linkage between programmes such

as the Mums on the Ball initiative and the growth in the numbers of

girls playing the game. It was felt that women coaches were better

positioned to act as positive role models, provide mentoring support

and understand the playing capacities and emotional needs of young

girls. For example:

“I think female coaches are great role models for the girl’s football,

I mean I’m not a player, but I’ve learnt enough skills through the

McDonald’s courses just to feel confident about showing them what

to do. I think the girls feel happy coming to me, a little bit more

at ease and not so shy. They feel that little bit more confident and

they’re able to ask more questions. I think if there’s more females

involved encouraging them and giving them a bit more confidence,

the girls would stay a lot longer in football.” Cindy Halliday, Club

Coach, Catterick Garrison / local schools

case sTuDy: DINa POwys Fc

Dinas Powys FC is based in the Vale of Glamorgan in South

Wales and presently has around 30 teams for children and young

people between the ages of six and 18 years old, including four

girls’ teams. The club has over 50 qualified Level 1 coaches and

a cluster of coaches with more advanced and specialist coaching

skills and competencies. The club has achieved the Silver Award

of the McDonald’s sponsored Welsh Football Trust national club

accreditation programme and was awarded the WFT/McDonald’s

Community Club of the Year award for the South Wales region

in 2012. The work of committed volunteers and regional

development staff at the WFT to expand the club in recent years

has been supported through the provision of subsidies for coach

education courses and kit and equipment from McDonald’s. This

has enabled the club to broaden its focus and provision to set up

a clear entry point and ongoing pathway for participation amongst

girls, with some considerable success.

‘We’ve been working on increasing girls’ football in the

area. So we worked with the Football Development Officers in

the area, and through the McDonald’s scheme we started a turn

up and play at Barry Sports Centre and then from that then we

entered an Under 12s team into the South Wales girls’ league that

season, which was about 8 seasons ago. That’s developed since,

so that we’ve got Under 10s, 12s, 14s, and 16s at the club now.

So we’ve managed it over a period of years and we’ve got a run

of teams now where we can work the girls through and play senior

women’s football in the village again at the club.

ray Davies, club chairperson

“

tHiS PagE: Redhill School, Mums on the Ball event

nExt PagE: TOP: Matchday action of Johnstown FC BOTTOM: Highworth Town FC receive new kit following McDonald’s grant



A number of interviewees referenced a series of positive personal

and social benefits for children and young people engendered through

regular structured football participation at clubs. This was especially

the case for younger children involved in child centred formats such

as mini-soccer, small-sided games and football festivals. Interviewees

noted that these safe, supportive and fun football environments

provided a site in which children exhibited notable improvements

in confidence, communication and inter-personal skills. Amongst

older children, interviewees referenced increased motivations and

improved attitudes and behaviour patterns, with particular respect

to ‘an increased understanding of others’, a growing sense of

‘personal responsibility’. Two club based interviewees comment further:

“It’s the confidence in the children, that’s the biggest thing I can

see, and because they’ve got to mingle, they’ve got to integrate,

which doesn’t happen a lot nowadays because they’re all sitting

on computers and iPhones and everything like that, I just think it’s

a great social thing and it does help their social skills.”

Cindy Halliday, Club Coach, Catterick Garrison / local schools

“I think it improves their self-esteem and their confidence.

You know, they’re in an environment where they are all mixing

together, and interacting with one another, so they learn how

to communicate better as well.” Irene Sutherland, Club Coach,

Shawventus FC / local schools

McDonald’s contribution to enabling access and increasing and

broadening participation in the game amongst children and young

people has been underscored by the provision of significant financial,

educational and resource support. This has enabled UK FA regional

and county development teams to support clubs and coaches to

achieve accreditation, increase coaching capacities, and deliver an

increased and broader range of child centred activities than has been

the case in the past. Of particular importance for clubs has been

the provision of ‘start up’ kit and equipment enabled through the

McDonald’s Community Awards, the McDonald’s KickStart grants

scheme, Twinning programme and the wider club accreditation

framework. This has helped clubs to deliver ‘kit out’ teams and

sustain high quality service provision against an increasingly harsh

economic backdrop. Interviewees below outline the practical

benefits of accessing McDonald’s resource support of this kind:

“Obviously we take every opportunity when it comes to reducing

cost, and McDonald’s has helped us no end with that, for sponsoring

courses and equipment. When you get equipment through from

McDonald’s, it’s always good because you’re backfilling at Under 8s

and they’re starting with nothing each time, and it can drain on the

club’s expenses. So it’s really useful to help get those teams up and

running for the first time each year.”

Martin Stanley, Club Coach, Saffron Dynamo FC

“With the influx of funding and equipment from McDonald’s, the

donations and the grants that you apply for, it just takes you on to

a different level. You’ve now got the tools to work with, so every

scenario you’re in you’ve got equipment to deal with it and that’s all

by support through McDonald’s and the FA grassroots programme.”

Tim Durkin-Brown, Club Coach, Eagles Juniors FC



3.3.4 Improving the quality of experiences of football

for children and young people

The work of the McDonald’s grassroots football partnership to develop

the grassroots game has had a strongly beneficial impact on improving

the quality of experiences of football amongst children and young

people. This is especially the case in terms of the positive knock-on

effect of efforts to increase the numbers of qualified coaches working

with younger cohorts and the consequent improved standards of

coaching provision. For example, interviewees felt that support to

‘skill up’ coaches had engendered a positive impact on improving

the technical development of young players and to have ‘raised the

standards’ of children’s and youth football. For example:

“I suppose they go in as a parent probably not even understanding

football really, but just a willing volunteer. But they do come out

understanding things about player development, to get more

touches on the ball, turn them into better players, and to put

on practises and drills that will encourage a more sort of fun and

playful environment so the players are learning through the game.”

Tim Broome, Former Club Development Officer, Central Wales FA

“It’s what they get from the coaches, the quality of coaching that

they’ve received, it rubs off on the youngsters, and you see that

in the way they play. It’s a better experience for the kids after the

coaches have been on the courses.”

Ray Davies, Club Chairperson, Dinas Powys FC

Interviewees also referenced linkages between McDonald’s supported

UK FA coach education courses and changing philosophies and styles

of coaching practice. In particular, they alluded to the positive impact

of the increased understanding, skill sets and competencies of coaches

to deliver sessions and the prioritisation of children’s learning needs.

case sTuDy: IreNe suTherLaND

Irene Sutherland is long standing football fan who is also a

Primary School Teacher in Glasgow in Scotland. Irene has been

involved in the grassroots game for around 15 years, supporting

the involvement of her son and his friends in playing the game.

Following the implementation of the Scottish FA / McDonald’s

schools football programme, Irene has undertaken her Level 1

and Level 2 coaching qualifications. Since this time, Irene has

delivered curriculum time and extra-curricular activities for boys

and girls at the school and has developed a local youth team

called Shawventus, which has recently merged with another local

club. In 2006, Irene was selected as the winner of the Scottish

FA Grassroots best Primary School Teacher Award as reward for

her remarkable efforts. Irene continues to coach on weekdays

at schools and as part of a school based Saturday morning

mini-soccer programme and provides advice and support to local

young people undertaking coaching qualifications for the first time.

I just think the McDonald’s courses really motivate you.

It makes you feel “Oh, I can do this”. It makes you think about

football from the children’s point of view and it’s about letting the

children enjoy football, and that’s been my philosophy all these

years. If the children aren’t enjoying it, then the coach isn’t doing

something right. When the kids enjoy it, the keep coming back,

they stay with it for longer, and they develop more, as players,

and as youngsters as well.”

Irene sutherland

“

tHiS PagE: Scottish FA Community Award winner Irene Sutherland with McDonald’s ambassador Kenny Dalglish

nExt PagE: Mothers of Premier League footballers back the Mums on the Ball campaign



These newly trained coaches were felt to be much more likely than

‘old style coaches’ to create a fun, positive, learning environment

for children and young players. Importantly, interviewees identified

the heightened appeal of these more inclusive approaches to children

and young people and the impact on increasing the sustainability

of participation over time. For example:

“They feel more confident, happier, going along to training sessions

that they’re enjoying more, and they can see the benefit. They do

recognise, and I even recognise myself, that I feel so much more

confident having been on these courses, knowing what I’m looking

to do and why I’m doing it, the kids just respond to it, it’s fantastic

really.” Derek Hallas, Club Coach, Lepton Highlanders FC

“By influencing your coach in positive ways, in terms of how they

deliver their coaching, how they work with kids, technically, and

how they interact on a social level, in terms of attitude, behaviour,

discipline, etc, I think if you can go into a club environment and

influence coaches on all those levels there are major benefits

then for the kids who are playing the sport. I think they’re all

key elements in trying to provide and promote a better playing

environment for the future.”


“If you want to keep having an influx of children coming to your

club, the better your coaches are, the better chance you’ve got of

keeping the club running really. The fact is, there’s certain clubs

in the area that try and just go for winning at all cost, and I know

they’re losing players left, right and centre, because the children

don’t want to be in that environment. So, if you got the right kind

of coaches, with the right mentality, and the right skills, then that’s

going to grow your club, and make it more sustainable.”

Mike Cutler, grassroots volunteer

3.3.5 Improving club and coach infrastructures,



develop coaches, volunteers and clubs has had a significant impact on

increasing and broadening participation in football amongst children and

young people. The increasing professionalisation of club infrastructures

and growth in qualified coaches has enabled accredited clubs to extend

their provision to include more teams across greater age ranges. This

has enabled children and young people to progress along a clearer

pathway from children’s mini-soccer and small-sided games to

full-sided youth teams and onto the adult game. For example:

“We’ve got children’s teams and youth teams, girls teams and boys

teams, youth teams and adult teams coming together as one. So

we’re creating bigger, stronger clubs, which allows that pathway

from children’s to the youth to the adult game, which creates more

volunteers within the club, and more people with specific skills to

develop, to allow the game to grow.”


case sTuDy: cINDy haLLIDay

Cindy Halliday has significant experience of coaching children and

young people across a range of settings. Over the last 12 years,

Cindy has set up and run football sessions for the children of

military personnel at army camps in England and Germany. These

sessions have engaged children and young people aged between

five and 14 years old in regular footballing activities which they

might otherwise miss out on as a result of the transient nature of

army lifestyles. In 2008, Cindy undertook a Mums on the Ball

Level 1 coaching course and in 2009 won the FA/McDonald’s

Community Coach of the Year award. Cindy was invited to

Wembley to attend the FA / McDonald’s Community Shield event

where she was the only female to receive an award that year. More

recently, Cindy has relocated to Scotland where she remains active

as a coach, delivering after schools football sessions in schools to

Under 9s and Under 11s boys’ and girls’ teams.

I think the McDonald’s courses are brilliant because so far

any courses I’ve been on, any little one day events, the people that

deliver them have always been really helpful and given you lots of

ideas, especially in terms of coaching youngsters. It motivates you

to do more coaching and keep getting more and more children

involved, and you really do see them develop, and stay in the

game.”

cindy halliday

“



Interviewees also reported positively on the impact of the work of

McDonald’s and UK FAs to help increase the appeal of clubs amongst

children, young people and their parents. This was underpinned by

efforts to encourage attitudinal and behavioural change amongst

coaches and other volunteers at clubs and had engendered a more child

centred ethos and outlook as a result. This was felt by interviewees

to have encouraged increased sustainability of participation in the

game amongst children and young people. These findings suggest a

positive symbiotic relationship between club and coach development

and the improved quantitative and qualitative experiences of children

and young people in the grassroots game. Interviewees at national FAs

comment further on these positive impacts:

“So through the coach education, not only are you improving the

quality of the coaching, but indirectly this will encourage more

children to come to the clubs, or keep getting involved, because

if they’ve got a good coach working there, and they know how to

work with children, it’s going to keep the children and their parents

engaged in football.”

Les Howie, Head of Grassroots Coaching, The FA

“The support that it gives clubs through accreditation and through

coach education support is crucial for us to further develop the

individuals, which, in turn, provides a better environment for these

young players to step into. And if there’s a better environment then

the hope would be that they would be retained within it and would

increase the number of players and young people taking part in the

game.”


“The feedback from the clubs is definitely that the numbers are

rising, and I strongly feel that’s because they’re getting organised.

They’ve now got child protection policies in place, they’re a safe club,

it’s a nicer environment because of the coaches. The McDonald’s

money has done a lot more than just improve the coaches, that

McDonald’s money and the programme that’s been set up has

allowed the clubs to grow. So there are umpteen cases where

through the quality mark, through the McDonald’s programme, the

club have grown and improved the environment for children.”


3.4 suPPOrTINg The sTraTegIc aIms aND ObJecTIves OF uK Fas

The overall contribution of the McDonald’s grassroots football

partnership has had a significant beneficial impact on the work of UK

FAs to meet a series of key aims and objectives embedded within their

respective strategies for the development of the grassroots game. For

example, work to increase the quantity and quality of the coaching

workforce has helped UK FAs to ‘raise the standards’ of coaching

provision, with particular respect to children and young people.

Further, the provision of financial subsidies and the delivery of targeted

initiatives such as the Mums on the Ball programme has enabled UK

FAs to ‘widen access’ and ‘broaden the diversity pool’ of qualified

coaches, with particular regard to BME groups, women and young

people. Similarly, McDonald’s support for work to increase the quantity

and quality of accredited clubs and volunteers has also helped UK

FAs to meet a series of key strategic aims and objectives concerned

with ‘raising standards’, ‘running the game effectively’ and ‘voluntary

workforce development’. In the latter case, the McDonald’s Community

Awards have had significant impact in assisting UK FAs to prioritise and

raise the profile of volunteer reward and recognition within national

associations. The financial, educational and resource support provided

by McDonald’s to enable coaches and clubs to increase participation

and ensure quality experiences for children and young people strongly

fits with the strategic focus of UK FAs to ‘raise standards’, ‘grow the

game’ and encourage the ‘greater retention of players over the

life-course’. UK FA based interviewees below outline further the

beneficial relationship between McDonald’s investment and the aims

and objectives of UK FAs to develop and sustain the grassroots game:

“The McDonald’s sponsorship has been fantastic for us. I’ve got to

say definitely in the last 3 or 4 years we’ve been far more focused

on the areas that we need to. So right the way from the local

grassroots element, right the way up to the national stage, I think

the sponsorship fits more now than it ever has.”


“I think in terms of McDonald’s contribution to the grassroots

game, I think primarily supporting the national strategy of growing

the game and raising standards. But then drilling down to the

regional level, assisting with on the ground delivery and meeting

our regional planned objectives. So, for example, things like coach

education programme, the accreditation scheme and the mini

football programme.’’

Andy Pask, Club Development Officer, South Wales FA

“I just can’t emphasise how much McDonald’s has helped. If

nothing else, money has brought everybody together. Nationally

and regionally it’s brought the associations together with the

clubs to share resources, to increase participation, to provide that

pathway and so on. I think McDonald’s has been a major driver

for that to happen.”


tHiS PagE: McDonald’s ambassador Sir Geoff Hurst at Maltby Juniors, England

nExt PagE: Cumbernauld Colts welcome McDonald’s ambassador Kenny Dalglish to the club



McDonald’s contribution to helping UK FAs to meet key strategic

aims and objectives has been significantly assisted by the work of

McDonald’s to increase the profile of the grassroots game in the

wider popular consciousness. To this end, McDonald’s has utilised the

‘power of the brand’ to generate widespread publicity which shines

a positive light on the grassroots game and the unsung efforts of its

‘hidden army’ of volunteers. This has been especially useful given the

relatively small media and communications departments at UK FAs and

their general responsibilities towards – and prioritisation of – more high

profile aspects of the professional and international game. UK FA based

interviewees comment further on the positive impact of McDonald’s

patronage of the grassroots game:

“It certainly gives an opportunity to get wider publicity and promotion

for our programme, through their range of ambassadors and their PR

marketing teams, it certainly does increase the profile of what we do.”


“I think the profile is a big factor, shining a light on the grassroots

game. The kind of profile that McDonald’s can put in the game is

something that we definitely did not have the ability to do with the

staff and the kind of structure and capacity we have here.”


“Where we’re limited to the PR that we could do from here, they’re

able to tap into different sort of media markets as well, which has been

good to help promote the game and promote any of the initiatives

we’ve been running.” Lee Carroll, Head of Grassroots Football, The IFA

Similarly, for some interviewees, the McDonald’s high profile brand

was also felt to have increased the professionalism, kudos and appeal

of UK FA coach education and club accreditation programmes. This

was felt to have helped engage clubs, coaches and volunteers in

learning and support programmes and to have quickened the pace

of club and coach development to this end. The interviewees below

articulate further the ‘associative benefits’ of the relationship between

McDonald’s and UK FAs:

“It gives a lot more kudos to the quality mark accreditation by the fact

it’s endorsed by McDonald’s. Because essentially, we receive that money

from McDonald’s for us to go and support clubs and support coach

education. So it’s just bringing that brand and finances to the table,

which allows us to go and essentially do our job.”


”With McDonald’s you’re obviously getting a brand, a well-known

recognised brand. So I think it’s important to identify that it’s attached

to coach education, because it will automatically raise the profile of

whatever coach education course or in-service training that we’re

offering, purely and simply by having that brand awareness associated

with it.” Kelly Ellis, Head of Football Development, Leicestershire and

Rutland FA

“It’s put a name and a brand to the programme. They can see that

obviously a company such as McDonald’s is willing to invest in coach

education, and the IFA are supporting it, so obviously it’s something

that they want to be involved in.” Johnny Michael, Grassroots

Development Officer, Regional IFA

Identifying the potential future contribution of McDonald’s to grassroots football


4.1 The wIDer sOcIaL aND sPOrT POLIcy cONTexTThe current economic context and the medium term economic

prospects are poor. Whilst the economy has been able to create new

jobs over the last three years, many have been part-time. When this

trend is coupled with the squeeze on wages and salaries and higher

than anticipated inflation, the overall impact is to reduce disposable

income. British households have already suffered the steepest fall in

living standards since the 1920s with real income shrinking by 0.2%

in 2010 and by a further 1.4% in 2011. Given that there is a long

established relationship between participation in sport and income,

the decline in disposable income will remain a concern over the

medium term. An additional concern relates to the uneven regional

distribution of youth unemployment. Cities hit hardest by rises in

unemployment are also the places with the highest proportions

of young claimants and tend to be cities located in the North East

of England, South Wales, Lanarkshire and Northern Ireland. The

unemployed, despite having time on their hands, are less likely to

participate or volunteer in sport than those in employment.

In relation to major sport-related policy initiatives, the most

significant is the government’s commitment to promoting the

concept of a ‘Big Society’ in which community voluntary organisations

would fulfil many of the responsibilities currently undertaken by the

state. In many respects, sport is an ideal sector to benefit from this

policy as sport is already the second most popular form of volunteering,

and there is in the UK a network of more than 140,000 sport clubs.

However, volunteering has declined as the economic recession has

deepened. Regular formal volunteering has declined from 27% of

the adult population in 2007–08 to 25% in 2009–10, whilst regular

informal volunteering has declined from 35% to 29% over the same

period. In addition, there is longitudinal data which demonstrate that

voluntary organisations do not emerge to fill gaps in state provision,

but rather emerge to complement and extend state provision. However,

the attention focused on the role of the volunteers – the Games Makers

– at the Olympic Games has had a positive impact on raising the profile

of volunteering and inspiring an increase in willingness to volunteer.

A further area of concern is the medium to long term impact of the

reduction in funding for school sport and School Sport Partnerships

(SSPs). The government has stopped the collection of data designed

to measure the participation of young people in sport so it is difficult

to present firm data, but a recent survey of local authorities by the

Labour Party reported a 60% decline since 2009–10 in staff time

devoted to the organisation of competitive sport. Even if this figure

is an exaggeration, it is clear that the advances made through the

SSP programme are under significant pressure.

To counter-balance, to some extent at least, these more pessimistic

trends, it is possible that the successful London 2012 Olympic

and Paralympic Games will generate benefits for youth sport at

a community level. It has long been argued that the Games will

stimulate enthusiasm among the young to get involved in sport.

However, the lack of any robust evidence of a causal relationship

between mega-sports events and sustained involvement in sport

makes these claims speculative. Nevertheless, it is possible that the

public debate about provision of sporting opportunities stimulated

by the Olympic and Paralympics Games may be successful in putting

pressure on the government to divert additional public and lottery

resources to the level of community and school sport. In summary,

the socio-economic context of community sport and especially youth

sport is likely to become significantly more challenging over the

medium term. Current government policy is supportive of youth sport

initiatives, but whether the voluntary sector has the capacity to fill the

gaps left by the reduction in public support is open to debate.

tHiS PagE: Ex-Wales International John Hartson oversees a girls’ match and a training session at Johnstown FC

nExt PagE: McDonald’s ambassador Sir Geoff Hurst talks tactics with young players from Chelmsford City FC



4.2 The wIDer grassrOOTs FOOTbaLL cONTexT

4.2.1 coach education and development

I. Key priorities

The national strategies of UK FAs feature a strong commitment to

support coach education and development in the forthcoming years.

This commitment is underpinned by plans to continue to support

regional and county development teams to deliver coach education

courses and provide more substantial processes of mentoring support

for coaches. Work of this kind is intended to increase the numbers

and diversity of coaches across the UK. For example, in England, the

FA has set a target that 80% of all youth teams will have a qualified

coach by 2015. In Wales, the WFT has made a strong commitment to

further develop its successful coaching revalidation programme and

to continue to provide high quality mentoring support for grassroots

coaches. Further, all UK FAs are keen to increase the number and

diversity of coaches undertaking Youth Awards. In England, work to

increase the numbers of coaches with specialised youth coaching skills

is expected to assist in delivering the Youth Development Review (YDR)

which will be formally implemented during the 2013/2014 season.

The provision of ongoing support for coach education and

development reflects the growing aspirations of accredited clubs at

the local level. Club based interviewees reported strong intentions

to increase the numbers and ‘diversity pool’ of coaches at club in

the forthcoming years, with particular respect to more women and

young people undertaking Level 1 coaching qualifications. In the latter

case, some interviewees in England cited potential linkages between

developing youth coaches and the FA Football Futures programme

which focuses on developing young leaders in football. A number of

clubs also reported intentions to further ‘skill up’ existing coaches,

with particular respect to undertaking Youth Awards and Level 2

qualifications. In many cases, club coaches were keen to position

themselves more centrally within wider coaching networks and to

embrace new technologies to help become better coaches. The

growth in more formalised ‘licensed coaching clubs’ at some UK FAs

fits neatly with these intentions. Overall, the forthcoming priorities of

clubs were underpinned by key motivations to improve the quantity

and quality of coaching provision, increase the appeal of clubs to

children, young people and their families, and to ensure a degree of

sustainability of delivery and participation over time.

II. Key challenges

Analysis of wider impacts and interviewees’ narratives draws attention

to some forthcoming challenges to realising the ambitions of UK FAs

and clubs around coach education and development. They include:

• The limitations and increasing demands of UK FA regional and

county development teams to deliver a comprehensive service of

coach education provision and ongoing support. This is especially

the case at smaller UK FAs with limited funds and at larger UK FAs

where the rapid expansion of club accreditation programmes has

increased demand for coach education.

• The cost of Level 1 and Level 2 coach education courses and

new Youth Awards and consequent limited accessibility to

coaching qualifications. This is the case across the UK, given the

widespread impact of economic recession and lowering of living

standards and disposable income. However, it remains especially

the case for coaches and clubs situated in areas experiencing

disproportionate levels of unemployment and socio-economic

deprivation.



4.2.2 club and workforce development

I. Key priorities

The national strategies of UK FAs feature a strong commitment

to support club and workforce development in the forthcoming

years. This commitment is underpinned by the prior success of the

work of UK FAs to establish a clear incremental mechanism for club

accreditation and its ongoing relevance as a model of good practice.

All UK FAs will continue to work towards increasing the number of

clubs achieving accreditation, with particular emphasis on assisting

better clubs to achieve ‘gold star’ status. For example, in England,

the FA has set a target of 650 clubs achieving coveted FA Charter

Standard Community Club status by 2015. Work of this kind will

be supported by a more intensive focus on improving the quantity,

quality and consistency of support provided to ‘skill up’ volunteers

and formalise volunteer roles and responsibilities within club

accreditation frameworks.

The provision of more and better support for club and workforce

development reflects the ambitions of many clubs at the grassroots

level, especially those which have already achieved and experienced

the associative benefits of basic level accreditation. Club interviewees

strongly emphasised the importance of volunteers to this process and

referenced renewed efforts to increase the number and diversity of

volunteers at clubs. This was especially the case in terms of targeting

parents of younger children and older youth players at clubs. On this

latter score, some club interviewees were keen to engage in partnerships

with local education authorities, youth work programmes, and

national FA initiatives to help formalise, accredit and increase the

appeal of youth volunteering. Clubs also reported intentions towards

further ‘skilling up’ existing ‘stalwart’ volunteers to help re-energise

club operations, embed appropriate policies and procedures, and

increase the quality of service provision to children and young people.

Overall, forthcoming priorities to improve club infrastructures and

the quantity and quality of the volunteer workforce were driven by

national club accreditation frameworks and intended to increase the

quality of provision and appeal of clubs to children, young people

and their families.

II. Key challenges

Analysis of wider impacts and interviewees’ narratives draws attention


and clubs around club and workforce development. They include:

• The cost of CPD courses and in-service training programmes

and consequent limited accessibility to formalised processes of

volunteer development. This was the case across the UK, given

the widespread impact of economic recession and lowering of living

standards and disposable income. However, it remains especially

the case for clubs and volunteers situated in locales experiencing

disproportionate levels of unemployment and socio-economic

deprivation.

• The general decline in rates of adult volunteering across the UK,

and increasing difficulties in recruiting and retaining new volunteers

to undertake formal and informal volunteering at clubs. This was

the result of a number of factors, including, most prominently,

economic, family and lifestyles pressures. These issues have a

particular resonance in terms of attracting youth volunteers whose

own sporting activities, educational and employment demands

limit their volunteering to ‘short bursts’ rather than sustained

volunteering over time.

• The over-reliance of clubs on a relatively small but extremely

committed number of often older ‘stalwart’ volunteers. The

present over-burdening of workload responsibilities and

pressures on volunteers of this kind is likely to bring about

‘burn out’ and limit the longer term sustainability of their

voluntary contribution at clubs.

tHiS PagE: 2011 Coach of the Year assessment day with England Under 21 boss Stuart Pearce and McDonald’s ambassador Eric Harrison

nExt PagE: LEFT: Brickfield Rangers FC RIGHT: McDonald’s ambassador Eric Harrison and England assistant manager Gary Neville coaching at St George’s Park



4.2.3 children and young people

I. Key priorities

The national strategies of UK FAs feature a strong commitment

to support the development of children’s and youth football.

This commitment is underpinned by plans to increase the numbers

of accredited clubs and coaching capacities at clubs to expand

team based provision for children and young people. The national

strategies of UK FAs also make explicit their intentions to support

work to deliver a broader range of opportunities for children and

young people in terms of the introduction of new, more diverse, child

friendly formats of the game. For example, in England, the National

Game Strategy 2011–2015 features target milestones of 2,000 more

mini-soccer teams at accredited clubs by 2015: a rise of around

6% on present levels. Similarly, in Northern Ireland, the continued

expansion of the small-sided games programme is a central pillar of

the plans of the IFA to increase children’s participation in the game.

Forthcoming efforts to increase and broaden the delivery and take-up

of opportunities to play football amongst children and young people

are expected to complement - and be enhanced by – the new FA

Youth Development Review (YDR). Whilst the YDR has been devised

and developed in England, it is likely to have ramifications across the

UK. To this end, the YDR is an ambitious and far reaching strategy

which promises to build on existing good practice in order to reshape

the methods for the development of children and young players in the

grassroots and elite game. Most notably, the YDR features a strong

emphasis on extending the small-sided games format to incorporate

7-a-side and 9-a-side formats for older children. The YDR also proposes

shortening the duration of league based competitions into three mini-

seasons, and reducing pitch and goals sizes. This radical overhaul of

youth football will be formally implemented in the grassroots game

in England during the 2013/2014 season.

The proposed implementation of the YDR and its key constituent

elements has been warmly welcomed at the local level of grassroots

clubs. These proposals fit neatly with the shifting emphasis of clubs

towards more child-friendly and inclusive football provision and

are expected to increase the appeal and sustainability of football

participation amongst children, young people and their families.

Further, the stated intentions of UK FAs to support club and coach

development chime strongly with the ambitions and aspirations of

clubs to sustain and expand their operations and provide quality service

provision to client groups of young footballers. In particular, a number

of clubs were keen that the implementation of the YDR would provide

additional credence and validation for existing practices and encourage

new innovative techniques of delivering children’s and youth football.

II. Key challenges

Analysis of wider impacts and interviewees narratives draws attention


and clubs around children’s and youth football. They include:

• The lack of affordability and accessibility of training and playing

facilities and the negative impact on limiting the participation of

children and young people. This is the case across the UK in terms

of the impact of budget cuts to local authority leisure services and

schools sports provision, in terms of reduced staff, shortening

opening hours and the lack of pitch marking. The high costs of

private sector leisure facility hire and the lack of reduced rates during

times of ‘latent capacity’ also places significant financial demands on

clubs.

• The lack of quality of training and playing facilities and the negative

impact on the participation of children and young people. This is

the case across the UK in terms of local authority leisure services

and schools sports cut-backs with regard to facility and pitch

maintenance. This is especially marked in the North of the UK

where the lack of artificial turf pitches coupled with longer periods

of inclement weather impact strongly on limiting opportunities

for regular sustained participation in organised football amongst

children and young people.

• The limited capacity of UK FAs, clubs, schools and local authorities

to implement the practical considerations of the Youth Development

Review, with particular relevance to purchasing kit, equipment,

goals, and remarking pitches. The implementation of these

wholesale changes to the organisation and delivery of children’s

football will require significant additional material and human

resource support, during a period of extended economic recession,

consequent cut-backs, and a general decline in volunteering.


Executive Summary

The findings in Section 3 of this report have illustrated the impact of

McDonald’s contribution to developing grassroots football over the last

ten years at the local and regional level, in partnership with The FA, The

Scottish FA, The FAW and the Irish FA. The findings in Section 4 of the

report have also highlighted a series of social and sporting priorities

and challenges which are likely to impact on the grassroots game in the

forthcoming years. In this final section, the report suggests there is still

potential for further improvement and opportunities for development

across a number of key areas of the grassroots game, including:

INcreasINg aND susTaININg ParTIcIPaTION amONgsT chILDreN aND yOuNg PeOPLe

supporting accredited clubs: opportunities to further support

accredited clubs where there is a strong emphasis on developing

children’s and youth football. Support of this kind will help ensure clubs

survival against the wider backdrop of economic downturn, a reduction

in disposable income, and a general decline in volunteering support.

girls’ football: opportunities to further support accredited clubs where

there is a strong emphasis on developing girls’ football. Developments

in this area might also include focusing resources towards female

coach education, with a particular emphasis on older girls and younger

women. This will help to create positive young female role models

with coaching competencies and a strong understanding of the social

and lifestyle pressures which limit participation in the game across the

transition from childhood into young womanhood.

small-sided games: opportunities to further support accredited clubs

where there is a strong emphasis on the delivery of small-sided games,

mini-soccer and other child friendly football formats. This will help

accredited clubs to implement new youth development strategies of

UK FAs and to engage more children in playing football at clubs.

cOach eDucaTION aND DeveLOPmeNT

coach education: opportunities to further support coach education

to increase the quantity and quality of coaches in grassroots football,

with particular emphasis on the delivery and up-take of Level 1 (or

national equivalent) coaching qualifications and new youth awards.

Further development in this area would enable the ‘door to be opened’

to participants with no prior formal experience of coaching and help

‘skill up’ existing coaches.

coach education in deprived areas: opportunities to support

coaches at clubs situated in the 10% most deprived ward areas in

the UK. This is likely to enable coach and club development in areas

of socio-economic deprivation and engender strong sporting and

social impacts.

coach education for under-represented groups: opportunities

to support coaches from under-represented groups such as young

people, BME groups and women, with scope to include a focus on

the growing number of youth and community projects delivering

football as part of wider efforts to engage marginalised groups in

sport and education. Support of this kind is likely to yield strong

social impacts in encouraging citizenship and increasing community

empowerment, integration and cohesion.

coach education technologies: opportunities to embrace new

technologies and new innovative virtual media designed to support

coach education. These might include interactive web based media

or mobile phone applications designed to provide coaches with instant

ideas and techniques to enhance coaching practice ‘in the field’.

Final recommendations

tHiS PagE: Grassroots award winner Sheila York with her young players

nExt PagE: East Durham and Houghall College Football Festival


Executive Summary

Professor barrie houlihan

Institute of youth sport

Loughborough university

Loughborough

Le11 3Tu

Tel: 01509 226364

[email protected]

Dr steven bradbury

senior research associate

Institute of youth sport

Loughborough university

Loughborough

Le11 3Tu

Tel: 01509 226316

[email protected]

The contact details of the authors

of this report are as follows:

Final recommendations

cLub aND wOrKFOrce DeveLOPmeNT

voluntary workforce: opportunities for further work with clubs

and their voluntary workforce to enable them to achieve nationally

recognised club accreditation status. A key area of positive development

would be the delivery and up-take CPD courses which focus on child

protection and welfare issues to help ensure the well-being of children

and young people at grassroots clubs.

community involvement: opportunities to further develop the

McDonald’s Twinning programme, with particular emphasis on

encouraging local business to get involved in grassroots football

within their local community. Moving forward, a stronger emphasis

on promoting and utilising the significant business and marketing

expertise of franchisees to help improve the organisational infrastructure

and sustainability of grassroots clubs would be beneficial.

club and volunteer recognition: opportunities to further develop

the national McDonald’s Community Awards programme. Schemes

such as this would contribute to the potential enhancement of volunteer

recruitment, retention and recognition within grassroots clubs and help

build positive relationships at the local and regional level.

more information on Loughborough university

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It was awarded the coveted sunday Times university of the year 2008 – 09 title, and is consistently ranked in the top twenty of uK universities in national newspaper league tables. In the 2011 National student survey, Loughborough was voted one of the top universities in the uK, and has topped the Times higher education league for the best student experience in england every year since the poll’s inception in 2006. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, the university has been awarded six Queen’s anniversary Prizes.

It is a member of the 1994 group of 11 leading research-intensive universities. The group was established in 1994 to promote excellence in university research and teaching. each member undertakes diverse and high-quality research, while ensuring excellent levels of teaching and student experience

The Institute of youth sport (Iys) is a leading sports research centre located within the school of sport, exercise and health sciences at Loughborough university. The school is the only academic department in the uK to have been awarded the top ranking of ‘international excellence’ for sports research in every national assessment of research quality. widely renowned for its contribution to sport, health and wellbeing research, teaching and development, and for its close collaboration with sports agencies, policy makers and professionals, the school provides a stimulating and vibrant research environment. The Iys’s research spans a wide remit, from mass participation to elite sport, from local projects to complex national initiatives and international developments, and addresses all aspects of taking part in, managing and delivering sport, physical activity and health outcomes for young people.

10YEARS OF TEAMWORK

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