FA School-Club Link Programme
The FA School-Club Link Programme, works to encourage children to move from casual/school football to playing for an affiliated FA Charter Standard Club.
The programme is designed to build sustainable partnerships between schools and clubs where currently they don't exist. This will help with recruitment of players for clubs and will ensure opportunities for extra curricular activity.
What is involved in a School-Club Link Programme?
The programme involves a structured programme of taster activity. Ideally a FA qualified club coach should lead all coaching sessions; however the session can be delivered by the Community Sports Coaches in partnership with the focus club. The structure of the delivery is flexible and should be arranged between the club, the School Sports Coordinator and the schools involved. All coaches are minimum FA Level One qualified and CRB checked.
| Pre-Delivery |
|
Weeks 0-6 |
Week 6 |
Week 7 |
The club is provided with FA branded flyers and registration/consent forms to promote the sessions
Sessions promoted during assembly and/or taster session |
ACTIVITY |
Intial 6 weeks fun based activity |
All players receive a letter to parents and a flyer advertising additional sessions at the club site (training times etc) |
All players receive FA 3 Lions certificate of participation
Players invited to additional sessions at the club site |
| TIME |
Time to be arranged with the school (after-school activity) |
| VENUE |
School |
| WHO INVOLVED |
Any child with an interest in football and in joining a community football team |
Example (This is purely a template and can be amended to suit the school)
Monitoring and Evaluation
In order for the FA to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme as a School-Club Link tool, the following is required upon completion of the project.
- Average number of children involved in the sessions
- Average number of children regularly attending club sessionsfollowing the initial activity
- Ethnic origin of the players involved
- Disability data
The FA are committed to increasing opportunities to the following groups,
Black and ethnic minorities
Disability groups
Children from disadvantaged areas
Key Outcomes
- Increasing the number of extra curricular activities available for school pupils
- Increasing the number of young people playing football
- Developing sustainable partnerships between schools and clubs within School Sport Partnerships
- Creation of new teams for the club
Key Partners
- The County FA support the access of funding to deliver the plan, establish delivery plans, promotion of the programme and data collection. The County FA where required can support with delivery through providing a Community Coach to run the football sessions in the schools.
- The PE Coordinator to oversee the delivery of the Coaching Sessions, and support the promotion of both the sessions and the link club.
- The School Sport Partnership School Sports Coordinator; provides local knowledge, and ensures there is no duplication of sports taking place with the schools involved.
Benefits
Schools
- Involved in a FA recognised programme
- High Quality Football Coaching sessions delivered by FA qualified coaches
- New/sustainable club links
- £50 Umbro Equipment Voucher
- Access to Umbro website
- Access to England tickets via FA.com
- FA Club Link School Certificate
- National Awards programme - Club Links
Club
- New club players leading to the creation and/or sustainability of club teams
- Potential new volunteers
- Funding to support club development
- New partners
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