Opportunities and Facilities Essay Example for Free

Opportunities and Facilities Essay 1. School holiday football camps at schools such as George Salter in West Bromwich. 2. Leisure centres, schools have good facilities e. g. Swimming pools, gymnasiums, fitness suites, sports halls. All of which could be incorporated into an elite team/players training programme. 3. Local parks and Recreation grounds include – Greets Green Recreation Ground, Oakwood Park and Farley Park. 4. There are also opportunities to take part casually and in 5-a-side leagues at football centres like Goals and Powerleague. These centres give people a chance to play in a formatted system against their friends. There is one Goals centre in Sandwell. It is located between Oldbury and Blackheath. This means centres like these aren’t accessible to everyone in the borough. 1. Owned, run by commercial companies or clubs. 2. Academies good facilities, financial backing; facilities are well looked after. 3. Clubs – Tividale F. C, Tipton Town etc receive money through sponsors, gate receipts, hiring out facilities giving youths the opportunities to play in a small ground. 4. Netherton Colts under 18’s for example pay a yearly subscription to Tividale FC for use of Tividale’s main ground, The Beeches. 1. There are 2160 footballers in the Sandwell area, working on the fact that there are 135 teams in the area. (Based on 14 players per team) (Express Star, parklife) 2. However, there are far higher numbers of casual footballers who enjoy playing football on the park. Many of these people many not have the time or ability to play in an organised team. These are foundation level performers. Additional Agencies: 1. The Football Foundation is one of the largest sports charities in the world (footballfoundation. org. uk). Funded by the Premier League, the FA and Government, it’s a partnership between Central Government and the UKs leading sports industry. The Football Foundation will assist local clubs such as Tividale in gaining grants. FA Charter Standard: 1. Scheme created by the FA in 2001 to improve footballing standards across England. 2. Clubs benefit from football kit and equipment grants such as new safe goalposts. In 2010 Netherton Colts FC got granted two new football kits per year, per team for the next five years at a hugely subsidised cost through the scheme. Disability: †¢ Since English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) and the FA became partners in a national disability football programme opportunities to play and train locally for disabled people with regional competitions leagues have become more readily available with Sandwell Academy being the most local facility. However, other than the facility at Sandwell Academy there isn’t another used disabled football facility in the whole of Sandwell. This shows that provision for disabled footballers in Sandwell needs improving. Leadership Pathway: Provision and Opportunities: 1. Leadership courses available at school through The FA and BTEC Sport courses, this makes courses easily accessible as there are 17 secondary schools in Sandwell. 2. FA coaching badges can be achieved either through A-Level PE or in your own time and are open to anyone over 16, this age to start leadership could be considered too high as many people interested in football are keen to learn the game from a young age and pass on their knowledge. Schemes: 1. The FA Step into Sport aims to develop and retain youngsters of all backgrounds, and abilities. This is being implemented in Sandwell by flyers about sport being regularly handed out in schools with links to the FA’s Step Into Sport internet page. 1. The programme develops a future generation of leaders and volunteers aged 14-19 who have the knowledge and experience to make a positive contribution to local sporting communities. This programme could stop teenagers getting into trouble around the local area. Disability: Disabled coaches follow the same pathway as able bodied coaches but may need support when coaching. 2. The FA run a six hour coaching course for disabled leaders in football. This helps attract disabled leaders as they will not feel incapable or discriminated when on the course. These courses are currently run by the Birmingham FA at their training centres, none of which are in Sandwell. 3. This may discourage disabled coaches in Sandwell to take the course as they will need to find transport to take them to the training centres. Gender: Females and males are now given equal opportunities to lead football. 2. The FA is aiming for equality in football through more qualified female coaches. To promote women’s football and encourage more women to get involved. 3. Schools such as GSA and Wood Green Academy encourage equally both genders to take a leadership course either through PE or in their own time. 4. Seeing more female leaders may encourage more female performers to get involved as they may feel more comfortable being coached by a female. Officiating Pathway: Provision and Opportunities: 1. Officiating courses are run by The FA. 2. Anyone over 14 years old and deemed fit enough after a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) test can go on a course. 3. Promotion through the refereeing ranks comes with experience and hours refereeing, however this suggests the best referees are the ones who referee most regularly. This is not the case as some of the best referees don’t have the time to referee 3 days a week. 4. Courses can be found through schools with A-level PE and BTEC courses and through local clubs, such as Bustlehome FC. 5. Referees are registered with County Football Associations and local leagues, then appointed to officiate games in leagues such as Sandwell Minor League. Resources: 1. The FA and local Governing Bodies provide funding for referees training. 2. A level 8 junior referee can earn up to ? 75 each weekend. Referees can earn more if they referee adult matches and progress through the levels. 3. Having the incentive of income in a ‘deprived’ area such as Sandwell may encourage people to qualify as referee’s to earn extra cash. Schemes: 1. In 2010 The FA’s launched the ‘respect’ campaign to stop abuse and cut down the number of officials leaving the game due to it. 2. The Referees’ association offers referee training taught by former top level officials, such as Dermot Gallagher. This will attract people in Sandwell to the course as they have an expert to teach it who has made it at the top level. Disability: 1. Disabled matches are run by people who have done the disability coaching course unless a referee has experience at officiating disabled matches. 2. Currently, disabled people will not be found refereeing abled bodied matches due to often lack of mobility, awareness, or physical strength. 3. However, currently the disabled matches taking place in Sandwell are officiated by referees from around the country. However, officials from Sandwell would be able to officiate disabled fixtures if there was more fixtures played in the region. Gender: 1. Female officials take the same qualification route in England as male officials. More female referees and lineswomen in the football league, encourages women to further get involved in officiating. 3. The FA have a support network for female officials, to help stop female officials being forced out of the game if they get abused. 4. Despite this, there are still only 2 female referees registered by the Sandwell Minors League for the 2012-13 season. This shows more still needs to be done to increase numbers of female officials. Bibliography: Websites used: 1. http://www. thefa. com/GrassrootsNew/Player/ 2. http://www. lottery. culture. gov. uk/  http://www.thefa.com/