Grow the Game scheme returns for its 10th straight year to provide under-represented groups with new opportunities in football

With last year’s fund supporting more than 16,000 people into the game, another £1.5m is available for clubs to turn their aspirations of creating new female and disability teams into reality.  

The scheme, which is funded by The FA and Sport England, and delivered by the Football Foundation, prioritises support for traditionally under-represented groups in grassroots football and last year’s edition gave approximately 16,000 people the chance to get involved by creating 884 female and 257 disability teams respectively.

Grow the Game grants of £1,500 will be made available for every new team created, helping to relieve the financial burden on clubs by contributing towards FA coaching courses, first aid kits, league affiliation costs, referees’ fees, new kit or equipment. 

New teams across the country mean even more opportunities for both players and volunteers. Nimrah Chaudhry, 16, has benefitted from the scheme by helping to run Barking Abbey Hammers; a newly formed club that was developed alongside the West Ham Foundation and supports children with Special Educational Needs. 

After a year of contributing regularly as a volunteer coach for one of its teams, the club has recommended that Nimrah be enrolled onto a national scheme which aims to empower young BAME students to promote inclusion and diversity through sport.  

Nimrah Chaudhry said: “The team’s only been running for a year but it’s already had the power to change both my life and the players’ lives at Barking Abbey Hammers FC. They absolutely love football and just wanted the chance to play regularly, which we have been able to provide through Grow the Game.

“None of us would probably be here without this funding and I’m so grateful to have had these opportunities as a result. Grow the Game has had such a positive impact on me and the players in such a short space of time and I would encourage anyone else to take full advantage of it, too.” 

Another that Grow the Game has had a huge impact on is Hove Park Colts. As a result they were able to add to their already successful Wildcats Centre by creating new girl's teams for 2019/20. 

Mark Sessions, of Hove Park Colts, had this to say: "Working with the Football Foundation we secured funding via Grow the Game to build on our successful Wildcats centre. The funding helped us to establish a girl’s teams for the 2019/20 season, with another two scheduled for next season. 

"We used the money to buy equipment, fund the coaches training and provide subsidised membership fees for the girl’s teams whilst they become established as an integral part of Hove Park Colts."

What's more the funding allowed them create all sorts of benefits for players at the club to which Mark added: "By offering subsidised membership we could attract more girls to the club without being concerned about losing money.

"We knew the cost of hiring 3G training pitches could be a drain on the clubs resources so the funding has given us peace of mind allowing us to concentrate on building up the support structure around the girl’s teams.

Baroness Sue Campbell, Director of Women’s Football at The FA, said: “We want to ensure that women and girls across the country have opportunities to take part in football. Grow the Game has helped towards The FA’s strategic goal of doubling female participation in recent years and I hope to see even more teams being created and supported in 2020.”

Colin Chaytors, Chair of The FA’s Disability Football Committee, added: “Open and accessible opportunities are extremely important in disability football. Funding from Grow the Game can make all the difference to a new team and I would be delighted to see a greater number of clubs reap the benefits this year.”

Clubs seeking more information on the scheme should contact their local County FA or visit the Football Foundation website.  

For more information about Grow the Game please contact:

Development
T: 01903 766855
E: Development@SussexFA.com