The Kent FA is thrilled to announce the launch of a new four-year strategy for grassroots football in Kent, Play—Protect—Promote.

This strategy aims to grow and develop the grassroots game across our County. This bold strategy marks the start of an exciting new era for grassroots football, designed to unite, inspire, and develop an inclusive football experience for all. 

This follows the launch of The Football Association’s [The FA] new landmark national strategy to grow and develop grassroots football in England, titled ‘A Thriving Grassroots Game’. The FA’s overall four-year strategy, ‘Inspiring Positive Change Through Football’, to take English football forward, clearly focusing on the biggest opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed. Kent FA’s new strategy will work collaboratively with The FA’s new strategy, which sets out a clear direction of travel for grassroots football. 

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Play Protect Promote outlines our ambitions for 2024-2028

The Kent FA has adopted the same framework as The FA’s Grassroots Football Strategy 2024-28; however, to ensure the local needs of the Kent football community are met, Kent FA consulted with stakeholders within the Kent football community, who provided vital insight into the challenges they face. On a local level, these are our ambitions for Kent football, which links to The FA’s five strategic pillars: 

Improve Playing Choice and Opportunity

• Develop the youth game to provide new playing formats
• Sustain and develop the adult male game by improving team-based opportunities for 59k players.
• Develop and grow casual football with 70 new playing opportunities. 
• Develop and grow disability football to 1,150 participants by providing 42 playing opportunity sessions.

Deliver Equal Opportunities for Women & Girls to Play

• Grow female participation to 11,298 players by providing more team-based playing opportunities across all formats of the game.
• Increase the number of casual playing opportunities for women and girls by providing 160 sessions.
• Provide a player pathway from grassroots to elite football, including our ETC provision.

Build More & Improve Existing Facilities 

• Improve the quality of 471 grass pitches.
• Support the development of 10 new 3G pitches.
• Create inclusive and accessible football facilities by ensuring equal access for females.
• Secure £15m of investment into Kent football facilities.

Tackle Poor Behaviour

• Promote mutual respect across the game by promoting positive behaviour on and off the pitch. 
• Deliver a targeted campaign across Kent Football to address poor behaviour, including CPD sessions.
• Continue to provide trusted regulation by consistently applying FA sanctions.

Develop A valued Network of Volunteers Coaches & Referees

• Retain 1,764 Match Officials and recruit a further 500 new match officials.
• Retain and grow the 5,000-strong volunteer coaching workforce by engaging 25% within CPD sessions.
• Recognise and reward those running the game.

Through the new strategy, the Kent grassroots game will play a pivotal role in delivering three of the four FA ‘game-changer’ priorities over the next four years. These are to create equal opportunities for women and girls, transform the pitch landscape nationally and see a game free from discrimination.

The new strategy outlines three key drivers to deliver this:

• Support thriving community clubs – To support a network of thriving community clubs to provide a brilliant football offer to their local communities, to grow in a sustainable way, and to be well-run
• Connect and serve participants – To improve our digital offering and deliver new online services which are personalised, easy to access and help participants to fulfil their roles and find new opportunities
• Progress the game’s governance – To better serve all football participants through the highest governance standards at all levels in the grassroots game.

Speaking about the new strategy, Kent FA Chair Denise Richmond said: “Our strategy for the next three years continues with our overarching ambition to Play, Protect, and Promote football in the County.  This exciting strategy sets the direction for Kent FA over the next three years. It highlights how we have utilised the key pillars and drivers of the FA Strategy while ensuring it is localised and relevant to the County of Kent and its football members, whether that's a player, a match official, a volunteer, or a spectator.”

Darryl Haden, Kent FA CEO, added, “The 2024-2028 Kent FA Play Protect Promote Strategy is a high-level document that sets the direction for the association over the next four years. The strategy sets bold targets for how we will grow participation and develop new formats of the game, support our volunteer, coach, and referee networks, ensure that we continue to safeguard football across Kent and tackle on-field and off-field behaviour. Our strategic pillars and objectives have been developed through extensive consultation with the Kent Football community, ensuring that the Play. Protect. Promote strategy is a true reflection of the game in Kent and is closely aligned with the FA’s Grassroots Football Strategy. We believe that this strategy provides a comprehensive roadmap for Kent Football for the next four years, addressing local needs and challenges while building on the successes and achievements of the past three years.”