Players
Increase participation and retention through a player-centred approach

Establishing national growth targets
As the governing body of football in your country, one of your main responsibilities is to ensure that you continue to grow and develop the game. Therefore, it is important that you set a growth target for the duration of your grassroots strategy. The UEFA strategy Together for the Future of Football sets a target of a 30% increase in participation.

When setting and measuring targets, it is important that we understand the existing participation numbers so that we can report accurately. It is also important to remember that growing the game is just as important as retaining your current players.

One great opportunity to grow the game is to continue to build and develop the women and girls’ game. The UEFA women’s football strategy Time for Action aims to double the number of female players.

Club development is a continuous long-term process which will evolve over many years.

In this chapter, we build on the opportunity identified in Chapter 5: how a successful club development programme can support the delivery of a national association’s grassroots plan.

As discussed in the introduction, every national association will have a different starting point. In some of the areas outlined below, you might be starting from scratch; in others, you may have already begun, and this can be an opportunity to review and improve your plan.

It is important to keep in mind that you do not have to work on all of these areas. However, they all strengthen and contribute to developing clubs and football in your country.

6.

We can achieve this by working with our clubs to ensure that they acknowledge and respect individuality, take a person-first approach and recognise each player’s needs and wants.

By knowing the player’s social, psychological, physical and football abilities, clubs can better support and develop their individual technique, tactical skills and collaboration. This will enable players to experience the health benefits of regular football practice, as well as develop their problem-solving, decision-making, information processing, curiosity and creativity.

Helping clubs to apply basic tools to build relationships, improve teamwork, increase interaction and support peer learning will help our players and contribute to player development, retention and growth.

Benefits of football for everyone

• Supports player growth
• Demonstrates how football contributes to wider society
• Broadens our reach, increasing the long-term popularity of the game and the commercial benefits this brings

UEFA Playmakers can make a real impact in delivering these ambitious targets. A well-supported club network can also help to achieve these targets. Creating safe, high-quality environments will help to retain players as well as provide a network that can deliver and support your programmes e.g. Playmakers, Football in Schools.

With support and development, clubs can also help us to develop other opportunities to retain players and grow the game, such as walking football and futsal.

Benefits of national growth targets

• Clear targets help to focus priorities on this key responsibility
• Targets provide a common purpose

Football for everyone whatever their age, gender, ability and background
To deliver this, we must ensure that we develop a culture where the player is at the heart of the approach; this is particularly so when it comes to club development.

As we discussed in Chapter 3, UEFA believes in players being at the heart of everything we do.

Targeted interventions for marginalised groups
By helping clubs to work at the heart of their community through football activities that meet local need, we can help to extend access to the game.

By working closely with our regional associations and clubs, we can ensure that football is developed for all groups. Targeted work could include developing football opportunities for disabled players or new communities (refugees), or developing walking football so that older or less able people can continue to play or be reintroduced to the game.

Benefits of targeted interventions for marginalised groups

• Supports growth and retention
• Supports community development
• Contributes to wider national and regional priorities

Environment
Enhance safe, inclusive and fun playing environments

Child and youth protection
We want football to provide a safe, positive and enjoyable environment for everyone involved. Thinking about child and youth protection – and reducing risk – should be embedded in everything we in the football community do, from recruiting staff and selecting partners through to running training sessions and organising matches. It also needs to be considered when devising and organising associated activities, such as promotional activities and fundraising.

To create this safe environment, we need to have written policies and procedures such as safeguarding policies, codes of conduct, police checks and a course of action when recruiting. Our aim is to empower national associations and the football community to be proactive. We recognise that many national associations have already introduced good policies, procedures and training, and commend them for doing so. For further reading, see the Child Safeguarding Toolkit for UEFA Member Associations.

Benefits of child and youth protection

• Provides a safe environment for children and young people to play football
• Prevents or minimises the chances of harm occurring
• Clarifies procedures and policies
• Safeguards team and club officials delivering activities

Facility development
A common challenge in grassroots football is a perceived or real lack of facilities. National associations need to understand the facilities in place – public and private – and what is required to meet existing needs and planned growth. An audit helps you to get a better picture of facility ownership, usage, users, quality, costs and suppliers, enabling you to plan and make strategic decisions based on data and real insights.

There are a variety of ownership models, and your facilities plan will look very different if all your clubs own their own facilities or if all are state-owned, for example. The key is to know your club landscape, understand your clubs’ needs and have a strategic response.

Benefits of facility development

• Greater chance that facilities will be developed that are appropriate for current and future players and coaches
• Football can be made accessible to wider audiences and better meet demand at key times
• Ability to set technical and environmental standards
• More environmentally and financially sustainable facilities

Game
Develop flexible and inclusive player formats

Player pathways
It is important that as a national association you understand and can communicate clear player pathways that allows players to reach their maximum potential.

We need to be mindful that players will move around the pathway – very rarely will their journey follow a straight line. A well-constructed pathway also helps to retain players. It should cater to people’s varied reasons for playing, for example:

• Progression and playing at the highest level
• Playing with friends
• Playing for fun in later life
• The challenge of the game
• The social benefits of the game
• Keeping fit

Benefits of player pathways

• Communicates a route for female, male and disabled players
• Demonstrates the path from initial introductory grassroots programmes (e.g. Playmakers and football in schools) to walking football in later life, and for a small minority the path to playing for a national team
• Mapping the pathway allows you to identify any gaps and establish programmes to meet need

Flexible formats
Many national associations already promote flexible formats to support football development.

In children’s and youth football, a phased introduction to the game is often used, starting with reduced numbers of players and scaled-down pitches, balls and goals.

This phased approach varies across Europe. Examples include starting with 2 v 2, 3 v 3, 4 v 4 and 5 v 5 for the
youngest ages, progressing to 6 v 6 or 7 v 7 for 8 to 10-year-olds, then moving to 8 v 8 or 9 v 9 for 11 to 13-year-olds, with the move to 11 v 11 taking place around the age of 12 to 14.

It has been well established, including through independent research, that this phased introduction of the game provides many benefits, including more touches of the ball and greater involvement in the game

Flexible formats for children’s and youth football have become well established, and now an increasing number of national associations are offering similar opportunities for adults. Recreational small-sided games are extremely popular with adults and in some countries pay-to-play small-sided leagues have helped to increase player registration and retention.

One big growth opportunity is walking football, particularly for older players. Futsal is another format that many associations have successfully promoted and developed. It is a great game that supports the technical development of players who follow a dual pathway.

Benefits of flexible formats

• Small-sided games give children the best introduction to the world’s greatest game
• Flexible formats help retain youth players in the game
• Walking football and football fitness help retain adults in the game
• Futsal is not only a great game for all ages; it also supports the development of technical skills in young players

Competition structures
When developing a player pathway and a flexible approach to game formats, you may also wish to consider the competitions you offer.

Ensure that the competitions on offer meet the needs of the game in your country. They should provide opportunities at each stage of the player pathway. If there are any gaps in your provision, this is an opportunity to address them.

A good starting point is to define your competition philosophy. It should complement your player development and player pathway, and it should also provide advice on how best to use competition, particularly in children’s football.

Benefits of competition structures

• Can help provide a focus for players and teams
• Some countries have found major benefits in providing a variety of formats, e.g. season-long leagues, short leagues, cups, tournaments and festivals
• Supports growth and retention
• Can be part of the player pathway

Disability football
One of the aims of UEFA’s grassroots programme is to provide opportunities and access to football for all. We want to encourage a lifelong affinity with the game, promote regular physical activity and foster a climate where all players feel part of their football community. Football is for everyone – of course disabled people should be included.

To be that inclusive football family, we need to develop a player pathway to increase the number of registered disabled players and clubs. We also need to develop the ability of coaches to adapt to and manage difference to ensure the needs of all players are met. Coaches and volunteers require support to help them create inclusive environments that promote fun football. Resources and support can be accessed by working with international disability football organisations.

By offering disability football we can contribute to improving health and well-being and provide disabled individuals with a feeling of self-worth and improved self-confidence. Being part of the football playing community will enhance and improve their life skills and personal development.

Benefits of disability football

• Results in an inclusive football pathway for all
• Further enhances the national association’s image as a socially responsible organisation
• Improves the football workforce’s knowledge, skills and confidence in delivering inclusive football opportunities

Workforce
Increase and develop the grassroots workforce

Club development workforce
By club development workforce, we mean all those national and regional association staff who have been appointed to work on club development or whose roles are closely related to club development. There are, of course, major differences between associations in this area, and there is no right or wrong scenario. But it is important to make informed choices about your club development workforce, whether you already have one in place or not.

Benefits of a club development workforce

• By providing specific points of contact, you get better insights into what is going on at clubs
• You can provide more tailored services and support
• You can detect the needs of the clubs
• You can better present your vision, products and services to the clubs

Club collaboration
Club collaboration relates to the relationship and contact you have with your clubs when supporting and assisting them.

Here we are talking about real-life, offline support; online support, otherwise known as digital services, is mentioned under ‘Enablers’.

Club collaboration can take different forms. It can be one-on-one contact with individual support and guidance provided to a specific club. It could also be support clusters with assistance provided to a number of clubs, which may be grouped geographically, by size or by need. Another way is to offer club conferences, an effective way of gathering large numbers of clubs to share knowledge, expertise, and the national association’s strategy and future plans.

Benefits of club collaboration

• You know and can respond to what is going on at the clubs
• You can really meet the needs of the clubs at an individual level
• You can put clubs in touch with each other based on what you know about each of them
• You can share knowledge of club officials who will have great local delivery experience
• You can share materials with clubs, individually, in small groups or as a whole

• You can broach different club development topics, from player development, participation and training plans to the role of parents, education and accreditation programmes
• You are more visible as a national association, which could be good for your image

Support programmes for clubs
Educating people within clubs and developing individual competencies is another way to support and benefit the clubs and your club community as a whole. Each country has its own unique club structure, and your first challenge may be to get to know your clubs well enough to identify who would benefit from what kind of educational support. There are several target groups that play active roles in clubs and their development:

• Presidents/chairpersons/board members
• Coaches
• Volunteers
• Referees
• Parents

These are important groups, but just examples – every country’s club community is different, and within each country, clubs of different sizes will have different structures.

Benefits of support programmes

• Key people in the club community feel supported
• You can bring people from different clubs together to learn from each other
• As a national association, you also learn from your clubs and their staff and get a better idea of their challenges and opportunities
• Each person who has a positive learning experience will encourage others to take part
• You can teach the club workforce how to use your central football administrative systems most efficiently

Enablers

Ensure the strategic planning, implementation, resourcing, and measurement of grassroots plan is linked to the national association’s strategy

Digital services/engagement
We live in a time when technology enables us to do more and more digitally. As a national association, it is therefore worth considering what digital services you can provide to your regional associations and clubs. The crucial question here is what can be done digitally and what is better done face to face. Of course, this will vary from country to country, depending on geography, culture, habits and what else your club community, their staff and volunteers do digitally. It is important to recognise the opportunities to include digital services in your club development plan.

There are several digital services to consider, such as websites for specific target groups, knowledge-sharing platforms, digital newsletters and online chats. Technology can also be used to digitalise education through tools and apps for coaches and players.

Benefits of digital services

• You can reach many more people more efficiently and cost-effectively than offline
• You are more visible as a national association and more connected and engaged with your regional associations and club community
• You can make smart connections to other programmes
• You gain more insights into the needs of your users.
• You are future-proofing what you do – everything is going to become more digital
• Many digital solutions are quick and easy to customise
• You can make connections with international players and coaches more easily

Accreditation programmes
UEFA is a strong supporter of club accreditation programmes. While not the only approach to club development, it is perhaps the most effective – one that has proven to have a great impact on both the quality of clubs and the relationship between clubs and the national association.

in the grassroots game by recognising and rewarding a commitment to and achievements in making football environments safe, fun and inclusive. How that looks in practice will vary greatly from one country to another in terms of both the form of accreditation or recognition on offer and the principles and criteria the clubs must meet to achieve it.

Whether you have an accreditation programme in place already or feel a long way off, we encourage you to consider it as a means to grow, develop, support and collaborate with your club network, and to create a sustainable and united football community that provides quality – and quality-assured – opportunities for all.

Benefits of accreditation programmes

• You can use accreditation requirements to raise standards across the game through:

• Improved governance structures make clubs more sustainable and financially efficient
• Volunteers feel better rewarded and recognised, thereby attracting more volunteers
• A strong two-way communication channel is created between the national association and the clubs
• Direct collaboration and support between clubs and club leaders improves
• Clubs better understand the role they play in their communities
• The reputation of the national association is improved through the positive work of accredited clubs
• You can influence the national football development philosophy
• You can better direct resources and more clearly communicate what you are investing in and why
• You can maximise the impact and returns on your club development funding and support