AFC Grassroots Football Workshop 2013

Grassroots Philosophy and Strategy- Europe Model

Grassroots Philosophy and Strategy- Europe Model

UEFA Perspective

• The Growth of Organized Grassroots Football

• Grassroots Football Philosophy

• The role of UEFA in promoting Grassroots Football

• Good Practice in National Associations in UEFA

• Volunteers

• Relevance to National Teams

Decrease of informal

sport and ‘ street

football’ worldwide

World Trends in Grassroots Football

Less Street Football and

The need for Organized Grassroots Football increases as :

• Parents want safe organised leisure for their children

• Income and Personal Disposable Income Increases

• Leisure Time Increases

• Greater number enter Higher Education ( +18 years of age)

• Greater % of population is in Urban areas

• More Football on TV

• Increased female interest in Football

What is Grassroots Football ? Deciding on a Grassroots Philosophy:

Please record your answer

1. All Football which is not professional ? Yes /No ?

2. All Football which is not professional or International v other countries? Yes/No?

3. Football in Youth Academies for under 18 years of age = Grassroots Football?

Yes/No?

4. Is it just for children or Under 18’s or is it for all ages ? Yes/No?

5. All Female football ? Yes/No?

6. Include Futsal ? Yes/No?

7. Football for players with disabilities ? Yes/No?

8. Is it inclusive – for all people and religions? Yes/No?

9. IS GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL CONTROL OR CONTROL AND GROWTH? Yes/No?

10. IS GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL REACTIVE OR PROACTIVE ? Yes/No? Can we

assume children will ALWAYS play football?

11. Do you need an Association Grassroots Plan ? Yes/No

ANY OTHER FEATURES OF GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL?

What is Grassroots Football in UEFA Associations? A Common

Grassroots Philosophy

1. All Football which is not professional ? Yes

2. All Football which is not professional or International v other countries? No-

International Women's Football is not Grassroots Football

3. Football in Youth Academies for under 18 years of age = Grassroots Football? Yes

4. Is it just for children or Under 18’s or is it for all ages ? No-all ages

5. All Female football ? Differs as some countries now have professional female

leagues

6. Include Futsal ? Mostly yes – but some differences

7. Football for players with disabilities ? Yes

8. Is it inclusive – for all people and religions? Yes-actively inclusive

9. IS GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL REACTIVE OR PROACTIVE ? Proactive

10. IS GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL CONTROL OR CONTROL AND GROWTH? Control

and Growth

11. Do you need an Association Grassroots Plan ? Yes – if the FA doesn’t provide

organized Grassroots Football someone else will !

What is Grassroots Football?

All football which is non-professional / non-elite is part of grassroots football.

It is football for all, irrespective of size, shape, colour or faith.

Grassroots Football Categories

Football for all:

Children’s Football

Schools Football

Amateur Football

Women’s Football

Beach Soccer/Futsal

Leisure Football

Veterans’ Football

Community Football

Disability Football

Association Models

20th Century CONTROL Association ?

National Association

Regional Association

Club

Team

Player

21st Century CONTROL & GROWTH

Association ?

Player

Team

Club

Regional Association

National Association

Why ORGANISED Grassroots Football ?-what are the benefits ?

Record and share with the person on your left

Accept there will be cultural differences

• For Players ?

1.

2.

3.

• For Parents ?

1.

2.

3.

• For Clubs ?

1.

2.

3.

• For Schools?

1.

2.

3.

• For the State Government ?

1.

2.

3.

• For the National Football Association?

1.

2.

3.

Why ORGANISED Grassroots Football ?-what are the benefits ?

• For Players ?

1. FUN & SELF-ESTEEM

2. MAKE FRIENDS

3. LEARN NEW SKILLS

• For Parents ?

1. SAFE

2. SOCIALLY ACTIVE : One child families,

Single Parents, Working Mothers

3. Physically Active : Activities away from

home/TV/Computer > child minding via

Football !

• For Clubs ?

1. Research shows that participation is

greatest in countries with High Number

of Teams per club

2. More Players = more potential income &

More teams = develop club identity and

stability

3. Life Long Players = more potential

volunteers

• For Schools?

1. Aid to Education especially boys:

literacy, numeracy and IT

2. School identity

3. Simple way to meet Physical Education

Requirements for boys and girls

• For the State Government ?

1. Reduce Crime at key times in key

locations

2. Reduce Health Costs > healthier (

especially females) ;less obese ;fewer

smoking; less alcohol problems

3. Social Cohesion- Integrate ethnic groups

• For the National Football Association?

1. Grassroots = Votes !

2. More Players = more potential income &

more attractive to sponsors

3. Increase the Pool from which to select

International players > international team

success

UEFA’s role in Developing Grassroots Football In Europe

• UEFA Grassroots Charter

To promote, stimulate, recognize and reward Good Practice

• Study Group Scheme

• Communication Tools

Grassroots Newsletter

UEFA.com/Training Ground

• Promotional Events

UEFA Grassroots Day

Awards

Activities Linked to UEFA Competitions

• Club Licensing for UEFA Club Competitions

“Clubs must run at least four youth teams, either within the club or affiliated

to the club”

The UEFA Grassroots Charter recognises the importance of non-

professional and non-elite football as well as the values of grassroots

football

A quality mark focusing on specific aspects of grassroots football

Fundamental requirements: basic structures (e.g.Grassroots

Plan,Committee and Manager ) , grassroots leader training and various

services for players

The UEFA Grassroots Charter

Basic level (One-Star Membership)

Advanced level (Two-, Three-, Four- or Five-Star Membership)

Superior level (Six-Star Membership)

Premier level (Seven-Star Membership)

Foundation Programme

Benchmark Programme

Highly Developed Programme

Women’s / Girls’

Participation Star

W

Social and

Disability Star

S

Registered

Participants Star

R

Promotional and

Growth Star

P

Inclusive Programme

4

3

2

1

Review of the Star System

6

Stars: 10

5

Stars: 9

4

Stars: 5

3

Stars: 7

2

Stars: 4

1 Star

: 18

UEFA Grassroots Charter Map

Last update 08.10.2012

Identified Weaknesses:

The system appears to be over-complicated.

Having 7 stars increases the gap between the weaker and

the more developed associations.

.Objectives:

Recognise, stimulate and reward grassroots development in UEFA member

associations

Simplify the present 7 tiers into 3 tiers (Bronze, Silver and Gold)

UEFA Grassroots Charter Review

Proposed Structural Changes:

Maintain the criteria for star one but

make this the Bronze level criteria

3 simple criteria to be used to

assess Silver and Gold:

Growth: Increase in the total number of

registered players

Retention: Retaining players as they

become adults

Inclusion: Expanding participation to

include more females and footballers

with disabilities

UEFA Grassroots Charter Review

Top Level (former 6th and 7th star) Highly developed and benchmarking programmes

Advanced Level (former 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th star)

Basic level (former 1st star) Foundation Programme

2013 2010 2008 2007 2006 2005

Regional Workshops

Since 2006

Grassroots Day

Since 2010

All the NAs on board

Circle is closed

Grassroots Milestones Study Group Scheme since 2008

UEFA Study Group Scheme: Grassroots Football Specific

29 different Host Associations

64 seminars on Grassroots

Football:

Season 2008/09: 10 seminars

Season 2009/10: 12 seminars

Season 2010/11: 13 seminars

Season 2011/12: 16 seminars

Season 2012/13: 13 seminars

5 seminars:

Netherlands

Finland

Germany

4 seminars:

England

Ukraine

Denmark

3 seminars:

Norway

Spain

Switzerland

2 seminars:

France

Italy

Scotland

Czech

Republic

Sweden

Rep. of Ireland

Wales

Slovenia

1 seminar:

Croatia

Scotland

Azerbaijan

Israel

Cyprus

Moldova

Turkey

Malta

Moldova

Cyprus

Faroe Islands

Hungary

Grassroots Milestones Summer of Grassroots Football since 2004

Started to celebrate the 50th

anniversary of UEFA; this

campaign ran annually until 2011

Encouraged all member associations

to develop mass promotional events

UEFA provided adidas equipment

(t-shirts and footballs) to all

member associations

UEFA certificates provided for the

best events in each association

Europe-wide grassroots

photography competition

Best Grassroots Photo 2008 – Republic of Ireland

Promotional tool

Inspiration and entertainment

Public platform for NA

Grassroots Projects

Numerous skills lessons

Knowledge source and

information for specialists:

fitness, goalkeeping, medical,

anti-doping

Refereeing section

TactX licences

UEFA Grassroots Day 2013

When: On the Wednesday before

the UEFA Champions League final

What: The same adidas equipment

is provided to all member

associations (400 footballs, 50 futsal

balls, 150 t-shirts)

How: The associations are

encouraged to organise events on

and around this day in a pan-

European celebration of Grassroots

Football

UEFA Grassroots Day 2013 – Champions Festival Presence

Since 2011, the UEFA Grassroots

Programme has a presence at the

UEFA Champions Festival

Activities for 2013 include

Grassroots tournament on Sunday 26 May

Disability football exhibition

Penalty shoot-out trial of blind players

Grassroots Day Top Trumps distribution

Graffiti artist painting a grassroots themed

mural

UEFA Grassroots Day 2013

Specific web portal with educational material, news information and a

Grassroots Day calendar

Maxi-pitches donated to the host cities of the Champions League Final

(starting in 2010) and Europa League Final (starting in 2011)

Grassroots Day awards for exceptional Leaders, Projects and Clubs

UEFA Grassroots Day Awards 2013

Best Grassroots Leader – A volunteer coach/organiser who has exhibited

exceptional commitment and had a big impact (numbers playing or social

significance) over a longer period.

Previous Winners – Best Grassroots Leader

2010 Gold: Oleksandr Kadenko – Ukraine

2011 Gold: John de Looze – Netherlands

2012 Gold: Benny Hansen – Denmark

2013 Gold: Fikret Kadioglu (Turkey)

UEFA Grassroots Day Awards 2013

Best Grassroots Project – A special grassroots project run by a regional

association, agency or school that has a specific focus on football development,

society, education or health and is not the regular business of the association.

Previous Winners – Best Grassroots Project

2010 Gold: Open Fun Football Schools - Moldova

2011 Gold: Schleswig-Holstein - Germany

2012 Gold: Fortum Tutor - Finland

UEFA Grassroots Day Awards 2013

Best Grassroots Project

Gold: Children’s Homes Programme (Hungary)

A special social project providing regular football for children living in homes and orphanages.

Project will be expanded to provide unforgettable experiences for more children

UEFA Grassroots Day Awards 2013

Best Grassroots Club

Gold: SV Wilp, SC Klarenbeek, SC

Cupa & VV Voorst (Netherlands)

A unique multi-club approach to the

provision of football

Clubs put local rivalries aside to

ensure the football for women and

girls in their home region

Best practice example for the rest of

the Netherlands.

Good Practice in National Associations:

Developing a Strategy for Grassroots Football – A 4/5 year cycle

8. Develop Volunteer Education

Programmes:

Administrators, Coaches & Referees

9. Provide Programmes &

Services for Players for use by Clubs , Schools and Govt.

10. Find Sponsors & Financial Supporters

12. Recognize, Reward and Share

Good Practice….then go back to 1 and start

again !!

11. Monitor Progress to Achieving

Objectives. Ensure Accurate Data

6. Establish a Grassroots Committee

& Agree a Budget !

1. Consult all possible Stakeholders

7. Appoint a Grassroots Manager to manage the Plan

2. Decide on a Grassroots Philosophy

3. Assess Strengths and Weaknesses> Get

Accurate Data >Establish Needs

4. Develop a Grassroots Plan with

objectives

Give the Plan a ‘ Name’

5. Include a Facility Plan

Key Aspects of Good Practice

• Growth Programmes for ‘clients’ : Clubs, Schools & Government

Promotion

• Retention Quality Education of Volunteers

Club Accreditation

Flexibility of Opportunity

• Inclusion Females

Footballers with disabilities

Inner Cities/ Disadvantaged groups

Homeless & Orphans; Children at risk & Children in Care

Ethnic Minorities & Prisoners

Programmes, Products and Services for Clubs to enhance &

increase participation ( + attract sponsors)

Growth through Clubs

• Club Organization Template

• Fair Play League

• Mini- Game for adults and

children

• Skills Competitions

• How to attract Girls to play

• Train Coaches & provide

resources

• Holiday Courses for children

• Festivals for all players

• Grading of clubs

• Awards

• Team Competitions

+ DO SURVEYS & GET FEEDBACK

Programmes,Products and Services for Schools to enhance &

increase participation ( + attract sponsors)

Growth through Schools

• National PE Curriculum ( e.g.

Ukraine)

• Using Football to help in

reading,maths and IT

• Train teachers ( especially

females) and provide resources

• After school clubs

• Fair Play League

• Mini- Game for children

• Skills Competitions

• How to attract Girls

• Festivals

• Awards

• Team Competitions

+ DO SURVEYS & GET FEEDBACK

Programmes,Products and Services to increase participation in

conjunction with Government

Try to access non-sporting funds to meet stated government policy e.g.

• Health & Hygiene ( especially female health)

• Improving Diet ( e.g. AFC campaign)

• Reducing health costs associated with smoking,alcohol,drugs

• Reducing Crime at key times and in key areas

• Improving Social Cohesion

• Improving Literacy in Boys

• Healthy conscripts for Military

Growth with Government

Promoting Grassroots Programmes

High Profile Grassroots Ambassadors –

Players / Coaches / Non-football personalities

Campaigns – think outside the box

Sponsor events – link with your sponsors

Websites – use your associations website or

specific websites to promote grassroots

Festivals – football festivals on a specific

day/weekend encouraging everyone to come

out and play

Awards – a national grassroots award system

to help recognise those who give their time to

the grassroots game

Learn from each other

Finding, Retaining & Educating Grassroots Volunteers

‘ The quality of Grassroots Programmes cannot exceed the quality of the

Volunteers’

• Why do Volunteers Volunteer ?

• Why don’t they Volunteer?

Why do they volunteer or don’t volunteer?

Record your answers and share with the person on your right

• Reasons why people

volunteer:

1. ……

2. ……

3. ……

• Reasons why people

don’t volunteer

1. …..

2. …..

3. …..

Why do they volunteer or don’t volunteer? (*) EU Study on Volunteering in the European Union 2009 http://ec.europa.eu/sport/news/news900_en.htm

• Reasons For:

See results of work

Passionate Interest

Meet People

Sense of Achievement

Feel Involved

Professional

Development

• Reasons Against

Not enough time

Don’t know how to get

involved

Bureaucracy !

May have knowledge, but

don’t have the necessary

skills

Who are volunteers ?

1. Friends of existing Volunteers

2. Former Referees and their friends

3. Former Players and their friends

4. Teachers –in their own time -and their friends

5. Police/Social Workers –in their own time -and their friends

6. Students - and their friends

7. Family : Parents,Uncles,Aunties,Grandparents- and their friends

8. Senior Citizens- and their friends

Case Study Examples

FFU ( Ukraine ) “ In 2011 ,over 1,000 PE teachers will be given a

backpack, in which they will find a ball, an air pump, football kit, a

tactics board with markers, and a book and CD on football coaching,"

Yugeniy Stolitenko, head of grassroots at the Football Federation of Ukraine

• KNVB believe the key is to recognize them ‘Give them a jacket, tracksuit

with the logo of their FA

What do we want volunteers to do?

• Be clear in what is required –administrate/referee/coach

• Expect Commitment and Reliability but ….be flexible

• Parent Pledges : ‘contract ‘ of duties that the parent will provide when their

child joins the club e.g. “ I will agree to referee/wash kit/be an assistant

coach/transport players/help with administration/make refreshments/look after

balls and bibs “

Case Study Examples

FA Ireland

• “We recommend that clubs break down Volunteer roles into specific jobs of 2

hours per week and to use this approach to widen their volunteer base “

• Most clubs work from within, i.e. attract new Volunteers from Ex players,

family members or parents when their children start playing for the club.

Miriam Malone

KNVB “ The most successful volunteer projects are those in which volunteers

have a demarcated role. Not to many things but very specific.” Piet Hubers

Retaining Volunteers

Recognition DFB ( Germany )

A Simple Thank you

• “We have established since

the late nineties a

nationwide "Thank you"

campaign, where we as a

national federation say

"thank you" to about

3000 long time volunteers in

clubs every year.

• For this we have established

a structure of volunteer

officers in each of your 330

local districts. Their job so

far is to organize the "thank

you" Willi Hink

English FA Local Awards

Volunteer Education- to develop ‘ skills’ …not just knowledge

Increasingly

• Involve Parents –don’t just tolerate them

• Teenagers as ‘ volunteers ‘ for smaller children

• Flexible :Can ‘dip’ in and ‘dip’ out

• ‘On the Job ‘ Workplace centered ( Danish FA go into clubs to work with

coaches) which fosters skill development

• On Going – not just a ‘ Course’

• Can ‘dip’ in and ‘dip’ out

• Free: no cost

• Supported by the web (especially in the UK,Holland,Germany,Italy and

Scandinavia)

Retaining Volunteers : Is the priority knowledge or skills ?

What to coach or How to coach ?

Knowledge is now available everywhere

Websites

Make use of FREE tools on the web to support the training of coaches,

volunteers and referees

• Use Google Search to find Material

in your language

• Use Google Translate

• View www.uefa.com/trainingground

• Explore You Tube

You Tube search for ‘ soccer coaching videos’ = 98,000 clips !

45

10 reasons the web is used as a SUPPORT Tool

1. Interactivity: Active interaction v passive of knowledge

2. Maximize Contact time: More opportunity for face to face problem solving

3. Blend: Compatible with existing modes of delivery

4. Extension of your learning environment: Continues the learning process

5. Community :User generated content-Less Command and Control v more

Collaboration

6. Personal : Opportunity to personalize material to the individual

7. Range of media: Text, graphics, power point, audio, still photos, video and links to

other pages /sites

8. Convenient : Dynamic-on demand when & where needed.Adults want to learn only

what skills are necessary

9. Affordable and Cheap : Less expense on travel,accomodation & ecological

10. Already use for administration : so why not extend to education ?

Case Study of Grassroots E Learning - Cayman Islands FA ‘ C’ Licence Course 2010 :

- 12 x 60 minute webinars via Skype ( free)

- Reference Video via You Tube ( free)

- Students tasks, their coached sessions and discussions via Facebook ( free)

+ 2 day Practical Evaluation in the Cayman Islands

http://www.caymanfootball.ky/news/news.php?id=290

Other Key ways to foster Retention

• Club Accreditation Schemes : ‘ mini- club licensing’ involving key criteria for

grassroots clubs (e.g. UK & Scandinavia):

Number of teams

Age ranges including young and old

Qualifications of coaches

• Flexibility of Opportunity :

• Fun rather than commitment and for 24/7 for 365 days

• Large squads & Fewer Fixtures

• As Local as possible – safe and avoids travel

Very Social e.g. more Festivals

5-a-side & Futsal

Administratively ‘lite’ : fewer committees >self organized > more web based

In cooperation with commercial providers

Mixed: male and female !!

Grassroots and International Football

At Grassroots - Don’t just select early birthdays ! This will restrict your selection

• Turkey won the 2005 UEFA Under 17 Championship in 2005:Qualification Date (January 1st)

• - 50% of the squad were born in the first 3 months of the qualification date

• -10% were born in the last 3 months of the qualification date (Oct-December)

• 2006 : First 3 Months First 6 months

• Russia 50% 75%

• Cz 50% 75%

• Germany 50% 75%

• Spain 50% 80%

• All Star Team 50% (30% in Jan) 90% - none in last 3 months

Of all 72 Squad players only 2 from last 3 months and only one of these

LATZA(Ger) played a full game

1981 England Under 15’s –as 14 year olds

Front Row :who are staff and which are players?

Case Study : Iceland

• 350,000 population

• Less than 5,000 registered players

• 2011

Under 21’s male qualify for last 8 of UEFA Championship

• 2012

Under 17’s male and female qualify for last 8 of UEFA Championship

• 2013

Senior Women's Team qualify for last 8 of UEFA Championship

Maximum use of all players regardless of birthdates

Summary :The importance of Grassroots Football

Grassroots Football is one of the 11 UEFA core values. Supporting Grassroots is at the heart of National Associations and UEFA .Grassroots Football is an essential INVESTMENT not just a Cost or

The importance of Grassroots Football was highlighted at the UEFA Congress in Paris in 2011 – the values for a better society were underpinned.

President Michel Platini praised the devotion and passion of millions of grassroots coaches and volunteers all over Europe

I AM A FOOTBALLER ......

Elevator Pitch to the President of your Association

You meet the President on the bottom floor by the elevator

The President asks : “Where have you been ?”

You : “I have been to a Grassroots Workshop in KL”

The President asks :

What is Grassroots?

Why should we be involved in Grassroots ?

What should we be doing ?

As the Elevator ascends the Association Building you have 30 seconds to

answer these 3 questions