Grand Sports Club
The Pitch
Problem statement
The local grassroots football scene within Gravesham and surrounding boroughs is drastically decreasing. In 2014 we started a project called Back to Football, working with men in Gravesham to get active again, using football as the main driver. This in turn lead to the creation of FC Grand in the Rochester District League in 2015. We entered a league with over 70 clubs, which has now decreased to just 47 clubs in 2021. With the COVID lockdown we decided to help increase numbers buy starting another side, which entered the North Kent Sunday League, another league being hit by teams folding. We are looking to increase the dwindling numbers of grassroots football and sports in general.
Solution
We will host another round of Back to Football in the area, this will be our 3rd such programme, 2014 lead to the initial creation of the club & 2020 post lockdown lead to the creation of our Sunday squad. We will look to work with mainly young people who have had their youth sides fold or have aged out of youth football. These sessions we will look to run once weekly, then once into the off season we would have 2 sessions a week. These will be run in house with our own coaches who have been involved with the club since 2014. The money will be spent on equipment, any league fees, training venue fees, insurances and affiliations.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
We have had success in the past running these projects and the club was founded in this exact manner. With the make up of the community the diversity of the club is a massive bonus and will help engage communities. We have the knowledge within the team and club on what is required in delivering and retaining members within the club. We also have good links with local Youth Workers with our Club Secretary being one of them. So we have direct links to young people within schools and the various projects delivered in Gravesham. We also have a very good reputation locally with players past and present and links to local businesses who sponsor the club and will promote the work we are doing.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Training Venue & Pitch Fees (12 Weeks of Training, Pitch Fee for a Season) | £1,000 |
| League and FA Fees (Includes Affiliation, Public Liability and Insurances) | £450 |
| Equipment (Training Equipment including, First Aid Kits, Bibs, Footballs, Cones, Agility Items, Strength and Mobility items) | £250 |
| Kits (New Squad Kit for the new Side created - 36 Tops (18 Home & Away) Shorts and Socks | £1,000 |
| Upskilling Coaches (Upskilling the volunteers to obtain the next level in FA Coaching Badge) | £300 |
Beneficiaries
25 people
Expected impact
Working with those you would otherwise be away from football and out of the game. This impacts the leagues and levels of those leagues with the additional squad. It will also help improve the club as a whole with another club involved, more members and potentially a pool of players that can make their way through the club and play for any of the teams we have. The upskilling of the volunteers we have is key in the improvement of the club and the offer we make, we have Level 1 Coaches, and one starting their Level 2 (New UEFA C in 2022) but to have more on board shows the club is progressing and those involved will benefit from better coaching and better training sessions. The one aspect of football and the impact the club has had on its members is the improvement around Mental Health and Wellbeing. The players are always expressing how football and the club has helped them and the more this project can help the community the better.
Track record
In 2014 The Grand Healthy Living Centre - created Back 2 Football a project working with Men in the community and using football to help them get active again. This project began in June 2014 and continued until June 2015 - where we then created FC Grand and applied for the Rochester & District League with a squad where 80% had never played competitive football before. In 2019 - the club had progressed and became a competitive squad and lifted its first trophy. In 2020 during the COVID pandemic after being awarded funding via Kent FA Foundation - to work with those in the area effected by COVID and again using football. This has led to the creation of the Sunday squad and further improved the football offer we make. Through The Grand Healthy Living Centre and the Youth Work we do, we are soon to begin a Basketball offer for young people, with the end goal being the creation of Grand Sports Basketball.