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FA CHARTERED STANDARD WORKSHOP

Leyton, London – London Community Sports Network (LCSN) in partnership with the London FA held a FA Charter Standard and Funding Workshop yesterday at Score in east London.

The Charter Standard Scheme is a best practice guide and quality benchmark that sets standards of coaching, administration and child protection for all clubs outside the Football League and Premier League, whilst improving the playing experience for all. 

LCSN is a second tier organisation providing support to frontline community and voluntary groups to capacity build and lobby government which is hosted and run by Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme (LOCSP). 

The workshop was free to all clubs affiliated to the London FA and Essex FA and was aimed at all of those clubs who are thinking about getting Charter Standard and would like guidance and support as well as those who have already started the application process. The workshop also looked at clubs who had achieved the Basic Charter Standard and are thinking about becoming a Development/Community Club as well as those working towards Charter Standard who would like funding information. 

The workshop started with an introduction from everyone present then discussed about what barriers the clubs had encountered with gaining the award and what further support their club could benefit from. Then the representatives from LCSN and the London FA explained the benefits of gaining Charter Standard and what the criteria involved in gaining it was. 

David James, Senior Development Officer, London FA said:

“Charter Standard is the kitemark award for grassroots clubs and we have around 120 at this level in the 19 boroughs of London that we work in.  Those 120 clubs will have a number of teams each with some working with 200-300+ people. 

“We have been running these workshops for over two years now and are really seeing a lot more interest from across the grassroots football family. 

“Often with the Charter Standard Award you need someone to lead on it to speed up the process. These workshops are a great tool to break down the application process and engage and interact with people - most people find that they have half of the criteria in place already. 

“The step up from this award is the Charter Community Standard Award with only seven clubs in the whole of London reaching this level.  Leyton Orient Advanced Soccer Schools (LOASS) recently achieved this award and we hold any club with this award at a high level, offering the best possible support and administration to those behind-the-scenes. 

“Alongside LCSN, this has been a really successful evening and we look forward to running one again here soon.” 

Sin Emanuelle, Community Coach, TAG FC (Teviot Action Group), Bethnal Green United FC, Mile End East United FC said: 

“I came to the workshop tonight to represent the clubs who I work with and to see what I have to do to attain the Charter Standard for them. 

“I saw the [Charter Standard] application forms on the FA website and thought that they looked a bit complicated, but just coming here this evening and seeing them broken down made it simple and easy to understand. 

“From personal experience when I have applied, on behalf of one of my clubs, for funding I have been asked if we had the Chartered Standard level, which was necessary to gain the funding on offer, so gaining this award will be extremely useful. 

“If I was choosing a club for my boy to play for and I was looking at two clubs one of which had the Charter Standard and one which hadn’t I know which one I would choose – as a parent it gives you piece of mind. 

“It was a really worthwhile evening for me and I would say to anyone that if you have an opportunity to come to a Charter Standard workshop, then make sure you come.” 

For more information please contact LCSN Community Development Officer Melanie Bindel on 020 8556 5973, email melanie.bindel@locsp.org or visit the LCSN website at www.communitysports.org.uk.  

 

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All Nations Summer League
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Whilst most Londoners will have their eyes focussed on the World Cup games in South Africa this June, a few teams will be preparing for their own chance at glory in the All Nations Summer League. The players’ skills, experience and wages may not equate with those of Messi, Drogba or Rooney, but their passion for the game and commitment to win will be world class. With FIFA catering for the elite players this summer the London Playing Fields Foundation will be providing competitive opportunities for grassroots teams.

LPFF launched its All Nations Football programme in 2001 to provide refugee and other disenfranchised groups in London with their first experience of playing football in an organised structure. A one day festival and eight week Summer League are provided free of charge for groups that demonstrate a commitment to developing their team. Over time the project has widened its remit to welcome participants from community groups who, for a number of reasons, have not been able to access mainstream affiliated football.

Two hundred teams from over one hundred different organisations have played in the one day tournaments and Summer Leagues, with many of them making the step up to mainstream affiliated competitions. In addition to the football competitions the project provides teams with the opportunity to access coaching and refereeing courses so that their team members can attain qualifications enabling them to secure voluntary positions or paid employment. During the past nine years ninety-four coaches and fifty-three referees have been funded to achieve their first qualification.

In order to assist teams to make the step up to affiliated football the London Communities Football League was established in 2004 with a league committee comprising team representatives and members of the project Steering Group. Ninety-seven teams have played over the seven seasons with seventy-three teams completing their full fixture list. The league plays its matches on Sunday afternoons at a central venue in Walthamstow.

Clapton Park Rangers is just one club that used the All Nations project to help establish itself in affiliated football. The club was formed by a number of Level 1 football coaches who formed the nucleus of the team with the objective of becoming a successful side and providing role models for local young people. They had no financial backing or experience of organised football but entered All Nations Summer League in 2006. At the end of the eight week competition the club decided to join the Hackney & Leyton Sunday League and they have subsequently developed a second team playing in The East London Sunday League and a successful Under 12 team. In 2008 the first team won the London Junior Cup and followed that by winning the London Intermediate Cup in 2009.

None of this would have been possible without the first step up provided by The All Nations Football programme. Mark Whyte, the manager and main organiser, said: “It was a brilliant introduction into organised football and the support was second to none. When we entered mainstream competitive football we were prepared as a consequence. The funding course really helped us get set up on a proper footing.”

The All Nations programme is currently recruiting teams for the Summer League 2010 which will commence on 12th July once the World champions have been crowned. If you would like to receive further information about the project or an application form please contact Jo McKenzie at LPFF on 020 7713 8684 or jo.mckenzie@lpff.org.uk.

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