FA Vauxhall Youth Programme
‘Football Mash Up’ Venue Nomination Process
PERIOD:
May– July 2013
The FA are inviting nominations for venues and facilities to be used for ‘Football Mash Up’ sessions
as part of the FA Vauxhall Youth Programme during the period of May to July 2013.
This document helps to explain the FA Vauxhall Youth Programme and the venue requirements that
we are ideally looking for from which Football Mash Up sessions will run during the summer school
term period. The FA are happy to receive applications from a range of different stakeholders, but if
you are a County FA we encourage you to check that the venue(s) that you are proposing are
available and interested in being part of this programme; and if you are a facility we would
encourage you, where possible, to liaise with your County FA.
Please read this document before submitting your application to be a Football Mash Up venue.
NB If you have already submitted your venue for selection then you don’t need to
complete a further nomination, unless you feel you have additional information to
support your venue.
1. What is the FA Vauxhall Youth Programme?
Over recent years, The FA has noticed a significant drop-out in football participation in the teenage
audience which The FA is keen to rectify. There are a host of factors that potentially cause this dropout, and although we cannot hope to cure all of these issues with one programme, we are looking to
respond to the findings of our extensive research where young people who have dropped out of the
game have told us what would actually get them back playing again. Playing more social,
recreational football that is fun and enjoyable in an organised high quality setting, preferably in a 5a-side football format is what is commonly cited by teenagers through our research; hence the
creation of the new FA Vauxhall Youth Programme.
The FA Vauxhall Youth Programme is a multi-faceted initiative that looks to deliver a range of
targeted football development interventions; but the essence of the programme is to offer young
teenagers (male and female) who have either dropped out of football, or who are on the verge of
doing so, the opportunity to play in a more social and recreational football setting with the core
emphasis on having fun. These after-school sessions will be supported by highly qualified FA
employed coaches who will not only aim to deliver quality enjoyable sessions, but to establish longlasting sustainable after-school football provision for these teenage participants.
Other elements of this programme will offer free curriculum-based football coaching sessions by FA
coaches, support in establishing effective school-club links and a young leader development scheme.
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2. What is a Football Mash Up Session?
These sessions are aimed at 14 to 17 year old boys and girls who have either dropped out of football
or are on the verge of doing so (they are not aimed at regular football players). These after-school
sessions are delivered by FA Vauxhall Youth Officers typically between 4 – 6pm in a football
environment that can be used for Small Sided Football. The FA coach will facilitate a fun and social
session where the young people will play a range of small sided games in line with the FA Future
Game with the focus on enjoyment rather than it being excessively competitive.
These sessions will take place every week at the same time and place over a period of ten weeks
during the school term. At the culmination of the eight week programme, The FA Vauxhall Officers
will support a variety of partners to establish a long-term exit route to continue the football activity
and offer an opportunity for these young people to continue playing. This exit route may be some
form of youth league or a similar kind of ‘turn-up-and-play’ activity as to the one run for the previous
ten weeks, but this will be led by the young people’s preferences.
Boys and girls can attend the same sessions, with 14 and 15 year olds playing together for the first
hour (e.g. 4-5pm); and 16 and 17 year olds participating for the second hour each week (e.g. 5-6pm).
Participants will be charged £2 each week, and there will be a limit of 30 participants per one hour
session. Each participant will need to have completed a registration form and provide a signed
parent consent form. To encourage regular attendance for all eight weeks of the programme,
participants will usually be charged a small refundable deposit of £4.
3. Criteria to host a Football Mash Up Session
Every school term 40 venues across the country (five in each region) will be identified to deliver
these Mash Up sessions. The selected venues should be able to accommodate three five-a-side
pitches and be in close proximity to secondary schools and colleges for ease of access for
participants. Consideration is also paid to the potential scope for establishing exit routes at the
facility once the 8 week programme is completed to keep the young people playing. Selected
venues will not be solely commercial SSF providers; Football Foundation facilities, school sites,
leisure operators amongst others will all be considered. At the end of a school term a different 40
venues will be selected.
The key areas that we look for when selecting a location for an 8 week Mash Up session are:
Facility Related:
 There are at least three good quality 5-a-side pitches or one full size 11-a-side pitch.
 The facilities are preferably 3G or astro-turf, but we will consider indoor sports halls (we
won’t run these sessions on grass pitches).
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 The facility is available on the same day each week for the entire 10 weeks at 4 -6pm (or
failing that we will consider sessions running at 3.30 – 5.30pm or 5 – 7pm).
 We prefer the facility to be able to take the £2 payment from the young people that attend
the session each week.
Location:
 The facility should be located within a 2 mile proximity to at least one (preferably more)
secondary school and/or a sixth form college.
 It would be preferable if the facility was situated in a residential area with easy accessibility
for young people.
Sustainability:
 A crucial factor in selecting venues is the prospect of long-term sustainability for the
programme after the 10 week Mash Up sessions finish. At the end of the programme where
will the young people continue to play and does the facility or other nearby partner
organisations have the ability to continue running similar Mash Up styled sessions to keep
these young people playing football?
Support:
 Venues that have support from local sports and football development partners will be better
placed to deliver a successful Mash Up session (e.g. support from: County FAs, County Sports
Partnerships, FA Get into Football Officers, Community College Football Coordinators,
schools etc)
Where possible The FA will not look to select a venue for a Football Mash Up session in an area that
in the previous school term has had a Mash Up programme running in the local vicinity.
4. What is the Benefit for a Venue?
In being selected to be a Football Mash Up venue, the facility can benefit through the following
ways:
Financial Reward:


The FA pays the venue a set fee of £25 per hour to use the facility for the 10 weeks (this fee
is not per pitch).
The venue also retains all of the weekly £2 payments by the young people that attend.
The FA will look to hire the facility for two hours each week for 8 weeks, and the aim is to encourage
30 young people to attend each hour. Financially the venue could potentially earn the following
each week:
Venue Hire = £50
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Player Fees = £120
Total = £170 per week
FA Coaching Support
Through being involved in this programme the facility will benefit from having an FA Vauxhall Officer
leading these sessions each week, using their experience to deliver quality coaching sessions to
these young people. The Officer will spend time in local schools delivering taster sessions and
marketing the programme to ensure that young people attend the programme. And at the end of
the 10 weeks the Officer will support the facility to ensure that the young people remain playing
football.
5. Key Dates & Timeframes
Football Mash Up Summer Term Dates
Football Mash Up sessions will run during the summer 2013 school term between the following
dates:


Start week commencing: 6th May 2013
End week commencing: 15th July 2013
The Football Mash Up sessions will run every week between these two dates except for Half-Term
from the 27th May 2013 to 31st May 2013. The programme will cease for one week during this halfterm period.
Venues wishing to be considered to host a Football Mash Up session must be available throughout
this period.
Venue Nomination Submission Dates
Venues and facilities wishing to be considered to host a Football Mash Up session during the
summer school term must submit their application form by: Friday 15th February 2013 to
[email protected] or post to:
Stephen Brown
FA Small Sided Football Consultant
The Football Association,
Wembley Stadium, PO Box 1966, London, SW1P 9EQ
The FA will review all submissions collating County FA feedback until 8th March and will look to
finalise the 40 Mash Up venues for the summer by 16th March 2013.
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