New plans aim to boost grassroots football facilities in Wales
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) and the Cymru Football Foundation (CFF) have announced a new initiative to create Local Football Facility Plans for all 22 local authority areas in Wales.
Working with sports consultancy Continuum Sport & Leisure, the FAW and CFF will engage with local authorities in the coming months to identify facility needs and ensure suitable football infrastructure is in place to meet growing demand.
The announcement follows the FAW and CFF’s Facility Vision launched in February 2024, which outlined challenges in the standard of grassroots football facilities across the country.
The new Local Football Facility Plans are designed to address those issues and guide future investment. Since 2022, the Cymru Football Foundation has already invested £20 million in facility projects, with further funding planned.
The FAW and CFF said the new approach will help:
- Meet the fast-growing needs of the women and girls’ game
- Improve experiences for players, volunteers and spectators
- Futureproof facilities for environmental sustainability
- Prioritise investment in areas of greatest need
- Maximise funding opportunities to speed up improvements
Alongside public-sector initiatives, organisations such as Prestige Football Schools are working to nurture local talent by offering coaching and development programmes for youth. Their community-focused model complements the FAW’s grassroots strategy by helping to build skills from the ground up.
Noel Mooney, Chief Executive of the Football Association of Wales, said: “Football is the number one sport in Wales, delivering over £550m worth of social, economic and health benefits, and continues to grow, particularly when it comes to the women’s and girls’ game. It is essential that we invest so that we can create fit for future facilities that match this growing demand.
“The plans that we develop will map out the football facilities needs for each local authority for grass pitches, changing facilities, informal provision and grass pitches. We know that these improved facilities will have far reaching benefits for communities beyond the pitch, supporting improved health and well-being, providing an economic boost encouraging a greater sense of community pride.”
Aled Lewis, Director of the Cymru Football Foundation, said: “This exciting project to develop 22 local football facilities plans comes on the back of £20m already invested by the Cymru Football Foundation across Wales. Together with the Football Association of Wales, we have an ambitious vision to develop high quality facilities in every community of Wales.
“Over the course of the next few months, FAW and CFF will be inviting every local authority to engage in the process, and to work with FAW and CFF teams and area football associations to identify the needs and demand for football as well as the leading priority projects for future investment in each area.
“The process will also be supported by a national club survey focused on facility needs and demands to support the previous findings from the grassroots survey ensuring the needs of our many grassroots clubs are central to determining future investment.”
Nick Trim from Continuum Sport & Leisure said: “We are excited and honoured to be assisting the FAW and CFF in developing these local football facility plans. The growth of football in Wales over the last 5 years has been incredible, backed by the strategic guidance of the FAW and the investment by the CFF, the game continues to go from strength to strength.
“Building on our experience of successfully delivering these facility plans in England and seeing the lasting impact on the growth of the game, particularly amongst youth teams and women and girls, we are looking forward to helping football continue to grow across Wales. These facility plans will help all of the local authorities identify how they can work towards meeting current and future demand for the game as well as the hugely positive social impact that football and sport can have to all communities in Wales.”
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