Active Black Country and Birmingham County FA join forces to get more people active

• Active Black Country provides £10,000 funding to Birmingham County FA to deliver a range of football activities to get people active

• Developing a cohort of new coaches with the skills to motivate people to get active

Increasing the opportunities for more young people to take part in football as well as in coaching is at the heart of new £10,000 joint plan by Active Black Country and Birmingham County FA.

The £10,000 funding provided to Birmingham County FA will be used to deliver Sportivate sessions aimed at 19 to 24 year olds who are currently inactive, with the ambition of getting 90 young people engaged in the programme.  The sessions will provide deployment opportunities for 12 new coaches enabling them to develop additional skills. 

Though the project, 4 new Satellite Clubs will be established with the focus being on female football clubs.  They will be open to 14 to 25 year olds, with a target of getting an additional 80 young people engaged in the programme.

2 additional mash ups will be funded by Birmingham County FA.

Coaches will be developed throughout the project with 18 new coaches developing the customer centric skills needed to motivate people to be active.  Coaches will be deployed on both Sportivate and Satellite Club activity.  Training will include: a Level 1 course, a Coach Mentor Programme, a Sport for Confidence workshop and a Young Leaders Development Programme.

Kevin Shoemake, Chief Executive of Birmingham County FA said: "We are delighted that the Black Country Consortium is continuing to support a number of our football programmes that have already had a significant and positive impact locally.

The BCFA has an excellent working relationship with the Black Country Consortium and this further commitment is a compliment to the joint work that has already been undertaken by both organisations.  This new investment will specifically focus on growing and sustaining participation and improving health and well-being for all and also develop more skilled and qualified football coaches within Clubs”.

Simon Hall, Director of Active Black Country said: "This is fantastic news for football in the Black Country.  The Active Black Country team has been working hard with Birmingham County FA to develop activity across the Black Country, and we are delighted to be supporting them in this project.  Our aim is quite simple – to get more people taking part in sport & physical activity, whether this be through playing or coaching”.

Active Black Country is one of 44 County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) in England working to provide opportunities for people to participate in sport and physical activity across the Black Country.

To find out more about Active Black Country projects visit www.activeblackcountry.co.uk  or follow us on twitter @bcbeactive

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For further information contact Simon Hall, Black Country Consortium on 01384 471135 or email simon_hall@blackcountryconsortium.co.uk

Notes to Editors

Active Black Country operates within the governance framework of the Black Country Consortium Limited, a not for profit company limited by guarantee.

Active Black Country aim to:

• Co-ordinate action across organisations needed to get more people taking part in sport and physical activity.
• Marry the supply and demand for the skills needed to get more people taking part.
• Contribute to the social and economic growth of the Black Country.

Sportivate is a Sport England Lottery funded project that gives more young people the chance to discover a sport that they love

Satellite Clubs is Sport England Lottery funded and can bridge the gaps between school, college and community sport and provide new opportunities for young people to create lifelong sporting habits.

For more information visit www.activeblackcountry.co.uk or follow us on twitter @BCBeActive

About Birmingham County Football Association

The Birmingham County Football Association (BCFA) is responsible for governing and developing local grassroots football across the West Midlands.  For more information on Birmingham County FA, please see the contact details below:

Website: www.birminghamfa.com                                        
Telephone: 0121 357 4278
Facebook: www.facebook.com/birminghamcfa               
Twitter: @BirminghamFA

Key Facts – How the Birmingham County FA supports Grassroots Football

•  4,300 teams
•  2,000 clubs
• 42,000 matches each season
• 50 football leagues
• 1,250 qualified coaches
• 1,400 registered referees
• 14 County Cups
• 45,000 volunteers

For more specific information, please contact Amy Sproson – Football Development Manager on amy.sproson@birminghamfa.com