As you can see, we’ve recently given our homepage and main website here at clubwebsite.co.uk a bit of a makeover.

We’ve made it even easier for any clubs or leagues out there to get themselves online with a brand new website by simplifying the registration process.

Our new site also outlines all of the key features of both our club website and league website service – helping users new and old to get the most out of their website.

This is just the first in a series of exciting developments we have in the pipeline, with updates to both our club and league services on the way over the course of the closed season.

We’ve got a few surprises up our sleeves as well, so watch this space over the summer for the very latest on our series of new developments.

Boys and girls as old as 15 will be able to play football in the same team in England next season following a change in regulations by the Football Association.

FA shareholders unanimously voted to raise the age limit for mixed football from under-14s to under-15s in a bid to increase the number the number of girls playing football.

The FA says that the change, which will come into effect for the start of the 2013-14 season, will enable them to “conduct further research into mixed football at this older age group”.

It will be third time in three seasons that the age limit for mixed football has been raised, having moved from under-11s to under-13s for the 2011/12 season and then up to under-14s at the start of this season.

The FA has received positive feedback to the previous changes and has been encouraged to continue offering more opportunities for young girls to play football. The rule change aims to support the development of female players by providing greater flexibility for any girl who wants to play football.

The resolution to increase the age limit was approved by FA shareholders at their Annual General Meeting last week, having first been passed by the FA Board, FA Executive and FA Council.

“This is really great news,” said Kelly Simmons, Director of the National Game and Women’s Football at the FA.

“We are delighted that the FA Shareholders fully supported the rule change to enable boys and girls to play in the same teams if they wish to do so up to the under-15 age limit.

“The most important thing is to give girls who want to play football the choice.”

Image courtesy of TheFA.com

Have your say on the age limit for mixed football

Do you agree with the FA’s decision to raise the age limit for mixed football to under-15s?

Let us know what you think of the decision in the comments field below and cast your vote in our online poll on the subject – vote now on your club or league website, or via our demo site.

For the first time, all Affiliated National Associations (ANA) and member leagues that lead the non-professional game have agreed to One National Plan – a strategy to ensure that the country’s most popular participatory sport continues to develop.

The vision of the plan is to grow the national game through developing a culture of improved performance at all levels, to take the game to a wider audience and expand on the benefits, enjoyment and value football can bring to everyone across the country.

There are six main objectives of the plan:

1. To increase participation
2. To create an attractive modern game
3. To improve coach education and development
4. To create a vibrant volunteer workforce
5. To develop club and school football
6. To produce more talented young players

The Non-Professional Game Board (NPGB) will drive this plan forward within a culture of unity and collaboration, and by bringing together a range of partners and people who share in the passion for improving and growing the game.

Watch the Scottish FA’s exclusive video on the One National Plan where SFA Head of Regional Development Andy Gould and Ross Reddiex of Mill United and Lanarkshire Football Development Association – affiliated to the Scottish Youth FA – explain how it will benefit the grassroots game.

Scottish FA football development director Jim Fleeting said: “The One National Plan is a significant step forward in the development of our grassroots game.

“It is the product of a fantastic collaboration between all bodies involved in the non-professional game, and sets out a unified vision for how grassroots football can grow.

“Football has the capacity to be a wonderful force for good in communities across Scotland and I believe this One National Plan encapsulates all of the fine work being done to ensure grassroots football has a bright future.”

Members of the NPGB and Scottish FA have collaborated since 2011 to produce the plan following an extensive period of consultation with those involved nationwide in grassroots football.

These ANAs and member leagues are the East of Scotland League, Scottish Amateur FA, Scottish Junior FA, Scottish Schools’ FA, Scottish Welfare FA, Scottish Women’s Football, Scottish Youth FA and South of Scotland League.

By 2015, the SFA’s stated outcomes from the plan are:

* 130,000 registered players
* 600 Quality Mark Clubs
* 20,000 registered volunteers
* 14,000 coaches developed
* 3,300 registered referees
* A facility strategy with 70% goals delivered
* A Positive Coaching Scotland Plan integrated nationwide which improves the culture of the Scottish game
* 1,152 Talented Young Players involved in 36 2020 Development Centres

You can view the One National Plan in full on the SFA website.

Source: ScottishFA.co.uk

Have your say on Scotland’s new One National Plan

If you play your football north of the border – or even if you don’t – we’d love to hear what you think of Scotland’s new vision for grassroots football. Let us know your thoughts in the comments field below.

As Sir Alex Ferguson calls time on his record-breaking career, the man who brought the glory days back to Manchester United has been thanked for his support of the grassroots game.

The Football Foundation – the UK’s largest sports charity – has paid tribute to the most successful manager in British football history, outlining the support that he has provided to the Foundation throughout its 13-year history.

“Whilst Sir Alex Ferguson is quite rightly admired as this country’s greatest ever manager, he perhaps does not receive the recognition that he deserves for the support he has shown for community sport over the years,” said Football Foundation Chief Executive Paul Thorogood.

“Despite a punishing schedule as the manager of the most successful club in the country, Sir Alex has also found time to support the grassroots of the game.

“The Football Foundation is just one organisation that Sir Alex has supported over the years. I would like to congratulate him, not only for his well-known achievements at the top of the game, but also for the unheralded support he has provided to the Foundation and to those who play football simply for the love of doing so.”

Since launching in 2000, the Football Foundation has developed 9,383 new grassroots projects with grants worth £413m, funded by the Premier League, the FA and the Government (via Sport England).

In that time Sir Alex has officially unveiled four of the Foundation’s local sports sites:

* Salford Sports Village, March 2006 – 3G artificial pitches and changing rooms (FF funding: £900,000)

* Mersey Valley Sports Club, February 2007 – clubhouse and changing rooms (FF funding: £500,000)

* Broadoak School, October 2008 – 3G artificial pitches and changing rooms (FF funding: £1,000,000)

* Stretford High School, September 2012 – 3G artificial pitch (funded by the Premier League Community Facility Fund, delivered by the Football Foundation; PL funding: £350,000)

Image courtesy of the Football Foundation.

Backed by the League Manager’s Association (LMA), Budweiser Coach the Coaches will give five amateur clubs the opportunity have a training session with a professional football manager.

Five top coaches are set to visit five non-league clubs from across England, where they will host one-on-one mentor sessions with a coach to support their development and understanding of the game. Each session will be filmed, with the content created being made into a five-part online series.

The competition is open to clubs at Steps 5-7 of the English National League system. To enter visit Budweiser.co.uk/coach-the-coaches. Deadline for entries is 31 May 2013.

49 percent of over 2,000 people polled described the overall quality of facilities at their grassroots football matches as either “poor” (25.5%) or “terrible” (23.3%).

This compares to 28% of people with a positive overall view of their football facilities, describing them as either “excellent” (14.2%) or “good” (13.7%).

The remaining 23% of respondents described their facilities as “OK”.

The results are strikingly similar to a 2009 poll – which led to a Club Website tour of some of the country’s worst facilities to highlight the issue – suggesting that the situation has not improved in the ensuing period.

The Football Foundation, the UK’s largest sports charity, has done more than anyone to improve the infrastructure of football facilities in this country in the last decade.

Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded more than £420m in grants to help improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of over £520m.

But despite helping to build thousands of impressive new facilities around the country, which have transformed the quality of grassroots sport offered to countless people, the Foundation has seen their funding cut in recent years.

The Football Foundation is funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government (via Sport England), each of whom invested an annual £20m each when the Foundation was launched in July 2000.

This combined £60m investment – around £85m today when adjusted for inflation – has since decreased to an annual £34m, only £28m of which is directly invested into grassroots facilities.

The FA recently announced a new £150m Facilities Strategy, after 84% of people they surveyed told them that facilities were their most pressing concern.

The £150m outlined represents a continuation of existing funding rather than any new investment, but the strategy focuses on the three partners working together to improve football facilities.

Whilst the continuing economic crisis and the threat of a triple-dip recession suggest more bleak times ahead for many, the Premier League continues to buck the global financial trend.

With a new £3bn domestic TV deal set to kick in from the start of next season – up 70% on the previous deal – the game has never been richer, but how much of that money will filter down to the grassroots game remains to be seen.

The cross-game approach to improving facilities is expected to tie the three funding partners to similar levels of investment moving forward and, whilst the Premier League is awash with cash, the government is in the midst of the toughest period of austerity for decades.

All the while, pressure increases on the budgets of local councils – responsible for many of the worst football pitches and facilities around – making the game more expensive for many without any improvement in the facilities on offer.

The next round of Football Foundation funding is up for discussion later this year. Judging by the results of this latest Club Website poll – which highlights an issue that just won’t go away – the grassroots community will be eagerly awaiting the outcome.

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Club Website poll: How would you rate the overall quality of facilities at your grassroots football matches?

- Poor 25.5%
- Terrible 23.3%
- OK 23.2%
- Excellent 14.2%
- Good 13.7%

Total votes cast: 2,039

Words are power. They can make a child or they can break a child.

I have seen many children in my private practice whose self-esteem has been on the floor due to what someone else – a peer, mainly – has said to them.

A couple of these children have been aspiring footballers and they have really taken to heart what a parent or team mate has said to them.

They have internalised the words – they have believed them to be true.

Words are power and therefore we need to choose our words carefully so that our children continue to feel great about themselves, even when we have to point out to them that they have room for improvement.

So what kind of words and language should we use to keep their self-esteem high?

We can use words of encouragement that point out to them that we recognise the effort they have put in. Not just the words “Well done” but words that describe what they did well, otherwise known as descriptive praise.

Descriptive praise tells your child specifically what they have done well and it makes them feel great about themselves. No matter how big or small the action was, mention it.

Some examples of this in relation to football are:

“That through-ball was amazing”
“That position you took up there was perfect”
“You showed great skill when you…”

Other encouraging words you could use are:

“Your skills are really improving. You’ve outdone yourself today”
“You are really getting the hang of it. Your practice is certainly paying off”
“I really enjoyed your performance. No one could have done x better”

We can use compliments. Compliments are a wonderful way to make children feel good and confident about what they are doing.

A great indirect way of complimenting your child is by talking about them in front of them. For example, when they are standing near you and you know they can hear, you could say to a friend: “Did I tell you how well my son did in his last game? I am so proud of him.”

We can tell them that we believe in them and that we love them. These are words that will boost and make them feel better, maybe after a disappointing game or a practice.

Knowing how to provide children with encouragement and support is an acquired skill. Just before you say something to them think about the response you will get when you say it.

Are you giving them a backhanded compliment that they will understand? Are you being sincere? Words spoken from the heart can be felt and children know when we don’t mean it.

If you are not the kind of parent who feels comfortable telling your child how you feel perhaps use another way – take an interest in their football, in their friends and school life.

Get them involved in activities you are doing; show them you trust them and want to spend time with them.

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Naomi Richards is The Kids Coach – a life coach for children. Her first book, The Parent’s Toolkit, shares key life tools for you to help your children successfully navigate their own childhood problems and grow up into happy, confident and resilient young adults.

The Parent’s Toolkit was described by The Sun as “clear and to the point… a must-read for parents”. It is published by Vermillion and is available to buy at Amazon.co.uk.

Put your questions to The Kids Coach

If you are a parent or coach and would like Naomi’s advice on any issue that might affect a young footballer, then please leave a comment below. Alternatively, please email thekidscoach@clubwebsite.co.uk or tweet @thekidscoach.

Any enquiries will be treated confidentially and could well be featured, anonymously, in next month’s column. We hope to hear from you soon!

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Other articles by The Kids Coach:

* How to reduce football stress
* Keeping the balance
* What if my child wants to quit?
* Does your child respect their peers?
* Keeping the belief going
* Football crazy, football mad
* It’s the taking part that counts
* Giving young players confidence to try new things
* Parents: To shout or not to shout?
* Young footballers must see respect to show respect

Blyth Town Football Club is celebrating this month after winning a £100,000 as part of the Budweiser Club Futures programme.

One of eight clubs selected in December to win a £50,000 grant as part of the scheme, the Northumberland outfit, whose first team plays in the Northern Alliance Premier Division, won a nationwide Facebook vote to secure the £100,000 ‘super grant’.

The huge cash boost will allow the club – whose girls’ teams’ website is powered by Club Website – to build a new 3G training pitch and extend their community room, both of which will be available for the local community to use.

Sandra Orr, Chair of Blyth Town FC, described the award is “a massive, massive boost to our club.

“Not only can we save on what we’re spending now on hiring training facilities, we can also get income in from hiring out the 3G,” said Orr. “It’s perfect. It’s exactly what the whole initiative was about – bringing the community to the club.”

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew, who presented the North East club with their cheque, said: “I’m delighted Blyth Town have won it, being manager of Newcastle.

“They deserve it. They’ve done a terrific job and they are going to put it to good use. I think the secret of their success in getting this award has been to get the community involved. That’s what’s happened here.”

Launched last August, the Budweiser Club Futures programme will invest £1m directly into grassroots football in the UK over the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.

Find out more about what the £100,000 means to Blyth Town in the video below.

The Scottish FA has launched a new girls-only pilot of the Tesco Bank Football Challenge in a bid to increase the number of girls playing football in Scotland.

Scotland women’s national coach, Anna Signeul, was at the Linlithgow School this month to see primary three pupils kicking-off the programme.

The girls will take part in three months of coaching and come together for a festival at the end of the challenge.

The programme uses fun football opportunities to encourage girls to see physical activity as a positive part of their lifestyle from a young age.

Only 48% of girls aged 13-15 in Scotland met official guidelines in 2011 for physical activity – 60 minutes per day – compared to 69% of boys at the same age (Source: Scottish Health Survey 2011).

The Tesco Bank Football Challenge is a four-year community programme run in partnership with the Scottish FA. The project introduces football to Primary two and Primary three children – six to eight-year-olds – across Scotland to help engage them in a healthy and active lifestyle.

More than 50,000 children have now benefited from the Scottish FA’s flagship participation programme, which was recognised by UEFA, winning a silver grassroots award last season.

Anna Signeul, Scotland women’s national coach, said: “In my role, I want to see as many girls as possible playing the game, and at this age group, the most important thing is that girls see how much fun football can be.

“The aim of the programme is to encourage girls to get used to taking part in regular activity, and spark an enthusiasm for football in particular.

“Women’s football is growing in Scotland, and it was fantastic to see more young girls taking their first steps in the game today.”

A link with the girls section of local club Linlithgow Rose – whose website is powered by Club Website – has been established with the school with the aim of introducing the girls on the programme to further football opportunities.

Signeul added: “The school link with the local club has huge potential as it will offer the girls the chance to play football more often as they get older.

“You can see from today just how much the girls have loved the experience.”

Linda Simpson, head teacher of Low Port Primary School, said: “I think this new pilot programme is an excellent opportunity for the children to be able to pursue football at this early stage.

“I think they will thoroughly enjoy the programme and, hopefully, will take their love of football further in the future.”

Seven-year-old Cristina Armstrong, who plays at local club Linlithgow Rose, said: “I think this is a great chance for girls to play football at our age.

“I love playing football and hope more and more girls start playing after joining this programme.”

Adele Mills, Community Investment Manager at Tesco Bank added: “The Tesco Bank Football Challenge continues to be a huge success and now the programme is established we are keen for it to develop and evolve.

“The introduction of a pilot girls’ scheme is a great way to do this and will hopefully result in findings that can improve levels of participation in sport amongst girls.”

Source: ScottishFA.co.uk

This simple survey enables you to provide your first-hand experience of playing and coaching on an artificial grass pitch and will be used to help inform research that the Foundation is conducting into these types of playing surfaces.

By doing so, not only will you be helping to improve grassroots facilities in England, but you’ll also have the chance of winning one of five goodie bags, each containing football gifts worth £100 courtesy of The Football Association.

The survey can be accessed through PitchFinder – the largest database of football facilities in Britain, created and managed by the Football Foundation.

Once on the PitchFinder website, simply find the venue with the artificial grass pitch that your club plays on and click on the Rate this venue button to complete the survey.

Funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government (via Sport England), the Football Foundation is the UK’s largest sports charity. Since launching in July 2000, it has supported more than 9,000 community sports projects worth around £1billion.

To complete the Football Foundation survey please visit www.pitchfinder.org.uk and search for the venue you play at.

To be eligible to win one of the five £100 FA goodie bags, you must be aged 14 or over and complete the survey before 31 May 2013.