Stoke-on-trent sport and physical activity strategy 2009-2016

41. The substantial fall in the number of youth teams (juniors) in <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent isalso contrary to the national trend – there was a fall in both the numbers ofteams (by 12 teams) and the rate of participation by this age group (downalmost 2%).42. The FA does not draw any conclusions from the Local Area Data report toexplain the drop in participation on grass, but further consultation with boththe Staffordshire FA and local clubs have identified a number of possiblefactors:• The quality of pitch provision is poor and there is a need to develop multipitchsites;• There is a need to both increase the number of volunteers working withinclubs as well as retain and train/improve the skills of the existingvolunteers;• There is a perceived lack of resources (people and funds) within the localauthority to operate and maintain facilities to an appropriate standard;• There is a perceived lack of support from the local authority SportsDevelopment Team to highlight and support applications for funding andother initiatives. Several clubs have said that they are unaware that suchsupport is available;• The perceived lack of external funding opportunities (which may relate tothe above point);• The cost of hiring appropriate facilities.Club size43. In 2007/08 according to the FA information, the average number of teams perclub in <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent is lower than the national average; 1:1.4 for <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent compared to 1:2.1 national average. As a consequence, although thereare a similar percentage of Charter Standard clubs in <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent aselsewhere, the number of young people playing within such a club is muchlower than the national average and the target set by the FA. Currently justover 25% of junior and mini teams play within a Charter Standard club,compared to the national average of nearly 47%, and a national target of 75%by 2012.44. The FA has mapped those clubs with 6 or more teams, see Figure 4 below,which also shows the current location of the secondary schools. It is notablethat there are only four such clubs in <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent, and of these one club’ssite is due to be developed (Red Street at H&R Johnson) and one club usesseveral different locations.Nortoft Partnerships Ltd <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent Page | 281Sport & Physical Activity Strategy 2009-2016October 2009