2009 Business Plan

Date
Executive Summary - Background North Glasgow Football Development Group (“NGFDG”) was established in May 2005 with the stated aims of “inclusiveness, opportunity and access for all – irrespective of social, racial, religious or cultural background -, improving facilities, improving coaching and youth diversion through football.”
Having identified a lack of local provision we initially focussed on delivering formal football ‘community-coaching’ sessions for children on a Sunday morning, attracting between 20 and 30 each week.
We quickly realised that there was a need to build on this solid base and develop the offering which we were providing further. We also appreciated that even though we had a group of hard-working and committed volunteers we would not be able to achieve the growth which we were aiming for on our own.
By working in partnership with various organisations (including Glasgow City Council, North West Area Committee, BT Community Champions and Sense Over Sectarianism to name but a few) and carrying out our own fund raising activities, we were able to purchase brand new equipment, provide a 75% subsidy of club clothing for all members and not only continue the provision of formal coaching sessions but also expand NGFDG through the set up and running of football teams for boys and girls – North Kelvin United.
As a result of our commitment to provide access to all to the best facilities and by working in partnership with Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Football Association we attained the nationally accredited Quality Mark Standard in October 2008. This provides a benchmarking standard against which coaching, facilities and infrastructure of a club are measured and recorded.
Beyond this, we recognised that our long term ambitions for NGFDG were limited by the structure of the group and we therefore took the decision to apply for formal charitable status which we were subsequently awarded in November 2008.
NGFDG now brings North Kelvin United (children’s teams), Crosslands AFC (adult men’s teams) and open children’s coaching sessions under one umbrella and has a membership of 130 between the ages of 4 and 45.
In addition to continuing to provide opportunities and access for all, our ultimate goal remains the securing of a site which would provide coaching and match play facilities on a single campus for all teams involved as part of NGFDG and activities continue in furtherance of this aim. Structure of NGFDG
NGFDG is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC040027 and is a Scottish FA Quality Mark Club.
NGFDG has the responsibility for the overall management of all activities of NGFDG encompassing Crosslands AFC, NK Utd and NGFDG. It is the main decision making body of the group and is also responsible for formulating and delivering the strategy and policies of the group.
NK Utd was set up in response to the continued expansion of NGFDG coaching sessions and provides opportunities for children and youths to take part in organised football competition. It is the natural progression from the formal Sunday coaching sessions. Currently NK Utd consists of 5 teams and the intention is to add an additional team at the start of each season.
Crosslands AFC was established in 1999 and runs two adult men’s football teams in local Glasgow leagues.
Headline statistics for NGFDG are as follows: Approx 130 members (male and female, ages 4-45 Training sessions held on Sun morning (open coaching for children aged 4-12), Tues night (Crosslands AFC); Weds night (NK Utd) and Thurs night (Crosslands AFC) 7 teams – 5 NKU and 2 CAFC 27 qualified coaches* (male and female) * See section on future development plans - coaching
Main NGFDG Achievements to date
- Successful launch of “Kids’ Coaching Sessions” for boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 12 every Sunday for 1½ hours at NK
- Developed membership of 130
- Conversion of derelict hockey pitches at NK into 2 newly lined 7-a-side football pitches with permanent goal posts
- Formation of 4 new teams for children
- 27 qualified coaches
- Hosting of annual summer tournament
Successful grant funding applications to:
Glasgow City Council North West Area Committee - £1362 towards purchase of a storage container
BT Community Champions - £100 towards general running costs
Glasgow City Council - £56 subsidy for coaching course attendance
Sense Over Sectarianism - £8460 to enable continuation and expansion of current activities of NGFDG
Culture and Sport Glasgow and Quality Mark - £1250 to support Level 2 Coaching Young Footballers Certificate
Culture and Sport Glasgow and Quality Mark – over £1200 to date to support Level 3 Coaching in the Game Certificate
Show Racism the Red Card- £1000 to enable the club to participate in the national fortnight of action against Racism in football.
Setting up and equipping of second adult team for Crosslands AFC
Providing training facilities for two adult teams at NK and Hyndland Secondary School
Running of ‘taster sessions’ at various events including Ruchill Park 5k run, the Cedar St community integration days and Springburn Park events
Development of a code of conduct that applies to all NGFDG members, including parents, spectators and officials
Development of NGFDG website to disseminate information to all members (www.ngfdg.co.uk) which will be enhanced and updated this year
Successful achievement of SFA Quality Mark Standard
Registration as charitable organisation
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PLANS
Group
We have achieved a great deal of success to date with relatively little resource above and beyond the time and efforts given by a group of volunteers.
However, the recent successful application for charitable body status gives us a strong platform and provides us with the prospect of further developing and broadening the opportunities we are able to offer.
We are committed to providing community based coaching on a Sunday morning as we see this as the key-entry point for new members on an ongoing basis and we are seeking external partnerships to secure the long-term success of this activity.
We have also set ourselves some short term goals of delivering on a number of new pilot programmes (for which we are also seeking partnerships and funding) including:
A Summer Holiday coaching programme to take place over a 2-4 week period consisting of formal coaching provision and end of week tournament;
Mini-kickers session to operate as a pilot commercial activity
Revamped Website
Corporate Leisure Card membership allowing all adult players access to Glasgow City Council facilities
In addition to this, we recognise that voluntary support of people with fulltime jobs and families can only be relied on so far. To this end, we are looking into the possibility of securing funding to support two new positions within NGFDG – a Group Development Officer who will have responsibility for fund-raising and administrative activities and a Football Development Officer who will coordinate all football related activities of NGFDG.
We also have an eye on securing the long-term continuation of NGFDG without an over-reliance on external funding and have therefore begun investigating the opportunities for income generating activities. Such activities may range from the provision of commercial football coaching services to 3rd parties to the establishment of trading premises (potentially in the form of a Charity Shop) for NGFDG. In furtherance of our charitable body status, all income generated would be re-invested in NGFDG for future benefit.
Coaching
We are committed to providing quality formal coaching. We currently have 27 coaches qualified to Level One - Early Touches Certificate standard. This is the minimum level of qualification, which a NGFDG coach must have, or be committed to working towards, in order to be able to lead a coaching session.
Following a recent partnering exercise with Football Development Officers from Glasgow City Council, almost all NGFDG coaches are now qualified to Level Two - Coaching Young Footballers Certificate standard and the intention is that this will be the de rigueur minimum qualification for NGFDG coaches.
We are also committed to providing development opportunities for those of our coaches who wish to improve their skills further and as part of the Quality Mark programme we have produced a Coach Development Plan which includes:
Developing the skills of the coaches by encouraging them to apply for SFA courses or sportscoachUK workshops etc Working with the Fund Raising Officer to access funding to support Coach Education from sources such as Sports Councils, local Trusts etc Using the experienced NGFDG coaches in a mentoring role with the less experienced NGFDG coaches Facilitating regular in-service training
Player
NGFDG is committed to providing a pathway for players of all ages and standards to improve their skills and enhance their experiences. To this end and in furtherance of its position as a Scottish FA Quality Mark Club, all NGFDG coaching plans are tailored towards the Scottish FA Player Pathway Matrix which provides opportunities for recreation, participation and development for all members from the youngest and newest through to the senior and elite players. We also constantly review the teams we are running to ensure the long term sustainability of the group. This means that as demand grows - or even wanes - in a particular area we are ready placed to act accordingly and either start up or close down teams. Facilities
We remain fully committed to the principle of providing the best quality facilities available to our members. The long-term ambition is to be in possession of a site that will provide coaching and match play facilities on a single campus for all members of our group.
Continual reviews on the quality and quantity of equipment will also be carried out and new and additional items will be purchased as and when identified and required.
This Development Plan will be reviewed on at least an annual basis.