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Rewarding Referees at the BCFA 23rd November 2001 Officials from around the region will be presented with Records of Achievement at Birmingham County FA HQ on Thursday as part of the FA's Referee Education and Training Campaign. Maintaining the services of qualified officials is of prime concern to the Association, with a focus on developing skills and rewarding commitment to those who take up a career in refereeing. The FA's Regional Manager for Referees, Ray Olivier and BCFA Chairman, Roger Wood will recognise the efforts of around 100 officials who will then be able to build up an official record of their progress. As a start, the packs include a certificate for newly qualified referees or for those who have officiated at over 20 games. As this is the first time Records of Achievement have been issued, many who have qualified have already been refereeing for several years. As a Nationwide League Referee himself, Ray Oliver hopes that his role in the West Midlands will help improve retention of referees: "The new initiatives that I am helping implement include improving training for those new to the system, but also recognising the huge contribution of those who already referee on a regular basis," he said. "The presentation evening will help to achieve that, whilst providing the tools for referees to progress as far up the ladder as possible." TOP Sport Football - FA Invests £6 Million 19th November 2001 The Birmingham County FA have begun the giant task of delivering hundreds of coaching courses designed to help local primary schools teach football and to maintain coaching opportunities outside of school - thanks to a huge investment from the FA. TOP Sport Football and Soccability is a partnership between The FA and the Youth Sport Trust to offer 7-11 year olds appropriate football opportunities as part of a schools physical education programme. The Soccability programme has been specifically designed to support young disabled people in special schools or attending special units within mainstream education. Steve Parkin, FA Director of the National Game explained: "The National Game Division is committed to providing the framework and the facilities in this country to achieve the highest football participation in the world, and the TOP Sport Football programme is integral to this key objective. We believe the FA has a responsibility as guardians of the English game to ensure that young people receive an appropriate introduction to the game." The Football Association is pledging more money than ever before in its biggest education initiative funding commitment. The £6 million which will be poured into the scheme over the next 3 years will provide football equipment and training for teachers to every primary and special needs school in the country. All schools, once their teachers have completed the training programme will receive a bag of footballs, one set of TOP Sport football goals that break down into six target goals - enabling large groups to fully participate in sessions - and a set of coaching resources cards. Even more youngsters are set to benefit from the TOPs Football Programme, with the community aspect of the initiative now being rolled out across the County. The programme provides boys and girls with the opportunity to play football in and out of school focusing on national curriculum support and community delivery of football to all. Using a network of partners (Local Authorities, Sports Colleges and Youth Organisations), community provision of football for all youngsters will be enhanced - with a particular focus on inner cities, rural areas and girls football. TOP Sport Football Clubs and Soccability Clubs will also be linked to FA Charter Standard Clubs and one2one Football Clubs, reinforcing the community opportunity aspect of the programme for all. For more information on the FA TOP Sport Football programme, please contact Natalie Justice (0121 682 2525) or Donna McIvor, FA National Football Development Manager (Education) at The FA (0207 745 4601) |