LEAGUE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

 
   
       
 
1. INTRODUCTION  
This document sets out the development plan for the West Riding Girls Football League.  
It defines the objective of the League, traces its history and provides details of how we intend to meet our development objectives  
2. OBJECTIVE  
The objective of the League is set out in the constitution.  It is to provide the opportunity for girls and women to play football by providing structured coaching to help the to develop their skills and, by providing friendly fixtures, league and cup competitions to allow them to practice their skills.  
3. HISTORY  
The West Riding Girls Football League evolved out of the Calderdale Soccer group (CSG) - an organisation established to provide young boys (aged 6-10) and young girls (aged 9-17) with the opportunity to play football.   CSG itself grew out of mini-soccer centres and within 5 years had some 800 boys and 350 girls registered to play in its Leagues.
 
The Major difference between the boys and girls competitions in CSG was that the boys teams came exclusively from within Calderdale, whereas the girls teams, fewer in number, were drawn from Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield
Given its wide catchment area, effectively the whole of West Yorkshire, the Committee of the Girls Section of CSG approached the West Riding County FA with a view to setting up the West Riding Girls Football league, based largely on the constitution of the Calderdale Soccer Group and retaining the Committee Members to launch the new League.
With the help of the Womens and Girls Football Development Officer and in consultation with some Metropolitan Counties, the West Riding Girls Football league held its inaugural meeting in May 2002 and received sanction from the WRCFA two months later.  It began playing league fixtures in October the same year.
 
The League wishes to acknowledge the huge contribution made by the Calderdale Soccer Group to the development of football for young people and particularly girls in Calderdale and more broadly in West Yorkshire.
  4. THE FIRST SEASON  
In our first season we held 10 league competitions..  Two divisions and under 10, One division at under 11, Four divisions at under 12, Two divisions at under 14 and One division at under 17.   All the divisions up to and including under 12 and one of the under 14 divisions played 7-a-side according to mini-soccer rules, whilst the remaining under 14 division and the under 17's played 11-a-side games.   Cup and Shield competitions were held for each age group.  
These competitions were entered by 35 clubs from West Yorkshire, many of them newly formed.   Between them they provided 75 teams with 953 girls registered to play in competitions organised by the League.  
Coach and Player Education was a major part of the first season, with two FA Level 1 courses being held (including Child Protection and Emergency Aid), a Matchday Skills workshop and an Equity workshop.  
The League wants all Clubs to achieve Charter Standard within 3 years of joining.   At the end of the first season 15 of the 35 clubs had achieved that level or higher and a further 5 clubs were being provided with assistance to attains CS.   A rolling programme of assistance to clubs to achieve CS is in progress.  
5. PLANNING AHEAD  
Clearly the League has made huge progress in its first year.  However, there is still much we want to achieve.  
*  To encourage girls to start playing at a young age through the provision of non-competitive fixtures  
*  To provide a pathway through to open age football  
*  To identify talented players and provide a pathway to centres of excellence  
*  To increase the number of qualified coaches  
*  To increase the number of qualified referees  
*  To enable clubs in the League to have achieved Charter Standard  
5.1 STARTING AT A YOUNG AGE  
Commencing with season 2003-04 the League will invite clubs to enter teams at under 8 and under 9 with the intention of providing friendly fixtures.   The entry fee will be £10 instead of the current £32 for teams playing competitive fixtures.  
5.2 OPEN AGE FOOTBALL  
Commencing with season 2003-04 the League will invite clubs to enter teams for open age competitions which, if successful, will achieve the aim of providing a pathway from early recruitment through to open age football for girls in West Yorkshire.  
5.3 TALENTED PLAYERS  
The League recognises that currently there are very limited opportunities for identifying and progressing talented players.   In liason with Active Sports the League will in season 2003-04...  
*  Establish an Assessment Centre where selected players will attend for coaching and monitoring  
*  Establish 2 Development Centres for players graduating from the Assessment Centre where they will obtain advanced coaching.  
*  Arrange for top players from the Development Centres to be given the opportunity to attend a Centre of Excellence  
*  Encourage clubs to nominate players for trials for the West Riding Ladies open age team  
5.4 QUALIFIED COACHES  
The League recognises the importance to young players of having qualified coaches available at clubs.   Therefore, we will continue our efforts to increase the number of coaches, either by holding coaching courses or subsidising attendance at courses held by the WRCFA  
It is an inherent part of the Charter Standard that clubs should have qualified coaches and this part of the plan is consistent with the aim of being a Charter Standard league.  
5.5 QUALIFIED REFEREE'S  
The League will hold at least one Matchday Skills workshop in the season 2003-04.   It will also hold at least one course to provide formal referee qualifications.  
5.6 CHARTER STANDARD  
By the end of 2003-04 the rolling programme of assistance to clubs to achieve Charter Standard will be well established and a further 10 clubs will have attained that level.