There are many benefits to having your club have a long-lasting relationship with a school with the obvious benefits of player recruitment, facilities and volunteer recruitment.

However, this may be “WIN WIN” for you but there aren’t too many high priority items in the schools interest in that alone , even if your club thinks it should be.

This is about using the great thing your club can do and offer and translating it into “ School speak”. This may assist and help a school with some of their priorities whilst aligning the opportunity to work together on wider agendas.

Top tip 1

Let’s start with School speak and educate some ideas of how you can “WIN” and how the school priorities can “WIN” = “WIN WIN”

Here is some translation of what some terminology could look like–

So, to look at the above you are starting to address some of the Ofsted priorities schools are judged on.

These are – Ofsted 2022- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework

• Quality of education (Intent, Implementation, Impact) – Possible added value from your club
• Behaviour and Attitudes.  – Your football Club can help here
• Personal Development. – Your football club can help here
• Leadership and Management. – Could be testimonials and examples of partnership working here.

Armed with this information you can start to look more strategically to what and how your conversations go with your contact at the school.

Top tip 2 – The right contact at the school

This can be a hurdle in itself.

Who is the white knight ??

Long gone are the days of the PE teacher is the right person. They may assist in extra provisions or sign posting to others but for financial and long-lasting partnerships with facilities more likely to be the business manager or deputy head. Workforce could look at different agendas such as Post 16 coordinator or Duke of Edinburgh scheme etc. Looking outside of PE can really help to narrow down the wider benefits.

Most schools operate a in an academy chain, and this has its own governance structure that may have existing staffing. Do some homework visit their website and see what some of their strategic visions or objectives are too alongside the above Ofsted ones.

Email, call and follow up with the contact as they won’t chase you. If you are resilient here to gain that meeting, then you can showcase the difference you make.

Go in armed with numbers of current students and those in feeders’ schools (future students), wider community links and assets you link with. An example of parental job roles who are involved in your club. This is the stuff to turn the heads and build the long-lasting relationship.

Top tip 3 – What are other clubs doing

Recently Bounville Warriors FC did a In The Box visit to speak and share their learnings about working with Shenley academy – Listen to their overtime approach and benefits in working together.

Top tip 4 – The School needs You to access grant funding

Schools are valuable community assets which provide a safe, familiar environment for young people and where many of our football clubs up and down the country call home. For many funding avenues which schools can apply for, the demonstration of community impact and connectivity is key.  

One benefit of a school and club link is the hiring of a school premises and the ability to enhance joint working to enable student access to club-based opportunities during extra-curricular and/or out of school hours. This can not only support student wellbeing but has been seen to positively contribute to raising educational standards too.

Collaboration between schools and local community groups such as football clubs can help the school to broaden health and wellbeing benefits to students, staff and the community.

Schools will have a realm of assets, skills and experiences as do local football clubs, but both will have capacity limits. To be able to make a real difference in local communities and especially communities those who suffer from economic and social disadvantages, a collective desire to build on capacity can make a huge difference. By a school showcasing their assets along with a combination of a football clubs’ assets and the potential this has to achieve desired short- and long-term outcomes will always be seen more favourably. 

School improvements and community development are interdependent. Schools have the ability to serve both the needs of its pupils as well as the wider community. By clubs having good, regular dialogue with the ‘white knight’ sharing progress, demands and challenges this can help a school compile and strengthen, a business case when looking at improvements. 

In the context of Ofsted evaluation of school leadership and management, a schools community use can make a major contribution to the extent to which schools are perceived to ‘engage effectively with learners and others in their community’ which can include parents, carers, employers and local services. 

Football Foundation

With most capital builds such as 3G pitches or grass pitches works schools are eligible applicants to apply but won’t be successful without their list of accredited club beneficiaries. Open up this in conversation of how you and your local club can be a bridge towards WINNING together for better facilities for both the school and the club. Improvement to facilities can not only enhance the offer to students but can also increase capacity and also share the running and maintenance costs. There are many examples of schools and clubs working together to provide access to top quality sports provision both in curricula and extra curricula/community use. The Football Foundation, with its multi-sport agenda, is a keen investor into 3G pitches especially in the education sector as this helps provide significant value for money but can also unlock extra funds such as planning gain investment.   

Open Football Foundation Funding - https://footballfoundation.org.uk/looking-for-funding

Sport England

Similar as above for multisport funded facilities alongside club pathways to play in smaller revenue grants.

However the big agenda at the moment is “ Use our School “ Resources - https://www.sportengland.org/funds-and-campaigns/use-our-school?section=getting_started to enable more school facilities to be open and have more usage from the community.

There is also funding associated to helping this happen https://www.sportengland.org/news/new-funding-help-schools-open-their-sports-facilities .

The campaigns and funding are both reliant on sustainable and local community access and opportunity. This is where you fit in!, you can help this and with your local Active Partnership - https://www.sportengland.org/funds-and-campaigns/active-partnerships can help and support your work here.

Here is an example of how an Active Partnership London Sport are offering support and funding - https://londonsport.org/our-work/children-young-people/opening-school-facilities-fund/

Make the most of these long-term plans and visions to align what the school can gain in relation to what you can help to sustain.

A massive “WIN WIN”

This should help your club think more like the school and develop a plan of action to enable to grow and develop those pathways alongside opportunity for a long-lasting relationship.

Additions

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