Lincolnshire FA is proud to share the 2023/24 End of Year Report, reflecting a season of growth, development, and success across all areas of the game.

The report highlights the hard work put into ensuring safe, inclusive, and engaging environments for everyone involved in football throughout the county.

Here are some key statistics from the season:

• Safeguarding & Welfare: 18 Safeguarding Validation Visits completed, with 100% of youth coaches holding in-date FA DBS and Safeguarding Children Qualifications. 100% of Club Welfare Officers completed Welfare Officer workshop training.
  
  
• Equality & Inclusion: Achieved the Equality Standard for Sport (Preliminary Level) and became signatories of the Muslim Athletes Charter (Nujum Sports). Delivered a Neurodiversity Awareness Programme for Coaches and Club Welfare Officers, with 7 LGBTQ+ accredited organisations, leading to a County FA Recognition Award finalist nomination. Youth Voice was added to the LFA Board and Inclusion Advisory Group.
  
  
• Youth Leadership: The LFA Youth Council was awarded the Highly Commended Youth Leadership Team Award 2024 and took ownership of the Big Football Ask survey strategy.
  
  
• Disciplinary Efforts: The number of misconduct cases decreased from 630 to 551, while discrimination reports increased by 48% to 83.
  
  
• Player Pathways & Growth: The male pathway grew by 18.8%, female by 46.6%, and disability pathway by 55.7%, with an overall player increase of 21.6%.
  
  
• Grassroots Initiatives: Supported the delivery of 38 JustPlay sessions, 40 Wildcats sessions, and 11 Squad Girls sessions, with 2 emerging talent centres supporting young players.
  
  
• Refereeing: Recruited 187 referees, retained 494, and progressed 45, with 3 Referee Support Leads introduced to enhance referee development.
  
  
• Facilities & Investment: £645,170 invested into grassroots projects, 240 good-quality grass pitches developed, and two new 3G facilities opened.
  
  
• Coaching & CPD: 924 CPD instances delivered across 31 events, with 90 grassroots coaches attending Lincoln City-led CPD sessions.
  
  
• Competitions & Events: 15 County Cup competitions were delivered, with over 4,000 spectators attending finals and the County Disability Cup debuting with 10 teams.
  
  
• Media & Engagement: Social media reach hit 5,030,000, while website users increased by 26%. The LFA Podcast garnered 1,140 streams and social media engagement of over 13,000.

Lincolnshire FA's commitment to growing the game at all levels is clear from these statistics. From grassroots initiatives to safeguarding efforts, equality programmes, and player development, 2023/24 has been a remarkable year for football in Lincolnshire.

The organisation has also released its Financial Report, including Income Statement and Balance Sheet as of 30th June 2024. 

View the full Lincolnshire FA End of Year Report 2023/24 here

Nick Hanson, CEO of Lincolnshire FA, said: “We are immensely proud of the progress made throughout the 2023/24 season. From safeguarding and equality initiatives to the growth of grassroots football and referee development, this report highlights the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in football across Lincolnshire. Our commitment to making football safe, inclusive, and accessible for all continues to be our driving force, and I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to these achievements. The future of football in Lincolnshire looks brighter than ever.”

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