The Chair of Lincolnshire FA, Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, has written an open letter to the grassroots football community of Lincolnshire. He has shared key updates and areas of focus for both the organisation and the game as a whole in our area as we conclude the 2023/24 season.

Dear all,

I hope you are all keeping well and have enjoyed a much deserved break, while supporting the Three Lions during their Euros 2024 campaign!

As part of both my own and Lincolnshire FA’s commitment to being as transparent as possible, I decided that, as Chair, I will write a letter, roughly every quarter, to everyone involved in football in the County. 

Hopefully, this will keep you in touch a little bit more with what is going on behind the scenes and some of the amazing work the Lincolnshire FA staff do on a day-to-day basis, together with some of the challenges we face in an ever-changing world.

First and foremost, thank you!

Firstly, I would like to thank you all for your participation in our local game across the 2023/24 season. Many of you have joined our One Football Community this season, and many of you have continued to show inspirational commitment and dedication to growing the game, and making football happen in Lincolnshire.

Whether you are a Player, Coach, Referee, Club or Team Official, League Official, Grounds Person, Matchday Volunteer, or hold any of the other essential roles in grassroots football in our area - I would like to send my personal thanks and gratitude for the part you play. Without your commitment and dedication, football doesn’t happen and that can never be underestimated.

County Cup Competitions

I had the honour of being in attendance for a selection of our County Cup Finals this season, in which we had a record-breaking year as a County - with 15 competitions played across Open Age & Youth football, as well as the County Disability Cup that was fantastically launched this season. All this resulted in the most County Cup competitions Lincolnshire has ever seen, reflecting the love and passion we all share for the County Cups - and long may this continue.

A County Cup Final is a joyous and momentous occasion for all those who play, who coach, who spectate and who officiate; it is a showcase of the best in our area each season. Unfortunately, on too many occasions this year, whilst we saw the best of Lincolnshire on the pitch, the same could not be said off it. 

A number of County Cup Finals were marred by poor spectator behaviour, abuse towards Match Officials, damage to Stadia facilities. Abuse of matchday staff & volunteers, pitch invasions, and pyrotechnics are some examples of the poor behaviour seen in the last few weeks. 

Please allow me to be absolutely clear. This cannot, and will not, be tolerated.

I would like to make it clear to everyone, that should we see this sort of behaviour in future, it could result in clubs having their County Cup entry applications rejected. Bans will be imposed should a club’s supporters be responsible for unacceptable behaviour. While this sort of response from me and my Board may seem unprecedented - Enough is Enough - we won’t see the County Cup experience ruined for those who come out to have a good time and conduct themselves appropriately while supporting their teams.

It must of course be fully acknowledged, that those who were unable to conduct themselves appropriately this year were in a tiny minority, and so I would like to place on record my gratitude to those who came out and supported both their club and grassroots football in Lincolnshire across the 15 Finals held this season - which saw approximately 4,000 spectators. 

Three Year Growth Report

 With us now looking ahead to the 2024/25 season, in what will be a new Strategy cycle for Lincolnshire FA and The FA respectively, I believe it’s a good time to reflect on the last 3 years and show the accomplishments that all of us, as One Football Community, have achieved by supporting the growth of the game and how that’s reflected in the bigger footballing picture in our area. 

Between 2021 and 2024:

• Female Participation has grown 46.5%
• Disability Participation has grown 55.7%
• Male Participation has grown 18.8%
• The number of Registered Referees has grown 24.4%
• We now have 240 ‘Good’ quality pitches
• There has been £6.79 Million of Football Foundation Investment
• 60% of Adult teams are playing within an England Football Accredited Club
• 87% of Youth teams are playing within an England Football Accredited Club
• 94% of Youth teams have a qualified coach
• There were 1,961 instances of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for coaches and volunteers

As a County FA, we have also seen during this time:

• 69% of Discipline investigations completed within 14 days
• 78% of Discipline hearings arranged within 21 days of response
• Twice successfully achieved the Safeguarding Operating Standards
• Achieved the Preliminary Equality Standard for Sport
• Achieved The FA Code of Governance 
• Increased the number of our Social Media followers by approximately 7,000

All of these achievements show the fantastic work being put in by the amazing volunteers across our football community who make it all happen in their area, as well as the brilliant work of Lincolnshire FA staff and volunteers, including our Board, Council, Youth Council, Inclusion Advisory Group, and Committees.

In the coming weeks, I will announce how we intend to support and grow the game further across the next 4-year Strategy period which will include how Lincolnshire FA will reinvest back into grassroots football in our communities on a scale never seen before in our magnificent County.

Board Meetings

At the beginning of this season, I made it clear how I wanted our Board meetings, and the work of the Board, to be more visible across the county. 

In this spirit of increasing openness and being very clear that Lincolnshire is bigger than Lincoln, I declared that Board meetings would be held in venues which will rotate across the length and breadth of the county; allowing more clubs and individuals the opportunity to attend.

I must apologise and hold my hands up, that this is not something we’ve been able to deliver on properly this season. However, I am working with the CEO of Lincolnshire FA - Nick Hanson - to ensure this is restarted from the Autumn.  We go again. As someone from the south of the county, I still believe that this is a step in the right direction towards increasing our visibility and transparency to the grassroots football community that we serve.

Staffing Update

I would like to provide an update regarding the Staff of Lincolnshire FA, with some members of the team leaving the organisation to take up exciting new roles, along with some new staff joining us.

Firstly, Michael Brader has retired from his role as Referee Development Manager after 13years with Lincolnshire FA.

Michael is leaving an incredible legacy for Refereeing in our area, having seen and worked with thousands of Match Officials in his time - from those taking their first steps in Refereeing to the longer standing Officials.

Michael's work has seen immense growth in the number of Referees in our area, as well as the progression of thousands of Referees up the promotion pathway and retention of countless more. 

Following Michael’s departure, I would like to welcome Declan (‘Dec’) Ford who has begun his new role as Michael’s successor and, as an active EFL Assistant Referee, I’m confident he will build upon the foundations of Michael’s legacy and work over his 13 years with us.

Secondly, Alistair Hayes has left the organisation after nearly 5 years to take up a new and exciting role as a Regional Discipline Manager for The FA. 

I’ve no doubt Alistair will continue to shine and make football a safe, enjoyable, and inclusive place for all.

Alistair's work, alongside his colleagues across the organisation, has seen huge strides forward in improving behaviours in our local game; by delivering Respect workshops, steering a newly-formed Behaviours Committee, driving a Behaviours Strategy, delivering Award-shortlisted Enough is Enough Discipline Roadshows, as well as managing discipline cases across Lincolnshire. I will talk more about the work of the Behaviours Committee in next week’s newsletter.

Lastly, our outgoing Football Development Manager (Disability & Inclusion Lead) - Jordan Mason - left the organisation to embark on a new challenge with the fantastic team at Northamptonshire FA, becoming their own Football Development Manager.

Jordan’s work has seen immense growth in the Disability pathway in our area, the launch of our DIAP, development of our IAG, growth of our Youth Council, as well as football become a more diverse and inclusive space - work that has been awarded a County FA Recognition Award, the Equality Standard for Sport, and two Football V Homophobia Awards. 

I would like to place on record my utmost gratitude to Michael, Alistair, and Jordan for their outstanding efforts and achievements while in post at Lincolnshire FA. They have made a huge impact in supporting the growth of footballing opportunities in our area, while ensuring the game is a safe, inclusive, and enjoyable place to be. 

They will always be part of our One Lincolnshire Community. I look forward to supporting the work of Dec in developing Refereeing opportunities in Lincolnshire, and welcoming a new Football Development Manager in the coming weeks.

Code of Governance

I’m delighted to share that Lincolnshire FA is one of the first County Football Association’s in England to achieve version 2.1 – the highest standard – of The FA's Code of Governance for County FAs.

As the national sport that millions of people play and support across the country, it’s vitally important that The FA and the County FAs serve and lead the game as effectively as possible. 

By achieving The Code of Governance for County FAs, we have ensured that our Association is run to the highest standards of corporate governance. These standards set out wide-ranging benefits to us as a County FA and ensure our Board, and other decision-making structures, are best equipped to deliver, safeguard and develop our National Game, ensuring it is a game for all.

That concludes the first part of my Chair Update, which nicely wraps up another successful season of football in our County. 

As aforementioned, in the coming weeks, I will announce how we intend to support and grow the game further across the next 4-year Strategy period, including how Lincolnshire FA will reinvest back into grassroots football in our communities on a scale we’ve never seen before. This will begin the launch of our 2024-28 Strategy.

I hope you continue to enjoy your football and wish you all well as we prepare for the 2024/25 season.

Very best wishes,

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