AoC Sport Sees All Round Growth in Football Development in 2022-23

We are excited to release our Football Development Impact Report for the 2022-23 season to celebrate a year of developing participation, and leadership across the ECFA Accredited College network. AoC Sport has provided numerous opportunities throughout the academic year with a commitment to develop FE football through high-quality services and programmes that empower colleges, staff and students to create and engage in meaningful playing and volunteering opportunities.

Headline Statistics:

• A 13% increase in the number of colleges engaging with AoC Sport through the Accredited College programme totalling 104 colleges.
• A 20% increase in the overall number of players playing unaffiliated football in FE totalling 11,149.
• An 88% increase in the number of female players playing unaffiliated football in FE totalling 1950.
• An 85% increase in the number of pan-disability eligible players playing in FE totalling 2055.
• 23% of all players playing unaffiliated football in FE are from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
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AoC Sport has been at the forefront of developing the student workforce in 2022-23 from the buzz of our ECFA Activator Engagement Events to facilitating the learning and development of our 10 FA Women’s FDO Apprentices that are employed full-time within our member colleges and a County FA. Throughout the year 44% of AoC Sport’s members accessed our ECFA Accredited College services enabling their students to participate in various playing and leadership opportunities.

Dan Greenwood, National Football Development Manager "We are immensely proud of the way that our members continue to work with us to support students to access enriching opportunities. We strive to enable further education football that is driven for and by a student workforce and embedded within the community and we are delighted to see the positive impact that our programmes are having in colleges and local football ecosystems. Our collective efforts continue to champion students’ personal development and will endeavour to support our mission for active students, and healthier colleges."

As well as ECFA Accredited Colleges and FA Women’s FDO Apprentices, AoC Sport have also funded the following opportunities across FE through accessible funding pots for our membership:

• 8 Local Development Opportunities for Female Football
• 15 Football Officiating Hubs at Colleges
• 1 Nationwide Rising Leaders programme developing 12 female leaders.

AoC Sport encourages our membership to engage with wider member services that empower students to enrich their FE experience. You can find more information about ECFA Accredited Colleges and how to get involved here or by contacting Josh Stockdale, National Football Development Officer.