The Derby Mini Soccer League was formed many years ago by Derby City Council and was previously known as the “Community League” as a service to children in deprived inner city areas.
The League was presented their Award at Pride Park, Derby. The people on the photo are as follows, (looking at the photo from left to right) Liam Rooney, Daniel Hawksworth (League Officer), Ian Birley (Referees secretary – assistant), Richard Eaton (Referees Secretary), Steve Nicks (Secretary), Mike Torrance (Registrations Secretary), Steve Price (Chairman) & Tommy Weightman (Treasurer).
The league currently has 150 teams who play at various venues within Derby City and offers football divisions ranging from U7s to U10s.
Over 60 per cent of teams who play in the league have now achieved FA Charter Standard club status and the league will develop a support network to ensure more teams will work towards achieving Charter Standard within the next three years.
Derby Mini Soccer League has worked very closely with Derbyshire CFA over the last 12 months to formulate a development plan for the league which will help to ensure key objectives are achieved and therefore continuing to raise standards of grassroots football within the Derby Mini Soccer League.
Steve Nicks, League Secretary, who along with Mike Torrance played an instrumental role ensuring the league met the Charter Standard League criteria said: “We are delighted to become the first league in Derbyshire to achieve Charter Standard League status. We are confident that Charter Standard League status will enable us to improve the service to our member clubs(whilst encouraging them to move towards Charter Standard) and to grow and provide improved support to the teams, their coaches and the referees operating within the Derby Mini Soccer League.”
Mike Torrance, Registration Secretary said: "We are extremely proud that we are the first league in the County to have achieved this status. This award is the culmination of many years of hard work put in by the members of the league management committee who have continually strived to raise standards. We are now better placed to continue our future development in an ever closer partnership with the staff of the Derbyshire County FA.”
The league is fully focused on the challenges ahead, which includes supporting and increasing the number of players and teams within the Derby Mini Soccer League. The management committee is delighted with the news that Derby Mini Soccer League has now been rewarded for the many hours they have dedicated to receiving this recognition.
Liam Rooney, Football Development Officer for Derbyshire County FA, said: "The Derby Mini Soccer League has devised an informative and creative Football Development Plan that focuses on the key issues within The FA’s National Game Strategy. The football development plan also focuses on the game's workforce; its volunteers, coaches and referees and offers a wide range of opportunities to support coach education and continual development. The league should be very proud of this achievement and a special thank you to Steve Nicks and Mike Torrance for all their hard work over the past year. "It’s so refreshing to see the league embrace Charter Standard and to see they are fully focused on the challenges ahead which includes supporting and increasing the number of players and teams, continuing to raise standards, supporting the workforce and providing coach education opportunities.”
The FA Charter Standard League Programme delivers on the vision of The FA Charter Standard Brand.
Vision: Offering everybody in grassroots football a high quality, safe, enjoyable experience, that is nationally recognised
The Programme helps to:
• Target investment
• Deliver an improved service and support structure to leagues
• Improve communication with leagues
• Ensure succession planning within leagues
• Rationalise existing league structures
• Help implement the principles of Long Term Player Development
• Grow football for underrepresented groups
• Improve efficiency and sustainability of leagues
• Deliver on the Respect Programme
The Charter Standard League Programme assesses the ability of leagues to provide a high quality, safe and enjoyable football experience against a standard set of criteria. It also encourage leagues to continuously develop, through on-going support from County FA staff and the review and on-going development of a league development plan, as part of an annual health check process.
Charter Standard League criteria
The criteria for the Programme are divided into 6 development areas, reflecting the approach of the National Game Strategy:
• Growth and Retention
• Raising Standards and Addressing Behaviour
• Better Players
• Running the Game
• Workforce Development
• All Goals and Enablers
Benefits to leagues
By signing up to working towards Charter Standard League status, leagues will be demonstrating that they are willing to work towards a minimum operating standard and to raising standards and addressing poor behaviour within the league and member clubs by encouraging teams to gain Charter Standard Club status as part of the Charter Standard League criteria. Leagues will also be demonstrating, by reviewing good practice and by identifying how they can improve, that they are committed to developing better players and to investing in the workforce.
The benefits of achieving Charter Standard League status, are that leagues will have a clear development plan in place, together with an agreed support package with their County FA. Charter Standard Leagues will also be demonstrating that they are committed to the Respect programme and will have procedures in place to improve standards and address poor behaviour in the game, a key priority throughout all football. Leagues will also gain recognition that they are committed to a quality experience for all and that they are a well run league.
Gaining Charter Standard League status
An on-line registration and assessment process is being developed to support The FA Charter Standard League Programme. Once leagues have registered their interest in working towards Charter Standard League status, they will be supported to an agreed level by County FA staff, who will be able to sign off criteria as they are met by the league.
Once the league can demonstrate that it meets all the criteria through an evidence portfolio, the County FA will give approval and Charter Standard League status will be awarded. Leagues will then be expected to undertake an annual health check as part of the process, a key element of which will be the review and update of a league development plan.
For more information please contact Liam Rooney, Derbyshire CFA Football Development Officer on 01332 361422 or via email liam.rooney@derbyshirefa.com