A case Study of Football Association of Wales Strategic Plan - Essay Example

A case Study of Football Association of Wales Strategic Plan The game of football is inarguably the most popular form of sport in Wales; it is so popular that it is almost a part of the Welsh culture. It is possible to use football as a tool to influence social agenda and issues of national interest. Almost everyone can take part in football in Wales - there are teams for boys, girls as well as those for men and women. There are matches that are normally organized at the school level, while others are organized at the local level. There is also a strong competition for both local and regional clubs. There are several professional players who compete at the national as well as the international level. There are many institutions that support and make contributions to different aspects of Welsh football, but the most outstanding of these groups has to be the Football Association of Wales (The Football Association of Wales, 2010). The Football Association of Wales is the governing body that controls football activities in Wales. FAW was formed in 1876, making it the third oldest national association on earth. FAW is a member of international football bodies such as UEFA and FIFA. It is also a member of the (IFAB) International Football Association Board. As the national football governing body in Wales, one of the duties of FAW is to run all the international teams which include the ‘A’ team, Under 17, Under 19, Under 21, Women’s Under 19, Women’s Under 17, Women’s and the Semi-Professional teams. Another important duty of FAW is to deal with all disciplinary cases involving teams and players who are associated with the body. The purpose of this paper is to examine Advanced Football management practices in Wales (Penny, 2008). FAW’s Structure According to the FAW official website, the football body is comprised of a council; in the council, there is a president, 2 vice-presidents, a treasurer and nineteen other members who can be nominated or elected. Also on the council are five Life Vice Presidents and an additional two Life Councillors. Her Majesty the Queen is honoured to be the council’s patron. The Council has administrative duties while the day to day running of football matters in Wales are the responsibility of FAW’s Secretary general who is normally assisted by a number of staff members as defined by the Football Association of Wales (2009). The Council is made up of several representatives from different parts of the country. South and North Wales is represented by six councillors each. Each of these councillors is either nominated or elected by the Qualifying clubs found in their respective areas. There is one councillor who is given the title of The Football League of Wales Representative. This particular councillor can be elected or nominated by the Qualifying Clubs found in the Welsh Football League. Each area Association is allowed to nominate a councillor. This means that there are at least six councillors to represent each of the six area associations. This structure is meant to help all levels of football development in Wales (Football Association of Wales, 2009). FAW Strategy for Football Development The Football Association of Wales has laid down a five year plan that runs from 2009 to 2013 for the development of football in Wales. This strategy is meant to help Wales’s football to develop both in the country and internationally. On the international level, one of FAW’s strategies that is geared towards developing the Welsh football exploits is hosting the 125th Anniversary of IFAB sometime in 2011. FAW also hopes to host that by 2014, it will have hosted the UEFA Congress. The football body will partner with the Cardiff County Council, the WAG as well as the Millennium Stadium as they plan to host a final of the UEFA Cup by 2014. in 2010, the body will appoint a Welsh speaking media officer. Another strategy of FAW is to develop better football facilities (Masteralexis, Barr and Hums, 2008). The Indicators for these strategies include maintaining not less than 3 members on UEFA committees starting from 2009. The association will also seek an executive position on the UEFA committee. As from 2011, FAW is planning to participate in the Four Nations Tournament. Another indicator for the above strategies is FAW’s bid to host at least one UEFA Congress by the end of 2013 (Masteralexis, Barr and Hums, 2008). FAW is also responsible for funding of football in Wales. To improve this funding, the association has outlined the following strategies: 1. FAW will join forces with the local authorities and WAG to establish grounds in North, South and central Wales which will all meet the standards set by UEFA. 2. The association will continue supporting the Welsh Grounds Improvement Company’s grants which are used for ground improvements in the country. The indicators for the funding strategies include having all he three stadiums by the time the 2012/2013 starts. This will allow Welsh teams to play International and local matches that are at the European and World level. Another indicator is to provide support to the Welsh Ground Improvements Company as long as the company will be profitable throughout its association with FAW (Hamil and Chadwick, 2009). FAW is also strategizing to improve the current relations Wales football has with other players and associations from within and without the country. One of the strategies that the FAW has put in place involves promoting a “Football for All” idea in the community. FAW will partner with other bodies in this promotion. Another strategy is to exercise good management and governance of FAW by maintaining a good practice qualification practice. FAW also hopes to ensure that its agencies perform their duties in accordance with the national and European policies. FAW is also planning to integrate the minority groups into mainstream football before 2012 (Hamil et al. 2009). One of the indicators for these strategies is for the WAG and he Football Association of Wales to come p with a program that will allow the two bodies to hold quarterly meetings as from 2010. Another indicator is for the WFT to be supported in their bid to employ a racism officer on a permanent basis (Hamil et al). Conformity with Process of Strategic Planning The Football Association of Wales has tried to conform to its process of strategic planning. The association has been in consultation with other football bodies in a bid to implement their strategic plan on time. One of the objectives of the Football Association of Wales’ objectives is to promote football activities among minorities. The association has been a strong supporter of women’s football according to Gerard (2006). The National Working Group for Girls Football was established to contribute to the strategic development of the female game in Wales. This group is comprised of representatives from the FAW, Wales Football Trust, Welsh Schools Football Association and Area Associations. The FAW Vice President is a member of the UEFA Women’s Football Committee and he also acts as the chair of the Group (Butler, 2007). There are around 4,000 registered players who are under the age of sixteen. There have been noted improvements on the Performances and results of the under 19 national team and this is a clear indication that the playing standards are improving as well. Nevertheless, there is very little evidence of progression in the ladies’ teams. The good news is that there are more registered senior players today than there were around six years ago. These registered players are 1050 compared to 600 half a dozen years ago; this is a 65% increase. However the figure seems very slight when compared with 300% increase in the junior category over the same period (Cook, 1997). Strengths and Weaknesses of Assessment of Present and Future Development The present development of Welsh football is at far much better place than it was a few years ago. The Football Association of Wales has assessed the situation and found that there is need for a major revolution in the football arena. The association is already taking the necessary steps to ensure that football gets enough funding and that the players are well taken care of. FAW is also planning to improve the paying fields in different regions. This will definitely improve the quality of the sport in the country (Butler, 2007). It seems that is a lack of clear pathway that some of the talented and ambitious clubs and individuals can use to progress themselves. This lack of clarity has led to the situation where most women’s clubs are joining foreign pyramids such as England. The football structure in England is very strong and may be one of the reasons why these women prefer to join such pyramids is because of the high level of the game there (Thomas, 2009). This trend is also affecting many young and talented male players who feel that they cannot get the level of competition that they need while in Wales. This has greatly affected the standard of the game in Wales and the lack of a clear structure to contain this trend is not helping matters. Failure to Develop Specific Policy Areas There are a few policy areas which FAW has not acted upon as it should. One of the responsibilities of the Football Association of Wales is to encourage and develop football among the disabled. There is very little that is being done to encourage persons with various forms of disabilities to take part in football activities (Gerard, 2006). Another policy area that has proven difficult to address is in the changing of Welsh Football International image. There remains a lot to be done so that the rest of the football giants who are in Europe can treat Wales as their equal. The football quality of Wales is dismal at best. The different stakeholders need to come together to address the issue of quality of the game. They need to come up with concrete measures to ensure that there is a marked improvement in the game (Butler, 2007). Conclusion It is clear that a lot has been done to improve the game of football in Wales. It was only a few years ago when football in the country was managed without any concrete plan. However, the main football governing body, FAW, has set up some strategies that will hopefully raise the football standards of Wales to be at par with, or even better than the rest of the football world. According to Butler (2007), one of the things that FAW should do to improve football management in Wales is to develop a long term vision and strategy. She says that there should be s commitment from the council and government if the strategy is to have any positive results. The council has already set up its strategies for five years starting from 2009 to 2013. It seems that FAW is serious about developing the football situation in Wales and their level of commitment is evidenced in the many positive changes that have been carried out in the football fraternity. The strategy was formed in agreement and conjunction with all the major players in this sector (Penny, 2008). However, as much as there is a strategy for football management and development by FAW, there should also be clear cut roles and responsibilities for each of the stakeholders who are involved in the ultimate development of the game. This will go a long way in providing the perfect platform for the strategies to be met (Hamil et al., 2009). Some of these stakeholders include but are not limited to: the Football Association of Wales, the Welsh Premier League, the Football Association of Wales Trust, Welsh Schools Football Association, the Sports Council for Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Federation of Disability Sport Wales. With support coming from all these authorities, development of football in Wales will be achieved in leaps and bounds (The Football Association of Wales, 2010). References Butler, R. 2007. Football in Wales: A Review. Viewed April 29, 2010 from, Cook, M. 1997. Soccer Coaching and Team Management. Viewed April 29, 2010, Gerrard, B. 2006. The Economics of Association Football, Vol. 1. Viewed April 29, 2010 from, Hamil, S. and Chadwick, S. Managing Football: An International Perspective. Viewed 29 April, 2010 from: Masteralexis, L.P., Barr, C. and Hums, M. 2008. Principles and Practice of Sport Management. Viewed April, 29 2010, Penny, J. 2008. Wales Football Association Annual 2009. Grange Communications Limited, Viewed April 29, 2010 from, The Football Association of Wales. 2010. About FAW. Viewed 29th April, 2010, The Football Association of Wales. 2009. Strategic Plan for 2009 – 2013. Viewed April 29, 2010 Thomas, M. Welsh Football Almanac. Viewed April 29, 2010 from, Read More