Case Studies

All NCFA Stakeholders & Members are invited to submit case studies that highlight the power of children’s football (in any format) and any issues that the NCFA community may find interesting. It is hoped that we can present a wide range of information about participants or small groups, frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves. A form of qualitative descriptive research, the case study looks intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that specific context. If you have any questions please contact: info@thecfa.co.uk for more details.

FREE v FREE NCFW 2021

National Children’s Football Week kicks off in parks, playgrounds and designated areas of play in your community.  There will be no stress, win at all costs, fees or great expectations.  FREE v FREE is mixed ability mixed gender and football for fun only. You are the organiser with or without adults.

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GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2019

In more than 40 countries there are traditions of Global Peace Games (GPGs) an initiative from the United Nations to raise the profile of peace through sport. The Flanders GPGs were inspired by the Christmas Truces of 1914 and how those symbolic moments of First World War history relate to the contemporary mission of The NCFA and our main project partner, The Peace Village, Messines, Belgium. This year’s 80 Ambassadors for Peace, originated from 17 countries and represented Belgium, England, Germany, Northern Ireland, Italy and India.

Click here to view film and read the Executive Summary.

FREE v FREE NCFW 2019

National Children’s Football Week in partnership Cirencester Town Football Club raised money for four charities; The NCFA, The Big Yellow bus project, which is a double decker bus to house homeless people in Cirencester. Shine, a post-natal depression support charity and a charity that is building a school for vulnerable girls in Zambia. Other events took place in Belfast, Liverpool and Salisbury.

Click here to view the short film

GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2018

In more than 40 countries there are traditions of Global Peace Games (GPGs) an initiative from the United Nations to raise the profile of peace through sport. The Flanders GPGs were inspired by the Christmas Truces of 1914 and how those symbolic moments of First World War history relate to the contemporary mission of The NCFA and our main project partner, The Peace Village, Messines, Belgium.

Click here to view film and read the Executive Summary.

FREE v FREE NCFW 2018

National Children’s Football Week in partnership with Don’t X The Line, was hosted by Park Brow Community Primary School, Kirkby, Liverpool.  The event raises the profile of the children’s game and the importance to protect childhood through play.  Tony James, Head Teacher, said, ‘It was clear to see the benefits of loosely supervised play.  Children enjoyed the event and their parents along with the teachers found it informative and fun’.

Click here to view the short film

GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2017

In more than 40 countries there are traditions of Global Peace Games (GPGs) an initiative from the United Nations to raise the profile of peace through sport. The Flanders GPGs were inspired by the Christmas Truces of 1914 and how those symbolic moments of First World War history relate to the contemporary mission of The NCFA and our main project partner, The Peace Village, Messines, Belgium.

Click here to view film and read the Executive Summary.

FREE v FREE NCFW 2017

National Children’s Football Week acts as a reminder to parents, guardians, carers, facilitators, coaches, teachers and volunteers, that the children’s game does not have to branded, expensive, associated or dominated by adults.  It is a simple game when played by children.  It is a fun game owned by children.  There is little room for the rules of a game that determines greed, aggression and win at all costs.  It is time we reclaimed the children’s game.

Click here to view films and read the report.

PEACE FIELDS PROJECT (UK) 2016

The Heritage Lottery Funded Peace Field Project reached over a thousand children that engaged in football and history for the first time.  Five hub schools in Kent, England, twinned their designated areas of play with Flanders Peace Field, Messines, Belgium, site of the First World War Christmas Truces.

Click here to view film and read the evaluation.

FREE v FREE NCFW 2015

‘Grass roots football can learn a lot from pan disability football – if only it would listen’, David Ramzan, NCFA Special Educational Needs Manager.

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PLAYGROUND FOOTBALL

Playground football is arguably one of the most important stages of any footballer.  The environment lends itself to creativity, exploration, inventiveness, social skills and social inclusion so why do many schools fear facilitating the children’s game.

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EASIER REPORT 2015

During the Easier Project, 4 exchange visits took place between teachers and students from the partner schools. The EU funded project used the 1914 Christmas truces football games as a component for cross cultural learning.

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GLOBAL PEACE GAMES REPORT 2014

The GPGs is all about inspiring peace makers for the future. Inspired by the 1914, Christmas Truces, sport engages young people at a level where they can review the essence of play set in environment of where conflict resolution is key.

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FOOTBALL & PEACE PROJECT 2014

F&PP linked the escapism of play with the historic and explored conflict resolution.  It provided young people with the opportunity to research their heritage in World War One through the medium of sport.

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SUMMER OFF THE STREETS 2014

Lots of young people are being priced out of play. Summer off the Streets facilitates football and many other activities for those children and parents that find it difficult to keep up with the demands for pay to play.

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FREE v FREE NCFW 2014

‘We need to get back and remember what football is all about it is a very simple game that can be played anywhere so these kind of events encourages these kind of thought processes’, Mark Burke, A Different Kind of Soccer Book.

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A Week to Remember NCFW 2013

“I can’t get into my local team and my school don’t have a football team.  This was the best game of football ever and my mum watched me score a goal and save a shot.” Emma, aged 11 from Kent.

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Family Skills Project

The impact of the project is having a positive and lasting effect in the family, in school where children are performing better and able to show greater respect, passed to them from their parents…

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SUMMER OFF THE STREETS 2013

The day was summed up neatly by fourteen year old Peter; “It was great fun, played so much football and loads of goals. I got to captain one team and really liked helping and encouraging the younger kids in the team.”

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Egerton School NCFW 2012

Organising a school football festival involving the entire school involving children in the design of the tournament…

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NATIONAL CHILDREN’S FOOTBALL WEEK 2011

To encourage football volunteers across all levels of the game to come together and provide a family environment facilitating FREE football for all children. …

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UK’S LARGEST FEMALE FUTSAL

NCFA was founded by Ernie Brennan and formalized in 2008 under the guidance of National Children’€™s Bureau. Since its conception NCFA is now in a position where it is part of an extensive stakeholder network has the official support of the Football Association, PFA and Football League Trust (amongst many others) and has over 50 key stakeholders…

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FROM GRANDPARENTS TO GRANDCHILDREN

IT might seem a wholly bizarre stretching of a warped imagination to include European kings Barcelona and inner city-based Continental Star in the same sentence….

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FOOTBALL FOUNDATION DION DUBLIN FINAL

Dion Dublin backs Football Foundation research into importance of community facilities…

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SUMMER OFF THE STREETS 2012

A free scheme in Cirencester gives children a fun day of football during the summer holidays…

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KICK IT OUT

Kick It Out founder members of the NCFA have launched their Annual Report…

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SCHOOLS OUT

SCHOOLS OUT Founder Sue Sanders writes to inform the NCFA community about The Schools OUT Annual Conference which is coming up on the Saturday 5th February. It is at the Drill Hall Theatre, off Tottenham Court Road in London from 9.30am – 6.00pm. …

Click here to read the full case study.

Raise Your Game

Cirencester Deer Park School is launching a six week behaviour management programme this month entitled Raise Your Game. It is football based and includes interactive sessions both in the classroom and on the pitch….

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The Justin Campaign

Ever felt like there are thousands of people against you? Well for hundreds, if not thousands, of football fans this happens every week when they go to watch their favourite football team. The reason: they are different to everybody else…

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Positive Futures

Children from Islington, London play football with children in Faversham, Kent. The event takes the form of an all-inclusive round robin football tournament. Mixed gender, mixed ability and mixed ethnicity children play in a loosely supervised tournament refereed by children….

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Training Soccer

UEFA A Licence Coach, Tim Wareing, is from Belfast in Northern Ireland & has been coaching for over 15 years. He spent 7 years with Irish Premiership side, Lisburn Distillery. Here he held roles from Reserve Team Manager & U18 Manager before building a very successful youth set up as Academy Director….

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Prince Henry’s Grammar School

‘€œYou just don’€™t really hear people saying things like ‘€˜that’€™s so gay’€™ at our school anymore. People stop and think about the words they are using now’€. Megan, 15, is a speaking at a meeting of the Student Diversity Forum at Prince Henry’€™s Grammar School, Otley, where one year earlier members of the group had highlighted the commonplace use of homophobic language as an area which the school should address if it was serious about tackling all forms of discrimination and promoting equality for all….

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Ministry of Football

Ministry of Football is a small and growing football programme for families with children aged 3 to 14. We started operating in 2007 and now work with 100 families each week in our centres in Southgate and Muswell Hill in London. We offer weekly indoor sessions for boys and girls of all ability levels….

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