Contact CFA

Have your say in a Children’s Football Alliance.

If you are interested in joining the CFA or the ICFA please contact:

Children’s Football Alliance
23 Baxter Way, Kings Hill,
West Malling,
Kent.
ME19 4DE.
info@thecfa.co.uk
Contact number:
+00 44 (0)7813 082584

Management Committee

Ernie Brennan

CEO

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Ernie Brennan, founder of Children’s Football Alliance, started his career in music extensively touring Europe and USA with major recording artists whilst signed to Music for Nations.  As an award winning film maker and with 11 years experience as Head of Production working for an independent production company Ernie has produced and directed many social inclusion programmes for National and regional governments. Whilst producing social documentaries and facilitating children’s football he became inspired to research the need for a Children’s Football Alliance.

Brendan Hanlon

Chair

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Co-founder of The Children’s Football Alliance; Brendan has spent his career in the voluntary sector having held various senior positions at national organisations. An experienced marketer and fundraiser, he has been Head of Fundraising at three charities and Chief Executive of an international HIV/AIDS charity. He is a governor at his children’s primary school, a mentor to young people and lives in Brighton.

Paul Cooper

Director

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Paul was at the very first meeting of The Childrens Football Alliance.  Before being a co-founder and working for the CFA he was founder of the Give US Back Our Game movement with Rick Fenoglio in 2006.  He is an FA qualified coach and has coached youth football for many years.  He worked at a school for 4 years in the inclusion centre and developed a football project to help engage pupils.  He has written two books, Learning Through Play and Chapped Legs and Punctured Balls as well as a chapter in Lynn Kidman’s book Athlete Centred Coaching.  You may know him for his role in the BBC BAFTA winning comedy This Country, written and starring his children and CFA patrons Daisy and Charlie Cooper.

Farrell Monk

Director

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Farrell is an experienced finance professional in the charity sector, working for various national and international charities. Currently the Head of Finance at Causeway Education, a widening participation charity that works with education institutions to help disadvantaged children through key educational transitions, predominately access to university.

His experience in the game stretch to having run a football club, being a referee and starting a successful podcast, Fulhamish.

Claire Mole

Fundraising & Partnerships Officer

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Claire has spent her career to date in Health and Social Care, working for the NHS, private sector and non-profit organisations and has 10+ years of experience working within children’s hospices.

She has a wealth of Trust, Foundations and Commissioning experience for non-profit organisations.

Claire is a big football fan and has spent years watching her bonus son play for local village teams, cheering him on from the sidelines. She’s had a season ticket to watch Manchester City for 20 years.

She lives in Wales with her family and can often be found at a gig or with her head in a book.

Claire volunteers for several charities, including the Samaritans and her local adult and children’s hospices.

John Carmicheal 

International Children’s Football Alliance, NED.

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John Carmichael was educated at the Ridge Church School in Accra, Ghana, Clifton College and Oriel College, Oxford. His family has had connections with India and Africa over several generations. In 1988, John followed in his father’s footsteps – and those of HRH the Prince of Wales – by being made an Honorary Chief in Ghana. John is a published author and worked as Honorary Producer in Residence at the Ghana Film Industries Corporation. He has worked as a consultant in the aid related entertainment sector since the early days of Live Aid in a private, public and voluntary sector capacity leading to his work with Luciano Pavarotti & Friends and UN messengers of Peace. He went on to become Millennium Commissioner for Ghana tasked with establishing the international Meridian twinning link and development partnership between Greenwich and Ghana linking countries North to South across the Sahara. His experience with film, music and sport in development settings led to his working with England Manager, Sven Goran Eriksson and then partner Nancy Dell’Olio in setting up Truce International to mobilise the power of football as a force for the peace. John is Chairman of the family business in Ghana and commutes regularly between London and Accra in his capacity as an international strategy adviser and global development consultant.

David Ramzan

Special Educational Needs Officer

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For many years David has been Working as learning support assistant in special educational needs for children with varying abilities from profound to mild learning difficulties, physical and psychological difficulties, whose ages range from 6 – 17 years.

His work involves delivering specific planned strategies and differentiation within the school educational curriculum, including sport, literacy, numeracy, art, design technology, ICT and independent living skills.

As an award winning grass roots football coach David supports students in their education needs, administering physiotherapy, hoisting, feeding and administering medication.

His work for the Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football campaign has earned David National recognition amongst the football fraternity. He formed Invicta Valiants Special Needs-Disability Football Club in 2004, two of his three children have special needs, one is visually impaired and one has learning difficulties, and due to the fact they were not able to join a local football team or school team because of their specific needs he established the award winning club which now provides football for mixed ability children across the South East.

David works with the schools sports educational programme in developing special needs sports activities and competitions for the students to compete in the annual Kent Disability School Games and Panathlon.

Malcolm Lee

Project Manager

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Founder of the Don’t X The Line (DXTL) campaign, formed in December 2003, promoting Zero Tolerance towards aggression, verbal abuse, racism & bullying the initiative was set up to help promote an environment for fair play and educate people of all ages the importance of respect and tolerance in football.

When Mal introduced his son to the sport his concerns grew for the many thousands of children and referees who had to witness the appalling behaviour that was happening at children’s football matches. 20 years experience in grass roots football inspired him to form the first independent organisation to challenge poor behaviour at children’s football matches. The voluntary organisation lobbied and campaigned tirelessly to draw the problems to the attention of authorities and consequently gained the support from the FA, PFA, PL, FAI, PGMOL, LFC and EFC.

Mal received the Bobby Moore National Award presented by HRH Prince William, & Stephanie Moore in 2010 in recognition for all his hard work.

DXTL continue to work closely with Premier League Referee’s and provide a valuable resource to all the football community.

Brian Caskey

Project Manager (Northern Ireland)

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Brian spent over 30 years in Policing in Northern Ireland in both rural and Urban settings .  He was a Community policing Sergeant in North Belfast for over 25 years gaining extensive experience in conflict resolution and community engagement.  Brian used football as a positive way to engage young people from interface communities and this has became his passion after creating the Limestone United project  in 2011

He has international experience in community development and aspires to see Grassroots football bring communities together under one common goal to deliver positive change .

Brian engaged with the CFA and as a result of this extremely positive experience  in creating a peace pitch in North Belfast he has aspired to support the brilliant work of the CFA

Denver Charles

Project Manager (Northern Ireland)

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Denver is the Head of History and Politics at Magherafelt High School.  He participated in the EUROCLIO/FARE Football Makes History project ( https://footballmakeshistory.eu/ ) and has a long interest in utilising the stories about football in the classroom.  The students of Magherafelt High School were involved in the Children’s Football Alliance project, Football Makes Our Shared History, and attended the Global Peace Games in September 2023.  Denver has been involved in coaching football for over twenty years.  He is currently Chair of the History Teachers’ Association of Northern Ireland and has developed resources to teach the history of the Northern Ireland conflict.  ( https://www.htani.org/ )

Tim Wareing

Project Manager (Northern Ireland)

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Tim Wareing (UEFA European ‘A’ Licence) is the Founder Director of TW Sports.  He has over 20 years of football coaching experience.  This extends from grassroots, to semi-professional level.  During his six years at Irish Premiership Club, Lisburn Distillery, he implemented a successful Youth Academy.

Tim’s work in the children’s game has been featured in many publications and broadcasted on mainstream networks.  His body of work has been delivered across Northern Ireland and gained a reputation for high standards in all areas of the children’s game.  TW Sports award winning Toddler Soccer and Mini Soccer, programmes, continue to help development through play for children in all communities.  Tim, represents The National and International Children’s Football Alliance in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.  Tim has written 3 books; ’Toddler Soccer The Essential Guide To A Toddler’s First Steps In Soccer’, ‘1-on-1 Coaching The Secrets To Improve ALL Football Players – GUARANTEED!’ and ‘The Secrets To Developing ELITE Youth Football Players’,

Tim is married to Leanne and they have four children; Cameron, Amy, Max and Tom.

Anthony David

Project Manager

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A former qualified NVQ sports trainer, football and fitness coach who worked for a youth training scheme in Islington for 16 / 18yr old students. 17 years experience Tony is a highly respected grass roots football coach working with a broad section of children in the community.

Tony is a senior coordinator of the Positive Futures programme mentoring young coaches who are engaging young people in the community. Tony’s worked for Arsenal in the Community since January 2004 and continues to help provide opportunities for 8 – 19 year olds channelling their energies to get involved in sports activities and further fields.

Tony’s experience working with children of all ages on their estates facilitating football activities contribute and help reduce anti-social behaviour, promote healthy living and often present children with opportunities to develop interpersonal skills, communication skills, social skills, education and improve their football ability.

He has organised many matches, festivals and tournaments with local kids playing teams all over the country where they have benefitted immensely and have come away with great experiences. Tony continues to coach an under 16s team with the emphasis on fun rather than win at all costs.

Debbie Sayers

Project Manager

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Debbie is a solicitor who has a PhD in human rights law. She is a published author on human rights matters, including children’s rights.

Debbie founded Salisbury Rovers FC in April 2016. The club is committed to returning the game to the kids who play it and has been championing child-led practice since its launch. This has garnered international interest and Debbie has participated in many podcasts and projects to promote child-led practice to different audiences. Salisbury Rovers FC has won County FA Club of the Year for two of the four years it has been in existence.

Debbie coaches over 100 children a week from ages 5 to 16. She has helped facilitate a one-team club for older players – AFC Salisbury – with the aim of encouraging young people to take control of their own club and lead it into adulthood. She also launched the Free Play Pledge in 2019 and is a founder member of the Free Play Family on Twitter.

Joanne Satherley

Social Media Manager

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A former Synchronised Swimmer who is also a qualified swimming teacher is now a 4th year Law student who is specialising in Youth Law and once the university degree has been completed will represent young offenders within a court of Law as a solicitor.

Her work experience includes owning her own company and working for West Midlands Police until she decided that she wanted to be more hands on with offenders and now works for the Ministry of Justice in Probation.

Joanne is also an appropriate adult for Staffordshire and West Midlands police who offers assistance to people with vulnerabilities when they arrive in custody.

Joanne also volunteers at her local high school as a youth mentor offering support and a listening ear to teenagers who are struggling with every day life.

Joanne is married and a mother of 2, a 21 year old daughter and a 16 year old son and the owner of 2 miniature dachshunds Walter and Percy.

Mick Gale

International Projects Director and Peace Fields Project Ambassador

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Mick started adult life as a professional footballer eventually moving into teacher training giving him the perfect combination of football knowledge with an ability to motivate.  He combined teaching with coaching very successfully in the UK, Africa and New Zealand.  Working also within the FA structure in the women’s game he lifted the girls centres of excellence in Brighton and Cornwall to a higher level with an ultra-modern approach to the now recognised ‘4 Corners philosophy’.  Setting up training camps for elite players in the USA followed and then working in Canada with university soccer and a National Development Centre.   The English FA called upon him to do match analysis and scouting when youth teams travelled on tour and he worked to develop an Elite Youth training programme.

Mick’s work for the International Children’s Football Alliance has been exemplary; twining designated areas of play in 4 continents, engaging over 4000 young people through peace education and creating peace makers for the future . Mick is married and has five, now adult, children. He likes to joke and his serious side reflects in his football.  All sessions must be fun and he aims to get the players laughing in the first two minutes.  He has always advocated the women’s game achieving equal status.  Still ambitious and self-motivated he continues to have high ambition for the future of football.

Tereas Green

Media

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The winner of four national newspaper industry awards, Teresa joined Chris Green Media as editorial partner in 2010 after a 25 year career in regional newspapers in the West Midlands.

Teresa studied journalism at the South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education in Cardiff and her roles have included sports editor at the Bromsgrove Advertiser, assistant editor at the Kidderminster Shuttle and sports reporter/sub editor at the Sunday Mercury.

One of the first women sports editors in the UK, she has been highly commended at the British Sports Journalism, Newsquest and Newspaper Society awards and, for CGM, recognised in the 2016 Worcestershire Hour awards for her social media campaign for the charity dance spectacular Strictly Worcestershire. Teresa was proud to be among the judges of the 2021 British Sports Journalism Awards.

She is a staunch Worcestershire CCC and West Bromwich Albion supporter and became communications director of Worcestershire Cricket Board in 2020.

https://chrisgreenmedia.com/

Colin Farley

Sponsor

Colin has over 30 years experience in the Insurance Investigation arena, which he entered following his earlier occupation as a detective in the Police Force.

Throughout his insurance related career, he has initiated many innovations which have lead to well publicised successes in fraud investigations, computerised claims solutions and training videos.

His interest in health related matters and new media communications has been a significant factor in the latest areas of activity.  He is a qualified homoeopath and counsellor.

As the Founder of Capricorn Productions he has supported the NCFA from the outset by providing media and admin services.

Colin is also a keen supporter of football with grandchildren who are actively involved in children’s football.

Daisy & Charlie Cooper

Patrons

Brother and sister, Daisy and Charlie Cooper, are the writers and co-stars of the BAFTA winning, hit BBC comedy, This Country.

The pair live in the Cotswold. Mum Daisy trained at RADA and is an ambassador for the Barn Theatre in Cirencester.

Dad Charlie, a keen footballer, studied Sports Science at Exeter University.

Dave Neita

Patron

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Dave Neita, founder and director of ELECT, is a lawyer and published poet….

Called to the Bar of England & Wales in 2000, Dave was a member of the legal team, which brought the largest group action claim in the UK on behalf of thousands of South African asbestos miners. Dave has also represented many youngsters excluded from school and he the last lawyer to Milton Hanson (deceased), the outspoken Nurse who confronted and fought against racism in the NHS. Dave has been working in the local London community and he has a strong background in working with pupils with the aim of building confidence, raising achievement and developing leadership.

Dave also runs a project that employs poetry as a vehicle for expression for users and carers within mental health services. This project also assists users to draft parliamentary questions to the executive of the government, which expresses their political concerns. He has been featured in MENTAL HEALTH TODAY for his work in Creative Psychiatric Care.  Although his work as a barrister and poetry takes up much of his time Dave also volunteers his time in the community and the Mayor of London has highlighted him for making an outstanding contribution to life in London.

Dave is a UK ambassador for the European Year of Equal Opportunity for All: Face of the Year Campaign and holds an MA in Cultural Leadership. Dave has a Masters of Arts in Cultural Leadership and he is the Author of the book Manuscript Of A Scripture Man, the Filmmaker of the film Ben Okri’s Mental Fight: Harmony of Politics and Heart, and Writer and Recording Artist of the Spoken Word CDs The Lie Centenary… The Truth Will Set You Free, PURE (Passionate Unadulterated Romantic Expressions) and NSNR (New School Nursery Rhymes).

Sue Palmer

Patron

suepalmer.co.uk
Sue Palmer is the author of over two hundred books, software packages and TV programmes about primary literacy. She is a popular conference speaker in the UK and beyond, both on this subject and on child development in the modern world, about which she frequently writes and comments in the media. Since publishing her best-selling book Toxic Childhood in 2006, Sue has been involved in many national campaigns around education, outdoor play, screen-based entertainment and the commercialisation of childhood. She is currently a member of the Scottish Government’s Early Years Task Force and co-chair of the Task Force’s committee on Culture Change.