Ted Grizzell (Malvern), Doug Howie (Malvern) and Lauren Whiteman (Droitwich) have all been recruited, with various roles to fill.
Ted, a full time FA Skills Coach for the Birmingham Team, is the group’s Head of Projects; Doug, now a student at Loughborough University, fulfils Head of Finance; and Lauren, who currently studies at Droitwich Spa High School, is part of a team responsible for Camp Management 2012.
All 3 youngsters have successfully graduated the County Leadership & Volunteering Programme, which is where their talent was first nurtured; in fact Lauren is still fulfilling responsibilities as part of the WFA County Management Team.
Over the years their leadership talent has been spotted by The FA who has drafted them in as part of this new group. The FA NYC has primarily been established to create a voice for children and young people, to help shape and develop football in England by drawing on their expertise, to deliver specific projects for young people such as The FA Football Futures Leadership Camp.
Matt Jones (Football Development Officer) said “Managing the County Leadership & Volunteering Programme is without doubt the most rewarding part of my job; working with young people like Ted, Doug & Lauren is a joy, challenging their skill-set & supporting their personal development as leaders within the game. Without doubt The FA has elected 3 talented individuals onto The FA National Youth Council, an outstanding achievement for the trio from sunny Worcestershire, a feat which is purely down to them, their application, attitude & hard work. The WFA is extremely proud and is confident that football has a very bright future with the hat-trick of youngsters involved”.
The goals developed by The FA NYC are drawn from the National Game Strategy, with the group determined to have an impact on:-
1. Creating a communication platform for children and young people.
2. Supporting more children and young people to play football and stay in the game for longer to address drop out.
3. Helping to raise standards and create better players.
4. Significantly influencing young people to volunteer in football in a range of roles to become the coaches, referees and administrators of the future.
The FA NYC consists of 12 people in total from all over England, with different backgrounds and reasons for being involved in football.
For further information on The FA National Youth Council please contact donna.mcivor@thefa.com. You can also keep up to date via twitter @TheFaNYC and by 'liking' the Football Futures webpage on Facebook.
For further information on the County Leadership & Volunteering Programme please contact Matt Jones on 01905 827137 (ext 206) or matt.jones@worcestershirefa.com.