NOTTINGHAM has been shortlisted to become England's first 'City of Football' – and will do battle with Manchester and Portsmouth for the title.
The title will be awarded to one city in the autumn together with up to £1.6 million of National Lottery funding to run a two-year pilot programme aimed at getting more people – particularly those aged 14-25 years – playing all forms of the grassroots game.
The shortlisted cities fought off competition from 22 cities bidding for the title, demonstrating a commitment to uniting public, private and voluntary organisations to do whatever it takes to get more people – particularly those aged 14-25 years – playing all forms of the grassroots game regularly.
Over the summer, the shortlisted cities will develop full proposals for how they will get more people in their city playing the game regularly.
Sport England will visit each city and work with the consortium to develop these plans.
Phil Smith, Sport England's Director of Sport, said: "Football is our national game and we want everyone who wants to play to be able to.
"Yet despite demand for the game, the number of over 16s playing regularly is falling.
"We want to support one of these cities to become a test-bed for developing innovative ways to get more people playing the game so that we can share best practice across the nation and unlock the latent demand for football that is at the heart of every community.
"We look forward to working with each city over the coming months to develop their ideas."
Kelly Simmons, the FA's Director of National Game and Women's Football, said: "World Cup fever is about to sweep the nation, and we want to ensure that it will inspire players of all ages and abilities to get out and play football regularly in a way that suits them.
"Despite the growth in children's football we are facing challenges retaining and growing the number of adult players wanting to play on a weekly basis.
"The 'City of Football' is an opportunity for everyone involved in football to come together to test new ways of opening up football opportunities for everyone. We look forward to sharing our expertise, as well discovering new insights, as the pilot progresses."
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