Irish Football Association

History

• Founded in Belfast in 1880 (originally an all Ireland team)

• 4th Oldest Assoc and member of IFAB

• Blanchflower, Jennings….Best (Players at all levels have always represented all of the community)

• Qualified for 3 World Cups – 1958, 1982 (Quarter Finalists) and 1986 (Quarter Finalists)

Background

• International, Domestic and Grassroots football

• 870 registered teams (Adults), 500 Boys teams, 50 Women’s teams and 300 School teams

International

• 45 International Matches

• Including men's, women’s, youth and disability teams

• Award winning Football For All (FFA) campaign

International

Key to success tackling sectarianism at international level is FFA partnership work with Northern Ireland Supporters who are key members of FFA Advisory Panel

Domestic

• 676 goals or averaging 2.96 goals per game

• 789 Affiliated Referees• Community Relations

Officers at every Irish League Club and Community Relations key to domestic licence.

Domestic

• The IFA FFA Community Relations Dept supports Clubs with:

1. Community Audits2. Community Relations

Strategies3. Funding Plans

Grassroots

• Over 5,000 FFA participants,

• 14,282 children in primary schools are being coached each week of which 6,905 were girls

• UEFA 5* Charter Mark

Grassroots

Key FFA Community Projects:

1. Women’s World United2. Belfast Celtic Dealing

with the Past Project3. Limestone United and

Ardoyne Interface Projects

4. Belfast Street League

Research• 80% agreed that the IFA works for all sides of

the community• 78% said the IFA have worked hard to move

football forward over the last 4 years• 76% agreed that NI games have become family

friendly• 66% said the IFA is a professional organisation• 73% said the NI team is representative of the

whole community• 86% said the IFA have eradicated sectarianism

over the last 4 years• Source: Millward Brown,

Sample 302, Nov 09

External Recognition

• The EU/UEFA endorsed Football For All programme

• Brussels International Award • UK SME award for

Excellence in Marketing by Institute of Marketing

• Positive external baseline surveys and evaluations of FFA

Our Vision

To develop, foster and promote football for all in

Northern Ireland

Strategic Pillars

Football For All Football For All is all about creating a fun,

safe and inclusive culture throughout football

Football For All• The EU funded Football For All Project

was set up to tackle issue of sectarianism which was crippling Football in Northern Ireland.

• The guiding principles of FFA remain education, support and communication.

• Mainstreaming Football For All into the fabric of the Irish Football Association has revolutionised Northern Irish Football.

Football For All – the future• Looking to the future, the main challenge

is to build on progress made and remove all remaining barriers to inclusion.

• FFA recently commissioned research to identify the remaining barriers to inclusion.

• The challenge is for the sport of football to reflect a new more confident, diverse and inclusive Northern Ireland.

Irish Football Association;QuestionsContacts:Michael Boyd (Head of Community Relations)mboyd@irishfa.com 02890 669458