Middlesex FA is thrilled to announce the launch of a new four-year strategy for grassroots football in Middlesex: Realising Our Potential.

This strategy aims to grow and develop the grassroots game across our County. This bold strategy marks the start of an exciting new era for grassroots football, designed to unite, inspire, and develop an inclusive football experience for all. 

This follows the launch of The Football Association’s [The FA] new landmark national strategy to grow and develop grassroots football in England, titled ‘A Thriving Grassroots Game’. The FA’s overall four-year strategy, ‘Inspiring Positive Change Through Football’, to take English football forward, clearly focusing on the biggest opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed. Middlesex FA’s new strategy will work collaboratively with The FA’s new strategy, which sets out a clear direction of travel for grassroots football. 

Realising Our Potential outlines our ambitions for 2024-2028.



Middlesex FA has adopted the same framework as The FA’s Grassroots Football Strategy 2024-28; however, to ensure the local needs of the Middlesex football community are met, MFA consulted with stakeholders within the Middlesex football community, who provided vital insight into the challenges they face. On a local level, these are our ambitions for Middlesex football, which links to The FA’s five strategic pillars: 

• Improve Playing Choice and Opportunity
• Deliver Equal Opportunities for Women & Girls to Play
• Build More & Improve Existing Facilities 
• Tackle Poor Behaviour
• Develop a valued Network of Volunteers Coaches & Referees

The new strategy outlines three key drivers to deliver this:

• Create and support thriving community clubs – To support a network of thriving community clubs to provide a brilliant football offer to their local communities, to grow in a sustainable way, and to be well-run
• Connect and serve participants – To improve our digital offering and deliver new online services which are personalised, easy to access and help participants to fulfil their roles and find new opportunities
• Progress the game’s governance – To better serve all football participants through the highest governance standards at all levels in the grassroots game.

Speaking about the new strategy, Middlesex FA Chair John Taylor said: “Our strategy for the next four years continues with our overarching ambition of Realising Our Potential football in the County.  This exciting strategy sets the direction for Middlesex FA over the next four years. It highlights how we have utilised the key pillars and drivers of the FA Strategy while ensuring it is localised and relevant to the County of Middlesex and its football members, whether that's a player, a match official, a volunteer, or a spectator.”

Kayleigh Saunders, Middlesex FA CEO, added, “The 2024-2028 Middlesex FA Realising Our Potential strategy is a high-level document that sets the direction for the association over the next four years. The strategy sets bold targets for how we will grow participation and develop new formats of the game, support our volunteer, coach, and referee networks, ensure that we continue to safeguard football across Middlesex and tackle on-field and off-field behaviour. Our strategic pillars and objectives have been developed through extensive consultation with the Middlesex Football community, ensuring that the Realising Our Potential strategy is a true reflection of the game in Middlesex and is closely aligned with the FA’s Grassroots Football Strategy. We believe that this strategy provides a comprehensive roadmap for Middlesex Football for the next four years, addressing local needs and challenges while building on the successes and achievements of the past three years.”