Rugby Town JFC were celebrating today, thanks to the Football Foundation, the UK’s largest sports charity.

The club has been awarded funding as part of The FA’s 9v9 goalposts initiative which was launched in May in partnership with the Football Foundation.

The funding is for 2 sets of 9v9 goal posts

The Football Foundation teamed up with The FA to provide funding towards the installation of 9v9 goalposts as part of The FA’s Youth Development Review. Children will now be able to play matches on pitches that are relative to their age and size.

The move to 9v9 matches will require goals that are smaller than the full size goals used at present. This will have an additional expense with a pair of goals costing on average up to £900. A ring-fenced funding pot of £1.5m – made available by the Foundation in association with The FA – will support clubs and leagues taking up the new nine-a-side format of the game – a key part of The FA’s new approach to youth football.

The 9-a-side format aims to develop more technically-gifted English players. The game is more enjoyable for youngsters as they receive more touches of the ball and are less likely to be dominated by larger, more physical players.

Sir Trevor Brooking, Director of Football Development at The FA, said: “The new 9v9 football format will go a long way in helping youngsters with their skill, touch and technique and it also means that 11-year-old goalkeepers won’t have to defend the same size goal that’s used by Joe Hart and his colleagues in the Premier League every week!

“We want boys and girls with a passion for football to look forward to playing on a regular basis and 9v9 will certainly mean more touches of the ball for players and a fun time for all involved.

Investing in 9v9 goals in Rugby will only benefit local clubs and English football as a whole in the long-term.

Brian Crinigan (Juniors Club Secretary) expressed delight at the award of the grant, saying: The recent changes implimented by the FA for 9v9 is the right way to go for the future of English football. We at Rugby Town are delighted that we have secured funding to purchase 2 sets of goals. They will be in action on the 2nd September when we hold our 9v9 Spooner Cup charity competition. We are grateful that schemes like this support grass roots football.