Football 4 Development

Football and the Fairfield Community
Football is the world’s most popular sport and is considered as “the world game”. It is a truly multicultural sport played by people from all cultures and creeds. It is also Australia’s most popular sport with 474,000 registered players and a reported 1.7 million participants. Its worldwide appeal makes it a vehicle to support the development of inclusive communities. Australia is one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world and Sydney its most culturally diverse city. 40% of all overseas born immigrants settle in the Sydney metropolitan and Fairfield City, and the surrounding local government areas of Liverpool, Holroyd, Auburn and Blacktown, are among the most multicultural communities in Sydney. Football is the sport that the people living in these communities most identify with.
Lack of Access to Existing Talented Football Development Programs
There are numerous talented football programs operating within high schools, particularly Sports High Schools in the Sydney Metropolitan region. However, the talent development programs offered by these schools are user pays. In addition, most elite level training programs and competition outside of school is provided by elite level football clubs and competitions where registration fees are expensive.
It is a fact that, for young people with football talent, there is inequity of opportunity and access to talented football development programs that currently exist in schools and football clubs in NSW because of the cost.
The Importance of a Talented Football Development Program at Fairfield High School with equity of access
Fairfield High School is perfectly positioned to provide a unique Talented Football Development Program that closes the gaps in equity in participation within the Fairfield and surrounding communities. This is largely because of Fairfield High School’s new outstanding soccer facility and its location on the fringe of the Fairfield central business district within easy access of the South Western train line. The new ‘Ultimate Soccer’ facility at Fairfield High School has an exceptional playing surface for the students of Fairfield High School. A high quality and consistent surface supports football skills development and game play and improves participants’ physical health and conditioning as they can play more often on a safer surface.
Fairfield High School is also well positioned to provide this unique program because it is a public school and the provision of such a program is consistent with the spirit of public education.
“Public schools….are open to all students regardless of cultural or socio-economic background and have always stood for equality of opportunity, fair play, acceptance of diversity and democracy.”
NSW Department of Education and Communities (2015)