In The Box

Tom and Charlotte round up Season 2 with a look back at some of their favourite interviews and the best tips from their travels. We revisit the Grassroots Football Awards at Wembley, take a stop at Hashtag United before hearing from Baroness Sue Campbell ahead of the Womens Euros this summer. There's also a look ahead to Season 3 which promises to bigger and better than ever! All this and more, In...

Meet Spencer Carmichael-Brown, aka Spencer Owen or Spencer FC, the Co-Chair of Hashtag United, one of the fastest growing clubs in the Country. Tom Lee and Charlotte Richardson caught up with Spencer to find out what the club stands for, how he aims to make the club sustainable and why being part of his community is important to him. Spencer runs his own YouTube channel, Spencer FC, as well a...

Tom's back on the road and for #NationalVolunteersDay he took his job literally; so he's at  Hashtag United  to meet some incredible volunteers.  Truly the lifeblood of football - it's the volunteers who make sure everyone can play in our leagues and clubs. Tom is joined by volunteers who range from the new recruits through to the 30 year veterans. All that and more from one of the...

Welcome to our second special women and girls mini series of In The Box. This episode Charlotte meets Baroness Sue Campbell, The FA Director of Women’s Football. We follow Sues entry in to sport and how she came to be involved in football. Why she sees football as the best way to make change in our country and some of the ways she's shaped that with her team.  All this and more, In The Box. F...

Welcome to the first in our special women and girls mini series of In The Box. This episode Charlotte gets the chance to sit down with Kelly Simmons, The FA Director of the Women’s Professional Game. We get inside Kelly’s career and how The FA are planning for the future gamechangers. More opportunities for more women and girls to play football at any level they choose. Plus how winning the Euros...

We want girls to play football! This month on In The Box, Tom puts Charlotte on the other end of the questions to explain a project close to her heart. Plus the team are joined by Gamechangers who are making a difference in their leagues, clubs and communities, getting more girls playing football.   It's all about the new #LetGirlsPlay campaign, what it's about, who it's for and how to get in...

Welcome back to another episode of In The Box.  This month we unpack the Football Leadership Diversity Code for the non-professional game. Tom and Charlotte go behind the scenes at St. George’s Park to talk about how the code has been designed, what it means for the grassroots game and what it aims to achieve over the next 5 to 10 years. Edleen John, Diversity and Inclusion Director and James...

Welcome to England Football Accredited miniseries brought to you by In The Box. Listen to Episode 1 of this series where Tom Lee talks about the transition from FA Charter Standard to England Football Accreditation and what it means for your accredited league or club. To find out more visit: www. EnglandFootball.com/Accredited For all the support you need to be built to last email: clubaccreditati...

Welcome to a very special In The Box where we're on the road behind the scenes at this years England Football & McDonalds Grassroots Heroes awards.  Tom and Charlotte meet some of the amazing heroes who went above and beyond in 2021, hearing their stories and how they've made a difference to their communities. Casey Stoney tell's us why this is her favourite event every year and Tom and C...

More Kick, Less Click, The Technology Supporting your game. In this episode of In The Box we chat to the people who deliver and use the latest technology to help them run and administer the game. They take us through what’s on the horizon, all designed so you can spend more time playing and enjoying the game. Book on to the free In The Box Extra Time webinar on Tuesday 17 August at 7pm as we focus...

Welcome to Season 2 of In The Box. We’re starting off on the road, out in the grassroots football community for the very first time. In this episode we’re meeting Sporting Khalsa, a cornerstone for their local community just celebrating their 30 year anniversary.  Tom and Charlotte get to meet Jasbir Batt, who’s at the heart of making sure the club is inclusive, and available for all.  A...

The final episode in our current season of In The Box. In this episode Charlotte get's the chance to put Tom and The FA National Services team through their paces as they discuss the new England Football and its impact. Tom then gets the chance to chat to Kim from England Football Learning about how the changes will affect and energise qualifications and learning for everyone in football. Found ou...

Survive, revive and thrive, taking a closer look at your grassroots football strategy and what it means for the game up until 2024. With insight from James Kendall, The FA Director of football development and Grassroots Football UK owner Paul Kirton. Read more on The FA’s ‘Time For Change’ strategy here https://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/what-we-do/strategy   Read more on The FA...

In this month’s Extra Time we’ve collected information from experts and grassroots clubs and leagues like you, to help you on this journey as we Return to Football. To get the most out of this webinar share the relevant sections with people in your club or league and be confident and prepared to return to football. We break down the COVID government guidance, what it means for you and where to fin...

In this episode we talk all about the grassroots football family. The volunteers who make our game special week in, week out. We discuss how to reward and recognise these awesome individuals and groups of people. We reflect on international women’s day and our first virtual The FA and McDonald’s Grassroots Awards 2020. Our 2020 Bobby Moore Award winner gets a surprise from the gaffer, Gareth South...

This is In The Box Extra Time, taking a closer look at the support available for Grassroots Football Clubs and Leagues. In this extra time episode we tell you all about fundraising and gift aid benefits of being a CASC or Charity. You'll also understand: What is a CASC, what are the benefits and how do you become one What is gift aid, how to set it up and what you can claim gift aid on Ideas on fu...

Welcome back to In The Box Episode 2, the podcast for grassroots football. In this episode, find out what The FA Charter Standard is and the benefits of accreditation plus the difference it has made to grassroots clubs and leagues.  We speak to Dawn Barnett from Southern Sunday Football League who has helped 80 clubs (and counting) through accreditation. She tells us why she believes in the p...

This is Making the most of what you have an In The Box Extra Time episode, where we take a closer look at the support available for grassroots football Clubs and Leagues. In this episode you'll understand: How volunteer organisations such as WCAVA can help support your club or league with relevant services. How to audit within your organisation who is who and what they do to save and make money. H...

This is Get Fit For Funding, the first episode of the In The Box Extra Time series where we take a closer look at the support available for Grassroots Clubs and Leagues. This episode is all about funding, at the end you should understand how:  Governance, structures and partnerships are key to be fit for funding How COVID-19 may impact us all The importance of long term planning, offer vs nee...

Cash is king, and your grassroots football club relies on it to survive. In this episode of In the Box , you’ll find expert advice on how to manage and boost your club’s cash-flow, along with some brilliant and 100% practical marketing tips to keep you and supporters better engaged during lockdown and beyond. Subscribe to In the Box for great expert advice and tips every month to put your grassroo...

In the Box – the all-new FA Grassroots Podcast! It’s all In the Box: everything you need to put your grassroots club or league to the very top of their game! Every month, your hosts Tom Lee (FA National Club Services Manager) and Charlotte Richardson (FA National Club Services Consultant) bring you the latest news and views from across the grassroots game in England. It’s packed with everything yo...