Just Play! Leamington FC Join New National FA Initiative.

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This month sees the launch of FA Mars Just Play! a new nationwide initiative that aims to get adults back playing football.
The FA Mars Just Play programme is a partnership between Mars and the FA and is set to arrest thedecline in adult football.  The partnership is aiming to get 150,000 new participants playing the game at least 30 minutes a week by September 2013, and deliver a total of 3.9m hours of extra football played each year throughout England.

According to Sport England research, the number of people playing regular grassroots adult football in England is declining due to lack of facilities, increased apathy, inflexible football options and logistical difficulties hampering people joining teams.

At the heart of the new campaign are Just Play Kickabouts – a new informal way to get back into football.

Leamington Football Club has been successful in its bid to become one of the first Just Play Kickabout centres nationally, and the first registered centre in Coventry and Warwickshire.

The club will provide weekly informal football sessions for adult men aged 18+ at Warwick University’s Westwood Sports Campus, starting from Monday 24th October.

The sessions are open to people of any ability and fitness level and offer the chance to play football in relaxed surroundings, with no commitment required.

The Leamington FC Just Play sessions cost just 50 pence per week and take place on Monday evenings from 8.30 – 9.30pm at Westwood Sports Campus, Kirby Corner Road at the University of Warwick.

The Head of National Game at the FA Kelly Simmons said “The FA Mars Just Play programme will help us tackle the issues that are currently affecting adult grassroots football. We believe its success will open up football to a whole new audience which might have been put off by barriers such as lack of facilities, time or people to play with.”

Leamington FC Chairman Jim Scott added: “We are delighted to have been successful in becoming a partner with the FA on this exciting new initiative. We must also thank Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Sport for a small grant which has allowed us to offer these activities so cheaply.

“We want to engage not just Leamington FC supporters with Just Play, but the wider community as well. Our links with Warwick University are further strengthened through this initiative and we are really excited about this community project.”

All adult men are welcome to join the sessions by just turning up, although booking is preferable.
For more information or to book on the Leamington FC Just Play initiative, you can visit www.justplay.thefa.com or email justplay@leamingtonfc.co.uk