The GFA, that august body which administers football in Bristol and certain other parts of the Country, is currently imploring all persons involved in Football at Grassroots level to take part in what is now becoming an annual survey into how things are going within the local football scene.  It really doesn’t take very long to complete and, by doing so, you can at least pretend that you have contributed your say to the ongoing debate with regard to how best to develop the game of football throughout the Country.  The blurb put out by the GFA is reproduced below and contains, within it, the link that you will need to be taken to the survey.  As you will gather, there are all kinds of carrot-type incentives dangled in front of you to try and get you to fill the thing out, although you will realise as soon as you start to complete it that it is a National thing and not just restricted to Gloucestershire, so the chances of winning anything are minimal.  Oh, yes, and the England tickets up for grabs are for a friendly on a Saturday afternoon and not the World Cup qualifier four days later against Ukraine but, hey, if you don’t contribute you can’t really moan if things aren’t quite as you would like them, can you

Anyway, the pronouncement from the GFA reads as follows:-

"A key element in delivering the GFA County Strategy is to enable the organisation to receive feedback. Players, coaches and the football workforce throughout Bristol and Gloucestershire can now have their say on the future of the grassroots game locally by taking part in a new online survey.

We invite all grassroots stakeholders to voice their opinions on subjects such as The FA’s work at local level and making the Respect programme a long-term success. We need to hear your views so that we can help keep the grassroots game heading in a positive direction.

Figures show that there’s been an increase in young players, referees, females and ethnic minorities involved in the game and it’s critical that our survey results reflect that change going forward as we look to go from strength to strength with quality football opportunities for all.

The survey can be accessed at www.GloucestershireFA.com

The FA has organised a free prize draw that you will automatically have the opportunity to enter on completion of the online survey.

The prizes are:
• A signed England shirt!
• One of ten pairs of tickets to England v Slovakia on 28 March 2009 at Wembley!
• UMBRO vouchers to spend online – a £200 voucher, £100 voucher and £50 voucher! "

So, once you get over the shock of discovering that you are a “grassroots stakeholder”, please do have your say by filling out the survey – but do please also  note that, if you were to  win tickets for the friendly on Saturday, 28^th March, 2009 – kick off 5.15 pm – you will have to give them to a non- grassroots stakeholder as you are likely to be playing for Star that day!!!