During 2009, Knight Kavanagh & Page has developed a Football Investment Strategy for Sunderland City Council and its partners to provide a clear strategic framework for future investment.

Recognising the need to develop both their pitches and associated ancillary facilities, a number of forward thinking authorities like Sunderland are now embarking upon investment strategies; taking the traditional playing pitch strategy one step further to translate identified needs into development plans and funding applications for new and improved facilities.

Designed to transform the City's playing pitch stock and associated ancillary facilities, KKP's strategy embraces both development of new facilities and the improvement of existing playing pitches and ancillary facilities.

The strategic framework developed was underpinned by detailed evaluation of local need. This was identified via a combination of supply and demand analysis and comprehensive consultation; all recorded in an assessment report.

This assessment informed KKP's selection of a project portfolio to facilitate delivery of the vision for a City wide tiered model of provision. It recognises the need to, wherever possible, deliver facilities that serve optimum numbers of participants and gives priority to deliverable projects which can both support current activity and be sustainable in the future.

The Strategy is set out based on a series of ‘big vision blocks' that demonstrate a holistic commitment to the development of football particularly at grassroots level. These reflect the desire of the City to take a bottom up approach and to ensure that Strategy implementation delivers its legacy commitments in relation to its aspiration to be a host city for the England 2018 FIFA World Cup:

(Image: Sunderland Football Investment Strategy)

These foundations support a clear, achievable framework of objectives and actions for delivery:

• Improving facility quality in the City to ensure that local clubs and organisations have access to the best facilities, appropriate to their playing requirements, that can accommodate current levels of participation and stimulate new activity.
• Creating and maintaining sufficient facilities to meet current and future demand by adding to the City's pitch stock. Optimising BSF investment will be key, in particular as it is predicted that Sunderland will see substantially increased demand for junior and mini soccer provision in coming years.
• The adoption of a strategic management approach through a tiered model.

The innovative tiered approach proposed offers a strategic approach to pitch provision hinged on a logical, practical rationale that is based primarily upon current need but allows flexibility to accommodate future change.

Falling out from this, KKP also provided costed, justifiable development plans for each of the City's five regeneration areas, accompanied by a clear framework for action. These incorporate redevelopment of school facilities, upgrading of recreation grounds and a proposal to transform pitch stock in the Coalfields area of the City.

Over recent years, KKP has worked closely with Sunderland City Council and partners, providing strategic planning input, expertise and support in facilities planning, commercial leisure, sports development, PE and school sport, play, culture and events. This excellent knowledge of key sites and local needs was important to the successful delivery of the investment strategy.

Paul Power, Sports Delivery and Project Manager, Sunderland City Council was the client lead officer for this project and has been driving investment in football across the City. He said,

"KKP has challenged us to think in a new way about how we more effectively programme the use of our pitches and improve how we look to invest on a city and area basis. The objectivity provided by KKP has also been of added value, something which would have been lacking if the work was done by the Council."

The finalised strategy has been presented to, and been well received by Council members. Sunderland is keen to work with Durham County FA and the Football Foundation over the coming months to realise some of the projects identified within its exciting and innovative portfolio.  On the back of this, the Council also retained KKP's services to complete its playing pitch strategy.