Applications must be in by Tuesday, September 30

Youngsters aged 15-21 in grassroots Essex football are being invited to form a brand new ‘Youth Council’ which will influence the work of the County FA’s Development Team and improve the game for peers across the county.

An application window is open until Tuesday, September 30 for anyone who fits the age range as of July 1 this year and is actively involved either at their school, college or university or at a club.

They must be passionate about developing the game and be prepared to commit time over the season. A chair, vice-chair and six project officers will be appointed after a series of interviews – which will take place in October.

The Youth Council has been designed to inspire, empower and provide a voice for all children and young people across the county to discuss how football evolves over the coming years.

Initially it will be set-up to help the Essex County FA Development Team to meet a number of FA National Game Strategy objectives. One for example will be to increase the number of young people who access the ‘Football Futures’ programme.

Projects will be set for the young people, who will meet four times a season at the County Office in Chelmsford, but they’ll also be in regular contact away from meetings. Members will be provided with a fantastic opportunity to develop themselves on a personal level.

Essex County FA Senior Football Development Officer Nick Emery organises the Football Futures programme locally, and he explained that as many people as possible should come forward to benefit from this new opportunity: “Young people are the future of the game – their views and opinions need to be at the forefront in the development of football.

“We must find out exactly what they would like when making future decisions which could affect them.

“Giving youngsters the opportunity to contribute their views will, I hope, encourage more kids to play and also get involved as coaches, referees and volunteers. One of the key themes to the National Game Strategy is around the development of the football workforce.

“Young people form a huge part of this and will become future coaches, referees and club and league committee members, so it’s vital we invest in them. The Youth Council will link directly into the Football Futures programme, which rewards and develops young people who volunteer their time to develop grassroots football.”

? Full role profiles and an application form are available at essexfa.com. The application deadline is Tuesday, September 30, and interviews will take place in the middle of October. Further information on grassroots football can be found on Twitter @EssexCountyFA and on Facebook by searching for EssexFootball.