We are proud to release the statistics for areas including playing, refereeing and coaching from last season.

Playing

• 37,457 register players on our Male pathway
• 5,243 registered players on our Female pathway
• 1,148 registered players on our Disability pathway

The 2022/23 season saw an increase in the number of players in all of our sections, and we're delighted that grassroots football in Liverpool is back on the rise after being under intense pressure during COVID-19.

Football is for everyone, no matter your age, gender or ability, so head to our Players section to get involved.

Youth Football

At Liverpool FA, our priority is to ensure the safety of everybody in grassroots football. This is particularly important with children.

Throughout the 2022/23 season, over 90% of Clubs were England Football Accredited. This accreditation plays a vital role in ensuring the correct measures are in place when operating youth football. Find out more here.

We have also seen an increase in clubs offering Wildcats and Squad Girls programmes. Whilst this is no doubt inspired by the fantastic achievements of the Lionesses over the last few years, it is great to see Merseyside clubs use the Lionesses’ legacy to give back to young girls in our community.

Coaching

We had over 1,000 coaches attend CPD sessions in the 2022/23 season, showing there is always an appetite for our coaches to learn new skills. Don’t forget we have our dedicated CPD Events page so you can keep track of upcoming workshops.

We are also proud that a large majority (over 70%) of Merseyside youth teams have qualified coaches. To ensure our players play in a safe environment, we encourage ALL coaches to gain qualifications. All courses can be found on England Football Learning.

We know coaching requires an immense amount of time and dedication, and we are grateful for all the coaches who offer their help to our clubs.

If you want to get involved in Coaching, click here.

Refereeing

Our refereeing department has been hard at work encouraging people from across the area to get involved in refereeing. Their efforts have paid off with 277 new referees registered in 2022/23 - an increase of 65% compared to 2021/22. We have also seen a number of our referees progress through the Liverpool FA CORE programme.

The game does not exist without referees, and we would like to give our thanks to all 760 of our registered referees in 2022/23, and a special mention to the network of referee coaches, referee observers and the mentors who provide a support network for young aspirational referees across the county.

If you need support, contact our Referee Development Officer on Benjamin.Speedie@LiverpoolFA.com

Refereeing is a unique way to be involved in football and can provide additional benefits away from the pitch including building confidence, leadership skills, teamwork. You can get involved here.

Facilities

The Pitch Improvement Programme has helped regenerate 138 grass pitches across the community, ensuring our players have a place to play.

We have also seen over £1 million pounds invested in the form of grants.

We would like to thank the Football Foundation, The FA, the Premier League and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for their support.

Find out more about Facilities in Merseyside here.

Liverpool FA Chief Executive Tony Smith said: “It’s great to see the ongoing dedication from the vast network of grassroots volunteers across the County, whom we work with day in and day out. It’s fantastic to see further accreditation and ongoing CPD from our coaching colleagues within the youth sector, as we look to ensure a higher quality of Safeguarding across the game, and a 20% increase in female participation across Merseyside.

"As the first proper season back after the pandemic, I’m really pleased with the ongoing growth and thankful for the hard work of the Liverpool FA team and all of the volunteers across the leagues who make this happen. Whilst it’s fantastic to see these improvements, there’s still a long way to go and look forward to improving further on this data for the 23/24 season.”