Northumberland FA recognised as having 'highest quality' standards in managing football

National body The FA introduced a code of governance for its regional counterparts in January 2020, since endorsed by Sport England, that details 65 requirements that must be met to represent a ‘gold standard’ of football governance.

Thanks to its provisions for diversity and youth representation, as well as its structures, functional operations, and decision-making processes, Northumberland FA has become the latest county FA to meet these requirements, and can now display the code of compliance logo.

Andrew Rose-Cook, chief executive at Northumberland FA, said: "We are delighted to have achieved this standard, which recognises that the service we provide is of the highest quality.

“I hope that it will demonstrate to everyone involved in grassroots football in our area that Northumberland FA upholds the highest standards in all of our work, and take confidence from our commitment to continuous development of high quality governance of the game."

Tim Foster, head of operations at The FA, said: “As the national sport that millions of people play and support across the country, it is vitally important that The FA and the county FAs serve and lead the game as effectively as possible.

“Through this code of governance for county FAs, we have set out how they can enhance their governance at county level and ultimately deliver an even better service to their communities.

“I would like to congratulate Northumberland FA on becoming fully compliant and look forward to seeing many other county FAs achieve this same standard as their ongoing work progresses.”