FOOTBALL in the Craven area will receive arguably the biggest boost in its history with the imminent appointment of a Football Development Officer for the district, (writes Tony Simpson).

The new post, advertised for the first time in today's Craven Herald, will provide the manpower back-up for the £835,879 project currently under construction at Sandylands.

A condition of the funding given by the Football Foundation was that a Rural Community Football Development Officer be employed, initially for four years, to ensure that the capital project operates to optimum capacity.

The third generation 'field turf', floodlit surface will be the first of its kind in North Yorkshire, but it is already in use in the Scottish League.

That part of the project is scheduled to come on stream on March 1, 2004 and will provide Skipton and Craven with a state of the art, outdoor facility to match anything in the land.

In the longer term, however, the project's ultimate success will depend on the use made of it by football clubs, players, coaches and officials in the region.

"This is a very important development, not just for soccer, but also for Craven as a district," says Craven District Council's Sports Development Officer, Bruce Dinsmore.

"We have development officers for rugby and cricket in the area and the appointment of a football officer will fill the gap that exists in Craven.

"The initiative will enable us to look at developing football for girls and women, which is one of the fastest growing areas of sport, and for people with disabilities.

"It will also help us to give young players better access to coaching and a chance to develop their skills in the town, rather than having to move out to get the kind of facilities and coaching their talents deserve.

"Obviously there is also a big opportunity for schools use and this will be another important area for the new person to explore and develop."

Roger Beck, chairman of the Coulthurst Craven Sports Centre Management Committee, whose work, supported by Craven District Council, has driven this exciting innovation, also sees the package as a major boost for the sport and the area.

"This exciting post is essential to ensure the implementation of the Football Development Plan and the success of the all-weather pitch," he says. "It will allow use by schools, local clubs and the wider community and, in particular, increase opportunities for girls' and women's football development and disabled groups."

Peter Marsden, a director of the West Riding FA and life-long worker for football in Craven, sees the whole scheme as an ideal opportunity for player and club development.

"It will be up to the new man to come up with ideas on how to make best use of the new facility and how to attract clubs and players to take advantage of it," he says.

"It should be a massive boost for Craven football. Whether that development of players and clubs ultimately leads to one or more clubs seeking to move up the pecking order and become a Chartered Standard club, for example, remains to be seen, but initially, I simply want to see as many clubs and players as possible taking advantage of what's on offer and helping to get the new person up and running."

Arguably the most important aspect of this excellent project in the longer term will be whether it ultimately hastens the day when Skipton has a football team of genuine standing.

The fact that above average players in the district must move on to clubs in much smaller towns and villages in the area to test their skills at a suitable level is a major flaw in the sport's make-up.

Individual loyalty and pride repeatedly conspires against any possibility of amalgamation, but unless and until that happens, the current pattern will remain.

If the new pitch and the new person in charge do anything to refocus attention on this failing, it will have bestowed a far greater benefit than simply providing a top-class training facility.