The Football Association
The FA was founded in 1863 as the governing body of the game in England. The FA is responsible for all regulatory aspects of the game of football in England.

Its activities are many and varied and include the following:

  • Promoting the development of the game amongst all ages, backgrounds and abilities in terms of participation and quality. This also involves promoting the availability of the sport to the greatest possible number of people.
  • Regulating the game on and off the field of play through the "Laws of the Game" and the "Rules of The Association".
  • Sanctioning, either directly or indirectly, all matches, leagues and competitions played in England
  • Overseeing the administration of the disciplinary system, which is applicable to all participants in the game (each club, player, competition, match official and any other person involved in the game in England is bound by the Rules) and the administration of refereeing throughout the game
  • Organising a number of senior men’s, youth and women’s national competitions (including most notably The FA Challenge Cup) and the participation of England national representative teams (again, senior men’s, youth and women’s teams) in international matches, most notably the men’s senior team in the FIFA World Championships and the UEFA European Championships and friendly fixtures.

Football is the Nation’s Game

Football is as healthy and successful as it has ever been. The game has more spectators, participants, revenues and media interest than at any time in its history:

  • FA Cup Final 2004 viewed live in over 150 countries  
  • 4 of top 5 UK TV sport broadcasts 2004 were England's matches at Euro 2004. 
  • FAPL average match attendance 34,324 in 2002, highest in Europe
  • The Football League is the largest, most successful and watched ‘second’ league in Europe

Football is the nation’s game in more than the spectator sense; the scope and reach of the game across various levels of participation is considerable:

  • 7 million participants, plus 5 million in schools
  • 500,000 volunteers
  • 37,500 clubs, including 9,000 youth clubs
  • 2,000 competitions
  • 32,000 schools (17,000 primary)
  • 30,000 FA-qualified coaches
  • 27,000 FA-qualified referees
  • 45,000 pitches (21,000 facilities)

The FA acts as the link between the professional game and the amateur game beneath, what we call the "National Game". There are tremendous links between the two sides of the game, not least of these is that the volunteers and players in the National Game are substantially football fans, who are therefore the customers of the professional game.

A strong professional game is fundamental to creating interest in football at the grass roots. The FA has a strong relationship with The FA Premier League, the Football League, and The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).