For All Officers Programme Evaluation

The Challenge

Active Cheshire and Cheshire FA reached out to Move Consulting for support in reviewing the For All Officers Programme—a Sport England-funded initiative designed to equip volunteers to champion inclusion and tackle discrimination across football clubs in Cheshire.

While the programme had made positive progress, the delivery partners were keen to better understand how inclusive practices were being embedded at club level and explore how clubs could be further supported to reflect the communities they serve. They sought independent insight to inform future improvements and ensure the programme’s impact could be sustained and scaled.

Our Approach

Move Consulting led a focused, insight-driven evaluation of the programme—designed to capture the real-world experiences of stakeholders involved in delivering and supporting inclusive football environments.

We began by working with Active Cheshire to develop a tailored interview schedule, ensuring the evaluation captured perspectives from across the system. Over 10 hours of in-depth 1:1 interviews were conducted with representatives from Cheshire FA, EDI charities, and a cohort of For All Officers working across local football clubs.

Using this feedback, we identified trends, strengths, and areas for improvement, allowing us to make evidence-based recommendations to improve club support and volunteer development. These recommendations were designed to align with both local delivery needs and wider strategic priorities across the county.

Our Approach

Move Consulting led a focused, insight-driven evaluation of the programme—designed to capture the real-world experiences of stakeholders involved in delivering and supporting inclusive football environments.

We began by working with Active Cheshire to develop a tailored interview schedule, ensuring the evaluation captured perspectives from across the system. Over 10 hours of in-depth 1:1 interviews were conducted with representatives from Cheshire FA, EDI charities, and a cohort of For All Officers working across local football clubs.

Using this feedback, we identified trends, strengths, and areas for improvement, allowing us to make evidence-based recommendations to improve club support and volunteer development. These recommendations were designed to align with both local delivery needs and wider strategic priorities across the county.

What was delivered

As part of this project, Move Consulting provided:

• A stakeholder engagement process, including interviews with delivery partners, volunteers, and supporting organisations
   
• Thematic analysis of insights to identify common challenges and opportunities for improvement
   
• A set of club-level recommendations to support inclusive practice and strengthen the role of For All Officers
   
• System-level recommendations integrated into Active Cheshire’s People Plan to inform future volunteer development and support
   

Project impact

The evaluation findings and recommendations are now shaping how Active Cheshire and Cheshire FA develop and support inclusive volunteering across the sport. The insights are informing the county-wide People Plan, providing practical actions to improve how physical activity volunteers are trained, supported, and celebrated.