Inspiring more people, of all abilities, to play grassroots local football is the key goal of our online #SquadBooster service, which players are using right now to discover new teams to join in their area.

The service is pivotal to boosting participation figures, appealing to both players and clubs. Newcomers are browsing live classified adverts and matching themselves up with a team, while clubs are also able to attract new faces when their adverts are shared online and on social media via Twitter and Facebook.

Individuals looking to take part in football for the first time access the service, as do those keen to get back into the game after a spell on the sidelines. Adverts also appeal to players seeking more game time elsewhere. Users of the service are from all levels of adult male, adult female, boys’ and girls’ football and #SquadBooster also incorporates Futsal, Soccability and Walking Football.

It takes just three minutes for a club to complete the online form, which has been used over 2,000 times, with a 100% completion rate. These adverts are then published on the County FA website and are split into four local regions to make it easier for players to find a club close to them.

In addition, adverts are hugely backed by social media activity, especially on Twitter, where individual tweets are shared using the highly-active #SquadBooster hashtag. A growing number of users take advantage of this every day, generating millions of interactions each year.

If you’re a player looking to join a club, or a team seeking new players, browse the latest live classified adverts here or submit one for your own team. Opportunities are also shared via @EssexCountyFA using the #SquadBooster hashtag on Twitter, and a weekly digest of new adverts can be found by searching for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.