More than 190 children a week ‘running around with smiles on their faces’ as new fun football sessions in Northampton hit the ground running
Fun football sessions are a big hit in Northampton, as just months after launching 190 children a week are already “running around with smiles on their faces”.
The Football Fun Factory is a nation-wide company, with franchises across the country, which aim to use the nation’s “passion for football as a vehicle for child development”, with regular sessions, as well as holiday camps and birthday parties.
The Northampton branch was set up in September 2025 by Dale Brunton, who has worked in professional football at Northampton Town Football Club, the FA and more for his whole career.
The 42-year-old said: “I spent the last nine years at Luton Town Football Club, but I decided to make the move. Working in football is all encompassing. I have a wife and three kids and I wanted to spend a bit more time with them.”
Dale first became aware of The Football Fun Factory when his son attended a birthday party. He really liked how it was run and the ethos, so he stayed in touch and eventually made the move to build his own business.
“It has been brilliant ever since, with loads of kids running around with smiles on their faces,” Dale added.
“There was a big uptake at the start and then we’ve had a gradual uptick every month.
“We’re just over the 190 mark and we also have new sessions launching in April and 80 children in their three-week free trial, so we hope to have around 280 children signed up by the end of April.”
The new session will take place at St Luke’s Centre in Duston and a girls only session will launch in May, alongside the Northants FA, in a bid to drive participation in girls football.
As part of the wider ethos, The Football Fun Factory has a blue card system where a child is rewarded for trying hard, being kind and more.
“We have a different value every month,” Dale explained. “For example, responsibility so a child will be rewarded if they help pick up equipment or look after a newcomer.
“We want kids to get better at football but we also want to work on their personal development.
“We want to make sure they are great people as well as great footballers.”
The sessions run seven days a week at a number of locations across Northampton, including tots sessions at Malcolm Arnold Academy and Moulton College and sessions for four to 12 year olds at Weston Favell Academy, Campion and Northampton High School.
The tots sessions encourage adult participation and take place in an inflatable pitch. The sessions are about having fun, balance, co-ordination and growing confidence.
All the children in the older sessions want to do is play games, according to Dale, so they have 10 minutes of that at the start, then break into two activities led by different coaches, before finishing with more games. Learning is disguised throughout, Dale adds.
Looking to the future, Dale hopes he can achieve the five-year goal he set out, which was to get 500 children in each week “running around with big smiles on their faces, making friends and growing”.
Dale is also hoping to expand how many nurseries and schools the team visits to deliver sessions.