State of the Game debate

Last updated: 12th May 2008

State of the game youths

Are pitches too big?

STATE OF THE GAME
Mondays, Sky Sports News
STUDIO DISCUSSION
Monday nights, Sky Sports News

Should more be done to improve the development of young players in this country?

That's the question being posed as our State of the Game series draws to a close. Dan Roan took a look at the way youngsters are coached in the UK and compared it to methods used in places such as Holland and Spain.

Now we want to hear what YOU think.

Do our youngsters play on full-size pitches with full-size balls too early? Should they play on smaller pitches with less pressure and less emphasis on leagues and competition?

Do we put too much emphasis on height, strength and athleticism? Should we follow the Dutch methods and focus on technique and skills instead?

What needs to be done to improve youth coaching? Do we need more coaches? Do we need new guidelines for youth development? Do we need age-specific coaching?

Share your thoughts on all these topics and let us know your personal experiences of youth coaching in this country.

Simply fill in the feedback form below and we'll publish the best ones here on the website and some of your views will be read out on air on Sky Sports News.

And don't forget to tune in for the State of the Game studio debate at 7.30pm on Monday night where the FA's Director of Development Sir Trevor Brooking will be among our guests.

Comments

Ashley Wilson (Arsenal fan) says...

I want to comment on the youth development in our country because I believe I suffered from its neglegance. Since I was knee high I've been kicking a football. My two brothers and I have always been extremely advanced players but unfortunately were never going to make it to professional level as England simply doesn't have enough academy's around the country, it doesn't have enough scouts or trainers and not enough financial backing. For a british player like me to even have a chance you have to live on a academy doorstep and wear illuminous colours. Its a joke! My family went to America on holiday when I was 15 and I was offered a contract there after a week by being spotted by a club scout. My family and I turned it down as we thought it was best for me at that age and time in my life. GOD DO I REGRET THAT !! Ashley, 21, Ashford South Kent

Posted 20:13 13th May 2008

William L (Leeds United fan) says...

Having for many years been connected with junior football and refereeing at the same level in Beeston, Leeds. The one way to get grass roots to prosper and develop is to get the professional clubs to plough some of the TV rights and take a percentage of their players wages into setting up coaching schools for all. Also why not get players to go into schools to run coaching lessons. We are always hearing that the highly paid players saying their careers are short so that why they get BIG wages, but as highly paid professionals they should be setting an example to to grass roots, get down to the grass roots teach the stars of tomorrow how to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL GAME. This include respect for match officials from managers, coaches and players as I feel that the reasons for grass roots officials leaving is the constant abuse is due to kids, parents copying what they see on TV, so it is up to the GAME & the FA to sort itself out, or we won't have the next generation of stars

Posted 16:45 13th May 2008

Carl Bridger says...

i have managed & coached mens & boys football for many years. and always found much too much emphises put on children, to win games. less on actually enjoying it!! i had more fun running a mens side! too much pressure from parents, managers etc. kids under the age of 10 should play only friendlies. not league. & all kids should be given a chance; as with given encouragement, will develop really quickly into capable players. all kids should be rotered & not left on the sdelines match after match. these are the kids that lose interest. was it ian wright who became a pro at 23 & alan devonshire at 22?!! GIVE OUR KIDS A CHANCE.

Posted 14:17 13th May 2008

John Lawless (West Ham United fan) says...

I agree with the people saying we dont allow our young footballers to develope their skills, I am the manager for an u13s team and been involved since u10s. I allow my lads to play using there skills but to show disapline and also play simple football. Everyone from the FA, The clubs and their accadamy's who spoil alot of young talent, take alot out of the game but put nothing back into local devolpement. they arange mini-tornements as an excuse to scout players from u8s and then throw them away later on. Councils ignoring parks and pitches happy to take fee,s and not devlope or even maintain them, ive dug bricks out of pitches in derby. Im going to experiment with my team in the closed season and work on there personal skills and see what happens in friendlies. FA sort it and invest in all aspect of the game not just the stars of the future but the young lads now who thease so called scouts (who live in the past) may have missed. councils should also invest. there is so much more think about it. Its not easy running a team at youth level, it cost's and sponsorship and funds are hard to get.

Posted 12:38 13th May 2008

Allan Willis says...

As the parent of a 10-year old who has progressed through club football to academy level I have a positive outlook for the future of football through the FA and club academy initiatives. Having seen the standard of academy football I believe that English football will begin to reap the benefits of this over the coming years as the technical skills coaching is very strong at this level. I have also coached at junior level and the biggest impact upon the boys' development was when we brought in a Coerver Skills' coach (a dutch model of skills's coaching). I only wish my son had had this at 5 years of age instead of at 9!!! However, we must must must keep the emphasis on small sided games and stop this ridiculous move to 11 a-side at Under 11s. Enlightened academies go from 6 a-side to 9 a-side and then to 11 a-side and keep the focus on small sided games with maximum contact time for players.

Posted 12:07 13th May 2008

Richard Watson says...

Im a 19 year old referee who referees youth and mens football. the problem with the youth system is the need to win from coaches and not the chance to just play. Coaches need to win for themselves so we go about training and games like we always have done nothing different.In England we are one of the only countries in the world that make are youth players at 11 play on huge mens size pitches so they only learn positions and most of them stand around all the time doing nothing. As a referee the coaches are terrible to the kids and just harase them not encourage. If it doesnt change we can kiss goodbye to our national sport and are national team.

Posted 10:58 13th May 2008

Michael Biggs (Nottingham Forest fan) says...

I think the state of the game at youth level is horrible. I play for my local club and the pitch is terrible it is bumpy and the grass goal mouth is mostly mud there is a grounds man on once a week which is no way near enough to have a nice playing field. Also the goal post are going rusty and the corner flags are just posts without a flags and with the nets having holes in them it just makes it harder. Most of our games are officiated without a league refferee just a parent who misses alot which causes arguments. The changing rooms are not that big either and the showers dont work. however we do train on the new 3rd generation pitch at dayncourt school in radcliffe but we dont get any money for new footballs so we train with old ones. So what does that say kids that want to play football they dont want to use rubbish equipment. So it is going to drive kids away from the sport, so if the FA dont sort it out then they are going to lose alot of people out of the sport. So when your sat in your nice compfy offices with nothing to do why dont you pull your finger out and do something about the state of english football . Thanks

Posted 10:04 13th May 2008

Jay Roxburgh says...

Hi I`m a under 13s coach and have run the team from under 9s, we use small sided pitches and nets until the players go to under 11s, then its full size pitches and nets which we think is a big jump to make at that age. All our managers are level 1 coaches and we also provide a coaching company which comes in to do more advance skills with the players. The biggest problem is we don't have enough facilities, pitches 3rg generation astro turf for winter training, so cost of hiring these prove to be very expensive, with more facilities we could provide more hours of training for the players to develop.

Posted 08:44 13th May 2008

John Downey says...

it's true, england have been guilty of tradition rather than keeping pace. watch games from the old div one and it's stop start, kicking and fouls all over the place. our kids are still being taught the old school 'you need to graft, get stuck in, forget that fancy stuff', and should someone show some skill on the ball the coach will tell you 'get into him early, you wont get booked and he'll fade away because players like him always do...they cant hack it'! the problem is they do fade and so does the type of player that has skill. no englishmen abroad? brazil and argentina have the majority of their national team players playing overseas. i used the couver tapes to train kids. they show ten year olds doing skill drills that no professional english player could manage. i took them to a mate who coaches kids at a decent level and he said ' yeah, but they're the best ten year olds in the world'. see what i mean he totally missed the point...they're bloody ten! how much experience can a ten year old have. the biggest problem of all is the english deny everything. unfortunately this is what has been happening for decades. as kids when we got picked to play for swindon town other kids with great ability missed out because they were too small? try telling that to maradona or messi. the problem has been identified, now we need coaches to accept it and then develop a format that all coaches should be taught. fitness and physique will change and strength on the ball will develop naturally but technical ability and skill need to be taught at an early age. it isn't happening, maybe that's another symptom showing itself in over the top parents on match days?

Posted 06:59 13th May 2008

Richard Myers says...

Loving these new research's. What the UK should do is adopt the approach we have in America. Now i am british and played for academy upto U17 so i know all the inns and out of Uk youth. But in the USA your local clubs are all paid for. So players pay upto a grand a year to play soccer. This then pays for the coaches etc to be paid. Now i know this is hard and it would strt to distract it from everyones sport but it is a possibility. The clubs over here set up both rec and competitive. The competitive side is the more advanced players with pro coaches and they enter regular tournaments say 5 a season but play friendlies after that can be ranked if you choose. On top of this U10 play 6 aside U11 & U12 8 a side and U13 11 a side with smaller field and goals. All these encourages your players to develop, less players, less competition, pro coaches, and great facilities all adds up to better players. I know many wont like to hear this but the standard is rising here and it wont be long till the USA overtake England. AN amateur U23 team beat a Liverpool U18s over here recently says alot. Especially when i would say only 2 of the liverpool team will actually make it.

Posted 06:11 13th May 2008

Steve Aldred says...

I am a full time grasroots football coach working in China and the main reason I left England ten years ago is because of the "system" for ALL levels of coaching in England. A level one certificate is guaranteed if you turn up and I have written to the FA outlining changes that would benefit not just the young future players but also the young coaches. The FA are not interested in change. Experienced coaches with a playing background must be encouraged to work with the younger players and demonstrate to young coaches (on a probation period) how and WHY we use these different methods. Another BIG problem is that nearly all of the coaches that are English have ONLY coached in England and therefore they only understand methods shown to them from the FA or maybe by watching foreign coaches. We have had a number of coaches come here to Asia from England and they are nowhere near good enough or ready to demonstrate to young players. Without a LONG TERM plan, the future of English football will suffer and for me, there is no point coming back or even sharing my experiences and knowledge with a country who do not wish to improve.

Posted 01:25 13th May 2008

Ben Owen says...

the facilities available to the public is extemely limted. the limited amount of land that is available for games of football is beginning to be bought and turned into housing estates. for example, thre is an indoor facility just 5 minutes away from my house and i have been using that facility for as long as i can think and just reently the area has been bought to build houses so the indoor facilty has been pulled down. Now the nearst place to play football costs £50 an hour!!

Posted 01:08 13th May 2008

David Drape-comyn says...

I have been involved in youth footy for 5 years and i come across parents who only care about their own child above all other things before the team, club, community, discipline, education, respect or even upholding the the values of sport. I find the genuine ones who constantly give are being dragged down by the takers who just constantly moan and expct things to bebetter without lifting a finger to contribute postively! Children can learn many other things from football which will help them when they are older like working in a team but in the meantime let them have fun and enjoy it for what it is, simply a game.

Posted 00:33 13th May 2008

Ben Elliott (Manchester United fan) says...

Although I agree that the grass-routes level does require re-organisation, I think people are underestimating the quality of English players. If we look ahead to next Wednesday, at least 10 players out of the 22 playing in europes top club competition will be English. I personally don't believe that we have a bad group of players. England failed to qualify for the European Championships because they were not consistent, we had a muppet in charge, and more importantly the mentality of the English players is not the same as that of those abroad. I believe that many English players are more concerned with club success than national glory. This is not to criticise the players themselves, but rather the mentality of the Premier League as a whole. Too much emphasis is placed on club success - for example, when mid-season friendlies are announched, many players pick up 'slight knocks' and miss matches which although seemlying insignificant, give the team and the manager time to get to know each other and to develop as a team. For exmaple, Terry and Cole failed to make the last of England's qualifiers, but played for Chelsea the next weekend. On the other hand, Carlos Tevez flew all the way to Latin America for a mid-week friendly, and celebrated his title success on Sunday whilst wearing an Argentina shirt.

Posted 23:58 12th May 2008

Larry Thomson says...

I don't know how it is over in the UK but here in the U. S. everything is sacrificed at the alter of speed and size. The longer I coach the more I understand that track stars are track stars and soccer players are soccer players and sometimes being one has nothing to do with the other. I have talked to some of our ODP coaches (olympic development program) and kids need to fit a certain slot. End of story. So you get great looking statues with awesome straight line speed that can't play a ball they can't run on to. Sadly, many of these coaches are natives of the UK. I'll take an under sized, slow, Tevez over some track star posing as a soccer player any time.

Posted 23:00 12th May 2008

Simon Harrington says...

I have been coaching kids for 23 years and now coach in the US. We have had a great academy programme and FA coaching for approx 13 years now. The trouble is that a only a small percentage of kids get above u16 and signed pro. With the small amount of British (english) players in the top flight we are going to get worse. The other week in the starting 44 players for Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea there were 10 from Britain. That is where the trouble lies. Most premiership club academies recruit from other countries getting around the old rule of catchment areas by schooling the kids in England. It is great to see the stars in the prem but our own game and national teams will suffer. Many England players do not even start for there clubs, most of the available strikers are on the bench week in week out.

Posted 22:52 12th May 2008

Stephen Inwood says...

I have been a football coach for 20years and I think some of the problems now stem from playing fields being build on and the price of hiring training areas and pitches too expensive for local football clubs to hire and the boys and girls miss out on good coaching it can cost for £2000 pounds to hire astro turf in the winter if you have over 8 teams so some teams just dont train.So if we can not get the young boys and girls training with a ball at there feet we will never get good local footballers at any level.We need parks and pitches to get coaching on.

Posted 22:42 12th May 2008

Gary S says...

Football has declined over recent years especially the standard in leagues. I have coached for 11 years and it does not get better. We can point the fingers at the parents, players, referee, the coaches and the FA. It is all about winning at a young age, the fun is out of the window. I ensure that when I am coaching that children express themselves and let them talk rather than myself. We have the FA's guide of coaching of stop and stand still, it would be more suitable for players to learn from there mistakes. If a player continues to make errors in a game then advise the player what he/ she could do and let every1 else play. The FA continues to bring out more qualifications its all about money. There are huge pressures on children to exceed parents/ coaches expectations from a young age. Its all about winning, could 6-10 years play but without having points or leagues? This would ease the pressure on them. Parents on the sidelines, screaming at players to pass, shoot rather than dribble, no wonder kids can't beat players because they are not allowed to express themselves. Parents get right onto the pitch I sometimes wonder whether its the kids or parents playing. You often hear parents swearing from sidelines because referees have not done their job. All they get is a slap on the wrist. Referees qualify at such a young age and are not mentored to do the job, there is not enough protection for them. League organisers need to protect these referees otherwise grassroots football will continue to get worse. Level 1 qualified coach, follow the FA guidelines rather than finding their own route. Is it about quantity or quality. The McDonalds scheme has helped to bring more coaches into the game, but have they had support since they have set up their own teams, do they get it from within their club? Don't think so. I'm all for 4 v 4 at a young age, using the right size ball, which many teams don't.

Posted 21:34 12th May 2008

Glen Hicks (Manchester United fan) says...

I would just like to say one thing, I hope this doesn't just become another topical debate that will soon be on the back burner of the peoples minds at the FA! Those who BOSS the game must now act on the things we all agree need to be changed!! YOUTH DEVELOPMENT is the most CRUCIAL component in securing a brighter/better future for football in the UK! I believe there are things fundamentally wrong with the way 90% of players in this country are taught to play the beautiful game. Or shall I say not taught.... Children are taught to play an ugly game in this country, that consists of KICKING THE BALL AS HARD & AS FAR AS THEY CAN UP THE OVER-SIZED PITCH, so the other team dont score & the biggest fastest kid up front can fight for the ball & score as many goals as he can, past the smaller boy in the RIDICULOUSLY over-sized goals!!) Children are RESTRICTED by OVER-INVOLVED, UNDER EDUCATED adults PARENTS & those that claim to be coaches (at all levels even in academies!). These adults are nothing more than 'puppeteers', who are pulling the strings of the children dictating to them & controlling their every thought & move & in the process filling the young children with OVERWHELMING RESTRICTIVE FEAR! (EG Do this, do that, Kick it, dont play across your goal son, don't lose the ball there!) 'CHILDREN FEAR MAKING MISTAKES AT THE RISK OF BEING PERSECUTED BY SUCH ADULTS! I have taught children from 3 to 16 yrs of age for the last 10 years & through my varied experiences, I have learnt that the best way to 'blossom talent & develop children' into highly skilled, creative & capable players, is to 'ALLOW EXPRESSIVE FREEDOM IN A POSITIVE, FUN & EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT THAT GUIDES THE PLAYER'!! If we can all do this not only will the young players of today FULFILL their potential, but some will unearth NEW UNEXPECTED POTENTIAL! Give the children a ball, let them play/discover & enjoy the beautiful game!! Thanks!!

Posted 19:35 12th May 2008

Callum Bennie-coulson says...

Hi I feel that all coaches and teams should do is give the children a decent pitch to play on and a football and then stand back and let the kids play the game that they love, prospone all the technical aspects of the game until a later age because i feel that is why players drop out and do not improve, the kids just want to play football so let them

Posted 19:31 12th May 2008

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