- Your View |
- Message Boards |
- Polls |
- Premiership Predictor |
- Sky Cast
State of the Game debate
As State of the Game comes to a close, what do YOU think of youth development in this country?
Back to story
As State of the Game comes to a close, what do YOU think of youth development in this country?
Back to story
£20,000 worth of prizes up for grabs - It's totally FREE and if you register by 1st August you could win £500!!
Win some fantastic prizes in the Sky Sports competition section. All our competitions are free to enter.
Sign up to our FREE Friday email. Each issue is stuffed with exclusive sporting news, soccerettes and competitions.
Comments
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
Big phil Scolari (Sunderland fan) says...
Seems to me creating the next "Ronaldo" is the theme of today. What have Portugal achieved with his greatness in their team or Deco or the rest of the great dribblers that play for them. Do the Germans have any real dribblers at their disposal or the Italians. Our national team has suffered because we have not had a manager good enough to get the best out of the players we have available or brave enough to make the decisions on dropping certain players when they just have not performed. I'm sorry but look at the players at Englands disposal and can anybody honestly say we are lacking? Now it's all the fault of Grass Roots Football or competitive football too young.
Posted 19:13 12th May 2008
Mike L says...
I have always followed football, however, at a young age I was told I was not good enough to play for my local team. I then went to play Rugby League, which I had never played before. This was at eight years old, how can you tell an eight year old he can't play football? For the first four years the only competitive rugby games I played was small 7 a-side tournaments once a year, there was no league format, it was all geared to teach the skills of rugbyand more importantly, to enjoy it. A lot of my friends were playing league football and winning trophies, medals etc... the first year we played in a league we won it without losing a game. At least 5-6 players in the team I played in have gone on to play professional/semi-professional rugby. Not one of my friends have played any sort of football at this level. Young kids are taught to win rather than enjoy football and improve their skills. Competitive football should be removed untill a certain age group, like 12-13yrs. It will also remove the parents who stand screaming and shouting at the kids. Will this happen?
Posted 18:58 12th May 2008
Stuart Mcw says...
As someone who makes a living from sport and in particular football I am tired of hearing this same old debate. The problems are well documented and as long as the people at the FA keep giving pots of money to the same old names and faces, nothing will change. If the coaching system in other countries is better....and it seems the FA know it is......then why re-invent the wheel? Get the system up and running!! On the plus side, the rapid growth of the Brasilian soccer schools shows that there is a definite desire for skill based programmes and small sided games. I am never a huge fan of 'exclusive' expensive coaching programmes, but it is a great system of developing players and has already played a part in producing some top players.
Posted 18:33 12th May 2008
Dougie Donalds says...
I watched some of a youth game of about under 10s and the quality was dismal. All the kids were just aimously booting it at evry opportunity and were being applauded for it by the parents. Not once did i see a player take a touch and look for a pass. Another situation that should be changed was the size of the goals with any half descent shot going in because the keeper was small
Posted 17:02 12th May 2008
David Hunter (Liverpool fan) says...
What i find funny is the fact that they all say about how we never bring though enough english youngesters yet they still open up footballing academys in the likes of africa an ect but never really open one in england so that we youngesters get a chance to come through the ranks i havent heard a professional opening an acadamey over here for years but you hear the likes of beckham and bellemy opening them in america and africa were the logic in that
Posted 17:00 12th May 2008
George Light says...
im 14 years old and i have just been released from charlton athletic. They told me that i was technically and mentally their best defender as i could win every tackle and my reading of the game was second to none. But i was released on the count that i wasn't tall enough even though im average height and that i am only average pace. This is not why england didnt qualify for euro 2008 but it will be why we don't qualify for euro 2012 and world cup 2014 because clubs now are looking for athelets not footballers and as my dad says these kids can stand in positions but not play there.
Posted 17:00 12th May 2008
David Wright says...
it is not a lot of money to cut the grass maintain goal mouths provide smaller goals and pitches for the younger ones going eleven a side all the money from scrap metal at recycling plant around the country which tax payers dump could provide valuble revenue for these facilities where does this money go i am fortunate that my son is at an academy which is sometimes not all it is cracked up to be we took our son out of one academy to another best thing we ever done but as managers change as does the backroom staff with different ideas ie foriegn imports also as a parent in this enviroment i am supporting the fa as i am responsible for transport for my son which i might add in this current marketplace is very expensive fuel wear and tear where would our country be without all these parents giving up all there time for what 1/100 chance of becoming a footballer which i might add is all about opinions so as for the pitches i think the goverment and the fa have had enough out of the average working man how about trimming players wages let them give a little back to what has provided them with a good lifstyle in six years at an academy i have never seen a first team player go out of his way to encourage the kids
Posted 16:20 12th May 2008
Bob Hil says...
Here we go again!! The England team fails and it's the fault of the grassroots coaches - the majority of whom look after vast number of youth players who do not progress into the academy / school of excellence environment. Remember the whole academy system was set-up to sort out all our problems a few years ago by Howard Wilkinson - perhaps we ought to look how these academies / school of excellence function - they seem to promise so much but deliver very little.
Posted 15:28 12th May 2008
Lee Durham says...
As an Arsenal fan can I just say that although a lot of English players may not play for Arsenal we do the most for English Talent! There are so many Ex-Arsenal youngters making a living from football at other clubs, many youngsters would drop out the game at other clubs completely if deemed not good enough! Just proves that they may not make it at Arsenal but they obviously get a good grounding, education and training through the Arsenal youth system! Now that Arsene has been in the job over 10 years and his Philosophies for youth development will be in full swing I'm sure a lot of good technical young English players will start to come through, I can see Arsenal having a good 5-6 British Based players in our squad and the next 3 or 4 years, just look at the development of Theo Walcott in the last year!
Posted 15:17 12th May 2008
Scott Mcdonald says...
I was fascinated by the statistics re; Enlish players who played in the Premiership yesterday. Would you give them again but this time without the the West Ham / Aston Villa figures? It is just as well some clubs like these two do encourage home grown talent.
Posted 14:45 12th May 2008
Simon Smith says...
I am an FA qualified coach, who has run a junior football team for the last 6 years and have struggled every season to find quality pitches that 'match' the size of kids that will be playing on them. After leaving mini-soccer (aged 10) to enter the 11-a-side world, the only pitches available were adult full size with the associated full size goals. Have you ever seen a 10 year old kid standing in a full size goal ? 'Shoot high' is the usual shout from the team managers, as the poor kid won't stand a chance. 'But it's the same for both sides' is usually the defensive argument. I guess where I'm coming from is that there are extremely few pitches marked up for kids/youth (10-16 year olds) 11-a-side football with goals that actually give the keeper a chance. Private grounds aren't prepared to mark-up pitches for youth football as they don't spend money in the bar afterwards. Whilst on this point, average private pitch prices for an hour of kids/youth football on an adult pitch is around £60-70 in the southeast. As kids have to play on what can only be deemed fields to them, it's no wonder managers turn to the physically advanced players (i.e. bigger and more athletic), as the smaller often more technically advanced (touch)players can't compete. So I feel the government/sport uk/the FA or whoever should take a good look at the facilities available at grassroots level and maybe not just invest money in training facilities (FA/lottery grant applications) but look at the pitches where the kids actually get to play what they practice. Maybe subsidise grounds that aren't attracted by kids football (bar takings). My team are now in the Under 16 age group and it's only the last couple of years that they have begun to 'match' the pitches they have been playing on for the last 5 years....
Posted 14:40 12th May 2008
Daniel Lamond says...
It is horendous the age that children start playing in full size pitches. Kids need to be nourtured I used to play Youth development football and it always concentrates on fitness or strength and at age 12 players are being dropped beacuse they are too small. I think only at age 13/14 should kids begin to think about the full size game. Not just the fact there is not alot of english players in the premiership you do not see many english players in top european clubs outside of england but you do see dutch,french,german,portugese and many more england should be produzing players at the rate and the class of all these other countries.
Posted 14:38 12th May 2008
Darren Horsman says...
Youth football in this country is hard to understand even for an englishman. It goes from mini soccer to large pitch's/goals. it goes from small teams to full 11 a side without any thing to help with the transition. This can cause a problem especially if the one in goal is still at a small size height wise. The other thing is that with playing small sided games each individual player gets more touches of the ball and is more involved. When it goes to 11 a side players do less and often get fed up, especially if it is cold and grey. We need to look at extending the samaller sided games further, increasing the number on a team each year e.g 5 a side - 7 a side - 9 a side -11 a side. This gives the children a better chance to work on individual skills longer before reaching a full sided game. Also the goals should increase up to the full size in line with the extra number of players. this would allow smaller goal keepers to remain and not be disheartened when goals go in because they are to small for the goalmouth. there also needs to be a better understanding of the coaching needs of children. When coach's go to do their training invariably practice and do the assessment with and on Adults. Maybe if it was compulsory to do a youth award to work with young people, which required they actually coached in a youth set up, then the coaches would understand better. Also there is the format that the FA encourage all coaches to follow. They encourage a certain format which is not flexible enough for certain ages of players. They expect new coaches to practice the stop stand still prnciple during games play. most children don't want to do this especially when cold and wet as all they want to do is play. Futsal is a good game but it is only part of what we need to intro. We need to encourage more games where the players are allowed more touches and more time on the ball
Posted 14:31 12th May 2008
Richard 'roo' Mills (Arsenal fan) says...
Oh hi!!! I think more should be put into the development of youngsters. I, myself, played football a lot when I was young and think that if I was coached on the futsal side of things I would probably play for AC Milan or Lazio right now. I now coach my younger brothers team and I don't make them dribble round cones, oh no, I make them dribble it around cones without the ball touching the ground. We won the league.
Posted 14:18 12th May 2008
Neil R says...
My son has played for 3 premier league academies (since being 6) and is currently signed at under 10's level with a premier league club. All the clubs differ in their approach, but all with the same aim as being confortable with the ball. My son is technically very good, but not the biggest and comments from senior academy staff suggest his size might become an issue. I would ask you to look around the academies - many of the players are huge - not technically great, but generally massive. You look at some under 13 or 14 boys and could swear they are 16 or older. The good thing about the academy system apart from the coaching is the pitches and facilities - they are usually first class. I saw my son's old Sunday team play a cup final last week. They were under 11's playing on a pitch that was in appalling condition. I suppose you get used to it, but Sunday footy is like a butchers yard in comparison, with some mums and dads hurling abuse at referees, shouting at the children etc. Young players won't feel confortable on the ball in this situation and just panic. It's up to the coaches to tell the parents who the coach is and where instructions come from and that parents need to understand this simple rule. Finally, not all primary schools coach younsters in football. My son has a female teacher - who teaches them gym and dance - and he is year 5 now. He's not had a minutes football coaching so far in school and won't until next year. If you want to teach a younster to use both feet - you have to work with them early.
Posted 13:04 12th May 2008
Anthony Okome says...
My son played in a 5 aside tournament where the kids werent allowed in the D, throw ins were roll ins and you got a free kick if the ball goes over head height. Now why play these rules!? Some one give me a reasonable answer. My son is 7 and has been taught to dribble since he was 4. Its amazing how a defence can be opened up by a good dribble and the ability to take on players. Its easy to teach a 12-13 year old to pass but ask them to dribble or beat the player to get a shot on goal....they cannt because they have been taught to pass...make a triangle. England have to change the approach to the kids...a child may be strong but not a natural...does that mean he/she is no good...forget looking for the next rooney the talent is here in front of you...you just have to open your eyes and give them the chance, develop them!! Mini soccer is the way forward its a great idea as an introduction. Can you count how many england players can actually dribble past a player....i count 2 possibly 3.... The fa need to WAKE UP, its called the beautiful game because of one thing and its not because of the passing or the hair cuts...
Posted 12:54 12th May 2008
Richard Hewitt says...
I am secretary and coach at Oakworth Juniors Football Club. After having met both Paul Cooper and BJ Hejmans, we invited them to do clinics and impart their philosophy to our coaches. Our Club has fully embraced their methods, pulled out of the local mini soccer league and now have our own in house 4v4 games involving kids aged 5-10 years. The change is unbelievable, no pressure on the kids, they just play naturally, - every child always does their best despite what parents think. We have no parents shouting and bawling inane instructions. We learnt more from Paul and BJ than any FA course. They should be running the FA Development Department
Posted 12:54 12th May 2008
Graeme Mock says...
Our players are not skillful enough because we don't play futsal... it really is as simple as that. Futsal should be encouraged so much more in this country and in our youth. A futsal player touches the ball approx every 5 seconds, and has so many more touches of the ball than an 11 a side game. It is not just touches, it presents the players with more chances to score and finish, and the opportunities come thick and fast! It really should be considered seriously as I feel it has been ignored for too long! It will only benefit our national teams of the future....
Posted 12:33 12th May 2008
Andrew Deakin says...
A little bit of money to parks to keep up the football posts in off periods will surely help. There are 3 "football areas" in a 3 mile radius of where i live. This has now been reduced to one set of goal posts for the entire summer. This means that a sunday league coach who coaches 5-9 year olds, som eof whom were quite good, has to stop cause he has nowhere to train them now. In england there are no facilities and not enough youth clubs around to make it work. The region i lived in last year in france had 4 youth training teams in within 5 miles of where i lived. Kids from anywhere can apply to play, they all have coaches and fantasic facilities. Most are better than i have seen anywhere in england, and these were apparently getting upgraded this year to make them a better standard.
Posted 12:16 12th May 2008
Add Comment*
All fields are required