Developing national youth football: Is the Bristish system failing?

[Dave-F]

I've been listening to the whole developing youth arguement going on all day involving Trevor Brooking and co. Is youth football really in such a mess?

In virtually every team in the premiership there is somebody who has pushed through from the ranks: King and O'Hara being our obvious examples. And then there's countless others who go to other lower clubs and play happily down there or work their way back up (our ex-trainnee, Peter Crouch being an example there!). Plus, all league clubs have a policy of developing talent...they'd be dead in the water if they don't. And I know all the local league clubs around me are doing plenty in the local schools to develop talent, and presumably to spot talent as well.

Is Bristish youth football development really that bad? Are we really that far behind other nations? I ask honestly, because I don't have any real concept of how we match up to other nations out there.

 

[PT]

If we take it to the core - the root of football, we start in the schools and the youth clubs. The playing fields that no longer exist - a place to go to with half a dozen mates and an old leather ball to play "Headers n Volleys" - the school yards that are commandeered with jumpers for goalposts in breaktime.

Money witheld from the local councils to pay fro rundown changing rooms that have no heating or running water or locks on the doors. The fields that used to have perennial goalposts and faded white lines that now run wild with weed and discarded rubbish and dog shit.

Kids that have aspirations but no guidance - no window for being seen.

League Clubs have a responsibility to their patch and to the schools and clubs in their area to trawl and trawl again instead of tearing out a cheque from the well worn cheque book and buying in the cream of Europes juveniles.

Rules will determine the national make-up of a first team one day and already the astute Premiership Clubs are bending rules to get around the dearth of English talent.

our very own Hoddle has an Academy that picks up the discarded and his mandate is to nurture and to encourage these lads that mature on the playing fields later than the superstar kids that burn our in their early twenties. Hoddle will be on to a winner if just a few of these lads get fed back in to the system and Clubs will learn a valuable lesson.

But it's all about today, never tomorrow or the day after. A Manager has to deliver and tomorrow can't wait. Kids have to be fast tracked to get anywhere near the first team and those that are on a slower track get shown the door - no patience.

My solution wolud be for each Premiership and Championship Club to sponsor a lower league team and merge their Reserve set-ups to bring in competition at the Academy level. Maybe even setting up a system as in Spain where the B Teams compete against other league teams.