The pressures of youth football
Hi hope you are all well.
Over the past week we have seen again how hard it is to predict who will gain promotion from League Two over the past week.
Normally by this stage of the season you tend to have an idea who the major forces in the division will be and gaps start to open up between teams but this has not been the case during this campaign.
Take my club Notts County - we are currently in 14th place but are only 12 points off the top of the league.
As I said in a previous blog, I thought Aldershot were the most impressive team that we have come across this season with their energy and enthusiasm, but they have been on the receiving end of a couple of heavy defeats which have dented their charge.
The flip side of that is Chesterfield, who were on a terrible run, but with back-to-back victories have leapt up to 12th.
I must say I have been very impressed with Jamie Ward of Chesterfield, who got a hat-trick in the midweek thumping of Aldershot. He took his goals very well and all the players I have spoken to agree he is one of the brightest talents in the division.
As you know from earlier blogs I am spending time in the scary world that is kids' football. I know a lot of players who combine their playing careers with coaching at various centres of excellence around the country. Unfortunately rather than talk about the undoubted positive aspects in kids' football, the bulk of our conversations centre around horror stories, usually about the behaviour of parents.
When my little boy was six he was asked to go along to a centre of excellence session (obviously I can't name the club). Even though I was sceptical, he wanted to go. We only went to two sessions.
The parents were herded into a viewing room to watch the session. There were whole families in there watching these little kids. Some of them tutting if they made a bad pass, comparing stories of the goals their kids had scored and what scouts had been to see them play. I could not believe the pressure that was being heaped on these children at the age of six.
I can't help thinking that if I was one of these lads and this much pressure was placed on me at such a tender age I would have had enough of football by the time I reached 11.
We are all aware of the rewards that come with being a top Premier League player, but the harsh fact is that it is only a tiny percentage of boys who make it to be a pro (even one in the lower leagues), never mind an elite player.
It does not really matter how good the child is until he is 14 or 15. That is when clubs primarily make decisions on players. Until then they should simply have fun and try and learn the basics of the game in a non-pressurised environment.
You then have to ask the question: "What happens to the child if he does not make it?" I am sure, in most cases, the families are very understanding and soften the blow for the child, but what if they are not?
One of the players who works at a centre of excellence told me of a meeting with a young lad, who was 14, and his Dad, at which the player was told he would not be kept on. Unbelievably the Dad turned on his son and said, "I told you, you were not working hard enough." Just what the poor lad needed!
This may seem a bit more serious than some of my other blogs and as I said a lot of good coaching does go on, but it is a subject I feel strongly about. What are your views? Please feel free to share any experiences you have on this.
Finally I have had a bit of bad news regarding my own injury. The scan confirmed that there was a tear in my hamstring. After the obvious disappointment I am now looking forward to starting my rehabilitation and getting back playing as soon as I can.
Hello, I'm Gavin Strachan. I describe myself as a "journeyman" player after 13 years in the game as a professional. I'm currently between clubs, having been released by Notts County. I'm also studying journalism and the aim of my blog is to provide an insight into the life of a footballer.
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Great blog again Gavin, you're so much more articulate than that irritating Robbo.
I'd like to hear you're views on some of the other teams in league two, and maybe your thoughts on the points deductions of certain teams in the league.
Hope your injury doesn't keep you out for too long, keep up the writing!
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Brilliant blog once again Gav!
First of all i've just got to say what a big blow it is to lose you again, you must be gutted! You've had nothing but injuries since you've been at Notts!!
I know what you mean about the pressure on young kids at a young age, im 16 and i quit football 2 years ago because of the pressure that was on me, now i just go and watch notts home and away every week! Loads better...well most times!!!!
How do you think we are doing this season and were do you think we will finish?
I myself would be happy with mid-table but from what i have seen so far this season i feel we can push on further than that, we have been playing beautiful football, ok the wins havn't come but if we keep digging they will do, starting with tomorrow against Rochdale. COME ON YOU PIES!!
Keep the blogs coming Gav
Gaz
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Another great blog Gavin.
Running a successful Under 10s team I've had exposure to Centres of Excellence and the like with my own son and lads in my team. What scares me as much as the pressure on the boys is the poor quality of coaching. Of the 7 lads we had playing for our local pro club, four have left for this reason.
All that seems to matter is having a few FA badges to your name, not understanding the game. What are your thoughts on this?
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I completely agree with your views on the coaching of young children Gavin, but i would say as well as the parents it is also down to the coach.
Obviously the coach has no say in how the child is treated by pushy parents, but my personal philosophy was to make sure the children were enjoying playing football, because if they arent theyre going to lose interest and stop playing!
Im delighted you have similar views on coaching to me because when i coached your lad in coventry i felt under pressure seeing you there, that i wasnt doing enough technical and tactical work with the kids. The way i liked to work was to play games where the kids would pick up the skills subconciously.
I will soon be starting my own Football Coaching school in Coventry, it is a massive world wide franchise and they believe in kids not going to Pro Academys at a young age! I agree with this completely and have always advised against U10s joining academys because i have seen kids join clubs and come out 18 months later a worse player who has lost all passion for the game! Not that the club care!
I was wondering what your feelings on this are?
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I managed in youth football for 8 years, had some success with the first team but clashed with a fellow manager. I moved on. I wanted to boys that had always been sub or in their 'b' team at school. My rules were simple, no messing about and turn up on time. IAnd no abuse of the referee would be tolerated. And in return I promised fun and that every player would play some part every week, (thanks to roll on, roll off subs).
First season the team finished bottom, then 3rd bottom, 3rd top, top. In that period we only lost two players.
It is about letting the boys play football with mates and for fun. Youth football is not all about the elite, the best boys playing to the exclusion of the others.
These boys are 20 now and nothing pleases me more than when they stop me to say hello and recall the times they played for me.
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I managed in youth football for 8 years, had some success with the first team but clashed with a fellow manager. I moved on. I wanted boys that had always been sub or in their 'b' team at school. My rules were simple, no messing about and turn up on time. IAnd no abuse of the referee would be tolerated. And in return I promised fun and that every player would play some part every week, (thanks to roll on, roll off subs).
First season the team finished bottom, then 3rd bottom, 3rd top, top. In that period we only lost two players.
It is about letting the boys play football with mates and for fun. Youth football is not all about the elite, the best boys playing to the exclusion of the others.
These boys are 20 now and nothing pleases me more than when they stop me to say hello and recall the times they played for me.
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i also stronly agree that to much pressure is on kids.
i have just passed my level 1 in coaching football badge and hope to be doing level 2 shortly.
i as a kid was always one who loved to play football but didnt ever believe i was gunna make it pro so im just hoping to put fun into the game i love and used to enjoy.
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Post 3 . could not agree more . I have got my FA level 2 but the truth is that does not prepare you at all for kids football . I coached young pros to get this qualification. Should there be a seperate qualification for coaching kids?.
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Post 6 . Fantastic post and sums up everything what youth football should be.
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post 4 . If you coached at the Alan Higgs centre on a Friday which i think you did you did a great job . The kids loved it and I learned a lot from watching you . For example getting the balance right in terms of them enjoying themselves and at the same time learn some basic technique . I have to admit I have borrowed some of the stuff for my coaching sessions . My apologies you should have copyrighted them. Good luck with your new coaching school and if there is anything I can do to help then I would be delighted to.
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post 2 . I think we are doing quite well but have not picked up the points that our play has deserved Fingers crossed we can get a win tomorrow.
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there shouldnt be any pressure on the kids that time should be used to develop passing, ball controlling and vision just like other counties.
more futsal should be played coz playin kids in big pitches wont develop their skill, and just teachs crash bang whallop.
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"Until then they should simply have fun and try and learn the basics of the game in a non-pressurised environment."
To me this is what's missing from English football. You go to any South American country, like Argentina or Brazil, and this is precisely how their kids learn to play. It's all about having fun with the ball.
They learn control, passing, dribbling, etc precisely because they're having fun with it.
I think if more kids learned like this until (as you say) around 14-15, those that will eventually make it to top teams or even the national side will have a lot more skill, flair and maybe even passion for the game.
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http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XhyBXrXf7XI
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UoCWcPzsW3U
in the second vid at 17 seconds the kid is samir nasri!!!!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZcxuH_B9zo - Ronaldo's success
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Great write up again.
Unfortunately, some parents are trying to live their lives through their children. It happens in any field where there is money to be made.
Its happened in tennis and music for years and its happening in football.
I think that youngsters are over coached to a certain extent. By that I mean children should just be left to play pressure free games, instead of coaching drills, which involve alot of standing about doing nothing while waiting your turn.
I saw an Ajax youth coach on TV, and he said alot of drills are a waste of time (like the one everybody queues up to get a shot at goal).
He said that during a game you learn how to shoot, control the ball, beat a man etc.
I could be here all night with horror stories.
I used to train with my local pro team in Scotland (not sure if I should name names?!).
Anyway, one day I was playing with my youth side and one of the coaches from the pro team met my dad and started talking to him.
The father of one of my team mates overheard and sussed who this guy was. With no shame whatsoever, he walked up to the guy and told him
"you should have a look at the number 7. Hes a brilliant player."
Needless to say the number 7 was the guys son!!
The training itself was good although the set up in general was poor. The sessions were run by an ex pro who was really good. We worked a bit on technique, but mainly just played 5 a side. Sometimes 2 touch or we had to use our weaker foot only. The best way to learn is to just play!
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Having fun also encourages creativity, as in a relaxed, happy environment you experiment and try out new techniques and skills you would never try otherwise.
Whats more, if they enjoy it, they tend to be more willing to practise it and therefore better themselves at the same time.
Perhaps this is why we don't have a Ronaldo or Ronaldinho in England, someone who has real skill in abundance, Joe Cole & Rooney are probably the closest but not in the same bracket.
When I played u11's several years ago, there was one player who was scathed by his parents after a game we won in which he scored twice as i remember, unfortunately his parents only saw his failure to score more and were shouting at him to the point of tears about not doing better. Horrific.
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Gavin,
I couldn't agree with you more. We've got it all wrong in the UK. I had hoped that over the years we'd have gotten better at this, but it sounds like we've still got a cultural problem. I have been looking into the idea of doing my coaching badges to coach kids football. When I was 11 I joined a successful boys team in Dumfries. I will always remember what the coach said on our first training session... "if you're hear to have fun, you've joined the wrong team. We want winners here". It sounds like the coaches are better 20 years on, but the parents are just as bad. I personally want to become a coach to make it fun... help the kids develop as people, develop confidence and learn social skills. I don't want them to be coached out of football like I was.
Anyway I loved this blog entry as it is something I strongly believe in.
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I think a case in point in this is a player like Freddy Eastwood.
He was on the verge of giving up the game after being released from the West Ham Academy as a youngster, but instead of doing that, went and played park football for a while, before being picked up by Grays then ending up at Coventry now (via spells at Southend and Wolves). He still is one of the most highly rated players in the Championship.
The lower leagues are littered with those released by academys because they weren't 'good enough' for that level, and there are many going on to prove those over exacting coaches wrong.
I'm a Forest fan, and we picked up one of those 'Academy rejects' Garath McCleary up in January. He struggled at first, as the step up from Conference South football (part time training as well as an injury), but in the past few weeks, has been one of the shining lights in our poor season.
I think that the likes of Michael Kightly, George Boyd, Craig Mackail-Smith, Aaron McLean and Paul Taylor have all done well to recover from their early career misfortunes and have gone on to start what look to be impressive beginnings in the Football League.
I fear that this will become the norm in the next few years, as the Academy system is becoming far to 'all encompassing'.
Rob.
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I think this is great blog and is an area that i have massive interest in.
I believe that kids should spend time working with a ball and like someone mentioned the drills where kids are stood in a line waiting their turn is a completely stupid drill, if players have to wait 4 minutes to strike the ball once then they might only get aac ouple of goes before the coach has to move on.
what they need is to spend time practicing skills and by skills i dont mean tricks (passing is a skill as is moves to beat players) so that when it comes to certain situations that they are able to reproduce the required move without even having to think about it. The top players play on instinct. So if kids just stand in a queue then they are not gaining benefits.
I used to go training at my local club which was an hour n half a week from about the age of seven. i then played for my first 11 a side game at the agae of about 10 when a mate asked me if i wanted to come training with him. at this age i began training twice a week and playing once a week and i feel that by the time i was 14 15 i had come close to catching up with the level of the other players who had been playing for the team since they were 7.
To me this shows that players need to train and that matches are not important at all and i am glad that u8 leagues have been scrapped (even tho i kno a few clubs still play unoficial leagues) and i think kids should play five a side at u9, then seven a side at u10 thenwhen they get to secondary school 11 a side.
Sorry about the essay !
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Having had enough of managing a Sunday football team full of blokes acting like kids, I offered to help a mate with his under 9's kids team. I only stayed for 2 games. The kids were fine it was the parents that were the problem. The dad's were obviously frustrated failed players trying to live their bygone days through their kids and the mum's used language usually reserved for a Chubby Brown concert! I just stick to watching now and not getting involved.
Excellent blog Gavin, keep up the hard work. It's good to hear stories about proper football for a change and not all this Premier League hype. Up the Pool!!!!
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great blog....
i thoroughly look forward to reading what you have posted each time...
like the others i totally agree with the fact that youngsters need time to train and need encouragement rather than pressure.
im 17 and have just started out for my local side who play at a fairly high saturday league standard with our first team winning the county's premier league last season! therefore the expectation is very high.
A player younger than myself missed an open goal with 5minutes remaining a few weeks ago....the other team went on to equalise two minutes later.....he was instantly subbed and hasnt even made the bench since even though he is a talented player....
Having been around the leagues a while and experienced it yourself have you seen any good techniques that have allowed youngsters to mature into first team players professional level?
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Great blog again Gavin.
I think you are experiencing first hand what many people are seeing these days. Parents wanting there kids to be something that they never were. The wider aspect is that it is part of people wanting to be famous, and have the lifestyle of a professional footballer. If only they knew eh Gavin. There are no short cuts to success, what ever you do in life. To succeed you have to work at it, and of course have a certain amount of natural ability.
In terms of how we train and coach our youngsters. I am amazed at the size of pitches we expect our young teams to play on, and the length of games they play. No wonder there are such high scores and kids get dispirited and despondent if they loose.
Keep up the good work, and I hope the hamstring repairs quickly.
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fantastic blog gavin. even though there is a lot of pressure on young footballers in england the chances they get compared to what we get in america is fantastic. football over here is extremely expensive which on many occasions you find average players playing in higher leagues and great players playing kick about in the park. i am 16 years old so i have converted to one 4 month season for a club team and a 4 month season for high school in the spring. this gets highly frustrating because unless your parents are brain docters you cannot play on an all year team because of the huge travel expenses which then results in you playing on a whole new team again come spring and fall. most players also have to rely on high school for college scouts. i am currently playing in the 2nd division in south carolina which ultimatly is the 3rd division as there are 2 teams from south carolina that qualify for the us academy league. that along with playing for my high school and attending college showcases, camps, olympic development trials, and tons of try outs for club teams trying to get your name about and also trying to keep the budget down to afford a pair of boots becomes very stressful. if we could combine that into the centre of excellences you were talking about id be much better off.
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Terrific stuff Gavin. I'm a parent of an under 11, though I'd hope not one of those who are spoken with such horror!
This season has been unbelievably depressing as the kids who played 7 a side on small sized pitches last year are now put onto 100yd MINIMUM length pitches (FA rules!) and expected to grapple with the offside rule at 10 and 11, which grown men can't understand.
So as a result the teams with whizzkid strikers and big lads who hoof the ball furthest are having a field day. No wonder that's all English football produces.
Hope the hamstring heals soon Gavin - keep blogging though - your stuff is the most refreshing reading in football.
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Sorry to hear about the hamstring tear. I'm sure that all your readers wish you a swift "repair". Please keep us informed of your progress.
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Lots of grim tales regarding kids' coaching ...... but it's not all gloom....
I have been to see my nephew play a few times for his local under nine team and the improvement on when I played at a similar age is obvious.
The games are played on small pitches with small goals, there are some additional helpful rules (for example attackers have to retreat behind a marked line for goalkeeper clearances), there are no league tables and rolling substitutes.
The result is competitive, though not overly so, with more reliance on skill (when I was wee, we used full-size goals even at under 10s, so the winning team was the team that could punt it the hardest - and the goalies couldn't get the ball out of the penalty box).
It is also quite plain to see that they are being coached well, as they are fast progressing past the horrid twenty-two-legs-following-the-ball-in-a-pack school footy of yesteryear.
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There are three words that are stunting the development of young players.
No
Ball
Games
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I help coach a team, and after a game with a local rival, a parent left this on our forum page....This is for an under 10's team!
Your report of Hoole 'overpowering' Bamber Bridge is probably even more laughable than the tactics you employed to take the points. If those boys genuinely were hurt so much as to cry like that every time the ball was taken from them, then it's very inhumane of the relevant parents to put their fragile little boys into battle on a football field.
The crying comment is in relation to when one kid had been fouled on numerous occasions, and can be expected when a child is hurt!
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Post 8
Hi Gavin, found your blog courtesy of a thread on the discussion boards of the www.footy4kids.co.uk website.
There are age specific courses available via the FA.
There are new Modules 1 , 2 and 3 which will eventually make up the new FA Youth Award Level 3.
I am actually undertaking the Module 1 course this week in Sussex.
Module 2 will be available Spring / Summer 2009 and the Module 3 available later in 2009, I believe
There are also the existing youth courses available via the FA through FA Learning.
url here:
http://falearning.thefa.com/docent/bin/docentisapi.dll/lms,EUW0000334,2151/?CMD=LOGIN&file=frameset.jsm
The FA have recognised that there needs to be different understanding of HOW to coach young players and are making strides to provide the additional education for youth coaches at all levels.
Good Blog, keep up the good work
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i totally agree that there is far too much pressure in youth football, therefore as soon as i turned 16 (a month ago) i decided i would rather join an adult team. already i can tell that not only is it much more mature but there is more respect to the players and i think i am going to enjoy it a lot more
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Hi, stumbled on this at lunchtime, slow day.
Terrific comments and very interesting.
I coach down here in NZ, a team of 7 year olds and a team of 10 year olds, mixed groups of boys and girls.
We only play seven a side here thu to age 13. At 10 the pitches get bigger. There are rolling subs of 3 per team.
In South Auckland this year we had 40 teams of 7 year olds and 37 teams of 10 year olds from a population of about 300,000.
There is a real interest in the game despite the huge allure of the All Blacks and Rugby League but there are many of us determined to develop soccer.
Our coaching badges etc are all player centric and all about skills development. Personally, I only use drills ( all including all the players with a ball at their feet- running, dribbling- or in groups for passing, first touch, tackling etc) and about on hour of small sided games of 2-2, 3-3 up to full five a sides. The goals are tiny wee things about a metre wide and their are no goalies. All of the focus is on ball control, running off the ball, passing, dribbling and shooting. The games are keenly contested but I frequently swap the players around so that no "team" wins by a boatload.
The skill levels are great and every kid is involved from start to finish. Very Brazilian
It may take ten years but eventually New Zealand will be a very worthwhile opponent.
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Gavin,
Along with many of your respondents - great blog and one I continue to read each week. I really like the way you respond to the comments posted - great stuff.
I have a soft spot for Notts County - the first side I ever watched - a cup game at Meadow Lane in the early 1960's v Peterborough. They also provided the best manager Grantham Town ever had - Terry Bly. And I was an enthusiastic armchair supporter in the Jimmy Sirrell days. However, enough of the nostalgia....
I've got two sons who are sports mad - football, cricket and rugby. The interesting challenge in all sports is to ensure they play it for their enjoyment and not for the parental satisfaction or reflected glory. A key difference I've noticed between football and rugby coaching is the structured approach in rugby, possibly because its a more technical game anyway and very strict supervision to reduce the likelihood of injury. However, there is a greater respect in rugby for the officials and the coaches from player and spectator/parents alike compared to football - and this is a reflection of the way the game is played at an elite level. The lack of respect for officials and administrators indicates too much power in the hands of players, as a result of there being so much money at the top end of football that could ultimately ruin the game lower down.
Sometimes I watch a TV game and wonder why on earth so many ordinary overseas players have been introduced to the premiership - they lack the commitment and passion that we take for granted in the home produced players. (OK - so some can call me a little Englander!) A lot of your bloggers have commented on their preference for the grass roots game - me included.
A real fear for me about football is that the global credit crunch could do a lot of damage throughout the whole structure of football. Where will it all go from here?
I hope you are fit when County come down to sunny Bournemouth in March. I'll give you a cheer from the North Stand - the vociferous and knowledgeable end.
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Great blog totally agree with the pressure put on kids being insane, at a young age children should be learning the basic skills and be encouraged to try and learn new skills and techniques without being worried about results. The thing that annoys me is when a young footballer tries something unorthodox on the pitch, something that he saw one of his heros do for a big club and it doesnt turn out as expected, the coach or his parents have a go at him for it, think this is a reason for Scotland and the rest of the UK not producing players technically as good as the brazilians or other nations they are encouraged to try and do something different without the fear of being shouted at.
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yes i did coach at the Alan Higgs on a friday! (wasnt sure if i was allowed to say haha)
The one game i wish i had copywrited was Pirates Of The Caribean (c) haha!
Im delighted you have borrowed some of the games/techiniques because i got a free reign to coach what and how i wanted with my own philosophy, and to have you back up my ideas is a great encouragement!
To be honest with regards to my new soccer school, it would be great if you could speak to the Coventry press, but if possible i would prefer to speak to you in more detail about it beforehand. I think i still have your contact details on my old phone if it would be ok to contact you? otherwise if you could email me at:
benp_nufcrule@hotmail.com
partyparkins@hotmail.com
that would be more than great!!
Post 12. Futsal is not actually the original game that brazilian players learnt there skills from, it is actually Futbal De Salao...Futsal is a game created by Fifa for a TV audience to make money. There is a big push in Brazil and other countries to go back to Futbal De salao as it created better players than any other techinque based game in the world!
cheers Gavin
Ben Parkins
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This is a seriously excellent blog. Stay with it Gavin. you will have some ups and downs. Remember, you do something for a living that we would all love to do. Insights are great and don't stop...but pieces like this are really enjoyable and well written. Go back and read Brian Glanville..a great stylist. Read some of the good American sports writers too. There is a second career here...read George Plimpton...a great sports writer. My credentials are that my dad took me to see Chelsea in 1955. I played good quality all my youth....and then I came across the "different class boys"..I live in the US now and the kids system where I live is based on Ajax...and they all do well...Thanks again.
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Gavin,
The piece on kids football struck a chord with me. I was asked to coach an U8's team this year. I decided if I was going to take on the responsibility that I would do it 100% and look to make a difference. My aim was to create a fun environment for the kids to develop their skills and their understanding of some basic football principles. Managing the expectations of some of the parents has been the toughest task! For example - I introduced weekly awards after games. Regardless of the result the kids will feel some pride in what they've done and feel encouraged. The kids love it! But already one parent has told me that it's no way to coach kids to become winners! "In my day you only got awards for winning at the end of a season etc etc". My counter is that we need to take every opportunity to praise kids not just once or twice a year and for a couple of select youngsters. I'll stick to my philosophy that football for young kids is about creating a fun environment but equally the kids are the responsibility of the parents and there are some who just won't see this as the right approach.
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Does anyone have the best interest of the children at heart? A club isn't going to be too interested in a child's education outside of football. And it's education (or lack of) that this child may have to fall back on if he/she doesn't make it as a professional.
Not even the parents seem to, as they're just hoping that they can retire at 40 when their son turns pro.
It's a shame that the whole sports system has developed so removed from ther education system. In the USA they seem to be able to do both in tandem . . . so that nearly all their top class sportsmen have been developed through the school, then collegiate systems.
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hey Gav - been reading your blog over the last few weeks and it's become the first thing I look for on the website.
youth football is a funny thing - the dipping standards and training techniques are incredible depending on where you go. a large amount of trouble is is that most parents have no idea which kind of set up is good/bad for their children which is a real shame - a basic lottery. you do raise an interesting question for specific training/qualification for children based coaching though - maybe trevor brooking can take this up?...
I used to coach in the brazilian soccer school system run by simon clifford. this was my first experience of coaching but in my opinion it was spot on. the kids each got a football (size 3 for the younger ones) and the emphasis was on fun and making a lot of noise! roughly we kept swithcing between skill sets and games and its amazing how after doing a skill set of stopping the ball, turning etc the kids would all be trying it out as soon as the game started. its a franchise system with an emphasis on making money but at least its not governed by the drive to find/keep good players.
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Good read and good to hear a pro being made aware of this.
I was released from a big Champ side when I was 19/20 after only having one year as pro and the standard of coaching was mixed. Obviously I am not going to name names but it is a fact that we were and still are (to a point) behind other nations in terms of the quality of coaching.
I now have my 'B' licence and may well try and get on the 'A' licence next summer. I also coach in a local academy at u'16 level where the lads are a little more mature but I have yet to coach at a game yet and so I dont know much about their parents.
Going back to my youth, I was lucky in that I had supportive and not pushy parents but like most reading this I experienced some horrid incidents. If I manage a team and a parent behaves poorly towards their son, I can't tell them how to parent but I will lay the law down in terms of what I expect. Problem with this and I could see it happening is if the player is quite decent and the parent then pulls him out and then possibly the academy boss turns and queries me and my decision, which ultimately results in the boy being pulled out of the team by the parent. It's the lads who suffer. At some local youth clubs, they have a code of conduct which every parent signs and adheres to, it's certainly a start and I would recommend this to any club running youth teams.
As for coaching philosphies in dealing with young kids, they should be allowed to play and express themselves in SSG IMO.
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Great Blog Gavin. Just wanted to know whether clubs try and look for players who come to the game later, as i did (I started playing at 14). There isn't any reason for clubs to ignore players like this as i have been told many times that I have became one of the best players for my local area on the left, but i know that there is little chance of a club coming to offer me a trail (still only 18), which is a shame because there must be loads of late comers to the game who are good players?
What views do you have on this?
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Gavin
Great post as usual and raises some valid points.
I'm interested in your views regarding the whole Respect initiative.
In my opinion it's a good thing although sad that it's needed. But it's frustrating that so called top managers are undermining it with their snide comments regarding referees whenever a decision goes against them.
I've got two boys playing, one at under 15 and one at under 10.
It worries me that the under 10 is going to jump from 7 a side on a smallish pitch to 11 a side with a big pitch and offside etc next season. Ridiculous.
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Loved all your blogs so far, even taken to catching a notts County game in the other week when i was in the gym!!
i think one of the main problems with youth football is the eagerness to try and get them onto a bigger pitch. At the under 12 level its kept to a smaller pitch which allows the players to develop better with the ball at their feet but as soon as it goes past the under 12's they are being put on pitches that are used by adults in the weekend leagues.
With the pitch being bigger it calls for more of an emphasis on hitting the ball long and the close control and passing game that was developed in the under 12's goes out the window.
If they could continue their development on the smaller pitches until say 15-16 they would then be better suited to take everything they learned on a smaller pitch onto a larger pitch resulting in a more technical game as opposed to the long ball game.
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I think your right. I turned down my county to continue playing for my Sunday League club as my Sunday League club was all about having fun and enjoying the game. I had a few mates that played for the county and even though we were only about ten years old they said that it was very serious and they they did not enjoy it. A couple of them went on to join Coventry and Wolves. The guy thta joined Wolves was the best player I have ever known personally and yet was told he was two small at the age of about 14.
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Gavin
I agree with your comments regarding youth football. Here (France) it is all about fun and technique. Technique which is learnt whilst having fun.
Up to 14 years of age, seven a side is played even in competitions. There is a competitive edge in tournaments, but it is normal for a club fielding two or more teams to divide up the better players. It is accepted that at under 14 a love of the game is as important as ability, and it is as likely that one of the seemingly less able 8-14 year olds will be playing to a high level at 18 as one of the apparently gifted 8-14 year olds.
I was a very good player at 11, an average player at 16, and lucky to get a game at 20, but I always enjoyed playing. If I had of been good enough I would have played professionally, but I wasn't and all the pressure in the world would have made no difference.
I'll be cheering on my son at the weekend, but at 9, all I can hope for is that he enjoys it, and he knows the difference between not wanting to lose, and being scared to lose.
Hope you recover soon from your injury, and I'll try and watch you play next time I'm in the UK.
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Been a youth coach over here in Sweden for 5 years. Over here you "play" at playing football until your nine years old. It then starts getting a little more serious. 6-9 year olds play 5-a-side. At 10 you play 7-a-side. At 12 its 11-a-side. They are thinking of introducing 9-a-side football for 12-13 year olds because the step to 11-a-side is too great.
During the second year of 11-a-side (13 year olds) we usually loose most of the players. The honeymoons over.. and the grind starts.. and its too much.
Up to 12 years old no elitism is tolerated.. why? Because to be able to build an 11-a-side team you need 15 players - and they don't start developing until they are 13+
No players = no team.
So putting (elitist) demands on a 6 year old, whose mental capacity to understand that they are on a football pitch, during a game, when the ball is further away than 10m is a bit strange..
..its taken me 5 years to learn the above!
I coach 11-12 year olds
/Darcwyn
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Funnily enough only last night me and my significant other (was watching only fools last night) were comparing horror stories about such parents (she was a dancer/gymnast....her stories were actually worse)
I actually lost the determination to be footballer when I was about 13-14 and got more into music so I opted to play with a team of mates and had an absolute ball, we had quite a bit of success at U18-21's level too.
My brother played for Edinburgh's top youth sides right up until signing S-Forms with Hibs. Me and My Dad would go watch most Sunday's and some of the parents/coaches behaviour were despicable, Screaming abuse at 11-12 yr old kids, spitting on opposing players (seen this several times) parents fighting among themselves.
Maybe if I'd been coached better at a young age I wouldn't have turned to the dark side (ie Rock and Roll)
Great Blog Gavin, here's to a speedy recovery.
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I wish i could post this without giving out my ID, however its not just football where it happens although I have harsh experience in football and Cricket.
I was lucky enough to be picked for my County Side when I was 10 years old and was just playing because all I wanted to do was play games at whatever level I could do. After two years with the County Side i asked my parents not to take me to trials again that year as i was not enjoying myself at all. The players were being shouted at by the managers atthat point and were tole to win at all costs - where was the fun and enjoyment out of that. I continued playing club cricket up until 18, and the County knocked on my door twice to play and maybe go pro - i was totally out off and stopped when i was 18 and have not (sadly) picked up a bat since then - I miss it but not the pressure withit from the age of 10!
It happened in football as well with a well known club - but there is enough response on the blog from the football view already!
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Good blog Gavin. I agree completely with your view (and those of others who have posted) on youth football. I coach kids under the age of 10 and our approach is a simple one. Get kids enjoying the game, learning the basics, without pressure. Small-sided games on smaller pitches helps them to develop ball control and passing skills that our country lacks at the top level. This is the way clubs on the continent operate, why are we so ignorant in this country?
Youth football should not be about competitiveness, but about getting kids into the sport and enjoying it.
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I totally agree with Gavin's comments and most of the comments above. My son was released from a South London Academy at the end of the season (something I agreed with, he was one of the weaker players). However the big factor to me was the fact that that the on pitch discipline was drummed into them, to such an extent that most of the children were afraid to play football in the way they did when they were signed. The very reasons that they were signed. The game was being taught to 8/9 and 10 year olds like you would expect a first team to be taught.
Do we need coaches to have separate qualifications to teach children? The answer is a resounding yes.
My son is now back playing A league football and the smile he plays with has lead me to believe that Premiership Clubs should not be FORCED to run Academies for those so young.....
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My son is currently at such an academy and have seen such incidents with parents. However the organisation and quality training is evident and has been seen in the results back at club level where I coach.
Excellent blog Gavin.
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I remember as a kid my dad took over coaching me and my brother's team. When he took over, we were regularly losing sometimes by scores like 24-0. My dad made training fun and all our players turned up every week to every game, not expecting to win - and even if we got a goal, everyone went bananas!
Eventually we got our first win, and then the second year we were much better and by the third year we were holding our own against teams a year older than most of our players. My dad made sure that everyone who turned up played a good part of the game, no matter how good they were.
Unfortunately, not everyone shared his views and, eventually, my dad quit because the parents of the "talented" players didn't like his style of giving everyone a game - despite the fact they were winning their league at the time.
Now I am a coach of a U-10 advanced recreational team in the US. The League here actually have it in their rules that everyone has to play at least half a game and squads are "balanced" to prevent one team dominating the others and hammering them. Training here, too, is focused much more on fun than drills.
The system isn't perfect - for example, they employ a 'draft' to select squads, for which the kids have to 'try out' whilst being watched and graded by coaches (and parents!) Most are chosen, some are not. Given my experiences from when I was young, I paid far more attention to how the kids listened and their enthusiasm for the game as well as their attitude to the other players when selecting my players, rather than purely looking for skill. The result? We have some talented players, who know that they are better than some of the others. But we don't single them out and they play as much as the others do - including taking their turn in goal. Everyone has fun - including the parents, who encourage and congratualte - rather than criticise - their kids.
Great blog Gavin, keep it up! Hope you are back playing soon!
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Your comments on the coaching of young players is spot on!
Let them enjoy the sport first.
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Hi Gavin,
Very interesting read, and all of the points I can relate to from my days as an apprentice at Reading under Mark McGee...
...At the beginning of every session we would reinforce the need for the parents to watch quietly and whilst vocal support of a well done or don't stop was accepted, we specifically asked them not to coach, as the boys would be told not to listen to their parents, this didn't always go down well. Also the need for some parents to live their fantasy's through their childrens lives were all too apparent which unfortunately led to some tough conversations withthe parents....
...But I couldn't agree with you more regarding the need for children to enjoy their football upto the ages of 15/16, as I have experienced that only the exceptionally talented ones get picked up earlier than this. But based on the fact that your pedigree is far superior to mine, I'll concede that it maybe 14 these days ;-)
Keep up teh good work and I hope your back from your injury soon.
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Great blog Gav.
I know what you mean. I've helped run a youth football team for around 4 years. The parents are the problem, they are over demanding of the boys, to the point where some of the more confident players start criticising their teammates when they make mistakes. We've tried to get them to encourage eachother, but they just do what they see their parents doing.
The thing that gets to me the most; is when a parent is refereeing a game and is blatantly biased to their own team. We ensure that we referee fairly, but I'd say as many as 75% of away games have a biased referee that cheats. How can you teach the boys about fair play and honesty, when they are being set examples like this!?? These "mature" adults are cheating young boys who deserve to be able to enjoy the game and not feel cheated.
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Great blog again, i really enjoy reading it.
I am born into a family of football haters, so it's a little surprising that I love the game so much. For this reason I never had any pressure on me to perform or get in a team, and that has turned out for the best because I feel relaxed when I play, and play for my enjoyment only, I play for a local amateur team and that is just competitive enough for me, there are no dietary needs or anything, it is friends meeting up and playing, and I really honestly believe that this is football at its best.
however, I do play football with someone who is a coach for U-8 and U-10. he is the most over the top, hot headed person on the team, and i have seen him training his team, shouting at them and giving them a dressing down over misplaced passes and what not, so i do feel sorry for them as i could see this as something that would perhaps ruin your love for the sport. the worst bit is he is is a terrible player himself, he stands offside for long periods of the match and couldn't hit a barn door when he does have the ball, so from my point of view, i can see why there are less British home grown talents making it to the premiership, because if they have coaches like him, and over bearing parents like the ones you mention, you can understand why no kids want to play.
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I agree but also have to lay a lot of blame on many coaches.
Not all, but I would say a high percentage of coaches "encourage win at all cost" and long ball football, even at mini soccer levels.
I WOULD LOVE TO NAME AND SHAME!
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20 years ago when I was 9 my local village team decided that to be more competitive in the under 10's league they would almalgamate the 2 teams.
This meant that half the players (including me) were told that we weren't good enough, never going to be good enough and no longer had chance of playing weekend football.
Which I thought was a bit harsh, most of us knew we weren't great, but we still enjoyed playing even though we mostly got beaten.
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Good blog.
My view is simple - football is there to be enjoyed. If it isn't fun then you may as well pack your bags and go home. I enjoyed playing in the playground at school 10 times more than on a Saturday afternoon...I also played 10 times better when I was having fun rather than being screamed at by parents.
Brazilians, Spanish, Argentinians...they all seem to be able to express themselves better on a pitch than us English do. The game seems like more fun to them than it does to English players. The "Playstation" era needs to stop and we need to get back to kids wanting to stay out all night (missing tea and homework!) playing football in the parks and streets. Then we may produce some more players such as Rooney and Gerrard who have a love for the game and are able to express themselves on the pitch. Our football culture is dying...our kids are missing out...our parents are letting it happen.
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So I currently coach a team of Under-5's in Las Vegas, USA. Some of my players are just over three years old! I never know what will happen. A training session or a game can just fall apart at the sight of a aeroplane. My greatest achievement is keeping six players on the field. My daughter dribbled the ball upfield and was just about to score a wonderful goal when she stopped picked up a flower and ran to me 'look daddy, for you'.
It is fun and funny, so Gavin, what are your recommendations for coaching kids football? Keep it fun obviously!
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The lack of technique is a bigger issue than the one being covered here, although they are obviously related.
The lack of technique isnt all down to coaching, but it is a problem.
Children just play football far, far less than they used to. The coaching they get in youth teams may well be the only football they play all week, and in the past boys would be out playing football all night, every night.
There are many reasons for this - pitches have been sold, parents are scared to let their children out of their sight, other sports to play and things to do (computer games etc) and a lack of facilities that are a national disgrace.
The great Scottish players of the past didnt get coached. they learned how to play on the streets - they were out playing for hours every day. Youngsters now may only play football (organised or not) for only a few hours a week!
Where are they supposed to play nowadays? In the past, the roads were pitches. Now they are full of cars. Pitches have been sold off. A new school is being built on the pitches in my village.
What is going on the site of the old school? Houses of course.
The few astroturf facilities in Scotland charge a fee when they should be free as they provide a great beneft.
I suppose that makes the coaching even more important, but the best coaching in the world doesnt matter if the kids arent practising away from the organised sessions.
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Excellent Blog, far too much pressure is placed on kids.
The best teacher of football is the game itself. Training should be based around skills being taught through a series of small games (3-6 players). Allowing each player to touch the ball as much as possible. Also, games should be in a live enviroment, so players have to use skills as they would in a real game. Its also much more fun this way.
More importantly, the setup of youth football is wrong. I think kids shoud only play 5-7 a-side games until the age of 13-14 when they are then mature enough to understand positional play. This would improve childrens technique. Also, kids football should be a summer sport, played between March and October because the pitches are so bad. Again this would improve their technique. Maybe we could have only indoor 5-a-side games during the winter.
Basically, as a country we need to improve the technique of our youth. While these are only a few ideas I have, I think they would be a great benefit, whilst allowing kids to be more creative (and hopefully more fun for them). Let me know your view!
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Post 62
Totally agree with your point about the full size pitches. I forgot to put that in my post.
I started playing 11 a side at under 10 which is ridiculous.
My team didnt have enough players to play 11 a side, so we all had to go and find a new team!
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My 12 year old plays football for his local team in his district league. He will probably never play for Manchester United or Accrington Stanley for that matter. However, he is a skillful, graceful and thoughtful player, but slight in stature. The structure and ethos of the team and the league is about winning at all costs. In common with other similar lads, he is increasingly prefered to larger boys who can kick the ball harder. At his age strength and size usually trump ability. He is thinking of giving up because he plays infrequently, sees boys of less ability playing instead and gets criticised for 'not getting stuck in'. He is not the only gifted player in his team facing this dialemma.
Youth football is too competitive with limited emphasis on skill and technique. Trevor Brooking was right, but there are far too many short-sighted, macho youth coaches who place winning over ability and value strength more than skill. Would someone like Deco has made it through our youth system? I don't think so.
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Four years ago having managed a youth team from u8s to u15s i was asked to set up a kindergarten for children aged 4 to 6 years.
Our philosophy is based on every child having a ball during in the training sessions and involves a variety of games where the children pick up skills subconsciously.
We also play matches with no keepers as this encourages greater participation.
Whilst I am very happy with the progression we have made over the 4 years their have been some negatives this year.
We have 11 boys in this seasons under 7s and 3 have been selected for Bolton wanderers and 2 for Man Utd. I am gob smacked by the amount of football they are expected to play.
Both clubs take the boys 3 times a week for 1 hr sessions and have filled the parents heads with dreams of premership football.
When i asked the head scout for Man Utd how many 6 year olds have progressed to the first team he told me they had had only 1 (paul scholes).
In my humble opinion most 6 year olds that show promise is mainly due to the fact that they have better co-ordination than the counterparts.
It would be much more beneficial if professional clubs where only allowed to take boys at 14 years when their tue potential is more likely to be realised rather than breaking boys dreams before they have stopped believing in Santa.
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Post 61.
Totally agree, Kids need to play football all the time. This is an English problem that countries on the continent don't have. Everything is about money: just like the astroturf pitches you mentioned. Even government owned leisure facilities are for charge. People in France would riot if this was the case there. Local facilities should be free of charge, if only for the young.
The high school I used to attend as a child sold off some land, but did replace some of it with a great big astroturf pitch. However, are kids allowed to play on it after school for free? No. The kids local youth teams have to pay to train there. How ridiculous, this is a school.
Furthermore, when I was a child (I'm now 27) I played twice a week for two hours in a big sports hall at a youth club. We had great games there. Combine this with playing for school, practicing and playing for a youth team, also on the streets, which we seemed to do more than the kids today and we played a lot of football. Here's the point, the local council sold of the youth centre's land for houses to be built. In its place, a small hut house was built for a youth centre with no space at all to do anything. Needless to say we stopped going to the youth centre.
But this is a massive social problem so ingrained into our society that it would never change. We need more free local facilities for kids to simply enjoy playing football. And the government, not the FA, need to act for the interests of the people.
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hi gavin
im 17 nearly 18
and one thing i used to do when i was
younger was play football
but we had to play either
dead early or dead late at night
because you had to pay to play
at our astroturf
my point being is i had talent
but i never got to use it enough
to show off and when i did play for my
school one tiny mistake you would
get subbed or you wouldnt play the next
match so we had loads of pressure on us
i played for my local team and i played a few matchs but i didnt like atmosphere
i believe you are obsolutsaly right
kids should enjoy their football as
many talented but gentle and not in your face football keen kids get put off because
their youth coach puts that size before ability into kids heads keep the blogs comming gavin ! hope the injury works out for you
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As mentioned here, football is best enjoyed with friends, free of pressure and played for the love of playing. I quit football when I about 12.Being slight-of-frame and fairly slow at sprinting I didn't enjoy a game on the 11 a side pitch and the pressure from the parents. Watching the England football team today, you can see why many European and South American teams regulary outplay us, they have a real creativeness and enjoyment of the game that our super-fit muscle-bound players lack. Watching Belarus against England the other day was interesting as being an English man I was of course supporting England but couldn't help but admire the delight on the Belarussians faces when the physically slight players made an incredible 25+ passing move to score their goal. When you are not a fast sprinter or particulary muscular player, you have to rely on 3 things; vision, passing and skill. These 3 things also seem to be the 3 things that somehow have gone missing from our game. At 10 I had a great coach who made us play games on smaller pitches and I was comfortable o the ball to use cruyff turns, maradonas etc, to make space for cutting through balls. At 14 I moved to a fitness-freak, probably BNP-supprting coach who described me as a "flowery ****" for my style of play although any other style would have been impossible and I quit. 4 years later, I played 5-a-side football with my best mates and had a ball, trying to play like Arsenal against 30-something massive blokes. We got thrashed on occassion but loved playing together and gradually improved. In the last game, we played against the same coach who had abused me at 14 and we proceeded to thrash them 11-4 with out "flowery ****" style of play and the satisfaction of beating people like that with your friends is what football is really all about x
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It seems that all of the people are of broadly the same mind ~ let the kids have fun whatever their abilities.
Taking an Under 9s team, you can tell when playing which teams play for fun and those that take things a little too seriously. I'm sure some of the teams we come across only select their best players leaving their weaker players at home. I don't think that does anyone any good.
Our club, like a lot of others, has a policy of all kids playing no matter what their ability. We win some, we lose some, but that's the way it goes. And we don't lose our best players because of it.
Plenty of time when they're older to look to academies, etc. How many of those in the academies at 6, 7 or 8 actually make it? How many are bored of the seriousness of it all by the age of 13 or 14?
Following on from this, there is not enough space available for the kids to play and practice on anywhere. As a club we spend close on £4,000 each year on hiring astroturf pitches for practice from the local Council. Granted they do have maintenance costs, etc. but it doesn't really show what investment the Council are making in our kids.
We have tried for a couple of years now to get some land off the Council for our own pitches, etc. but it just seems tied up in needless bureacracy. Meanwhile the kids suffer. Same old story across the country it seems.
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Youth football is too results driven and does not allow children to express themselves and improvise. Focus should always be on encouraging the right way of playing, fun, enjoyment and experimentation, irrespective of results. Another coaching practice that seems particularly idiotic is assigning children positions that they are confined to. How can you tell if an 8 year old is a right back or a centre forward? Some of the most successful academies in the world such as Ajax and Sporting use youth football as an opportunity for the kids to express themselves and enjoy the game. Another crazy practice I have witnessed in English youth football is kids playing on a full size pitch resulting in individuals hardly getting a touch of the ball and instead the game becomes a free for all where the big kids shine and not necessarily the most technically gifted. I pray for the day when we see sense and then maybe we will start producing exactly the type of players we currently have to buy from abroad.
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Me again. It seems a common theme that big and strong children are selected. Certainly the case when I was young. The strangest thing about this is that children develop at different ages. I played with a lad who was technically unbelievable. He was at man city for a number of years but was then released for being too small. Later in life when I met him I noticed that he had grown to a reasonable size, 5'9 and was really muscular with it. Small players son't always remind small.
Some people might disagree here. But youth football should be competitive, just in the right way. Pressure should be placed on style of football rather than the kids.Children need some pressure so they have the desire to improve and be the best. However, the pressure should be placed on technique, creativity and skill: rather than results. If it was done in this way then football would be enjoyable not matter how competitive it was.
Let's not forget football is most enjoyable when you win. And you can get just as much satisfaction from an individual and team performance.
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Is the guy looking to start a soccer school up of the brazilian variety.....where FDS is what its all about!?
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Very interesting Gavin and i would agree that it is most important for young kids to just enjoy their football.
I have just two comments to make,if I may,the first is that although the point above is very relevant,I do not agree with trying to tell kids it is ok to loose,try telling that to 99% of youngsters playing football and they will look at you as if you are mad,the second is,IF as you say one cannot tell about a players potential until they are at least 14/15 years old,how come most if not all the clubs sign up players as young as 11years.??
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Hi Gavin,
Notts County fan here. This is completely off-topic from Youth Football, but I want to talk about the Rochdale game.
I feel completely let down by the team tonight (Tuesday). The performance was spineless; lacked intelligence; and was a mirror image to many games last season.
What are your views on the performance?
Mine are that our midfield has not been good enough recently (since you've been injured). I went to Chesterfield and froze to death in the rain and watched an inept performance. Tonight was pathetic. Long ball constantly, no thought in any of the passes and no-one wanted to take responsibility and make forward runs off-the-ball. We lacked movement and creation, and it was left to our ONE-MAN show, Facey to run things from the midfield.
Our defence was beyond a joke. Panicking on the ball, not getting stuck into challenges and not applying pressure quickly enough, I am disheartened. In addition, how on earth did they manage to score that second goal? Managing to run from one side of the pitch to the other unchallenged - and to end up on in a one-and-one situation with Hoult is completely unacceptable.
Cheers Gavin, and good luck with the injury.
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I read recently in the mirror that in one league there are no points given each game and no published league table so none of the teams no who won the league, so theres no "losers" or competition.
Which is completely ridiculous and one persons idea of stopping the pressure. It will soon be mentally distressing for a child to be told he is offside I imagine.
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pinncleoffruit - the concept is not as ridiculous as you may think. The Dutch system that has given us the likes of Gullit and Van Basten advocate no scoring either. They have games, but the actual result are irrelivent. The context is at a young age. I am guessing the article you read was referring to a league of kids under the age of 10.
To me, that seems perfectly rationale. It's not shielding them from winning and losing. That will come naturally. It is saying that winning and losing is not the focal point.
On this I wholeheartedly agree
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Hi Gavin
Noticed your blog this week and thought I might share my experience.
While I have, of course, seen and heard the scary stories of the mini-wannabee professionals, their families and the scouts that add to the dream, I have also been made aware of a more positive side to the Little League phenomenon.
It would probably be unhelpful to give names or places, but I will add these to a separate e-mail for verification if you need.
My grandson was seven in August. In the early summer of 2007, just before his sixth birthday, we were concerned at how to deal with a withdrawn, lonely little boy, with a loving family but no friends and a dislike of school and mixing.
As a lifelong footie fan, if Chelsea supporters could ever be called that, I sourced a local team with training facilities from five upwards and bowled up with Joshua to the first day’s “training” in July 2007.
An utter disaster! He wouldn’t stay, he wanted to run away from this strange new practice and eventually we had to leave, curling with embarrassment.
Perseverence! The following Saturday Josh was dragged to the Astroturf by the whole family and forced to endure a first training session.
It was painful! For the first weeks, after the initial stages of ball control, when the scratch game started, he didn’t know which way he was supposed to be kicking and frequently passed to the opponent instead of his team-mate.
A painful process, but gradually with kindly coaching support, Saturday became a day to look forward to, and with thirty little boys training, it was easy to hide mistakes.
But after a few weeks club officials began to select a team for this season’s under-8 league and of course Josh was with the also rans, forced to endure the training without hope of a proper match.
It was dis-spiriting watching a group of “no-hopers”, some with behavioural and 20th century syndromes, casting envious glances at their “elite” peers on the next pitch.
That was last season!
In the early summer club officials realised that they had enough registered players for two teams in the league, but initially that was the A and B teams. The “no-hopers” had formed into a team, the B-team.
First a local tournament, starting with a false-dawn 0-0 draw and then three heavy defeats, but then something happened.
The boys were asked to choose a name for their team—they had an identity—and they started gelling together in training. With good coaching support they became a team.
Then the league started. At the start of the season games were sporadic, because other clubs hadn’t completed their registration, so the inevitable happened, matches against the old A-team with their new name.
Unbelievably the A-team were no longer the giants of the Under-8’s. Wins of 4-0, 5-1 against the formerly cherry-picked boys gave the previous under-achievers great confidence followed by 7-0 and other big wins over other league clubs. The little boys had come of age.
A true success story in not much over a year. The boys have confidence, and this is the greatest gift that they can be given. If I can hear just one heart-warming story like this, I can forgive the petty jealousies at the other end of the league spectrum.
And if anybody has a spare £250 lying around in these straitened times, the kids still need a shirt sponsor—then they would really be a team.
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The mighty Dale ended your unbeaten run at home didn't they?
I suppose you would have made the difference though ;)
Seriously though, this is a brill column. I really enjoy reading it.
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I went to a centre of excellence when i was around 9. The bad thing was though that everyone else was 14-15 which scared me at that young age. I only went to one session. Looking back on it i wsh i had stayed though as i could be npw playing professional football.
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Hi Gavin!!!..
what are your feelings about FA Cup next game against Sutton United???...
i'm not a supporter of any team (ok, i have already adopted Rochdale because that's my team in my PS2 video game) but i like to follow the FA Cup because i sincerely believe it's an interesting competition...
so i was expecting to ask you about the game against The Dale... but since you are injuried and not played them, i think you still can post some comments about it...
Nacho from Mexico...
Regards...
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kids football and pressure..!!
My son recently played for a professional club.. He is 12 and here's a small extract from his last team talk from a game his team lost..
" I have just walked past the winning teams' dressing room. They are laughing.. They have every right to laugh.. They were laughing at you lads because you were all a disgrace.. You should be ashamed of your selves."
I think coaches who work with kids should get more education especially directed to psychological issues and not just skills, drills and tactics...Very stunned by this appalling treatment.. Could be construed as child abuse !!
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Hi Gav!
Great blog! One which has affected most people who have played football when they were younger, which is quite worrying??
When i was 13 there was probably only one / two teams that you could play for in my town, and based on "reputations" of managers and former players, these were the 'only teams' that were worth playing for!!! They would have had maybe 30 - 40 kids turning up for pre-season training, and 20 would've been chosen. At 13, i think this is terrible!
One of the mothers of a wee lad who wasnt pcked decided she had enough, and started her own team!! No "hard-training" or "dictators" for coaches, all fun and laughs for the players. We got changed in her house and walked down to the pitch every week.......first season we won the cup and runners up in the league....second season we done the same again!!
I do belive that one of the main reasons we had such success is that we kept all the young lads happy, had fun and most of all, actually ENJOYED the game!!!
Keep the good blogs up Gav!!
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I hope you get playing again soon, in the meantime keep up the good work on the blog.
A bunch of yapping parents competing over their children shows some of the desperations that follow the game, and the fetishised rewards which it promises at the highest level.
www.fatrainee.com
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Very interesting blog on youth football. I have been involved in junior football for serveral years.
I do not think it is right for children to be asked to attend trials even if it is for 6 weeks and then be offered a contract at the age of 8 and be expected to attend training three times a week. What annoys me more is the pro clubs approach players during the season and if offered a contract some of them do not committ to junior football. As a club we want the children to play to the best of their ability but make it enjoyable.
I have seen or heard how academy teams run their sessions and I have to say, I am very disappointed in the training they receive, when personally children should continue to play junior football all the way to the age of 12 when pro clubs should then look to sign players. Parents do not realise the pressure they place on them at a young age, but also the academy can just drop a player after their contract and the turmoil the family have to endure.
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