Graphic:
Why football is not child's play
This morning I would like to challenge Sir Trevor Brooking, and everybody
involved in the organisation of youth football in this country, to a game.
One condition: new rules.
The goal will be 3.057 metres high, which equates to more than 10ft, roughly
one and two thirds the size of Paul Robinson, making it physically
impossible to touch the bar from a standing jump. (When the Australian
security forces erected a fence to protect the world leaders attending the
APEC conference in Sydney this year, it was three metres high.)
The goalline will be 9.174 metres long (about 30ft) or almost five Scott
Carsons laying head to toe. A goalkeeper standing in the middle would have
to dive almost five metres to get his body behind the ball and adequately
protect inside his posts; the present width of the whole goal is 7.32
metres.
The length of the pitch will be 150.4 metres (165 yards), placing the halfway
line at 75 metres. Using these dimensions, for a goalkeeper to get the ball
out of his half from a grounded goal kick, he would have to clear, without
bouncing, to the midway point of the opposition half with pitch measurements
as they are now. The edge of the penalty area will be extended to 20.68
metres (23 yards), almost a third again on the present space, and the width
of the pitch will be 112.80 metres (124 yards), which is a greater expanse
than the length of most present pitches. Everything else will be the same,
including the number of players and the duration of the match.
And when this travesty of a game is finished, when everybody is exhausted and
fed up and utterly frustrated with demands that are at odds with the
strength of the human body and the fundamental skill-based nature of the
sport, then, and only then, will we comprehend what it is like to play
football as a ten-year-old in England.
At this point we may begin to realise why Blame Steve McClaren or unmotivated
players for England’s shambolic path to Euro 2008 if you like, but the
reason standards in English football are in decline stems directly from what
we see on our parks and school fields every weekend: ten-year-old boys on a
full-size pitch.
That is the problem. Not John Terry’s £135,000 a week or McClaren’s 3-5-2. You
want to talk numbers, I’ve got some crackers right here: the average height
of a ten-year-old boy is 4ft 7in and the height of Petr Cech, the Chelsea
goalkeeper, is 6ft 5in and they are required to guard the same target and
kick the same distance. And we wonder why we can’t play like the Brazilians.
The pitch dimensions for my challenge match with Brooking were not plucked out
of the air. They were expanded, by ratio, so that adults could enjoy the
same competitive experience as children. The idea came from a friend of
mine, Ray Lee, who has worked in youth football all his life. His suggestion
was to take an average ten-year-old, place him on a full-size pitch and then
expand that space in proportion, to equate to the size of the average man.
The playing surface filled an area of 16,800 metres. What do they say about
a good midfield player covering every blade of grass? A good polo pony would
struggle with that space.
In most counties, seven-a-side mini-soccer ends in the final year of junior
school, at which point the under11 age group converts to football as it is
played by grown-ups. Team numbers are the same and, most importantly, so are
pitch measurements. As in discount clothing stores, one size fits all. The
reason English football has a tradition of brick outhouse central defenders
who cannot pass and perpetual motion machines in midfield without an ounce
of the class of Cesc Fàbregas is because our youth football is geared to
little else.
If you are big you go at the back because you can kick it a long way and on an
adult pitch, unless someone can hoof it to safety, a team can get boxed in
defending their penalty area with no end in sight until the inevitable goal
is scored. The ability to cover a ludicrously vast distance, box to box, is
obviously essential for a midfield player, so the game favours long-legged
cross-country runners, not tidy little ball players.
And then every two years, when the national team exit a tournament after
losing to the first good technical team they play, we go into anguished
inquests about our lack of skill and talk about quotas of foreign players
and pride and passion, and all of those other red herrings, and never once
think that the answer is under our noses and it is 4ft tall standing in an
8ft goal.
I watched an under11 district game on Saturday that was everything that is
wrong with youth football in England. Brent versus Redbridge in the cup.
There were some lovely players on both teams. Good, skilful boys with good,
basic technique and some bright ideas about passing and movement, too. At
half-time the score was 1-0 to Brent and Redbridge had been slightly the
better team, but as the game wore on conditions took their toll.
When youth football is warped by its adult setting, over time it favours the
strongest physical players and Brent had some very athletic boys. Tall,
physically imposing and nice footballers. Redbridge could not get it out of
their half. At this age, a goal kick is an advantage to the opposition;
better than a corner, really, because all the defenders have their back to
the play, all the attackers are facing it and the goalkeeper cannot clear
the 30-metre distance to safety.
The game becomes a siege (and this is before the really wet weather hits, when
it becomes as much fun as the retreat from Moscow). And as the goals go in,
which they will do because anything high or near a post is impossible to
save, which is why Michael Owen scored 79 goals in one season at the age of
11, so one side become more dispirited. Final score: Brent 6 Redbridge 0.
And it started off a close game. Brent would probably have shaded it,
whatever the location, but why such a huge difference by the end? The size
of the task. It wears them down. It saps the strength, it strangles their
skill. My lad can’t make it this week. He has an 11-plus examination. I’m
hoping he’ll get more enjoyment from it.
I have another lad playing under12 football. This season a new team joined his
competition. Massive kids, lots of attitude. I had them marked down as the
league winners before a ball was kicked and after seven games they are two
points clear. It is a power game for the preteens. And then, later in life,
when everybody can wallop the ball a long way and chase it down, the sport
becomes skill-based once more, except by that time we are lagging behind as
a nation because we have focused all our efforts on the art of a
panic-stricken clearance into touch to release the pressure.
Bring in the pitch boundaries, make the goals smaller and compulsorily cut the
number of players in each team to nine until the age of 14. Games of this
nature produce more scoring chances, more passes, more goals, better
dribbling and more opportunities one on one. Better skill all round, in
fact.
When youth coaches at Ajax first assess groups of young players, they make
them dribble a ball around a square. Gradually the perimeter of the area is
reduced until they can see who really knows how to control it. Then they
make their selection and begin to look at other attributes. At our district
trials, 75 youngsters played a series of games on a full-size pitch.
The FA is awash with money, we are told, so let it spearhead this revolution.
It can be done. It is argued that schools and parks do not have the space to
construct separate nine-a-side venues, but that is a weak, lazy excuse. They
do not need more land. Paint the markings of the children’s pitch inside the
adult pitch in a different colour (red would stand out in all seasons). No
confusion there. Children and adults regularly play on ball courts and in
indoor gyms that contain the field boundaries for several sports
(basketball, netball, hockey, tennis), without becoming disoriented.
Brooking, the FA’s director of football development, continues to talk a good
game, but where is the action? Skills programmes with supermarket sponsors
do not even scratch the surface. It is the match that is the problem, not
the training. There was plenty of raw talent in that district game, plenty
of tricks and flicks and eye-of-the-needle passes. English children are not
born with less skill than those in Spain or France. It is battered out of
them by the circumstances in which they are forced to play.
If you want to know why we are a nation on tenterhooks about tonight’s match
against Croatia, go to the park with a few mates, mark out an area the size
of a modern hypermarket, including service and delivery space, with a
bungalow at each end to act as the goals and away you go. Then you will see
football through the eyes of a ten-year-old. And you may rather want to
spend the weekend in front of Nickelodeon, too.
There have been a lot of theories on the reason behind our lagging international performance, 90% of which lean towards the improvement of grass-roots football. Everyone has their remedy - quoting methods from this country or that continent as examples of their solution. It would appear that every football culture has something we can learn from, so why don’t we? The FA spend millions on paying off ex-managers and over inflated fees for national stadiums – why not use these funds to set up an international team whose task is to visit major footballing nations and assess their grass-roots infrastructures. We should then analyse what we see and develop our own system. The FA should resurrect plans for this shelved national centre – a base from which to teach coaches what we discover. By constantly learning and adapting, we move with, and then ahead of the times! It won’t be long before countries like Brazil, Spain and France will be watching us with envious eyes! ...well ...maybe!
Richard, London,
Ack! Lots of comments for boys I see. I coach a girls team in the South Manchester Girls League - we play 7-a-side until the 1st year of high school (Y7 to those who have kids) then 9-a-side for a year then 11-a-side. Up until last year it was 7-a-side until Y8 then straight to 11-a-side - the 9-a-side has now been introduced as a transition. I personally think this is still too early and I'd like to have seen the 9-a-side at Y9 and Y10 but the league officials are under pressure from teams who have lots of girls and want to play 11-a-side earlier. Other teams do not, and the officials are doing a good job resisting moves to earlier 11-a-side. Boys aren't much bigger than girls in these early years and they should be 7-a-side until they're 12, then 9-a-side for 2 years before trying out 11-a-side.
Kamal Hashmi, Manchester,
This is something that had never really occured to me. And this is why, when I was 10 we played on smaller pitches with smaller goals. Much smaller in fact. That was the rules of our league and I dont think it was until I was 14 or 15 that we played on large pitches. As well as this we trained indoors on a 7aside pitch and I supplemented this with playing with a mixed group of boys and men's 5aside twice a week. At 5aside, outside of my teams training we were taught ball skills, short passing and turns by an old geezer very clued up on his football but with no badges or anything. As I grew older I found out I was alot more technical than my teammates, and without being boastful probably better than them too. Now, I'm not amazing, just an average guy but I was actually tutored in the way you describe above, I'm only 21 now and still play 6aside at uni with a confident touch and passing skills. I may not be as big or athletic as my teammates, but at 6aside I'm alot more technical.
Deano, Portsmouth,
Well done on a truthful view on junior football. Having coached junior football for several years I feel the problems are far more reaching than pitch sizing and team numbers. At our county F.A. we have four people to oversee the whole of the West Midlands at grassroots level, and at monthly league meetings we are constantley reminded that the F.A. would prefer that junior football is more of a hinderance than a positive step towards educating young footballers.
I would like to see a forum which incorperated the hard-working volunteer coaches and the so called experts at the F.A. , and then we might find a solution to the problems your article covered.
Steve Homer, birmingham, uk
Agree fully with this article, as someone who is involved in running what is now an u15 team I have seen this transition for myself, but feel there are one or two other areas where we get it wrong.
When we train we share an astro pitch with an academy side, and whilst we are playing two touch they seem to be getting shouted at by coaches and doing complicated routines that are way over their heads, from coaches who I would say are far more capable than me, we work on the basis of making the game fun. I offer this point with the experience of having a team that when we became involved lost every game for that first season (u11) but year on year improved with the virtual same side (which in itself a sign of a team who enjoy themselves) until last season we were promoted as champions having won all but two matches, and have currently only dropped 3 points this season at the higher level.
russ, southend,
Good points- last saturday at Fairlop Waters London playing Fields i saw a group of fathers and a 'coach' playing a game with 5 to 6 year old boys using a size 5 football. In passing i said to one of the parents that the ball was too big for the boys.
The look on the mans face told me i was speaking another
language. Until we have qualified full time paid coaches instructing 5-11 year old at grass roots level at schools and community centres then British football will remain in the dark ages,
mike , london , london
Fantastic article, and surprise surprise it all makes perfect sense! I remember very well the days when i was first choice goalkeeper for a local under 11s side. I played with this side all the way upto under 16s and only towards the latter did actually clearing the ball to half way become a reasonably routine activity. Towards the former it was a torturous event at which i had to severely over exert my muscles just to get the ball far beyond the 18 yard area, at which point in was duely hassled back by a mass of opposition players who knew very well the maximum distance that the goalkeeper could kick it! I suffered problems with several leg muscles and my ankle as a result of this and i dont expect i was the only. Clearly forcing kids to over exert and exhaust themselves can not contribute to any benefit in skill or ability.
Chris, Reading, UK
Another issue that tends to be overlooked, is that simply not as many younsters play the game, either in the street, the park or probably at school (Health & Safety probably?).
We thus have a much much smaller pool of talent which then is further eroded when the professiona clubs bring in foreigners at increasingly lower ages.
Don't know how you'd you'd work out the maths of this, but it's certainly a factor.
Ian, Winchester, UK
Spot on . I manage an under 11 side in Coventry and have just made the step up from 7 a side from under 10's League. Last season we finished runners up and scored over 100 goals ,however this season , playing on a full size pitch that we share with our youth team is killing the ladsand their heads all drop once the second or third goal goes in due to the keeper or centre half not being capable of clearing the ballno more than 25 - 30 yards
D.Keogh, Coventry,
mick in rotherham: Brazil's players started their careers on Copacabana beach, now what pitch area would that cover?
hate to sound like a show-off, but i've been to the copacabana a couple of times now, and for the record, footballers on the copa usually mark out a five's or seven's sized pitch to play, or they are playing a hybrid version of foot-volleyball (volley ball but only using heads and feet!!!) so impeccable ball skills required. the other thing about the average game of footy in brasil ( i played fives) is that they use smaller (size 4) and heavier balls with less bounce so you need to have a good first touch. AND it is not uncommon, even on a fives sized pitch for the goals to only be 1-2 yards WIDE so you cant shoot from long range but have to dribble/pass your way into the goals from a few yards away. that is why rich kids like kaka also turn out to be great footballers, the whole ethos is different.
segun, glasgow,
Good article and with fair points if we are considering the future of English football. But even if we have to do something to increase the inherent skill level of english players in future, it doesn't answer the question of why we have wasted the opportunity provided by this current "golden age" of english "talent".
For the first time since I can remenber we have a crop of genuinely talented and skillful players. Seriously - this is not hype, Gerrard, Lampard, Cole, Beckham, Rooney, Owen, Wright-Phillips, Lennon, Richards, Ferdinand - how can thsse players perform as they do for theiir clubs, yet appear a shadow of themselves when they pull on an England shirt?
Kevin Reeves, London, England
Martin, thank you so much for this article, finally a reporter of your standing has taken up this issue. My 12 year old twin boys have now been playing footbal on full size pitches for a year and a half. They don't love it like the did when it was 7 a side. One of my boys who scored 20 goals a season at 7 a-side and has represented Tottenham and Fulham acadamies is now playing left back because he can kick it a long way. I can't blame the coaches they do their best with what they have. I gave up coaching last year because I was surrounded by idiot parents who believed it was my fault that their kids weren't coping with the imcreased pitch size.
I wrote in my blog of this issue 4 months ago, at least your article should gain some interest although I'm afraid nothing will be done.
Part of me hopes we lose tonight to shake the powers that be from their lethargy, ignorance and arrogance.
http://daverossfootball.wordpress.com/2007/07/03/your-kids-football-future-in-safe-hands/
Dave Ross, Teddington, Middlesex
Great article, basically you have managed to articulate exactly what I have felt about the way football should be structured in this country for children.
I was priveliged enough to attend a public school in south west London and come under the tutelage of a Mr Knappman, who insisted we played 7-a-side not 11-a-side when we were under-11.
This was one of the most enjoyable and beneficial years of coaching and playing I had. Not only did we enjoy smaller sized games but the coaching was based on passing and moving in small spaces and we were taught how to perform drag backs, step overs, cruyff turns and all manner of other tricks and feints. Now we werent the most talented bunch of kids around, this was after all a small prep school, but I know I at least went on to play a very respectable level of football due in no small part to this.
Technique, short passes and an understanding of space must be taught to kids, not simply allowing the kids who can kick it furthest to excell.
Tom, Hampton, London
great article, good points, but is it different in other europaen countries? it is the same here in ireland from age 11.
stephen, dublin,
Sounds good, but you provide no evidence of other countries adopting this policy.
Axly, Cambridge, UK
Samuels view that available space to play football is not really a problem, is wrong. To accommodate players of all ages on safe and well maintained pitches is a major problem. To use different coloured lines to mark out dual sized pitches is confusing for players, officials and spectators alike and quite frankly it also looks a mess. You then have to install the appropriate goalposts for the age of the players. The goalposts are socketed which then means you need to have a method of safely covering the socket holes when the goalposts are changed again. In addition, you have to move the spectator ropes to segregate the playing area when you change pitch size. Yes, I agree the goals are large for 10 year olds but the larger pitch size is not detrimental to good play. Don't forget playing times are reduced for sub 16 year old players matches.
Brazil's players started their careers on Copacabana beach, now what pitch area would that cover?
Mick, Rotherham, England
Good article. This has been a problem us Grassroots coaches have been aware of for a long time. The FA need to talk to coaches at the bottom level, not Premier Acadamies or top managers, its grassroot coaches that have to face all the problems of running a team with little money and terrible facilities. It does not stop at 10 year olds though, their are many 13/14 yr old lads who play in lower leagues, who struggle to kick a ball more than 30yds, I know I have 2 in my team. Children develop at different rates, something the FA teach you on one of their courses, so you would of thought this problem would have been sorted out a long time ago.
We need to get young children out of competitive football and playing in small sided games for fun, so they can fall in love with the game without the distractions that they have to endure every week. I am talking about the parents and coaches who cant stop themselves from shouting out constant instructions and moaning at players ,referees etc.
David Williams, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
It's time somebody addressed grass-root level sports in the country - access, coaching and facilities are sub-par and it's not only in football.
Funny thing is, if this happens will we end up losing OUR way of playing then everyman and his dog will blame the foreign legion for destroying our way of playing:-) Can't we just kick'em of the pitch instead:-)
Haider, London, England
Absolutely spot on Mr Samuel but sadly I fear it's a minority viewpoint.
I remember struggling around muddy, full-size football pitches as a kid.
The school pitch even had daisys growing in the centre circle because of the lack of traffic going through there.
But I also felt the same at Uni. The only time I ever really enjoyed my football was five or seven-a-side when you could actually play with ball. Everything else felt like some exotic version of gaelic football.
It would be interesting to know how many of your readers have similarly depressing anecdotes, I think it might be most of them.
It is scandalous what we are doing with the raw talent at our disposal in Britain and I urge you to keep up the pressure on the FA.
Adam Aspinall, BIRMINGHAM,
I always enjoy reading Martin Samuel's column but today's piece on football for 10 year olds really struck a chord with me. I coach U10 and U11 and the current transition from one year to the next is ridiculous. Skilled, confident players in mini soccer are lost when suddenly asked to play 60 minutes on a full size pitch. It truly does come down to fitness and size which are dependant on how much sport they may or may not play in school and genetics. If we want to play continental football it is seriously time for change at this level and the FA should make it priority number 1. I think The Times has the respect, readership and capacity to start a campaign for change. The rest of the media may grab onto your shirt tails once it gains momentum but who cares if it has the desired effect. The FA (allegedly) are considering all this but we have as much chance of a watershed decision being made as their choosing the right England Manager. Come on Martin! It's Time for Change.
John Ireland, Windsor, Berkshire
I couldn't agree more. Last week I went to our borough middle schools Year 7 (Under 11) football festival and it was heartbreaking to watch the 11 a side teams trying to play on the same pitches that adults use on Saturday and Sundays. Unfortunately the schools have no option but to play this way because that is the directive from the governing body.
I am trying to introduce smaller-sided games and skill based sessions to reintroduce the fun of playing and not make it an ordeal for the smaller players. The trouble is that when the players then go to their clubs they play again on the full size pitches.
Sports Development Officer, London,
very well said. It would be good to hear the view of the FA and persons who have been advocating for a quota system.
cb, london,
Absolutely spot on. I run an under 13 side and I have four or five boys who are very skillfull but are physically not strong enough to compete under present conditions etc. The stronger more physical boys are far more effective and therefore tend to play more and are encouraged by there success. The opposite is true for the smaller boys, who tend to get overlooked and eventualy lose interest.
Tony Lloyd , East Molesey , Surrey
I train kidz(10 year olds) in Denmark.We play matches on a 7 a side pitch,we train on a 7 a side pitch.Because it's a smaller pitch and there arn't so many players on it,the boys get the ball more often-and therefore get a better training.All i teach them is basically to play and move,and of course where they need to be on the pitch.The boy's are doing well.Maybe you should put my name forward,and i could give Mr Brooking a few tips!
Johnny White, Copenhagen, Denmark
I agree with the main idea. But this has always been the case so cannot be blamed for deterioating levels - sorry nit picking.
The culture of "get rid of it" and "get stuck in" doesn't help either.
Get more immigrants in - it always amazes me how clumsy kids look when playing compared to similar kids abroad.
Maybe they are just not good enough?
Terry, London,
Genuinely the most intelligent article on football i have ever read.
I was one of those "big kids at the back" who could kick it further than anyone. I had no skill/pace as i wasnt required to develop that as part of the position.
Thats why i gave up football at 13 and have played rugby and cricket ever since, where there is a much larger degree of intelligence with respect to coaching kids.
Rob
Rob, Southampton,
What a joke of a story. Why is there this belief that there is no decent young english talent?
Just because the senior's cant manage to find the right balance and win a major tournanment?
Our under 17's reached the FIFA U17's World Cup for the first time in our history this summer and played very well, only to be beaten by a well orgainsed Germany side. Our under 21's have never had so much success, only just missing out in the European U21's Final by penalties and that was after Holland scored a last minute goal.
They have now started the qualifiying campaign in record breaking form winning 6 out of 7 and only conceeding 1 goal dispite having the likes of Portugal, Rep Ireland and Belgium in the group. All this without a full starting 11, including the likes of quality players like Agbonlahor, Derbyshire, Ashley Young, and Micha Richards, Lennon and Rooney who could all still qualify to play.
I would like to know a country who has talent like that coming through!
Tommy McNally, London, England
I moved to South Dakota from England 3 years ago. I became involved in "soccer" through refereeing and coaching. Although the number of players rises to 11-a-side when they get to U12, the size of the pitch remains proportionately smaller until they reach the high school level (14-19).
From U6 to U12, they play on progressively bigger pitches, with progressively bigger goals, and from 5-a-side up to 11-a-side as they get older. It is not difficult to achieve this progression, and it does seem encourage better technical ability.
Even here, where size, speed, strength, is lauded on the pitch, and coaches rave about who is fastest, and who can shoot from furthest (and that is the high school coaches who are meant to know a bit better!), the technical ability and skill levels do develop well, and it might be a result of the conclusion that Mr. Samuel has drawn.
Martyn, Pierre, SD, United States
Just wanted to say what a great article that was.
We have been making every different type of excuse for Englands failures for the past 51 years and I think you may have finally uncovered the root problem!
It would be helpful to try and encourage kids to enjoy the game and learn in a more "brazilian" style on smaller more suitable pitches
James , London, UK
When I was at school 20 years ago we played games similar to the one described. But only once a week. 7 days a week we'd be playing smaller sided games on smaller pitches amongst ourselves, yes, with jumpers for goalposts. I didn't learn to play football playing for my school team, I learnt in the playground, which was about 30 yards in length and width. Surely things aren't that different now? If so maybe its down to the playstation generation playing football on their consoles instead of in the park, not because they play an eleven a side match once a week.
Jon, Oxford,
All the comments about too many foreigners are off the mark, there are plenty of things that need to be changed first. This being one of them.
On too many foreigners, anyone notice that in the first premier league season only 10 foreigners started the first game and we still didn't qualify for USA 94.
Other changes need to be made first. Basic skills must be brought up to a par with the rest of Europe and South America.
Nick, London,
Great article Martin, i lost interest in English football some 10 years ago when the current trend of over paid and over hyped players began.
Regarding foreign players and the state of the game, i think England needs to follow the Spanish game, the reserve sides play in the league divisions and play competitive week in week out. It means that those Spanish players that are not in the first team get the chance to play for something and sometimes their results are amazing.
See the Barcelona youth setup and the players it has developed, Fabregas, Xavi, Messi, Giovanni, Bojan, Iniesta, Valdes, Puyol all playing first team football either for FCB or others. The setup should be a model for others especially English clubs.
Gavin, Gibraltar,
I totally agree. My 11 year old son is in this situation. Fortunately for him, he is a big lad who is faster than most of his opponents and can kick a ball well. Many of his team mates are not so fortunate.
We need a serious rethink of how youth development is currently run.
People say the England team will suffer in the future; I say we are already seeing the results.................
Robert Race, Windsor, Berkshire
I accept what is being said here but mini soccer - 7 a side with small pitches and goals - is a relative recent phenomenon.
Dont forget when we won the World Cup and had the best players in the world, all kids were playing on full size pitches then too!
Nick, Oakham, Rutland
fantastic article. I agree with everything that is wrong with the game. The only good thing to come out of us being knocked out is that debates like this happens. So listen Brooking and Barwick as you are next to go, sooner the better.
joe wheeler, brighton, east sussex
Spot On! Though relatively new to the game as an American, I can say in the 18 years I have coached, this is very much what is happening. Our family has gone from 11v11 for my 6 year old daughter on a huge Pitch in California, to 8v8 for 7 to 11 year olds in Michigan. It became a State mandate that 11v11 be reserved for 12 year olds and up. All the field dimensions and goal sizes are proportionate as well. It has made for a better quality player and game here for the last couple of years.
I think the other component that might be missing is the coach's perspective and priority. Is it winning, or is it developing quality players? A good coach will focus on developing a quality player, not on his record. Not easy in the ego centric culture where American Football is still king.
John Hall, Grand Rapids, USA, Michigan
When I played for my local town under 15's they had a 6.1 ginger monster who at every goal kick was able to clear the pitch and thus the oppositiion in turn took their goal kick. The Coach adored him. "that lad will be a professional". At county level under 16's. we were pressed to hit the channels with long balls and get second knock ons. Training for a professional now premier side under 16's the attributes of being physically and strong minded ;giving it all, were the keywords. Excellent first touch, skilfull, creative ball players who have determination and vision were deemed "mavericks". That was 40 years ago. Now I'm delighted to see Wenger + Sir Alex playing the game as it is intended. The real questions are why cannot English players command positions at Real Madrid, Barca etc, and why are our coaches not headhunted abroad ? And why when we didn't have foreign players in the league also failed to qualify for European and World Cups ?
Isn't it obvious ? Class is nurtured.
Peter Foord Brown, Telscombe Cliffs, Sussex
Superb article.
We have the same issues to varying degrees in Australia.
My 10-year-old plays on a full size pitch, and it struck a massive chord with me what Martin said about goalkicks. If I think of the number of goals we conceded in that situation.
The small sided games (SSG) are a move in the right direction, but it's a lot tougher in Australia where there's competition from other codes.
Steve Dettre, Sydney, Australia
Excellent article. Nail on the head. Until our kids have skills comparative to their European counterparts, the national team will struggle. It's quite simple. I've been waiting for someone in the mainstream media to say something sensible on this matter instead of naive, xenophobic comments about the "influx of foreigners". Thank you, Martin, for being that person.
The reason foreigners dominate our league is because they're GOOD and clubs need competent players. English players that are actually any good, and there are actually a few of them about, cost so much that clubs are priced out of the market. Why would a club like Arsenal pay £16m for Michael Carrick when then they can get the likes of Cesc Fabregas/Denilson/Hleb/Rosicky/Diaby for so much less? Not all of those are better players than Carrick, but they probably didn't cost as much as him combined. And he can't even get in the England team anyway!
Tom, Edinburgh,
Totally agree.
I fact I played junior hockey as well and the training was on skills not brute force as this comes with age and training. The intellectual dwarfism that comes from demanding a dumbing down of the Premiership to allow more mediocre English players is ridiculous. French and Brazilian players excel because of their youth focus on technical football. No surprise it is an Arsene Wenger obsession. Would anybody honestly argue he is wrong?
David, London,
Martin, 100% spot on. As a Scotsman your only upside is that our situation is ten times worse - we wonder where all our stars that used to dominate English football have gone. Well take a look at a public footy pitch over a weekend and you have the answer.
Despite what youth coaches say, there is no emphasis on develping players and and key attributes of skill, passing and intelligence on the football pitch - it comes down to winning trophies (at 7 years of age, come on!!). The physical side is encourgaed by parents, coaches and teachers which means a hard takle is rewarded with more of a cheer than a simple pass. It's easier to tackle and obstruct than it is to be creative. Also, have you seen some of nutcases involved in kids football - they are borderline criminal.
Solution : Make it like i've seen in South America and Africa - you dont get a game until you can keep the ball up 100 times (with BOTH feet). The physical side will come naturally.
Chris, Glasgow,
I am lucky enough to earn a full-time living in the USA running a football (soccer!) coaching company. Soccer in the States is a much different animal to England in that it has a different bodies running the game. US Soccer Federation runs the National Teams and Coaching Courses but does nothing for those aged 14 and younger. 'US Youth Soccer' fills that role, as well as every State Youth Soccer Association. It's a lot of different 'plans' but they all agree and set standards requiring youth soccer programs to play 3v3 (no GK), 4v4 (some no GK), 5v5, 7v7, 9v9 at ages from 3-12yrs of age, and they are consdering requiring 13yr olds to play 9v9 rather than 11v11 also. The key aspect in all this is to maximize the number of touches on the ball that each player has and it works. Why is the FA, the ONLY body running youth soccer in England, UNABLE to make the change?! I for one would swap games at the new Wembley for a World Cup win and games at Old Trafford, the Emirates & St James' Pk.
Fletch, Baltimore, USA
Right on the money! This clearly explains the long-ball philosophy in England. Even revolutionary managers like Wenger rarely use the full size pitch in training (according to Tony Adams and other players who trained under him). Teach the players to find space in cramped situations and they can easily find it if they are awarded more space by the opposing team. Also, I believe there will be less injuries for the 10 year olds if they are not as tired, thus increasing the number of English players who turn professional. Ajax is the best example, because they have produced the most great players for any single club in the world. Given the chance, Arsene and Arsenal could match their record!
Taff, Stoke-on-trent, UK
Spot on Martin. You have hit the nail on the head with a superb article
I have an 11 year old son who has just graduated to full size pitches and it is a real shame to see some of the more technically gifted boys struggling because they cant hoof a ball 30 yards
Another point worth mentioning is the coaching. My son started out playing for his "A" side. It was no fun at all, all win win win or else. He is a fairly skillful midfield player and he made a mistake in a tournament once trying to beat someone instead of hoofing the ball upfield and the manager slated him for it. I could see his head go down and from that minute on he didnt want to play for the manager again. At the end of the season he dropped down to the "B" side and now he is playing for a coach that encourages the boys to use their skill and he loves it.
i hope the powers that be read your article and actually do something about it
Nathan East, Chertsey, UK
Excellent article.Unfortunately the FA live in their own little world.They would rather tinker with the offside rule rather than take the bull by the horns and make some important,long term decisions.I fear we will have many more matches like last nights to watch before anything substantial is implemented..Dont hold your breath!!
paul cummins, argeles sur mer, france
A point very well made, our team Windsor Hurricanes moved up to 11 a-side full pitch with off-side (active, in-active) try explaining that to a ten year old.
They all try as hard as they can to a lad, but as the game goes on the skill drops away, and with the Wind, Rain, and cold mud making a ball stick like a pudding skills will never progress.
The suggestion to reduce the size by a third would be a great help, yellow or red lines inside the white lines, plus goals 2m high x 4.5m wide would give the lads a chance to reach the bar from a jump or a step and dive top the post.
Ask Mr Brooking to give his view, and start a national campain, I was at our local Sluogh league meeting last night and every coach to a man was saying the same....Ray (Windsor)
Ray Hayes-Brown, Windsor, Berkshire
martin has hit the nail on the head with this one. for so many years we have admired english teams for their physical strength, but where has the technical ability been, that truly defines great teams and beautiful football? i recall growing up in portugal and playing 5 a side indoor soccer and my skills grew out of that. i then recall coming to australia at the age of 10 and having to adapt to a full pitch and having to counter playing against big physical boys full of running. my skills were not accepted at the time and it wasn't until i was 15 when i had grown and could hold my own physically that i started making representative sides. australian authorities can also learn deeply from this article since their whole footballing cultutre has been based on english principles of physicality, hard-running, and long balls. the standards of the A league in future would improve dramatically if only they heeded Martin's simple advice - maybe producing a figo or ronaldo, who knows!!
john castanho, brisbane, australia
I couldn't agree more with all the points so succinctly put by Martin Samuel ! His article should be required reading by all football associations.
I had the enjoyment of coaching my son's local team till his last year at Primary School (7-a-side) and the strong view (still held) of myself and my fellow coach was that the next stage should be 9-a-side rather than a jump to 11's. He is now playing 11-a-side on a full pitch and thankfully his new team's coaches believe in passing and moving and do not play long ball football. There is no doubt that the effort involved in covering such large pitches does not help bring on player's ball skills and a number of teams are inclined to play route one which at this age (Under 13) can pay dividends in terms of results but most certainly does not in terms of true development of footballers.
If it is so blatantly obvious to me and to your other contributors why do those who can influence the development of footballers seem so oblivious ?
Mark Peggie, Pencaitland, East Lothian, Scotland
when i started playing football at 5, all we had to play with was oranges. Any wonder then that Nigeria constantely produces skillful players like Okocha and England cant?
david, rochester, US
Superb article. When I was younger I played in a team that won everything in local junior football. We had a good coach, good players but most importantly tremendous athletes with pace, size and power. Skill was not an issue really. We had our quickest players up front, biggest at the back and passers in midfield. The recipe was get it over the opposition back four for the speed merchants to run on to. They'd miss countless chances but we knew it was a matter of time before we scored.
We had by far the best team but only me and one other played football at senior level. The rest had been caught up eventually by the boys they used to steamroller. They simply couldn't use their power any more.
Darren Thomas, Pembroke Dock,
As a kid who played on such pitches, this article is clueless. The reasons are simple: Name the English Coaches who work at the top level in other countries? None.......why has curbishley, allardyce etc not gone abroad to seek out new challenges?....not good enough for anywhere else? not able for anywhere else?
You have the worst coaches in the world....who is top english manager in premiership?
who is above him? why? why? why is there no english Wenger? or Mourinhno? or Benitez? or Ferguson?
Changing the size of the pitch? You're having a laugh. Is that some straws i see.....
brendan mccormack, dublin, ireland
Excellent, thought provoking article.
I remember my school days when the physically bigger kids made up the school team. Technique and ability to beat your man was ignored in favour of big kicks and a chase downfield.
It is also interesting to ponder that England's finest truly skilful footballer in the last 30 years was Gazza who probably perfected his craft playing in the street rather than on oversized football fields.
David, Dubai, UAE
Kids in France dont play on full sized pitches until the age of 12.
I agree with the article , how can you develop skill smashing the ball as far as you can to try and win a game with ten year olds
Max , France
Maxime Bentley , Anglet, France
Great article Martin and every single comment here is spot on too. How can we turn this into a movement? We have to do something as the FA sure as hell wont.
And as for pitch size why not just play across half a full size pitch. Two kids pitches on every adult pitch.
asterix, Hong Kong,
Martin, you hit the nail on the head but i wonder if the folks in FA even understand what u r trying to say!!!!!
Am an Indian and love English football...but am very sad that ur National Team plays like this...
Go get Jose Mourinho & tell the media not to hype Gerrard!!!!! Ur National team will start turning things around....
Rajesh, Bangalore, India
I sometimes disagree with your views and find others to be harsh (e.g. your distate for the G14) but I must say when you hit the nail on the head you really do...
Too many red herrings are banded about when England are not doing so well, last night a case in point, but this will never solve some of the real problems afflicting the English game as you have out lined in your article.
Great Read.
Kutawa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Great article. I am an American, and grew up playing the American way. Until we were 8 years old the goal was two cones probably 7 to 8 feet apart, and the fields were small. We didn't play on full fields until 13 or 14. The high school I played for had never had a winning season in its 40 years of existence, pathetic when you consider that a player 5 or 6 years my senior was playing in the French Second division. Anyway, my second year a Scottish English teacher took over coaching, and in a matter of 3 years we became the dominant school in the area. His methods were basic, Rule 1, no long balls, "we're not Ireland" he would yell, the ball couldn't be kicked more than 4 feet off the ground or it was a foul and went to the opposition. Rule 2, three touches in the center of the park -cones marked the flanks, inside the flank zone you could use unlimited touches. After some skill work we would scrimmage for an hour plus, followed by set-piece practice.
Colin, San Diego, USA
I could not agree more. There will always be exceptions, but most youngsters suffer because of this. Make this compusary reading for anyone coaching 14 years old and younger kids.
Dave Lathan, West Oxfordshire,
My primary school team in the 1960s, played two eleven a side matches each week as practice. As coaching, it was a complete waste of time, we did not touch the ball often enough to develop any skill or technique. My generation didn't learn to play foottball from teachers. It was through games in the playground and after school kickabouts. My friends and I loved kicking a ball. We also receieved instruction from relatives, at every family athering there was usually a game arranged.
Ramsey's team of 1966 was successful but pragmatic and dull. He changed the way the game was played. Ball players started to be seen as luxuries and George Best and Charlie Cooke became a dying breed. In the 1970s we were discouraged doing anything flashy in my school team. It was keep it simple, work rate, close people down. Wimbledon set a bad example. I watched my village team in the 1990s and the skill level was non-existent. Arsenal are a great example, kids need to be encouraged to imitate them.
mike scott, ny, USA
some one buy this man a pint of beer ,
and who was that clown who said that england is playing like a third world nation.
in africa we play for fun on the local ground , no lawn no nothing and we use rolled plastic bags for balls and guess what we still play better than england .
why cause as kids in africa we play for fun and we dnt have busy bodies/ parents/coach interfering with our games .
by the time we mature we have developed unique styles not found in any text books ie take your pick of the african players at chelsea/ asernal /portsmouth etc .
let the kids here in england develop their skills , rather than have semi skilled coaches total kill their talents
sidakwa, southend , uk
spot on and great article !
I played in the mid 50's as a ten year old, the ball was heavier than me........so only position i could play was inside forward, and became a reasonably good player.
i honestly believe with the conditions you are talking about i would have been a much better player.
most of my finest games, strangely enough..were at 5 a side in the gym !...where i often played in games with players up to two years older than i.
albert clayton, sydney, australia
I think England faces more difficulties if they remain having to many foreign players in the PL teams. That's gonna cost You. Also playing so many games in the week is not a smart thing to do. Cut the League cup and play only for the Premiership and the FA Cup. That way You will avoid players beeing injured when You need them.
marcel, Doetinchem, Netherlands
Big pitches are only a symptom of the problme, the problem is that youngsters are not taught to use their feet and love the ball. Last night I was at at Coerver soccer coaching. It took a Dutchman to understand that for footballers to become good they need to work on Ball masterey. The fact that it takes a human being 2-3 years of repartition to become good at walking is lost on our youth coaches. The first 6 years of youth football should be working on "loving" the ball. Touch, learning to use all parts of the foot on both feet, balance & and fun. We don't need competition 11 a side. We need 4v4 games, no positions and plenty of touches plus loads of space on a mini pitch for kids to experiment.
I hope the FA will use this defeat to signal a change to coaching of youngsters and make sure we have a least 5 english players in a team.
Pat Derham, Hemel Hempstead,
As always, some excellent arguments. However, kids in Italy play on full-size games and it doesn't seem to stunt the development of skills. But they do have a lot of five-a-side matches as well - futsal - and take that form of football very seriously. Shorter matches would also be a way of promoting skills and speed rather than strength and stamina
David Shonfield, Arezzo, Italy
You are absolutely right. I watched my 11 year old son's team at the weekend in driving rain on a full sized pitch. A couple of years ago on a smaller pitch he looked for the good pass to feet or a precise pass into attacking space. Now he knows that a long kick beyond the opposition is the killer pass.
Dave Clarke, Chippenham, Wiltshire
I started playing school fooball in 1952. We had smaller pitches and we used a smaller football. But the biggest difference in our under development, we didn't have a teacher who new anything about football they usualy doubled up as Geography teachers! But I do remember the local professional (Luton Town FC) coming once a month to coach and encourage. Do they do this now, I doubt it.
Terry Elcock, Cambridge,
I agree with Martin (and Paul Cooper!), and may I suggest the emphasis on the physical game leads to adult players who don't understand how to grow technically or tactically. The result is a generation of players who stop getting better when they stop growing.
If you look at the best players of the last generation or so -- Shearer, Owen, Gazza, Rio, both Coles, Beckham, Fowler, Rooney -- you see players who arrived on the big stage in their teens or early 20's, yet never really got any better after that. Lampard & Gerrard have improved their shooting, but I'd argue that's a red herring; they haven't progressed tactically or technically, hence their embarassing inability to play together, or, indeed, without a full-time (usually foreign) minder.
Scholes, as usual, is the exception that proves the rule.
Mike, Washington, DC, USA
A superb article, but I wonder if it is oversimplifying the problem of why our youngsters lack basic football skills. It is more than just about 10 year olds being expected to play on full sized pitches. Part of the problem is the obsession of coaches and managers to start talking tactics, stamina training and teamwork to kids as young as 7 and 8 when they need freedom to learn and practice ball skills. In Kent we're encouraging youngsters to play small sided games,such as 'Futsol', in an effort to develop skills rather than just physical strength.
Expecting 10 year olds to play on full sized pitches is part, but only part, of the problem with developing skilful and creative players in England. We also need to change the mindset and approach of our youth coaches and managers. As long as they remain 'risk averse' we'll continue to produce robots.
Brian Sangha, Gravesend, Kent
Spot on Martin.
However in my experience even with scaled down pitches at under 10 level the emphasis is still to boot the ball as far away from your own goal and as high as physically possible. Strongest players at the back, fastest players up front, bypass midfield, forget pass and move, ignore technique. Coaches, parents and kids want to win and best understand rudimentary percentage football.
I would advocate no overhead height five- a- side football at primary level before a move to scaled down games until fourteen or sixteen.
Tom Harrison, LIVERPOOL,
An excellent article, I just hope that the F.A and Brooking read it instead of bleating about the lack of gifted English youngsters and the number of foreign players in the premier league,
John Taylor, London, England
I agree 100%, watching the 10-13 year old kids attempt to cover vast distances, passing to feet an impossibility on a pitch the size of Wembley, the games core shrinking to who can hoof the ball hardest, furthest and highest. I seem to remember Brooking visiting our club and talking about the problems that are created by the movement from 7 aside to 11 a side football and full side pitches. Yet still nothing is done, get on with it FA if you want to see the skilled players coming through
Joel London
joel, london,
A cracking little article. Very persuasive.
Just as "a fish rots from the head first" the English game is failing as a direct result of the complacency and indifference of the over monied FA.
As an aside though, I wonder if placing the emphasis on the technical might subtly change the English game. Might we lose the pace and committment?
Michael Gillespie, Faversham, UK
With a sport that is awash with money, we still turn up with our kids at damp, unkept playing fields, with no ref , no changing facilities , and no apparent organisational body to oversee development.
This pattern of progress has remained unchanged for over 50 yrs to date.
When is some of the revenue from the sport and associated advertising , going to come over to the young lads who keep football alive every damp weekend ?
pathegreek, teddington, middlesex
Excellent article. Another fundamental problem is the emphasis on winning. My 11 year old brother plays rugby for Warwick and while the intensity is there it is more about development of the game rather than winning some tin pot trophy. Only at 16 does winning really become a factor.
We must adopt this approach in football and make it fun again. I was so scared of losing as a kid that I didn't want to play. Not ideal! (Perhaps schools would also adopt the same policy when it comes to exams at a young age). LESS PRESSURE, MORE FUN!!
Joe, Harlow, Essex
Bang n Martin.
I intend to overthrow the current Government, shouldn't be too difficult given their ineptitude. Fancy becoming my Sports Minister?
Although you appear to be somewhat overqualified for the job, insofaras you clearly know something about sport.
How about using a slightly smaller ball as well? We used to practise with a tennis ball.
J. Wilkes, Gloucester,
And, of course Brazillian kids are brought up playing Futebol de Salao. Which makes them much better ball players at an early age. The athleticism comes later. But by then they are excellent ball players and can let the "ball do the work" on full sized pitches. It makes sense. But to be fair some people who the FA choose to ignore have been saying this for years.
RJA, Nottingham, England, UK.
Kids up to the age of 12 should not be playing competitive football.
They should be honing their skills with their mates on streets and parks with coats for goal posts.
There's too many adults prancing about in tracksuits with some kind of coaching badge thinking they are jose mourinho with six-year-old kids.
Craig, Lancashire, UK
Having a 12 year old son (who is not big for his age) who played in goal for his team (who were not the best anyway) I can completely see where you are coming from. He regularly suffered as a consequence of playing in adult sized goals.
Mr Cooper has some great ideas with his GUBOG campaign and although I dont agree with all of them someone from higher up (The FA) has to look into this more or else we will struggle even more in years to come.
People are starting to losing heart with the set up of grassroots football in this country.
Jason Savage, Hornchurch,
You are absolutely right - smaller-sided games on smaller pitches mean more touches and greater development for all players. Holland is mentioned in this fine article, and even the US Soccer Federation knows this, so why not the English FA? Let's "develop" youth players instead of trying to win games at all cost with the speed and leg strength of big kids, an advantage that gets much narrower as they get older.
Ed Hoskin, La Crosse, Wisconsin
These are the views of an intelligent man. Sadly, in my experience, there are very few intelligent men involved in football at any level. The producers of "Mike Bassett" didn't know it at the time, but their portrayal of a sterotypical English Manager, Coach, Administrator and set of Players is remarkably accurate.
Joe, Bristol,
what a super article,a great read.lets hope the powers that be read it and take some action on it.what is there to lose by it ?
william barlow, newcastle, england
Great article.
A year ago I became so frustrated at the state of children's football that I began a campaign called 'Give Us Back Our Game'.
Adults had taken over the kids game and for many children the beautiful game is ugly.
We have encouraged clubs, schools, play groups, youth centres and concil run projects to play simple child and player centered games and the results have been astonishing
The format is simple
4v4 where possible but the most important think is everyone plays so 4v5, 5v5
NO SUBS!
Small pitches
The kids ref themselves
No coaching
10 minute games on a round robin basis.
Mixed teams so they are all roughly equal (no 20-0 results here)
The football is extraordinary and thousands of kids are now doing this around the country.
There is so much creativity and imagination in their play because they are left alone to get on with it.
This was how Best, Finney, Charlton and co learnt the game
Playing it on their own terms
Paul Cooper, Cirencester, UK
spot on, hallelujah someone else has seen the light, this is exactly what is wrong with our game wake up and smell the coffee FA
andy, leicestershire,