31-05-2012 : Your Comments On FA Youth Initiative
Did you know the FA had launched a Youth initiative?
Why is it needed and how does it work?
Mal gets feedback on the FA’s Youth Initiative from the people who matter in Grassroots - Managers, committees and parents.
A new direction for youth football in England
Dan Pope, Club Website editor
“The winds of change are blowing through youth football in England and, as the good ship Football Development heads in a new direction, the FA are putting the kids at the helm.
Following repeated failures by the senior team at major championships and the inevitable calls for action that follow, the FA last month announced a Young Player Development Review, including 25 recommendations for English football that they hope will stop such calls happening ad infinitum.
The recommendations – currently undergoing a period of consultation before a potential sign-off in May – have implications for the game from top to bottom, but central to the proposals are changes to youth football at grassroots level.
The proposed changes aim to give children more touches of the ball in small-sided games with age-appropriate pitch and goal sizes. The aim is for children to fall in love with the game whilst helping develop their technique before they make the step up to the ‘adult’ 11-a-side game.
The man behind the proposals is Nick Levett, the FA’s National Development Manager for Youth and Mini-soccer. He is currently touring county FAs and youth leagues across England to discuss the new proposals, but he kindly stopped off to tell Club Website what the changes are all about and what they will mean for our member clubs.”
National Children's Football Alliance – NCFA
