Grassroots Football in the Spotlight - Not Fit for Purpose?

[A face]

After the comments from Robbie Keane after the Sweden game, and others in the media in its wake, its been spoken about as if its a given, as if its a fact that junior football is not fit for purpose and people are realising that its mismanagement is having an affect on the development of players that is impacting the senior team and the association as a whole.

I think that its something that people have known for years but that junior football and the powers that be refuse to change or even engage to devise a means of resolving this situation.

[the 12 th man]

I think it goes back a lot further than Junior Football and right back to kids football,bigger kids always preferred to smaller ones and a win at all costs from the line and development of the players and the game itself only an afterthought.

[A face]

I think the SFAI have a lot to answer for here. There is no clear structure from kids football up to the top tier, which is League of Ireland. I think that as soon as clubs can ship young lads out of the system then that's their job done then. They should be recognising this and devising a system that is structured for players to be developed all the way up, and the fact that they dont recognise this speaks volume. The fact that it has to be pointed out to them is case and point that the current guys at the helm maybe are not the right guys for the job.

Delaney gets €300K a year for how long and he hasn't been able to have a word in the ear about it yet? Is it safe to say the whole situation is void of hope?

[twotouch]

with regards to the junior football i agree with the comments there thatby the time a player gets to that stage they will be not developed to thier full potential...... i think there should be a national centre of excellence set up by the FAI to accomadate these young players and put together with school work as for them to develop and learn the game ......... if this was established then the LOI clubs could form better youth systems for players to come through which would in general develop the league as a whole ....... i understand this would take time but you have to start somewhere

[The Don]

The SFAI actually go out there way to hinder progression in the youths game. Sticking to the same league and cup formats that have been discarded by most of the continental youths structures.

[Round Tower]

In our own youths league, the U12's lads play 11 aside on the same size pitch as the junior teams, while the girls play across the pitch. I think the SFAI should dictate that U12,13's should not play on a pitch above a certain size. What is the situation with other youth leagues.

[A face]

U11's upwards on full pitch, and i know there is for and against it but i think its a bit too young really, U13 even U14 is plenty time for the full pitch if it allows teams to focus on other aspects of the game beforehand, like positioning so it will help them handle the change better.

Truth be told, what is happening on the ground in grassroots football is miles from where it should be. Very little focus on development.

I've been to a few AGMs/OGMs of the SFAI and its clear and apparent that there is little or no focus on development, it never once came up.

[legendkiller]

Where I am from not enough qualified coaches with common sense . Poor facilities to train the kids especially in the winter . Pitch size for u 11 to 14 should be addressed . Parents treat the training as a babysitting class . All football in this country should be Feb to Nov .

First step to produce players is to try and educate the coaches .

[squareball]

I think the first thing that should be done is to scrap full sized games until kids are under 14. A lot of the habits the kids get into are learned before this. Coaches would be more inclined to let the kids pass the ball around the back and not take winning as seriously on a smaller pitch. This is the age where technical ability can be improved most and the main thing to improve touch and control of the ball is more touches during training and games. Smaller sided games and pitches are widely regarded as the way forward across the continent and even the UK are finally buying into this.

The second major change has to be providing a pyramid structure below the LOI where the top schoolboy clubs continue to work their way to become LOI clubs. This gives kids the option of staying in Ireland at their own clubs to play adult football and will increase the numbers staying in the game and hopefully improve the quality of the LOI. The likes of Belvedere, Cherry Orchard, St. Kevin's etc. should be trying to get into the pyramid where they can sign lads at 7 or 8 and they can stay and play with the clubs for their whole careers. These clubs would have more of a local base and would generate their own following from past players and would get more loyalty. The players that do go abroad and don't make it can come home and have the chance to rebuild their careers again like Wes Hoolahan and Keith Fahey have done in recent years.

The aim should be having young kids aiming to win the LOI with their local club as opposed to aiming to stay until they are 16 and move to England. It may take ten or twenty years but it would be worth it in the long run.

[A face]

I think full pitch so go until U14/U15, don't allow goals to be scored until everyone on the team has touched the ball, if you lose possession then you start again. If a team is up by four goals at half time then the winning teams players can only take two touches for the second half OR don't allow them to score again until the other team scores. All that will improve ball control, positioning, moving in and out of space and will result in players looking up while dribbling. IF that happens between U9 to U15 then you'd see an absolute transformation in ability right at a time when kids are going into a good stage where they can be competitive.

SFAI implement something like that ..... Not until one this form have been and gone from the game. They are in the dark ages and i don't think they are capable of implementing something like that.

[Big Ears]

I think full pitch so go until U14/U15, don't allow goals to be scored until everyone on the team has touched the ball, if you lose possession then you start again. If a team is up by four goals at half time then the winning teams players can only take two touches for the second half OR don't allow them to score again until the other team scores. All that will improve ball control, positioning, moving in and out of space and will result in players looking up while dribbling. IF that happens between U9 to U15 then you'd see an absolute transformation in ability right at a time when kids are going into a good stage where they can be competitive.

SFAI implement something like that ..... Not until one this form have been and gone from the game. They are in the dark ages and i don't think they are capable of implementing something like that.

The one problem with this I see is some coaches (the ones who are focused too much on winning) being afraid to give weaker players game time as it'll likely affect them even more than in a normal game of football.

[A face]

The one problem with this I see is some coaches (the ones who are focused too much on winning) being afraid to give weaker players game time as it'll likely affect them even more than in a normal game of football.

Get rid ot those coaches, they will strangle the life out of the game. Who cares about ten nil wins at U11 bar the players themselves. You have to ask is everyone there to improve and develop the kids or just massage the coaches ego?j

[Innishvilla]

Get rid ot those coaches, they will strangle the life out of the game. Who cares about ten nil wins at U11 bar the players themselves. You have to ask is everyone there to improve and develop the kids or just massage the coaches ego?j

Very easy to say get rid of the coaches - unfortunately most clubs have to beg people to run a team. Our club is lucky in the fact that every coach in the club has some level of FAI badge and quite a few are progressing through the badges... But it would be a luxury to be in a position to "get rid" of a coach...

[A face]

Very easy to say get rid of the coaches - unfortunately most clubs have to beg people to run a team. Our club is lucky in the fact that every coach in the club has some level of FAI badge and quite a few are progressing through the badges... But it would be a luxury to be in a position to "get rid" of a coach...

I'm being facetious, i know that cant be done but i agree that if coaches have done KickStart1 and KickStart2 and are working on the other badges then at least they have been told how to do it, whether they do it or not is another thing. And of course you'll have lads saying "I've been coaching 30 years and i don't need any course to tell me how to do it".

It speaks volumes that the grassroots have to be encouraged to do this, as opposed to them having devised something already and them leading the way. The fact that it never made it to the drawing table even.

[Innishvilla]

I'm being facetious, i know that cant be done but i agree that if coaches have done KickStart1 and KickStart2 and are working on the other badges then at least they have been told how to do it, whether they do it or not is another thing. And of course you'll have lads saying "I've been coaching 30 years and i don't need any course to tell me how to do it".

It speaks volumes that the grassroots have to be encouraged to do this, as opposed to them having devised something already and them leading the way. The fact that it never made it to the drawing table even.

But even if they are doing the kickstarts etc... The problem is still there with league tables etc at underage. At the end of the day if a title is there to be won - the pressure will be on to "get the ball in the net" irrespective of how you get it there...

I would love to see an overhaul - but one of my fears is then you are competing with sports that give kids (and parents) titles and leagues from a young age... Perhaps it would open eyes to the fact kids should be enjoying sport for being sport rather than just purely winning. But then again I have a 4 year old at home who loves to race/compete but also takes alot of enjoyment from "winning" so I guess there is an inbuilt need for competitiveness in us all...

[A face]

But even if they are doing the kickstarts etc... The problem is still there with league tables etc at underage. At the end of the day if a title is there to be won - the pressure will be on to "get the ball in the net" irrespective of how you get it there...

And that's a decision that needs to be made .... Do you invest in the long term future of the game in this country (by design) or do you hope that things will sort themselves out with a bit of tinker (by praying for miracles)

I would love to see an overhaul - but one of my fears is then you are competing with sports that give kids (and parents) titles and leagues from a young age... Perhaps it would open eyes to the fact kids should be enjoying sport for being sport rather than just purely winning. But then again I have a 4 year old at home who loves to race/compete but also takes alot of enjoyment from "winning" so I guess there is an inbuilt need for competitiveness in us all...

I think we all agree that kids/people/society itself will always ensure there is competitiveness, which is health, but i think the investment in the game basically says you either have the current situation where clubs/teams go all out for an U12 team to win the league by whatever means, irrespective of their development and progress or you step back and realise that an U12 title for one team is not worth sacrificing the development of the whole league for, and you start to give players the tools/abilities that are needed in the game at a later stage.

[A face]

From SFAI Website ....

The SFAI does not publish its rules on the internet, rules published on any web site are unofficial and unauthorised, the only official source for SFAI rules is its rule book issued by the SFAI to its affiliated Leagues who in turn distribute them on a one per member club basis.

The SFAI IS the governing body for under-age football in the Republic of Ireland and IS affiliated to our parent body - the Football Association of Ireland.
The SFAI has been established SINCE 1943 and caters for close to 100,000 players from more than 1,000 clubs through its 32 affiliated Leagues all round the country under the control of a National Council and an Executive Committee.
Each affililated League of the required size has a seat/s on the Council while a number also have a seat on the Executive Committee, in addition a representative from each Province has a seat on the Executive Committee.

They are really labouring the point that they are the governing body aren't they .... did it come into question or something?

[Insidetherock]

Very easy to say get rid of the coaches - unfortunately most clubs have to beg people to run a team. Our club is lucky in the fact that every coach in the club has some level of FAI badge and quite a few are progressing through the badges... But it would be a luxury to be in a position to "get rid" of a coach...

It is difficult to get coaches.. and even more difficult to get good coaches.. you need to be very careful when getting people to take charge of a team, especially if you are trying to inculcate a certain "ethos" into a club. Brand new club started here last year for schoolgirls, and the ones who started it, are insisting that slowly but surely every coach that gets involved in the club takes coaching courses, with the hope being that within 3/4 years all coaches will be qualified up to FAI Youths level. It's a big ask but all the coaches are being asked to give that commitment. Compared to the schoolboys club in town, none of their coaches are qualified past KS2 and the club considers paying for coaching courses as "a waste of money"

The schoolgirls league down here is only three years old but it has certainly got off on the right foot. It's moved from 7 a side to 9 a side this season. Small sized pitches. Small sized goals. Non competitive under 10 leagues. Split leagues so that weaker teams and stronger teams play at their own levels. Fair play to those involved really.