The National Game Division is the department responsible for these new schemes, established in 2000 it is now considered one of the most important departments in the F.A. It aims to invest £45 million into facilities in the next 3 years, £6 million into sport in schools and £4.5 million into mini-soccer over the next 3 years to reverse decades of decline. (APPENDIX1 the first Director of the National Game Division Steve Parkin’s views on grassroots football)
Provision for/Pathways for elite performers
The road to becoming a professional footballer can start at an early age. Children playing for a club or school first have to be scouted by a football club, they will then be given trials. If successful the child will either end up at a football academy or centre of excellence where the most talented players in the area are trained.
There are thirty-eight football academies in the country, they have the best facilities available and balance the amount of football with education up to A – Level standard for boys aged 16 years and over. Academies all have fully – qualified staff covering coaching, medical, development, education and welfare. Academies were established as a way of improving the country's approach to producing young players.
There are fifty-four Centre of Excellences in the country, they operate with strict guidelines regarding facilities, amount of football played, and access to qualified coaches, boys are at centre of excellences from the age of 9 – 16 when they can then join a Youth Training Scheme were they also incorporate education.
The focus on education in both academies and centres of excellences are there to help those boys that do not make it as professional footballers. For smaller sides like Fulham Football Club and Charlton see academies as a way forward to performing well in the league without having to spend millions on expensive foreign imports. Fulham Academy Director, Steve Kean, believes that the Academy is a facet of the Club that carries major significance. Fulham's Academy has been operating for four years the most successful graduate from the academy so far has been Sean Davis who is an England under-21 international, his estimated transfer value is about six times more than the cost to run the whole Academy system for a year. The aim of the academy is to offer the Team Manager a regular stream of young players of great potential. (APPENDIX 2 shows the Fulham academy philosophy and structure in more detail.) Charlton also have a very good academy which is reflected in their first team, that has players such as Scott Parker, Charlie MacDonald, Paul Konchesky and Jon Fortune who have all come through the ranks.
Additional agencies and bodies.
Most forms of football are funded or sponsored by companies, which benefit from there investment through advertisements. The money goes into things such as youth development programs. The sponsors of the Chelsea community development program our shown below.
The Football Supporters Federation (FSF): This was formed on 1 august 2002 as a result of a merger between the National Federation of Football Supporters Clubs and the Football Supporters’ Association. There is also a supporter’s body for disabled supporters National Association of Disabled supporters (NADS). (APPENDIX 3 shows the aims and objectives of NADS)
The Professional Footballer’s Association is the world’s longest established professional sportsmen’s union formed at the Imperial Hotel, Manchester in 1907 It deals with the training, re-education and financial help for players after there careers are over and the financial, emotional and physical welfare of current player. They are in partnership with other bodies such as the managing agent for the Football Scholarship Programme and the Football in the Community Programme, which has been existence since 1986. (APPENDIX 4 gives details of the role of the PFA.)
The PFA is also involved in anti racism campaigns and drug awareness programmes Kick it out is a national anti-racism it was started by the commission for Racial Equality and the professional footballers’ association in 1993 in order to challenge racism in football both on and off the pitch at all levels of the game. (APPENDIX 5 outlines the history of black Britain and black football history)
The PFA has helped in the development of anti-racism initiatives in football over the last decade and co-founded Kick Racism Out of Football (Kick It Out) (APPENDIX 6). It also helps fund the Show Racism the Red Card initiative that works closely with players, clubs and young people. (APPENDIX 7 shows professionals views on racism)
Provision for female. Competitors
Women’s football is the most participated female sport in the country and also the fastest growing. There are approximately 90,000 registered females playing football in this country, Director of the National Game Steve Parkin says, “ I think the numbers playing women’s football could easily double in the next five to ten years”
In order to improve the quality of women’s football in England, the F.A. has introduced many initiatives. There are now 20 women’s football academies in the country for girls aged 16 years and over to receive a quality football programme while undertaking academic qualifications at further or higher education. There is also the National Player Development Centre where they try to develop the talents of promising players. National Women’s coach Hope Powell says of the scheme, “ The aim of the centre is to provide talented players with the best opportunity to fulfil their potential and become a world class performer.” The N.P.D.C. is based at Loughborough University; the first students began in September 2001. They are also aiming to have women’s professional league in the next three years. (APPENDIX 8 shows the aims and objectives of the national development centre)
Fulham Football Club became the first British and European club to have its own fully professional women’s football team in 2000 since then they have gone from strength to strength. The Fulham team started in the Greater London Division 4 in 1993 and are now playing at the highest level the FA Nationwide Women’s Premier League. The biggest problem with the woman’s game has been it lack of funding however women’s soccer in the UK is set to get £8 million in development grants over the next five years from public sources. This is the largest cash investment in to women’s soccer yet. All female players have two fixed term contracts. The F.A. approved Professional Footballing Contract; this is almost the exact same terms as the professional male contract, and an Employment Contract, which includes statutory pregnancy rights. PFA associate membership has been offered to all women players so that they receive the same benefit as men. Fulham ladies also receive similar benefits to the men’s First Team squad, such as health insurance. (Appendix 9 shows a brief history of women’s football)
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Provisions for disabled participants- local/elite
The F.A. believe in “Football for all”, there are six official Disabled England Football teams, they are the amputee team, the partially sighted, the blind, the deaf, the cerebral palsy team and the learning difficulties team. They all have specific classifications and rule adaptations: (APPENDIX 10 shows the rule adaptations for all disabilities). Wimbledon has both an amputee and cerebral palsy side that take part in tournaments and the club actively promotes disabled football in the community with schemes for young disabled children.
England’s learning difficulty sides have been very successful and the learning difficulty side won this year’s world cup final against Holland in Japan. There is also an 18 year old called Daniel Hogan in the deaf side who has interest from clubs such as Luton and Doncaster, the deaf teams coach says of him, “ the best free-kick taker you'll see” and "He is a little too slight for professional football, but if he broadens out he has got every chance of making it,” I have myself have had the experience of playing with him at my local astro turf pitch and can honestly say he is one of the most talented players I have seen.
Critical analysis/evaluation
I believe that the FA is Heading in the right direction with all the new schemes that they have started in recent years to encourage grassroots football such as topsport, however I believe that a lot more money needs to be put into developing football at schools as this is where most people first play organized football and to have better quality players playing at the elite level you need a larger pool of people playing at grassroots level. I believe that it would also be a good for the FA to follow the French model and start a National Institute for sport in England, where the best coaches and managers in the country can train all the elite players in the country. This will also allow the coaches to experiment with different types of training borrowed from the coaches of other sports such as rugby at the institute. The French institute in the outskirts of Paris also has several smaller centres around the country. The French institute has already produced players such as Thierry Henry (Arsenal) and Nicholas Anelka (Man City) and it has also produced coaches such as Gerard Houllier(Liverpool), Jean Tigana (Fulham) and Arsene Wenger (Arsenal).
I believe that there are too many footballing bodies in England and that because of this decision making over new schemes and developments take a long time. I think it would be much more efficient if there were bodies controlling a broader section of football for example instead of having both a Football Supporters’ Association (FSF) and a National Association of Disabled supporters (NADS) there was just one body for all football supporters.
Although woman’s’ football is the fastest growing female sport in England it does not get the coverage or the funding that is necessary to raise the profile of the game further and increase participation. The FA need to target girls in schools and make them feel that football is enjoyable as at the moment not many young girls take part in any outside school. In America several US media companies and individual investors with the help of 20 of the USA Woman’s’ World cup winners started up the WUSA in 2001 and there for they receive considerably more television coverage than there English counter parts.
Disabled football also suffers from lack of coverage because it does not appeal to spectators, it only receives coverage when an international team is successful and even then it is minimal. I don’t think that disabled football will ever become a spectator friendly sport but with more publicity there could be an increase in participant as those people with disabilities learn about opportunities there are for them to play football. Also there is no provision for female disabled people to play football that I know of which is a situation that should be rectified.
Overall I think that football needs more funding at grassroots level to improve the quality of players playing at the elite level for male, female and disabled teams. (APPENDIX 11 shows the history of INSEP and the facilities available)
- http://www.freespace.virgin.net/chelsea.fitc/
- http://www.wimbledon-fc.co.uk/
- http://www.charlton-athletic.co.uk/
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/getyourkiton/field/scout/academy.shtml
- http://www.insep.jeunesse-sports.fr/indexmsi.php
