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No Wonder England Are Average....

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Sheik Yerbouti

Sheik Yerbouti

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The state of youth football pitches, certainly in Liverpool, are abysmal. My lad has played one match in the last 2 months due to water logged or frozen pitches. I know summer leagues are becoming more popular but if kids are hardly playing, is it any wonder the national team is average? What's the situation on the continent, especially France, Holland and Germany? Do they invest money in all weather pitches?
 
My lad's the same Squonk, and my eldest just finished playing last season and it was the same with him all the years he played. They end up playing fits and starts between November and February. Training indoors or on all weather pitches for three months of their season doesn't aid their progress either.

Then they had a game about two months ago and the ref was going to call it off because of one square metre area of the pitch that was cut up a bit by one of the corner flags. Ridiculous. It get's to the point where when they do play in this weather, the lads are all too fucking cold and not acclimatised to it, that they struggle anyway.
 
"All weather pitches" make me laugh aswell. I play on one every Monday, and guaranteed it's called off at least half a dozen times through the winter.

All weather you say?
 
mark1975 said:
My lad's the same Squonk, and my eldest just finished playing last season and it was the same with him all the years he played. They end up playing fits and starts between November and February. Training indoors or on all weather pitches for three months of their season doesn't aid their progress either.

Then they had a game about two months ago and the ref was going to call it off because of one square metre area of the pitch that was cut up a bit by one of the corner flags. Ridiculous. It get's to the point where when they do play in this weather, the lads are all too fucking cold and not acclimatised to it, that they struggle anyway.
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Pretty much every word of this post sums up my lad's season. Ok, not exactly the bit about the square metre, but similar issues have arisen. Soccer refs in Ireland are fucking whimps.

He does play Gaelic in the summer, so I suppose it's not the end of the world but the state of some of the pitches are. Abysmal. To be fair, our home pitch is actually quite good in comparison with others, but most of them don't take well to a bit of rain.
 
What's the solution? I can't see councils right now having loads of money to invest. The way I see it is there needs to more clubs, more membership fees, and therefore better pitches and facilities.

The weather definitely limits us. As a country we definitely make the most of The Lying Rag on the few days it is here, the parks are always full and everyone is doing something active, but most of the time it's gloomy, cold and shite.
 
I hear that in foreign parts they get fairies and pixies to piss golden coconut fountains on mini-pitches amidst the chanting of druids dressed in fine evening wear.

Damn foreigners, always stealing a march on us poor Englanders.
 
i thought it was the poor condition of pitches in many countries which are a key factor in producing fantastically technical players who over time have had to make an extra effort to control the ball which pays dividends on professional pitches?
 
Out of interest how are the junior leagues set up in Engalnd?

Over here my lad has played for the local team for a few years, and from U-10 level they were playing 11 a side on full size pitches with full size goals, albeit for a reduced 30 minutes each way. To me it encourages kick & rush style of football, and aiming high at the goals to get the ball out of the reach of a 4'6" keeper. Another favourite tactic is to push everyone forward & mark the defenders when the oppostion have a goal kick, knowing the keeper can probably only knock it 20 yards & not very accurately. There is also very little rotation of players through positions, so you get earmarked as a defender, midfielder or attacker very early on.

I was told in Italy they play 7 a side on small pitches & after every goal the whole team rotates positions (mandated by the ref) - seems liek a much better idea for me, at least up to U-14 level
 
I know I definitely would have made it if the Simpson's ground didn't flood every Saturday from October to March.
 
tombrown said:
Out of interest how are the junior leagues set up in Engalnd?

Over here my lad has played for the local team for a few years, and from U-10 level they were playing 11 a side on full size pitches with full size goals, albeit for a reduced 30 minutes each way. To me it encourages kick & rush style of football, and aiming high at the goals to get the ball out of the reach of a 4'6" keeper. Another favourite tactic is to push everyone forward & mark the defenders when the oppostion have a goal kick, knowing the keeper can probably only knock it 20 yards & not very accurately. There is also very little rotation of players through positions, so you get earmarked as a defender, midfielder or attacker very early on.

I was told in Italy they play 7 a side on small pitches & after every goal the whole team rotates positions (mandated by the ref) - seems liek a much better idea for me, at least up to U-14 level
Click to expand...

When I started playing when I was younger, we played under 11 on a full size pitch. It was ridiculously come to think of it. I remember what you mentioned about goal kicks. We had the three strikers line up on the 18 yard line for a goal kick as a 10 year old can't kick a ball high and over 20 yards. It's crazy stuff. Kids shouldn't be playing on a full size pitch until they are 15 or 16. Junior Leagues here are full of hoofball and a lot of that has to be linked to the way kids are coached at a young age.
 
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