Football is All About Profits Over People

alexisknibbs

May 12

Ted is his football kit on a match day

Last year my son Ted, who is 10, was accepted to become part of an under 11's football team with a local club. We were really pleased and he was very excited. However, the excitement soon turned to sadness, frustration and anger.

Ted was taught the game by 3 coaches. All of them were Dad's of the other boys. One coach took it upon himself to be the head coach. Ted seemed happy at this point but when the boys started to play matches on a Sunday we started to noticed that Ted was getting very little time on the pitch.

Howard, Ted and I decided to ask the head coach what Ted could do to get more time in matches. The head coach told us that he needed to practise more at home. Which I thought at the time seemed fair. I decided to try and encourage Ted to practise more. Ted knows he is not the strongest player on the team and now I look back I think he needed extra help with his skills.

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If anything he needed more time on match days than the other boys who are a lot more confident with a ball between their feet. Plus it would have been good if the other boys could learn how to support the weaker players on the pitch. I'm no expert in this game but how is anyone meant to learn the relevant skills if they can't practise in a match.

Eventually the head coach left and the other two coaches took over. We hoped that Ted would get more match time under these coaches. Sadly he only got a little bit more time than he was getting. During one game the ex coach put him on for 6 minutes at the end of the game. I don't think Ted even got to kick the ball around at all.

The two coaches who took over on average would give Ted 20 - 25 minutes. Ted came home every week looking disappointed and upset. During one game that Ted was in he did manage to score a goal. I hoped that the coaches would give him more time for scoring. Again that hope was short lived.

Last week was the final straw for me as a parent. It's almost the end of the season. Ted's team played their penultimate game and he was given the amazing amount of 10 minutes play. Two other boys were given 30 minutes each and the rest of the team got the full hour. I was furious. It was then that I decided to write to one of the coaches.

I wrote this,

Hi, sorry to disturb you but Ted came home from football very upset today. Ted only got 10 minutes play time. He told Howard and I that he had asked to go on the pitch at the end of the match. However he was told no because by this point, the team were losing. Ted has turned up to most of the trainings and the matches as well. Yet consistently he has been given less time on the pitch than other players who don't turn up to every training. Every match you tell the players they will get an even amount of time on the pitch but Ted has not had the same amount as other players. As I mentioned earlier he has turned up to most of the matches and trainings. Ted is also an enthusiastic member of the team and he has enjoyed being part of it. But each week he comes home a little upset as he has not been on the pitch that long. Therefore as it's the last match next week could you possibly let Ted play for a lot longer? We would really appreciate it if you could and I hope this is ok with you? Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

The coach replied back with this,

Hi Alexis - I'm sorry to hear Ted was upset. He certainly is an enthusiastic member of the squad - this is why I've made sure he's been starting the last few weeks. I'm trying to find a balance between getting people decent minutes and giving the boys some positive results to take into the end of the season. Sometimes I get this right and sometimes I get it wrong. The other coach and I will plan out Sunday's match once we know the details and the squad. I will also have a chat with Ted next time I see him.

Again I was not happy with this answer. I feel like this person gets into a position with a little bit of power and they decide they are Sir Alex Ferguson! It got me thinking about the rules regarding youth football teams. Someone had told us that the English Football Association states that all young players must get an equal amount of time on the pitch. I decided to look this up on the FA website.

Here's what it says,

Equal playing time is a simple concept: come matchday, everyone in your team gets the same time on the pitch. Adopting this approach serves two important purposes. First, it helps to engage your team. If players spend less time on the grass than others – or don't get on at all – they may become disinterested.
Second, equal playing time helps to develop your team. This is especially true for younger age groups (where it's harder to spot potential talent). By giving everyone the same opportunity to test their skills, you can help prevent players from being left behind.

It goes on to say,

Obviously, adopting equal playing time can have an impact on your team's performance. For example, it may mean that your 'best' players see less of the action.
Remember: winning isn't everything. As a coach, your role is to help the whole team improve their skills and fall in love with football. That's why it's essential to get everyone involved.

At this point I decided to write to the FA to see if their was anything they could do to help Ted play today in his last match of the season. They kindly wrote back to apologise and they told me I need to get in touch with the clubs safeguarding manager. I have done that and after reading what is said on the FA website I asked for our fees back too. We paid fees to the club at the beginning of the season and as Ted has not had as much time as the other players we feel it's only fair.

The Safeguarding manager spoke to the coach who told him what happened with the ex coach. Then said he made it his priority to make sure all the boys in the team got equal playing time. Apparently their is a spreadsheet that has been kept to show the amount of time each player has been given.

Personally I don't think the spreadsheet will ever materialise. The other coach has been keeping a record . My husband mentioned that the coach in question hasn't been at every game so how could he keep a record. We think the coaches are trying to cover their tracks. Whether we receive a refund is another matter.

Thankfully for me as a parent the coaches for Ted's team will be stepping down today. Therefore the team can't continue. We have suggested to Ted to try for another team. Ted isn't so keen on this idea. He still loves playing football but he is scared other teams will do the same thing. Also, there is the possibility that they will tell him he's not good enough to play for their team. We know of other children who this has happened to in this area.

If the FA are keen to get kids into football then they need to invest the money at what they call 'Grass Roots' level. I think the parents who pay fees for their kids to play should automatically own the grounds the kids play on. Football should not be owned by celebrities and the rich. It should be owned by the people. That way the money stays within the clubs. If the rich want to get involved then let them but I think they shouldn't take the biggest cut.

Football is All About Profits Over People

Sadly, I feel like the FA are all mouth and no trousers. They say they want more kids to play but they aren't willing to put the investment in. I don't think our coaches had any training. They certainly weren't inspiring nor encouraging to Ted. If they did have training matches may have been different for Ted. The FA needs to stop the profits over people and put the profits back into the clubs, coaches and especially the kids who just want to play football.