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Why Are Huge Participation Levels in Grassroots Soccer Not Being Reflected in America’s Professional Game? Driving around the streets of a typical urban area in the United States is a sobering experience for an English football fan. This is because it’s not baseball and American football pitches that litter the landscape – but soccer pitches. So why is a country...

The road to becoming a professional coach is a long and arduous one, but it is a pathway that is open to everyone with the determination to succeed. Whether candidates have played the game professionally or simply admired it from afar, anyone willing to put in the hard work required can realise their dreams of managing a top side. The...

The game of futsal is enjoying a prolonged period of growth in Europe and most of the world’s footballing nations. This shortened, five-a-side version of the game is played indoors, with each half lasting only 20 minutes. Packed with action, incident and lots of goals, futsal matches are guaranteed to deliver entertainment and spectacular skills. But why has futsal become...

For anyone interested in forging a career in the world of football administration and business, there is now an exciting, new path to success. The University College of Football Business (UCFB) is offering a range of courses which are designed to give students the necessary skills in order to manage various aspects of the business side of football. Located in...

The heartbreaking images of Liverpool fans being crushed on the overcrowded terraces of Hillsborough Stadium in 1986 are engrained on the collective conscious of the entire English nation. This was a disaster that transcended sport, and it brought football fans of all persuasions together in a way that had never been seen before. The enormous scale and impact of the...

Being an England fan isn’t easy – especially when the likes of Spain, the Netherlands and Germany seem to have a perpetual supply of technically gifted players to pick from. Watching the Spanish win two European Championships and a World Cup in recent years has demonstrated just how far behind our young English talent really is on the world stage...

Since the FA announced the complete overhaul of the English youth football system in 2011, all but the biggest clubs in England have been highly critical of the move. The Elite Player Performance Plan is designed to incentivise clubs to improve their youth training facilities though a graded process of funding. Put simply, the better a club’s facilities, the more...

Most English football fans are in agreement; they want a successful and competitive England team to cheer on at the major international tournaments. They want to support a team that has a genuine chance of glory. However, a lack of first-team opportunities at the highest level, coupled with falling technical skills, has left the England team facing a future as...

Amidst decaying facilities, deteriorating pitches and increasing pitch fees, grassroots football throughout the UK has been suffering a steady decline for many years now. One of the few reasons for optimism in recent years has been the £30 million funding from Sport England, but that has just been cut by £1.6 million – yet another kick in the teeth for...

Following some high-profile demonstrations, social media campaigns and a nationwide boycott of youth football, it seems that a Sky Sports News survey has provided further proof that the grassroots game in England is at its lowest ebb in a generation. More than 2,500 people involved in local football were included in the survey, and they were asked their views on...