403 Forbidden

In this age of billionaire owners and multi-millionaire players, football is being accused of losing its identity with increasing frequency. Young people can’t access quality coaching, fans can’t afford to attend top-flight games and the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to widen. But the essence of the beautiful game never changes. Football has the power to bring people...

The nature of football puts a huge amount of strain on specific muscle groups. If these muscles aren’t properly warmed and stretched beforehand, the consequences can be severe. Pulls, strains and tears can keep footballers out of action for months — so a stringent warm-up schedule before every match and training session is vital. Whether you’re a seasoned campaigner or...

For far too long, grassroots match officials have been subjected to the most abhorrent abuse. On pitches and playing fields across the country, these unpaid heroes are the only people standing between successful community leagues and the total collapse of grassroots football. In order to protect the next generation of stars, and ensure they have the pathway to the big...

There was a time when Boys’ Clubs in the UK were a hotbed of footballing talent. Around England, small talent hotspots would spit out an almost continuous flow of talent — much of which ended up being integral to the England national team. The likes of Huyton, Longsight and Wallsend developed some of the most talented English footballers of the...

According to the NHS, a growing number of four and five-year-olds in the UK as being classified as officially obese. Nearly 10 percent of these children were classed as obese in 2016. And as children get older, the problem gets worse. A shocking 20 percent of children aged between 10 and 11 were clinically obese in 2016. There are many...

Young children need lots of time with the ball in order to develop their touch and control. Unfortunately, there are still too many kids playing 11-a-side football on pitches that are too big. Games involving four, five or six players on each time have been shown to be much more effective at developing the skills of youngsters. Not only that...

The whole concept of warming down is relatively new in English football. Many in the game believe it was Arsene Wenger who first introduced regular warm-downs to Premier League clubs. From the moment Wenger arrived at Arsenal, he did away with the group baths in favour of group warm-down sessions. Indeed, there are many experts who believe that this move...

Shin pads are now mandatory at most levels of the footballing pyramid. When they were first introduced, they were relatively primitive. Now, however, the modern shin guard uses a range of new technologies to deliver maximum protection and mobility. It is believed that shin pads were first worn by footballers in 1874. Sam Weller Widdowson was a keen Nottinghamshire cricketer...

It’s finally July again. The barren month of June is often hard for amateur footballers. There’s no football on the telly, and even less in the community. For committed and enthusiastic players, the summer is torture. Anyone who regularly plays the game at a reasonable level will know how exciting the first day of pre-season training is. However, excitement usually...

The FA has been under intense pressure to improve grassroots football in England for many years now. The game’s governing body has launched a raft of initiatives to address issues such as pitch quality, amenities, coaching standards and player behaviour. But are any of these measures actually working? Participation levels at the community level of the game are still falling...