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As a proud, football-loving parent, it is only natural that you’d want to instil your love of the beautiful game in your children. But being too pushy too early can sometimes have the opposite effect. Any fan or player’s love of the game starts with the element of fun, and if it’s missing, falling in love with football is a...

Earlier this year a non-binding vote of no confidence in the House of Commons sent a clear message to the Football Association: reform, or we’ll do it for you. While this wasn’t the first time the game’s governing body has come to blows with the UK government, the unprecedented step of threatening legislation will have reverberated down the corridors of...

The level of abuse being aimed at football officials up and down the country has been growing for some time. While the FA’s Respect campaign has succeeded in tackling the issue up to a point, there still remains a major problem. Our referees at the grassroots level are pretty much on their own every Saturday and Sunday morning. Without the...

Photo: EFL/PA The refugee crisis that is engulfing parts of Europe right now has been a political hot potato for years. Unfortunately, the issue is often broken down into statistics, leaving the individuals affected alienated. Thankfully, football is — yet again — being used as a force for good in this regard. There is nothing new about refugees coming...

When Gareth Bale led an heroic Euro 2016 campaign that led to the semi-final, a proud nation watched on — including a group of Big Issue sellers from Wales. Inspired what they witnessed, they decided to group together to form a team of their own. Big Issue Cymru was born, featuring homeless and socially excluded football fans from Cardiff. Street...

Whether you’re starting a new football team or trying to bolster the ranks of an existing one, an effective player recruitment strategy is essential. But for many clubs in British grassroots football, simply finding people who are interested in playing can be a huge challenge. It doesn’t matter whether your team is flying high and winning trophies or languishing at...

The Premier League dominates the football industry in the UK, so it’s always nice to see community-based projects make the news. The FA Mars Just Play! Initiative recently proved that local amateur football in England is alive and well after revealing more than one million people have attended events so far. The Mars Just Play! scheme is all about the...

Photo: Premier League Most Premier League initiatives are aimed at furthering the reach of the brand or getting more people playing, so it was somewhat gratifying to see the World’s richest domestic football competition throwing its weight behind an education initiative this week. The Premier League’s Primary Stars campaign aims to use the huge draw of the Premier League...

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Young referee Ryan Hampson finally gave bad behaviour at local football matches the red card this month when he led a strike in protest against the abuse being directed to match officials. The inspirational 18-year-old persuaded more than 2,000 of his colleagues to join him in his protest. For too long, referees officiating on playing fields and municipal pitches up...