grassroots football

Michael Carrick has enjoyed an exemplary career — both on and off the field. Widely regarded as one of the country’s best passers, the Geordie midfielder has enjoyed huge success with Manchester United over the years. But more importantly, Carrick is a gentleman and a great ambassador for both United and English football in general. He’s the perfect role model...

Referees at all levels of the game in Britain are leaving football in droves — and one of the main reasons is the torrent of abuse they’re receiving on a regular basis. A nationwide walkout of grassroots referees was narrowly avoided last year, but it could still happen if the FAs in England, Scotland and Wales don’t do more to...

Lizzy Yarnold (GBR) The UK will never be a major power in the world of winter sports. With the exception of a very small area of the Scottish Highlands, we just don’t have the climate or the landscapes to excel. In addition, the most poverty-stricken, disadvantaged children in British society don’t aspire to be skiers — they aspire to...

The plight of grassroots football in the UK has now transcended the sport. This desperate situation is now common knowledge, yet we are still having exactly the same conversations — more than a decade after the issue first hit national headlines. While the problems facing the game at youth and amateur levels are never really far from the back pages...

The FA has finally started to take the issue of abuse at grassroots football matches seriously. New codes of conduct and various initiatives related to Respect have already been put in motion — but former Leicester City and Wales midfielder Robbie Savage has his own thoughts on the issue. Robbie may have played at some of the most famous football...

The Football Association is at a crossroads in its illustrious history. Facing threats of forced modernisation by the government, the game’s governing body in England knows it needs to be more representative of the game it promotes. Finally, it seems that the constant threats from MPs are finally having a positive effect, as the FA has just announced plans to...

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...

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...

If a CEO or an executive board member were to deliver a bad performance, the chances are they’d be fired. If you were to fail in your most basic of duties at work, you’d probably face the axe too. So why do the faceless FA board members, who are ultimately responsible for the grassroots game in the UK, seem to...