Ballon d'Or

[nicoclaesen]

I don't think kids were playing more in the streets - certainly in this country - any more when Messi was 10 years old. It's only the late 90s we're talking about. I can't recall the streets being full of kids doing 360s and so on back then??? If anything the streets were a bit more hostile then. Kids do play in recs, playgrounds, parks and so on. Some on the streets too!

Kids playing in the streets stopped in the later part of the 90s where I came from. When I was growing up in the 80s it was a glorious time. Streets back then were tough. Back then a kid would play in the street,go train and play with his boys club team,annd train with a pro club once a week and if good enough sign a Schoolboy form with a Professional club.
The good old days

 

[manmountainbutters]

Kids playing in the streets stopped in the later part of the 90s where I came from. When I was growing up in the 80s it was a glorious time. Streets back then were tough. Back then a kid would play in the street,go train and play with his boys club team,annd train with a pro club once a week and if good enough sign a Schoolboy form with a Professional club.
The good old days

Were they the good old days though? It actually produced worse players in England at least - appreciate other countries will vary. No question that the changes over the past 25 years have improved the technical level of English players.

I'm quite involved in grass roots right now and one thing there is a huge shortage of is 3G pitches. Need many more of them, and for them to be more accessible.

 

[nicoclaesen]

Were they the good old days though? It actually produced worse players in England at least - appreciate other countries will vary. No question that the changes over the past 25 years have improved the technical level of English players.

I'm quite involved in grass roots right now and one thing there is a huge shortage of is 3G pitches. Need many more of them, and for them to be more accessible.

It was the good old days. In Scotland we haven’t produced top players since the 70s and 80s. England have improved massively but it’s went the other way in Scotland. One of the massive issues is not putting the right coaches in at a younger level. It then becomes a financial issue because they give poor or unqualified coaches jobs that don’t know the game rather than pay for the right coaches which will ultimately improve the standard of coaching and the player to come through at youth level. Facilities is a massive issue in Scotland and England right now and that’s from kids football right up to some pro clubs at lower levels.

 

[BernardMatthews]

It was the good old days. In Scotland we haven’t produced top players since the 70s and 80s. England have improved massively but it’s went the other way in Scotland. One of the massive issues is not putting the right coaches in at a younger level. It then becomes a financial issue because they give poor or unqualified coaches that don’t know the game rather than pay for the right coaches which will ultimately improve the standard of coaching and the player come through at youth level. Facilities is a massive issue in Scotland and England right now and that’s from kids football right up to some pro clubs at lower levels.

There’s also a lack of good coaches.
Or at least good coaches who have been able to do their badges.

We track well behind other parts of Europe and costs get silly.

The A licence was £3k+ when I was looking at doing it. Nowhere near that in Spain. They far exceed us in number of coaches who have done their pro license due to this factor too.

 

[manmountainbutters]

It was the good old days. In Scotland we haven’t produced top players since the 70s and 80s. England have improved massively but it’s went the other way in Scotland. One of the massive issues is not putting the right coaches in at a younger level. It then becomes a financial issue because they give poor or unqualified coaches that don’t know the game rather than pay for the right coaches which will ultimately improve the standard of coaching and the player come through at youth level. Facilities is a massive issue in Scotland and England right now and that’s from kids football right up to some pro clubs at lower levels.

You're right about Scotland. However ... good players in the 70s and 80s was down to a world that disappeared in the 70s due to housing changes, rising car usage etc etc. The facilities in Scotland for kids in the 80s were utterly laughable (I grew up there). Kids played on full size waterlogged pitches (if they could find them). The world that produced Dalglish etc on the street as kids had gone by the mid 70s.

Agree on coaches and facilities. More of the wealth in the game should IMO go to grassroots facilities

 

[nicoclaesen]

There’s also a lack of good coaches.
Or at least good coaches who have been able to do their badges.

We track well behind other parts of Europe and costs get silly.

The A licence was £3k+ when I was looking at doing it. Nowhere near that in Spain. They far exceed us in number of coaches who have done their pro license due to this factor too.

I done my pro and it cost £15k all in. That was a wee while back when you had to go abroad and watch other clubs training and a game. If it never got paid for me I’d never have done it. When I done my B it was £1300! They are pricing a lot of people out of it and I think to get on the B now you need to go through an interview process.
Even tbe CPD stuff is pricey.

 

[daveyboy88]

What’s hard to understand about street footballer

most people would associate this with players like bolasie, zaha, taarabt etc. players who lack football I.Q and the fundamental technique in the game but pull off skills.