Reading player's

[Samdy Gray]

My lad plays U7s and at a game a few months back against Highworth U7s, there were two scouts there, one from Swindon, one from Reading. Leaving aside the catchment areas etc, can't help but feel that U7s is just way too young to be scouting kids. I know if everyone else is doing it we have to too, but it just seems clubs generally are hoovering up kids way too young at an age when they should just be playing to enjoy the game

if you had a call, and your son was offered a trial would you turn it down?

It would depend on the conditions and what he wanted. But I wouldn't automatically say yes by any means. Don't think it's likely to be a dilemma I'm going to have to face in the near future tho tbh.

I wasn't criticising either the club or the parents of lads who do train with pro clubs setups at that age, more the system as a whole. There's three of Joe's team mates who train with STFC and they love it and it's improved their game and they've not come back with any "big I am" attitude (which to be fair I'm not surprised about as they're all nice lads and have good parents who'd stop that anyway), so no harm done, I guess. Just seems a bit young to me is all - let em play and enjoy it at that age, then worry about taking it more seriously when they're a bit older. Meh, maybe I'm old fashioned. Where's that wooden train set and spinning top?

The Dutch system picks them out young but avoids puttng them into a proper game environment for years.  The idea being that basic natural talent is clear at that age, and can be nurtured, whereas all the tactical stuff is very coachable once they are good footballers. 

Yep, In Holland up to the age of 15 I think they played 4 a side.

One defender, two midfielders and one striker - the players swap positions each week.

I've got nothing to add, I just noticed the multi-quote function is back and I want that first one to get so tiny you can't read it.

sounds like a plan

You're on.

I'm sure ben will get annoyed and delete all this at some point

It's ok, the text is now ridiculously small. Mission accomplished.

[flammableBen]

Multi-quote can fuck right off.

[DV]

if you had a call, and your son was offered a trial would you turn it down?

It would depend on the conditions and what he wanted. But I wouldn't automatically say yes by any means. Don't think it's likely to be a dilemma I'm going to have to face in the near future tho tbh.

I wasn't criticising either the club or the parents of lads who do train with pro clubs setups at that age, more the system as a whole. There's three of Joe's team mates who train with STFC and they love it and it's improved their game and they've not come back with any "big I am" attitude (which to be fair I'm not surprised about as they're all nice lads and have good parents who'd stop that anyway), so no harm done, I guess. Just seems a bit young to me is all - let em play and enjoy it at that age, then worry about taking it more seriously when they're a bit older. Meh, maybe I'm old fashioned. Where's that wooden train set and spinning top?


The Dutch system picks them out young but avoids puttng them into a proper game environment for years.  The idea being that basic natural talent is clear at that age, and can be nurtured, whereas all the tactical stuff is very coachable once they are good footballers. 


Yep, In Holland up to the age of 15 I think they played 4 a side.

One defender, two midfielders and one striker - the players swap positions each week.


I've got nothing to add, I just noticed the multi-quote function is back and I want that first one to get so tiny you can't read it.


sounds like a plan


You're on.


I'm sure ben will get annoyed and delete all this at some point


It's ok, the text is now ridiculously small. Mission accomplished.

I can still read it

[jonny72]

The youth development system in England is fucked up. Its unbelievable that clubs can fight over kids under the age of 16 and lure them from other clubs. They're kids, putting them under that kind of pressure (ie which club to go with) is just stupid and is only ever going to cause harm.

I reckon we could do a lot worse than copying the US system - all sport done solely through their school system until they leave high school / university at which point they have to enter the draft pick system. It would take a lot of pressure off the kids and with a "crap clubs pick first" draft system it would help to balance things out for the smaller clubs.

The other good thing about the US system is the emphasis it puts on education. So if a kid doesn't make the grade he still has a decent education to fall back on, the same for when a player retires - most have degrees.

Most worrying is that from my view point the FA's youth development system / policy is a non-existent crock of shit. Which is unacceptable given the amount of money floating about in the game here.