Youth football in scotland?

[Green and white]

Looking at the current state of our game here in Scotland, do you think youth football is where everything is going wrong? I for one think we're miles behind the likes of Holland, Germany, Spain and many other countries round the world, not just Europe. Most countries are playing 20 hours of football a week at the age of 14/15+ when we're still stuck to the old routine of training on the Tuesday, Wednesday and game on the Sunday. We're lucky if we're getting 3 hours of training a week compared to these other countries.

The way we play the game in Scotland is also outdated in my opinion. We have this win at all cost mentality for teams as young as under 12s. One of the Port Glasgow teams went to Spain last year and beat the Levante 9-0. This is unheard of in this country, it's rare for a pro youth team to even lose to a boys club team never mind getting a 9-0 thrashing? The club secretory was bragging about it for months, talking about how one of his teams gave the Spaniards a footballing lesson. The manager of the the under 12s though was very quiet during this bragging session and rarely spoke about the game. When I got a chance to ask him about it he spoke of the Levante team always giving the ball to the full backs or straight into the midfield, even when they were down 3-0 they still kept passing the ball about and focusing on how the game should be played, the score didn't effect the teams tactics or style of play. He said his boys were faster, stronger far too physical for the small Spanish team although he said the quality of the Spanish team was unreal.

What are your opinions on youth football in Scotland? Do you coach football or help out with a local boys club? My uncle takes Leith Athletic 16s and I was glad to help out at his training last week where his main focus was passing and small possession games. His team lost 4-2 against LK Galaxy the same week although he didn't seem to bothered about the score, more about how his team played and the attitude of the players. I think that's a great example of how youth football should be coached. It's not as if he's getting stuffed every week, I think his team is sitting 3/4 in the table which is good considering they're only going to improve with the football they're being taught.

[bob12345]

Looking at the current state of our game here in Scotland, do you think youth football is where everything is going wrong? I for one think we're miles behind the likes of Holland, Germany, Spain and many other countries round the world, not just Europe. Most countries are playing 20 hours of football a week at the age of 14/15+ when we're still stuck to the old routine of training on the Tuesday, Wednesday and game on the Sunday. We're lucky if we're getting 3 hours of training a week compared to these other countries.

The way we play the game in Scotland is also outdated in my opinion. We have this win at all cost mentality for teams as young as under 12s. One of the Port Glasgow teams went to Spain last year and beat the Levante 9-0. This is unheard of in this country, it's rare for a pro youth team to even lose to a boys club team never mind getting a 9-0 thrashing? The club secretory was bragging about it for months, talking about how one of his teams gave the Spaniards a footballing lesson. The manager of the the under 12s though was very quiet during this bragging session and rarely spoke about the game. When I got a chance to ask him about it he spoke of the Levante team always giving the ball to the full backs or straight into the midfield, even when they were down 3-0 they still kept passing the ball about and focusing on how the game should be played, the score didn't effect the teams tactics or style of play. He said his boys were faster, stronger far too physical for the small Spanish team although he said the quality of the Spanish team was unreal.

What are your opinions on youth football in Scotland? Do you coach football or help out with a local boys club? My uncle takes Leith Athletic 16s and I was glad to help out at his training last week where his main focus was passing and small possession games. His team lost 4-2 against LK Galaxy the same week although he didn't seem to bothered about the score, more about how his team played and the attitude of the players. I think that's a great example of how youth football should be coached. It's not as if he's getting stuffed every week, I think his team is sitting 3/4 in the table which is good considering they're only going to improve with the football they're being taught.

Completely agree with your sentiment. It sounds like your uncle is one of the good guys, who is level headed and doing a generally good job with the players. Unfortunately Scotland is completely reliant on volunteers in youth football, right up to SFL level in many cases. So whilst you get some excellent youth coaches, the spectrum is extremely wide, you get some who are a nightmare and you get some who have the best intentions but just turn up on the day unprepared due to work commitments. Clubs can have 500-1000 kids under their banner - in what other situation would the personal and sporting development of so many young people be completely thrown at volunteers? Not even youth club chairman are paid. Certainly won't be the case in Spain.

Myself and a team of others have setup and run http://www.youthfootballscotland.co.uk (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-Football-Scotland/184845868223486 for those Facebookers) which aims to promote all that's good in youth football, highlight correct practice and provide coverage similar to what the pros get, to keep confidence and enthusiasm levels high. Right now our big challenge is to get the clubs to buy into it, but if they all do - we can bring the whole community together for the good of the game. Leith are one of the few in Edinburgh that aren't contributing, so please encourage them to do so! Happy to send our info pack to anyone here, if they want to get a better idea of what we're trying to achieve and how it's being done.

[Green and white]

Completely agree with your sentiment. It sounds like your uncle is one of the good guys, who is level headed and doing a generally good job with the players. Unfortunately Scotland is completely reliant on volunteers in youth football, right up to SFL level in many cases. So whilst you get some excellent youth coaches, the spectrum is extremely wide, you get some who are a nightmare and you get some who have the best intentions but just turn up on the day unprepared due to work commitments. Clubs can have 500-1000 kids under their banner - in what other situation would the personal and sporting development of so many young people be completely thrown at volunteers? Not even youth club chairman are paid. Certainly won't be the case in Spain.

Myself and a team of others have setup and run http://www.youthfootballscotland.co.uk (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-Football-Scotland/184845868223486 for those Facebookers) which aims to promote all that's good in youth football, highlight correct practice and provide coverage similar to what the pros get, to keep confidence and enthusiasm levels high. Right now our big challenge is to get the clubs to buy into it, but if they all do - we can bring the whole community together for the good of the game. Leith are one of the few in Edinburgh that aren't contributing, so please encourage them to do so! Happy to send our info pack to anyone here, if they want to get a better idea of what we're trying to achieve and how it's being done.

Yeah I was on that website before actually. He's just started coaching there before this summer, he's never actually took a team before so I was worried the training was going to poor but I was surprised. They haven't been beat in 10/12 games since he started and the team used to get dumped every week so he's doing well. He's been a season ticket holder at ER for years now as well giving it up this season for the kids football. I'm sure he would like to contribute but it's a community club and all that pater has to go through the committee or something like that. I'll pass the website on and speak to him about it and see what he says mate.

What is it you do? are you a youth development officer or do you just do it in your spare time also?

[Mickey Edwards]

A couple of years ago I coached a team of 11 yr olds through a couple of seasons 7 a side , games played mainly on astroturf....goalie not allowed to kick out , build from the back etc. No great aspirations, just the local village team but we got better and showed up well with local pro club academy teams.

Great development, lots of touches.

On moving to 11 a side on public park surfaces aged 12/13 I insisted again that the goalie doesn't kick out, the full backs having to be alert enough to make a quick angle to get things started. The first 6 games we were hunted down by teams which had already played a season at 11 a side. Bobbly surface , one poor touch at the back and the opposition would score. I kept saying what I thought and still think are the right things but in those first 6 games we lost double figures goals each time. I didn't give a monkeys but the boys were getting pretty fed up.

In the 7th game we were again played the team which had beaten us 14-0 on the first day of the season. I saw their wee faces, told them to forget what I had been coaching , we put two big boys up front and kept blootering it as far away from our goal as their wee legs could manage. We drew 2-2.

The boys were beaming with pride even though they knew it was not the kind of football which was going to improve them. One half of me was delighted for them and the other half of me was crying inside ; there ,in microcosm ,was why Scotland is properly ***** at football.


1. the surfaces in winter do not give advantage to a skillful passing approach...... it's much more effective and enjoyable to keep blootering the ball as far away from your own goal as possible.

2. by hiding your own development within a win-at-all-costs team approach you can get through youth football without addressing deficits in basic skills.

Activities tend to be more enjoyable if you are good at them......if the only enjoyment at youth level comes from winning rather than getting better we will continue to be *****.

[Green and white]

A couple of years ago I coached a team of 11 yr olds through a couple of seasons 7 a side , games played mainly on astroturf....goalie not allowed to kick out , build from the back etc. No great aspirations, just the local village team but we got better and showed up well with local pro club academy teams.

Great development, lots of touches.

On moving to 11 a side on public park surfaces aged 12/13 I insisted again that the goalie doesn't kick out, the full backs having to be alert enough to make a quick angle to get things started. The first 6 games we were hunted down by teams which had already played a season at 11 a side. Bobbly surface , one poor touch at the back and the opposition would score. I kept saying what I thought and still think are the right things but in those first 6 games we lost double figures goals each time. I didn't give a monkeys but the boys were getting pretty fed up.

In the 7th game we were again played the team which had beaten us 14-0 on the first day of the season. I saw their wee faces, told them to forget what I had been coaching , we put two big boys up front and kept blootering it as far away from our goal as their wee legs could manage. We drew 2-2.

The boys were beaming with pride even though they knew it was not the kind of football which was going to improve them. One half of me was delighted for them and the other half of me was crying inside ; there ,in microcosm ,was why Scotland is properly ***** at football.


1. the surfaces in winter do not give advantage to a skillful passing approach...... it's much more effective and enjoyable to keep blootering the ball as far away from your own goal as possible.

2. by hiding your own development within a win-at-all-costs team approach you can get through youth football without addressing deficits in basic skills.

Activities tend to be more enjoyable if you are good at them......if the only enjoyment at youth level comes from winning rather than getting better we will continue to be *****.


it's your first season at 11s though, you should stick with it because when it comes to under 15s/16s you will start pishing all over everyone. have you taught the boys how to take it from the keeper? with the ball bounced into their feet so it lands just like a sidefoot pass? also if your giving it to a full back u need to drop deep if the other team is behind the ball. it doesn't always have to go there though, you can still go long from the keeper as long as they're keeping the ball. you should stick with it mate, just get on youtube, fourfourtwoperformance and other youth development websites and look for training drills and help with running a team.

[seven nowt]

I disagree. I think Scottish youth football is very good at the moment. Some of the division 1 football is terrific as well as teams in lower divisions. The SFA have taught the coaches the training drills and all the ways to coach, which is then followed through to the players. But I find that you should do what first comes into your mind. Otherwise, everyone will be pressured to play exactly the same way, with no one playing unique football, with no touch of magic.

I am a Youth Football player and I play as a Centre Back. I just like to make a crunching tackle and lay off the easy ball and put a few in from corners. I'm doing very well and I hope to continue it too....

There are some good prospects though, so it's not the reason why Scottish Footballs so *****, but the SFA do play a part in it.

[Hainan Hibs]

Levein and the SFA have brought in a Dutch guy to get us playing total football throughout the age groups.

[Green and white]

Levein and the SFA have brought in a Dutch guy to get us playing total football throughout the age groups.

one coach to rule them all

[leithsansiro]

What are your opinions on youth football in Scotland? Do you coach football or help out with a local boys club? My uncle takes Leith Athletic 16s and I was glad to help out at his training last week where his main focus was passing and small possession games. His team lost 4-2 against LK Galaxy the same week although he didn't seem to bothered about the score, more about how his team played and the attitude of the players. I think that's a great example of how youth football should be coached. It's not as if he's getting stuffed every week, I think his team is sitting 3/4 in the table which is good considering they're only going to improve with the football they're being taught.


Totally agree with pretty much everything you say.

I used to coach under 7's in Edinburgh, training once a week and then a wee "friendly" match on a Sunday. Essentially, most of my lads just wanted to have a bit of fun and enjoy their football, which to me is part of the point. Have bit of fun, instill good values and technique. Sadly, football for kids is riddled with bitter men who seem to think that they're Alex Ferguson. A case in point - playing a match (under 7's, i remind you) away at another side, their coach was happy to loudly shout from the touchline that his players should "take him out" whenever my players touched the ball. It's a sad state of affairs when football at that age is limited to it all being about winning for some people.

[Cropley10]

Most of what I've seen in Scottish Youth football is pretty poor. A win at all costs mentality generally, many teams favouring bigger, more developed boys, goalie kick outs, big punts up the park, loud, aggressive and often obnoxious parents, who can do a good job of intimidating opposition players. Coaching ranges from the very good to the absolutely woeful

There seem to be a handful - probably less - of Boys Clubs who either attract the best players, or who simply, go and get them from other Clubs. But the biggest problem is we try to develop the game at U11, 7 a-side and then throw all of that out the window in this huge rush to play 11 a-side football, so that some teams can win Cups and Medals.

The fact there is nothing between 7s and 11s is un-natural and IMHO stupid. Boys have played the mini game and then over one summer have to learn to play on a full-size pitch, in FULL size goals, with offside. Less touches of the ball, more pressure, more room etc.

Until we have a proper player pathway and get away from a rush to competitive football, so we can get away from a win at all costs, only big kids can play - we won't prosper as a nation.

[Hibby Bairn]

Most of what I've seen in Scottish Youth football is pretty poor. A win at all costs mentality generally, many teams favouring bigger, more developed boys, goalie kick outs, big punts up the park, loud, aggressive and often obnoxious parents, who can do a good job of intimidating opposition players. Coaching ranges from the very good to the absolutely woefulThere seem to be a handful - probably less - of Boys Clubs who either attract the best players, or who simply, go and get them from other Clubs. But the biggest problem is we try to develop the game at U11, 7 a-side and then throw all of that out the window in this huge rush to play 11 a-side football, so that some teams can win Cups and Medals.The fact there is nothing between 7s and 11s is un-natural and IMHO stupid. Boys have played the mini game and then over one summer have to learn to play on a full-size pitch, in FULL size goals, with offside. Less touches of the ball, more pressure, more room etc.Until we have a proper player pathway and get away from a rush to competitive football, so we can get away from a win at all costs, only big kids can play - we won't prosper as a nation. Never a truer word said. Forget 11-a-side until 15.

[Green and white]

I have mixed opinions on that subject. I came from 7s - 11s at the age of 10/11 from primary 7 - 1st year high school. I didn't struggle at all but then again I had a very good coach who was intact female. We also trained indoors in a high school games hall and our facilities consisted of cones, 5 aside goals (the small long ones) and a wooden indoor floor. I was never the biggest or the fastest but some how I developed into a decent player who I give most of the credit to my coach anne. I had played for other teams before and wasn't getting a game because my confidence was low as ever and really didn't get a chance. When I did play for other teams before I was very nervous of making a mistake.

Having a good coach who can make you feel confidant is one of the best things you can have as a young footballer in my opinion. When your confidant your willing to take a player on/hitting a shot and you get a chance to express yourself. We ended up finishing above the team I left and ended up 2nd in the league for the whole season only loosing 2 games home and away to the team that won.


I'm aware though in edinburgh a lot of the kids are warped into edina hibs, tyncastle boys and hutchy? My uncle had his best player who played cm leave to play in goal for hutchy because he was a giant.

[FranckSuzy]

I have mixed opinions on that subject. I came from 7s - 11s at the age of 10/11 from primary 7 - 1st year high school. I didn't struggle at all but then again I had a very good coach who was intact female. We also trained indoors in a high school games hall and our facilities consisted of cones, 5 aside goals (the small long ones) and a wooden indoor floor. I was never the biggest or the fastest but some how I developed into a decent player who I give most of the credit to my coach anne. I had played for other teams before and wasn't getting a game because my confidence was low as ever and really didn't get a chance. When I did play for other teams before I was very nervous of making a mistake.

Having a good coach who can make you feel confidant is one of the best things you can have as a young footballer in my opinion. When your confidant your willing to take a player on/hitting a shot and you get a chance to express yourself. We ended up finishing above the team I left and ended up 2nd in the league for the whole season only loosing 2 games home and away to the team that won.


I'm aware though in edinburgh a lot of the kids are warped into edina hibs, tyncastle boys and hutchy? My uncle had his best player who played cm leave to play in goal for hutchy because he was a giant.

Sorry, but the bit in bold made me :tee hee:. Great post though.

[coco22]

i coach a school football team and have heard some pretty shocking and disgusting stuff coming out of the mouths of coaches and parent 'supporters' over the last few years. e.g an 8 year old sub being told to 'shut the **** up' and go and get changed out of his strip because he kept asking when he could get a game.
coaches at early level need to get out of the way of thinking that, if their team are getting humped, then it doesnt mean that they are a sheite manager or a failure. too many egos amongst the adults definitely spoiling the fun for wee ones.

[matty_f]

i coach a school football team and have heard some pretty shocking and disgusting stuff coming out of the mouths of coaches and parent 'supporters' over the last few years. e.g an 8 year old sub being told to 'shut the **** up' and go and get changed out of his strip because he kept asking when he could get a game.
coaches at early level need to get out of the way of thinking that, if their team are getting humped, then it doesnt mean that they are a sheite manager or a failure. too many egos amongst the adults definitely spoiling the fun for wee ones.

That is absolutely spot on, and it needs to go to the parents as well. I coach a team of 8 year olds at the moment, and we have a very basic philosophy in terms of how we go about things and the values that we hold. We are an inclusive team and have kids from each end of the ability spectrum, however because we've stuck to our guns the difference in the team now compared to a year ago is massive. There are kids in the team, probably including my own, who would have been written off if they'd tried to get into some of our opponents' teams. These kids are finding or have found their feet at this level now and are putting in good performances regularly now.

They still don't like getting beat, but we win our fair share of games now and hopefully we can keep the group together for a while and not lose our best players to the 'better' teams, as it's hugely rewarding seeing them progress.

[edwards]

That is absolutely spot on, and it needs to go to the parents as well. I coach a team of 8 year olds at the moment, and we have a very basic philosophy in terms of how we go about things and the values that we hold. We are an inclusive team and have kids from each end of the ability spectrum, however because we've stuck to our guns the difference in the team now compared to a year ago is massive. There are kids in the team, probably including my own, who would have been written off if they'd tried to get into some of our opponents' teams. These kids are finding or have found their feet at this level now and are putting in good performances regularly now.

They still don't like getting beat, but we win our fair share of games now and hopefully we can keep the group together for a while and not lose our best players to the 'better' teams, as it's hugely rewarding seeing them progress.

Great subject lads as I coached boys and girls football for quite a while a good few years ago.
The difference between Spanish Football and the Scottish version is that the coaches team who got beat 9-0 was probably affiliated to the club.
All the Scottish boys and girls team coaches do it for free, great to hear Potter has brought in a dutchmen to solve our problems as when my daughter represented the yams junior ladies football team it was Potter who emptied them all when he took over.
And before you say yes I am a hibby. :wink:
Unfortunately the SFA don't pay to put you through the kids sfa coaching courses, at the time I managed to get my C certificate don't know what that would be now though.
The best way to improve the coaching at the time for me was to go and watch how other teams done their coaching methods as they used to train in parks etc but that has all changed now with up to date training ground you can't get in.
I feel one of the main reasons is that a lot of the cubs scouts have a vast area to cover and are unable to watch youngsters consistently. Years ago nepotism was rife and and the scouts aunties family member got the chance of a trial instead of the young lad they have went to watch in the first place.
Even when i went to see my son play at under 21's I couldn't understand how so many of the youngsters hadn't been picked up. My son played for a team that Chris O'neil played for who spent time at the Yams JJ's first term there but again Potter emptied him.
Football is a fickle game I am afraid, as again my son attended Hibs invitation training when he was a youngster 7 boys from tynecastle [ Yes that maroon connection again] and Hibs emptied them as they wore their maroon training tops as the coach was proud of the club getting so many boys along, 6 of them were hibby's.
It seems stupid decision making doesn't stop at youth football it also happens at club level as well.

[Cropley10]

That is absolutely spot on, and it needs to go to the parents as well. I coach a team of 8 year olds at the moment, and we have a very basic philosophy in terms of how we go about things and the values that we hold. We are an inclusive team and have kids from each end of the ability spectrum, however because we've stuck to our guns the difference in the team now compared to a year ago is massive. There are kids in the team, probably including my own, who would have been written off if they'd tried to get into some of our opponents' teams. These kids are finding or have found their feet at this level now and are putting in good performances regularly now.

They still don't like getting beat, but we win our fair share of games now and hopefully we can keep the group together for a while and not lose our best players to the 'better' teams, as it's hugely rewarding seeing them progress.

Redefine winning Matty - if you're losing at half-time, set them a goal to win the second half.

Set players individual targets - 3 passes or 4 tackles. Make the game as simple as possible for the little ones

The SFA moan about the drop out rate - and cite 'late-developers' as being the biggest thing, yet do absolutely nothing to make it easy for kids to keep playing or develop late. The good players end up at the best Clubs - even at U13 and U14. Win at all costs.

[Green and white]

Yeah I agree the focus in Scotland is win, not develop. It's pretty unfair how it costs plenty to do your badges but that going on to paid work is almost impossible. The closest thing to a job I could get is active schools which has just finished. Even then it wasn't really coaching, more like doing sports days for schools etc.

[matty_f]

Redefine winning Matty - if you're losing at half-time, set them a goal to win the second half.

Set players individual targets - 3 passes or 4 tackles. Make the game as simple as possible for the little ones

The SFA moan about the drop out rate - and cite 'late-developers' as being the biggest thing, yet do absolutely nothing to make it easy for kids to keep playing or develop late. The good players end up at the best Clubs - even at U13 and U14. Win at all costs.

We do stuff like that, but the kids are at an age where they are seeing the score as the key thing - I think a lot of that comes from when they get back to their parents (not all the parents, I might add - there's one parent on here from the team who is exceptionally supportive of what we do).

Our last game, we got beat 4-1 from a team that uses an 'elitist' selection policy, i.e. hold trials and you get a game if you're good enough. We actually (IMHO) outplayed them for most of the game and were very unlucky. We gave the boys heaps of praise both at half time and in the second half, but some of the boys still focussed on the fact that they lost. It's a real shame.

[JimBHibees]

We do stuff like that, but the kids are at an age where they are seeing the score as the key thing - I think a lot of that comes from when they get back to their parents (not all the parents, I might add - there's one parent on here from the team who is exceptionally supportive of what we do).

Our last game, we got beat 4-1 from a team that uses an 'elitist' selection policy, i.e. hold trials and you get a game if you're good enough. We actually (IMHO) outplayed them for most of the game and were very unlucky. We gave the boys heaps of praise both at half time and in the second half, but some of the boys still focussed on the fact that they lost. It's a real shame.

Stick at it. I have been coaching a team for approx a year and a half (kids now play in the 10 age group) and we have taken a fair number of heavy defeats however it is about the performance and also giving all the kids a decent shot. We played our first season with 11 players and it was very difficult to swap and change the team without making it much weaker at points during the game. It is important to emphasise to both kids and also parents within earshot that the result is unimportant and it is all about fun (cliched but true) and also developing as a player and as a team. It isnt easy especially when you do get well beaten and it takes alot of time however if you stick to your guns and make the sessions fun and enjoyable the kids will want to be there. The bottom line is the social side of it is as important for the kids as the football. If you can keep the core of your group together for a while it is amazing how some kids really develop overtime.

[PatHead]

Over the last year or 2 Dundee Utd have brought in an agreement with a local school whereby the boys turn up at 7.30 for training with Dundee Utd. They start classes after a shower and breakfast, (Diet from DU) in the second period of the day ay 9.50. After school they again undertake 2 hours of training and finish at 6.00pm. This effectively mirrors young swimmers/athletes coaching programmes and adapts it to football. There is obviously extra training during holidays. Some of the boys travel from Stirling and surrounding areas and rely on their parents support. Only a few boys in each year are involved. Is this the way forward and should Hibs consider it?

[R'Albin]

Posted this a while ago...




I come back from my game today battered and bruised and have an aboslutely thumping headache, and I was thinking- Why do I bother doing this? It's not like I have to, or I get paid to? I absolutely love playing football, there isn't many things that I enjoy doing more, but I'm sorry juvenile football is an absolute joke and it's not even fun anymore, and that's what football is mean't to be about isn't it?.

Surely if we want Scottish football to improve we have to start at grass roots, and we have to keep kids interested?

-Kick off times, Saturday 2pm, silly IMO because it means the kids playing and their parent won't be able to see their local team if they are playing. I have a mate who has had a season ticket at Pittodrie since he was 5, but this year he has to give it up because he can't make any of the Saturday matches. Now, the reason they have these kick offs is because there might be school football on earlier in the day, why can't the school football then be changed to a Sunday once we reach the age of playing Sat kick off's in juvenile football? Is there no form of communication between the schools and the Juvenile association(or the ADJFA as they are call here)?

-Referees, Now I know these guys give up their spare time for hardly any money, but some of them are absolutely horrendous and don't know the rules. Couple of seasons ago I saved a pen fairly and the ref forced the guy to retake because I moved before the ball was kicked- That rule doesn't even exist anymore!! :grr: But anyway maybe I'm being a little hipocritical there:greengrin

-Parents, Some of them seem to think they are Football geniuses, and can tell us what to do even if it contrasts what the coach says. And some of them are more interested in picking fights with the opposition fans than the actual game!

-The "ADJFA", These guys are an absolute shambles, we don't get a fixture list at the start of a season, we get told a few days before a game who we are playing, which tbh isn't a major hassle but it could easily be sorted. Last season my team played 22 games in the league, we played 12 of those in the 5 weeks, yes I understand that the winter was horrendous and we had to go 3 months without playing but surely it's just common sense to start the season as soon as the schools are back and play midweek games earlier in the year when the pitches are still good? Also, there have been a lot of teams folding over the summer, I think the league could have maybe tried to help the teams that were folding merge with each other. Because in the bottom league there are only 6 teams! Ridiculous! The suspensions are also of a ludicruous length and yellow cards carry on from season to season which is also ridiculous.

-Coaches, Now there are a lot of reasons that I just explained about youth football being bad, but the Coaches have to be the biggest problem with Scottish youth football and tbh Scottish football at the moment. My new coach to be fair to him is a really nice guy, and gets us playing passing football. We used to get away with this, but now we can't and other teams totally bully us out of games. Other teams coaches are so unbelievably short sighted it's unreal! THey don't think about how they are affecting Scottish football, by just getting all the big players and hoofing up the pitch. This means that a lot of smaller players even if they are of better quality than the bigger guys, get fed up of this and just give up playing football althogether. Gamesmanship is also a big issue, there was a guy today who was off the pitch injured, then he proceeded to walk on the pitch and the fall down to waste time.

All these things are part of the reason so many kids are quitting football, even if they are decent players, they are probably fed up of getting a bollocking for doing something wrong or being kicked off the park and nothing being done about it. Scottish football is never going to improve until we look at the bigger picture, not just the short term future of the game.

[Ozyhibby]

Over the last year or 2 Dundee Utd have brought in an agreement with a local school whereby the boys turn up at 7.30 for training with Dundee Utd. They start classes after a shower and breakfast, (Diet from DU) in the second period of the day ay 9.50. After school they again undertake 2 hours of training and finish at 6.00pm. This effectively mirrors young swimmers/athletes coaching programmes and adapts it to football. There is obviously extra training during holidays. Some of the boys travel from Stirling and surrounding areas and rely on their parents support. Only a few boys in each year are involved. Is this the way forward and should Hibs consider it?

This is exactly what Hibs should do and every other team in the SPL should do. Scottish kids are not getting enough practice time in as they used to as they are no longer allowed to play in the street any more. We need to replace that time as much as possible for elite players.

[greenlex]

Yesterday I went to Forth and watched most of their U13? match V Mid Calder.
Forth were already 4 down inside 20 mins or so when I arrived. They eventually won 5-4 with the final goal comong in the last minute or so. I thouroughly enjoyed it as did the boys. Well the Forth boys anyway. The Mid Calder keeper was huge. Nearly the size of me.:greengrin
Anyhoo. Some decent payers on show but still the odd shout of launch it. Good stuff in any case.
Thought I woud share that.

[bob12345]

Yeah I was on that website before actually. He's just started coaching there before this summer, he's never actually took a team before so I was worried the training was going to poor but I was surprised. They haven't been beat in 10/12 games since he started and the team used to get dumped every week so he's doing well. He's been a season ticket holder at ER for years now as well giving it up this season for the kids football. I'm sure he would like to contribute but it's a community club and all that pater has to go through the committee or something like that. I'll pass the website on and speak to him about it and see what he says mate.

What is it you do? are you a youth development officer or do you just do it in your spare time also?

Thanks mate. Myself and one other person run the website as a social enterprise (business which is not for profit and has community based targets), along with a large team of volunteers.

[bob12345]

Lots of good insights here. We are trying to help promote youth football far and wide, and could you with your votes in an award we are nominated for. Just got to www.talktalk.co.uk/digitalheroes/region.php?region=scotland and select the 2nd option down, R. Forsyth. Happy to provide any further information about what we are trying to achieve and how this would help.