Comments for Team Grassroots

Comment on The Diary of a Grassroots Coach – Kids “released” age 9 in Grassroots, really!!! by Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 14 May 2025 22:06:16 +0000

In reply to Laura. Happening to my daughter now, in the team she’s just completed her second season with I’m looking for some relevant info. I actually manage an u7 boys team and wouldn’t dream of dropping a dedicated player. Thanks for post is your daughter still playing. I hope so

Comment on UPDATES TO GRASSROOTS YOUTH FOOTBALL IN ENGLAND by Jason Perry

Jason Perry — Sun, 27 Apr 2025 12:45:07 +0000

Another stupid change by the FA. This is not a progressive move forward. 3v3 is a joke, need more coaches and venues to make it worthwile. the delay in moving to 9v9 and then 11v11 at the youth stage will not help any player development. I coach at the U9 level at the moment (been coaching for over 15 years) and in a years time my team will be ready to go to 9v9.

I am really afraid this will lose players and grassroots in the UK will start to damage all the positive steps that have been made in recent years.

Please rethink and consult the grassroots coaches before making these changes.

Comment on 6 minutes !!! – My son cried when he got in the car, this can’t be right… by Mafia Papa

Mafia Papa — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 17:12:31 +0000

This is the same all over the world. In the USA they charge $1000-$10,000 dollars a season for club soccer. Imagine paying that, traveling all over the state, and still sitting. Pay for play is ridiculous and running the game. Only rich kids can afford to play soccer and that’s why all our great youth go to other countries to play. We will never be that nation because of how the youth system is run.

Comment on 6 minutes !!! – My son cried when he got in the car, this can’t be right… by Andy Thompson

Andy Thompson — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:01:18 +0000

I feel so sorry for these kids, as my lad went through a similar situation between 7 & 16 years old. Our experience was that things get progressively worse as the seasons progress, mainly due to parents of the ‘elite’ players making demands on the manager to play the strongest side always, thus providing the less talented players little game time, or ultimately not being selected when the seasons summer trials came around. It became really cut-throat and very emotional. Me & my son still smart 10 years later at the subject of junior football.

Comment on 6 minutes !!! – My son cried when he got in the car, this can’t be right… by Andy Thompson

Andy Thompson — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:00:15 +0000

Comment on POOGATE 💩!!! MATCH ABANDONED DUE TO SOMEONE POOING IN THE REFS SHOE by Karen Green

Karen Green — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 07:16:06 +0000

That’s disgusting
Hopefully the dity fella /child Will be caught
Must be someone in team/easy access to changing rooms,

Comment on FA Guidance For Spectacles and Goggles in Football by 92 jeeto

92 jeeto — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 09:35:43 +0000

This is an excellent overview of the FA guidelines for spectacles and goggles in football! It’s great to see these safety measures emphasized, ensuring all players can participate comfortably and safely. Thanks for sharing these important insights!

Comment on Grassroots Coaching – 25 Small Sided games by Karen ilsley

Karen ilsley — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 07:34:09 +0000

Looking for practice and coaching for my 13 son I live in Sunderland south side
Thank you

Comment on Are the Professional clubs getting scouting wrong with kids? by Dave

Dave — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 23:12:50 +0000

Sadly, Grass Roots is the problem in my opinion! At nearly every age group, teams in the top leagues are run by parents of sporting companies hell bent on winning. How to win, hold trials and bring in decent but big players and you win matches. Great, the parent coaches ego is stroked because he has a winning / competitive team by default, the parents of the player love it as their child is in a winning team and has more chance of being paraded infront of a scout. The simple matter is Grass Roots is tripping itself up in many ways and there are leagues bring full of teams like this because lets be honest dad coaches are not good enough to get a small team wit skillfull player beating those teams based on size, speed and physicality. Especially not with 1-2 hours a week training!

My son went for Under 10 Trial for a team that had 250 players turn up. They never even looked at him play, they syphoned off all the big physical players and cast aside the small technical (and very smart) players. My son didn’t get invited back for 2nd Day Trials. He wasn’t bothered as we got offered place elsewhere, with a Sports Company running the show. His new team played the “Dad Constructed” team, full of size and physicality and beat them 5-3, and my son scoring a hat-trick and setting up another. All of my son’s team mates were, quicker, smarter and could play better football!

I know Grass Roots relies on volunteers, dads and helpers, but this problem is entrenched in society and its running through Grass Roots clubs because at the very start of sport small players are written off vs winning ugly.

Comment on UPDATES TO GRASSROOTS YOUTH FOOTBALL IN ENGLAND by Bridget

Bridget — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 23:42:25 +0000

Absolutely flabbergasted by the ridiculous 3v3… it will be the end of grassroots football if this goes ahead. We use council pitches… are the FA and grassroots going to pay for them to be made smaller, are they going to sort new volunteers, the whole no ref no goalie is a joke. I don’t think anyone gets it. Why fix what isn’t broken!