Grass Roots

[Viking Wolf]

What does everyone think about the situation with grass roots football? Personally I think it's a shame as I used to play before I had to relocate to where I am now and because of that I am still looking for a club.

[ladyram]

The Prem should put more money into it, local governments have cut funding and so a lot of clubs are going to the wall which is a massive shame and for a lot of just surviving clubs the facilities are poor. I know they do contribute, but it's not enough.

I signed this E-petition, it's expired now but I believe the guy who organised it is trying again to get more signatures. This one got only around 30k, which I think is shocking.

I'd hate it if our lads U10 club finished, we have to move locations in the summer months to a place where there isn't even a toilet - but to their credit, the lads just get on with it.

It's when you think how many thousands follow football, only 30 thousand people have signed it is really bad, so more should be done definately.

I think once a player gets in the prem, they forget where they started, it shouldn't be like that, nor should players be paid mega wages when it needs to be better spent benefiting a lot more people.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/46134

[Mafiabob]

Don't think it's that bad, me being biased the refereeing crisis is worse. Such a shortage of refs it's unreal

[GeneralRam]

I think they should get rid of all the youth/reserve teams - once you turn 18 you have to sign a professional first team contract.

 

 

Top players will be in the top league and it will filter down. Everyone is getting competitive game time and the top clubs ain't buying young talent to sit on the bench.

[zaragozaram]

Grass roots football destroys every other sport in this country. Each little town and village should have one football team, with reserves, youth team etc representing the town. Not good enough for football? then try the town Cricket, Basketball, Handball, Rugby team! Overall then all sports would then be stronger throughout the whole country.

[BondJovi]

The treatment and respect the refs get at my level is appalling. The standard of teams has dropped too in recent years, mainly as clubs can't afford to run. That said a lot of the pitches are awful, doesn't encourage good passing football.

[Mafiabob]

Agree entirely, councils are quick to fine clubs for littering etc, but the upkeep of some parks pitches are appalling. Only the Racecourse has had any decent investment over the years, Darley Park is a ******* disgrace. Goals not changed at a guess in last twenty years.

And agree with standard. It's got worse. And treatment refs get I called start a whole new argument.

There will come a time at the top level of refereeing there will be a strike. And not before time.

[Mafiabob]

Like I said earlier not all bad, st George's park and community projects like my lad training in Saturday morning with Derby do bear fruit.

[Ambitious]

I used to love it, and it was undoubtedly a highlight of my week.

 

I played at various different levels and against various different players, I was never that effective against good players but wasn't bad against the truly shocking players.

 

When we started a new side and ended up in the bottom league in the Derby City League with another side that did the same (both relatively good sides) we went through the whole season unbeaten and won the league. The next season I signed for a side in the top division, again, I still loved it (was playing upfront) and although I was against much better players than myself, many semi-pro standard players. I did okay.

 

After that season I snapped all my ligaments in my right knee, helping my missus brothers team out in five-a-side by simply being pushed off the ball.

 

I had an op, came back.. went through intensive training to go and snap a couple again in my first half-competitive game back.

 

Now i've had two operations and recovering still - I'll be lucky to ever play five-a-side again, never mind eleven-a-side at a decent level. Miss it more than I care to admit.

[Bris Vegas]

The mentality of some people in England is disgraceful and grass root football suffers for it.

 

Here in my city we have at least 10 full size artificial pitches with proper goals/nets and decent seating areas etc..

 

How many people vandalise them? Zero. Everyone makes an effort to look after them and you can use them when ever teams aren't training there.

 

Imagine that in England? Near where I used to live they set up a new basketball and tennis courts... Within months it had grafiti all over them, people had ripped the nets out and the floor was then cracked. they were closed after like a year. Such a shame.

 

I used to play Sunday morning football and all of the parks/pitches were absolutely terrible and never looked after... why? Well why bother when people will only ruin them.

 

One time I offered to play as a GK and someone passed the ball back to me, I went to clear it but fell over and the striker tapped into an empty net (it was funny).. However, I said that I hit something so we checked beneath the mudpile and there was a golfclub head dug into the ground with loads of glass too.. I mean.. Why would someone do that?

[BondJovi]

On one of the pitches I played in there was a mower blade just beneath the surface, sharp side up, looked pretty deliberate to me....

[McClarensLads]

I train at St Georges as i live 5 mins away. Our team get it due to some agreement along side a smallish fee. However if some other teams would want to hire the indoor 4G pitch it costs (or so i have been told) up to £200 per hour. Surely there should be some scheme where facilities like this are made free to encourage a better standard of grassroots sport in Great Britain.