For the last 18 months or so, Blackwell’s name has been conspicuous by its absence from the managerial merry-go-round. That’s because the 53-year-old, one of the most qualified managers in English football, truly believes that when it comes to coaching, travel broadens the mind.

A few years ago in between jobs it was Brazil, France and Italy; this time it’s been Nigeria and the USA, before an amazing stint helping the UK-based charity ‘Coaching for Hope’ in Burkina Faso.

Blackwell said: “It’s great to be back in management, it’s what I do and I enjoy it.

“I’ve been out of the game for two years but have been travelling all over the world. I’ve been looking at the standards of coaching and football in general, so I have kept myself busy.”

And it’s out of Africa where the former Leeds and Sheffield United boss has emerged “a better coach – and hopefully a better human being”.

Travelling on behalf of the League Managers Association, Blackwell visited three ‘Coaching for Hope’ projects all using football to help disadvantaged communities help themselves.

First came an illegal gold mine where Comic Relief funding is being used to persuade parents to send their children to school instead of down the mine.

Worthwhile

Next an under-resourced orphanage which needs £22,000 for a truck to become self-sufficient, and a coaching camp with 25 Young Leaders training to go back into their communities and make a difference.

Blackwell explained: “I did a presentation for Coaching for Hope at the last England game at Wembley before the European Championship, and they asked me if I wanted to go out and coach in Burkina Faso.

“I had always wanted to do something worthwhile on the charity side so I was only too happy to oblige.

“What really appealed to me about this project was that it meant going to areas where deprivation was rife. It just makes you feel so humble going to somewhere like that and being able to give something back.

“I have been so fortunate, I have been able to really enjoy my career, and giving something back really mattered to me – and this just seemed to tick the boxes. It included Aids awareness, and social and welfare issues. I have been to Africa before and know exactly what it’s like. I remember 20-odd years ago when Bob Geldof was swearing on the television, and I didn’t appreciate it at the time.

“But when I went to Burkina Faso and saw what was happening with the gold mines, I felt really angry and suddenly I knew how he must have felt.

Powerful

“Now I was there and I just felt we had to do something, what could we do, how could we help. It was very powerful and it does make me angry when I think there are so many people in the world who complain about things, and wouldn’t get out of bed for £500 a week when the people I met were earning 50p a day, if they were lucky, and working long hours risking their lives. It was very humbling.

“We haven’t got a clue really, and I’m talking about some people with a lot of money, like some footballers. They ought to go out there and see first hand the difference a pound or two can make to a family. I think how can that be right? I think people should be made to go out there and they would come back with a far greater awareness of how lucky we all are.”

Now Blackwell is back in the game – and facing an uphill battle with League One strugglers Bury. But, undaunted by years spent “firefighting” financial meltdown at Leeds and Sheffield United, his desire to improve himself and come back stronger burns brighter than ever.

“I believe you should always be learning. Even in Burkina Faso, they taught me things about myself.
“I’m one of the most qualified coaches in the UK, my record as a manager puts me in the top 10 per cent, I have a 44 per cent win rate; three Championship play-off finals, an FA Cup semi-final.

“These experiences make me a better coach, and hopefully will make me a better human being. You have to go to places that keep challenging you, and I would definitely say that my experiences in Burkina Faso were a challenge.”

Kevin is helping Coaching for Hope raise £22,000 for the flat-bed truck to help the orphanage become sustainable. If you can help contact jane.carter@coachingforhope.org or donate £5 by texting GOAL11 £5 to 70070. Coaching for Hope is an official charity partner of The Football Association. To find out more follow @coachingforhope on Twitter.

This article was produced for Coaching for Hope by ConnectSport, and published by the Manchester Evening News in October 2012.

Well, here are the facts. Community interventions by professional footballers in this country have accelerated from around 9000 during the 2005/6 season to 35,000 in 2010/11. Perhaps the question we should really be asking is why aren’t we hearing more about what goes on behind the scenes?

Perhaps it’s because, traditionally, those telling the stories have always focused on trying to increase circulation or win viewers.

It was interesting to hear then, as he announced the tie-up between the Professional Footballers’ Association and Digital Sports Group recently, PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor declare: “It is also our intention to highlight our members’ activities with charities and community work which is something that is sometimes all too sadly overlooked in traditional media.”

AWARENESS

Don’t worry – that doesn’t mean stopping the stories which gets fans excited, it just means levelling the playing field and raising awareness around important issues which football is helping to highlight.

PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle, who himself bucks the trend of the stereotypical inarticulate footballer, is adamant this process will help to redress the balance.

“The profile of football is phenomenal. Because these guys play a sport they have a platform to convey a message to hundreds of millions of people on a weekly basis, not just at one-off events where they might be able to access that wider audience. Football is a phenomenal medium to get a message across. If you get a high-profile player it will proliferate the message far wider than the campaign would be able to by itself.

“There were 35,000 social inclusion visits last season, from a member base of 3,000. That is phenomenal and the players do fantastic work year on year. Yet there is so much more we can do. The lads are aware of this, and a lot of them a setting up their own charitable projects. The more work lads do like this, the better their image will be in society.”

Carlisle admits: “In our game, good news is no news. The front pages are always about misbehaviour, whether footballers or other celebrities. It is the bad news that makes news.

“Sometimes you have to be self-reliant on blowing your own trumpet. We have to spread that message ourselves. We were reluctant to until now but the message we are getting is that people don’t hear enough about the work we do. It is about time we addressed that and projected a positive public image with loud messages about the work the lads do; hopefully we will redress the balance.

RESPONSIBLE

“I think it is imperative that as individuals, clubs and as an industry as a whole. Q&A sessions are excellent but a lot of players are uncomfortable in that scenario. Speaking in public forums is not their forte. I think it is imperative we embrace social media. Everyone can be comfortable in front of their computer or on their phone. As an industry we need to keep up with the times and stay relevant. The guys have to use it in a responsible manner.

“For many years, people have said the Premier League has created an untouchable footballer. Obviously times have changed, but fans used to go down to the pub with players, they would chat on the bus. These days are reminisced about and contrasted to today’s football. People think players don’t care about fans’ thoughts and wishes. That is totally untrue and I think social media can be the way to bridge the gap that has been created. It is not just a statement forum or a noticeboard for players and clubs to pin messages on, but it is a way of interacting with fans, a way of entering into discourse and taking on questions and answering them at your own leisure. It is excellent, interacting with fans on a medium they are using.”

After all, however rich or famous, players are still only human – just ask Fabrice Muamba or Stilian Petrov. To this end, Carlisle feels certain that the footballing community has benefited from fans being able to converse with their idols on a level playing field.

“When such tragedy happens it is great to see that life transcends football and everyone gathers round – the footballing community, fans community, wider community – everyone gathered together to give collective best wishes. The way it took off on Twitter and Facebook was absolutely brilliant. It really restored a lot of people’s faith in the integrity of mankind, never mind football.

OUTCOMES

“The way football is, there is going to be rivalry. People have their affiliations and loyalties and that will cause conflict through the season. But it is when something like this happens, that is above and beyond the nature of football as an industry, that is when we see the best of human nature come out. It is fantastic to see.”

If all of this sounds a little too ‘worthy’ for your Saturday afternoon habit of choice, then try to think about the outcomes of what is actually being achieved.

Think about the aims of charities like the Football Foundation, whose sole aim is to provide better facilities so we raise the technical standard of young players across the country. Yes, that might one day mean a successful England team. Or maybe it will just mean more healthy, active kids.

Think about Street League, which uses football as the hook to take frustrated, angry young adults off the streets of our inner cities and gives them employability skills so they can go and get jobs.

Breaking news: Football IS helping society on a massive scale…… it’s just you haven’t heard about it yet.

Article by ConnectSport. Interview by Andy Hampson of The Press Association, in conjunction with http://www.knowthescore.org.uk/ helping raise awareness of Bowel Cancer.

English football’s troubled relationship with the media came under scrutiny this week from a man well qualified to speak on both areas.

Gary Neville had the assembled national media hanging on his every word at the Soccerex European Forum in Manchester.

Naturally most of the ensuing headlines focussed on his forthright opinions about the vacant England hotseat – “I can feel the vultures are circling” – but those present for the entirety of the session hosted by Guillem Balague were treated to a compelling 45 minutes in the company of Neville, former FA chief executive Brian Barwick, Daily Telegraph chief executive Paul Hayward and another ex-pro-turned-pundit, Gaizka Mendieta.

“I think you’ll find that certain players have pockets of Press that they trust, pockets of Press that they don’t trust,” said Neville.

Emotional

“Football players are very emotional, very reactive, they take things personally – like all of us do. If you are criticised you do tend to switch off from an individual or an outlet in the media.

“It’s difficult to think of one thing which would fix this 20, 30 or 40-year-old problem. If you are a young player of 16, 17, 18 years of age, coming into a squad, you are heavily reliant on the information which is passed to you from the experience players in the squad.

“If the experienced players are cynical towards the media, then you are going to pick up on that and you are going to follow that, and that mistrust continues. It will keep going.

“I think somewhere down the line there has to be a group of players – and I suggested this when I was about 25 or 26 with England – who let the Press travel with the England team, who stay in the same hotel as the England team. I suggested this at the time because there has to be a group of players who take responsibility and break down that barrier.

“If the Press are writing stories about you, they are probably a little bit more sensible if they are actually in contact with you every day, and they knew you as a person. The problem is at the moment is that the contact between the player and the journalist is actually going further away.”

Which is one of the reasons why Neville, or @GNev2, freely admits he has become fascinated by the effect of social media in recent years.

“I keep coming back to Twitter, there is now interaction between players and journalists on a daily basis. The clubs now have very managed press conferences; sponsors have very managed press conferences for players – very strictly controlled.

Betrayal

“And that is supposed to protect the players because of the mistrust and the ‘betrayal’ which is a word which has been used. I think that’s probably a little bit too strong but it’s a word that has been used, and some players do feel that way.

“But eventually football players do need the media, certainly as they get into their 30s they start to like the media a bit more because they potentially sense there might be a job on the horizon!

“Trust is the key word, I think,” says Neville, who believes that despite some of the scaremongering, social media is a “good thing”.

“If you had said to me two years ago would I go on Twitter, I would have said absolutely no chance. But I got to the point where I thought this thing is not going to go away.  And if you can’t beat it, you have to join it because everybody will be on it.”

He added: “I think my Twitter account is 70% good, 20% funny and 10% abuse. That’s not bad, it used to be 50/50!

“It’s a brilliant source of information. If you are in the media, or you are a football fan, you cannot not be on it. I say to people forget the stories about the abuse, follow people and you will get so much information fed so quickly, and that is the reason I use it predominantly. All the journalists’ articles, all the news from the Premier League and the Championship – and it’s not going to go away.

“For me it is a good thing.”

Neville also offered an interesting opinion on how he thinks social media and football will evolve.

“The clubs will commercialise it. We mentioned that the clubs don’t know what to do with it – I think they do. I think they are just biding their time and they will commercialise it. I think players will commercialise it.

“Will football be on Twitter in five years? Do FIFA, UEFA or the Premier League bring their own ‘Twitter’ out that football players all go on, that the clubs all go on, that’s regulated, that fans can go on, that gets rid of the abuse through the regulation of words and it doesn’t allow you to put in certain words?

“Football will design something that will be removes Twitter. In five or 10 years I don’t think it will be Twitter, I think it will be something different. I think there will be another ‘game’, if you like, it might be FIFA or the FA – somebody will do something different.”

As for the immediate future, the Manchester United stalwart admits his former team-mates have been quizzing him about how to successfully cross the great divide.

Team-mates

“I still speak to them and they ask you more than anything ‘what is the feeling like?’ ‘How are you coping with that?’ ‘What’s it like being in the media?’

“They are almost fishing for information for when they get to the end. There have been players who had got to the end and found it very difficult to cope with the void that is left.

“They have recognised it’s not as rosy as it may seem to sit on the beach with a cigar in their mouth and glass of wine, that you need to do something at the age of 35.

“It’s important that you embrace the media during the career. Of course there are times when you don’t want to speak to them… but you also have to be open with them as well, because they can do serious damage to a football club, they can do serious damage to a manager.

“I’ve seen England managers, I’ve seen club managers, and I’ve seen football clubs go through really tough periods and lose their way, and lose their jobs, because of not dealing with the media correctly.”

What has really won the fans over, however, is Neville’s refreshing honesty and objectivity during his TV appearances.

“There have been a couple of instances this year which I can remember where you are thinking ‘here we go’. The 6-1 (defeat to Manchester City) obviously. There’s no getting away from it as a United fan, but the reality of it is, they lose, they play badly, they concede goals – you have to say that.

“I think Ryan Giggs at Anfield broke free of the wall and the ball went through the wall – it was his mistake. I remember Dave Jones the Sky presenter saying ‘what do you think of your mate Gary?’ That was his question and I felt like saying why not ask the other two on the panel!

“But the reality of it is that you can’t shy way from it. It is something that I am going to have to deal with more and more. The other night Manchester United (should have) had a penalty decision against them in the last five minutes and quite clearly, after the game, I said it was a penalty. If it’s not a penalty, it’s not a penalty. If it is a penalty, it is a penalty.”

Responsibility

As the session closes, one of the most decorated players in the English game signs off with a warning to young players coming into professional football who might have preconceived ideas about the media.

“Players have a responsibility to develop their own character during their careers. It’s no good everything being done for them. To have a newspaper column, be part of contract negotiations, sit in them, listen and learn. They have a responsibility to develop as people during their careers.

“That’s the thing that I would say, embrace the media – embrace everything, try everything. If you don’t you are not going to learn and experience things. That to me is the responsibility of a player.”

This article was originally produced for FC Business.

Ask any England fan what was the most important event for the future of our national game in recent weeks and it’s more than likely they will tell you it was the draw for Euro 2012.

Yet the man in charge of English football is not so sure. For while he craves success in Poland and Ukraine next summer as much as any England fan, David Bernstein believes The FA’s National Game Strategy for 2011-2015 is equally, or perhaps even more important.

Published a day before the draw for next summer’s European Championships, it will have slipped under the radar for a lot of football fans across the country.

But Bernstein is adamant: “For the long-term future, the National Game Strategy is probably even more important.

“Obviously the Euro 2012 draw was crucial and we are all focused on it and we all want success next year, but the National Game Strategy and the Youth Development Review together are absolutely critical for the way football in this country is going to go. I think it’s a mixture of those two things.”

He added: “The opening of St George’s Park next year and the greater level of skill-based development for young children, the usage of appropriate-sized pitches, the focus on enjoyment and not just on winning, less emphasis on physicality, more emphasis on skill – all those things are absolutely crucial if we are to get more great players coming through the English game, which is what we all want.”

Bernstein was speaking after a visit to yet another grassroots club out in the regions. Unbeknown to much of the footballing world, during his first year in office he has spent many Saturdays on touchlines and in changing rooms at amateur clubs across the land.

On this occasion he was officially opening Boldmere Falcons’ new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch and changing room pavilion in Sutton Coldfield.

He was accompanied by Gary Hoffman, the new chairman of the Football Foundation, which provided £464,129 of the total project cost of £862,129. A further £250,000 came from the FA Whole Sport Plan.

Funded by The FA, the Premier League and the Government via Sport England, the Football Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity. Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded around 8,000 grants worth more than £420million towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of over £520million.

Bernstein said: “Since I have become chairman, I have spent most of my Saturdays going around the country – from the north-east down to Lancashire, and down to the south coast, the west country and East Anglia.

“The same message coming through from everywhere is that the biggest concern is facilities, and Government cutbacks or local authority cutbacks.

“So to come to somewhere like this – and many other places too – where there is fantastic development taking place, is becoming doubly important, both for football and for the local communities.

“The whole issue of what can young people do with themselves, from sport to health – there are all these social issues which mix in with football – and they are all absolutely crucial for the future of our country.”

“I hear disturbing stories about facilities being allowed to fall away, or teams being disbanded, for what are sometimes relatively small amounts of money. £10,000 or £5000 here or there can make a hell of a difference.

“It’s very difficult because there’s not enough resources. The places where I often go are places where there are good things happening, because I get asked to open this and look at that.

“There are a lot of fantastic developments, but we all know there are many areas of the country where there are just not enough resources.

“For example, with park facilities, local councils have so many different decisions to make. They are cutting back on maintenance of pitches, they are not putting goalposts or nets up, they are not mowing the pitch or clearing dog mess – those sorts of things make life difficult, they will put people off playing.

“Sport is a wonderful route for young people to occupy themselves in a productive and healthy way.  Whether that’s football or boxing, anything that gets them on to a productive path.

“Society has issues and the more investment which can go in the direction of sport and leisure for young people , particularly in deprived areas, the better.

“For the last three years or so, during this slump in the wider world, and things are not getting any better for who knows how long – the next few years will be difficult. Which makes it even more necessary to focus positively on these issues. If we don’t, then things will just drift away.

“As chairman of The FA, I feel a great responsibility to push our resources and try to influence others in this direction. Generally in this country we have probably fallen behind other parts of the world in this area, and we need to try to catch up – and this is a difficult time to catch up. We have got to do what we can so we don’t fall further behind.

“There are so many imponderables that it’s impossible to say how long it will take; all I can say is that I and all my colleagues at The FA are all committed to this. The more resources we can find, or the more resources we can get from Government, the better, or anywhere else. But it’s definitely not an overnight fix.”

Article originally produced for Club Website.

ConnectSport also provided this article for the Football Foundation website, and secured coverage in local and national newspapers.

Images courtesy of Vaughn Ridley / swpix.com

Paul Bracewell was a member of arguably the finest midfield to grace English football during the 1980s.

So when the former Everton star talks about how vital it is to keep kids active and playing football whatever the weather, he knows what he is talking about.

Bracewell was at The Blyth School Community College in Northumberland this week to officially open their new floodlit third-generation (3G) artificial grass pitch.

The main beneficiaries of the new facility, which was funded with the help of a £131,420 grant from the Football Foundation, will be pupils from the College, and youth teams from local clubs Blyth Spartans, Blyth Rangers and Blyth Town. The club’s senior teams will also occasionally train there.

Over 2100 people will use the site every week, with the number of teams increasing from 56 to 76 as part of a five-year Football Development Plan.

Bracewell, also played for Stoke, Sunderland, Newcastle and Fulham, reflected on how facilities have improved beyond recognition since the early days of his career.

“When I was young, a lot of games would be called off because of waterlogged pitches, or with them being frozen or too hard,” he said.

“Now I’m a parent and have brought my son up playing grassroots football. So, in terms of having facilities like this, they can be used 52 weeks of the year, which is fantastic and so important.

“Kids will improve technically on a surface like this, just because they are guaranteed playing time every week.”

He added: “There’s been a lot of research, and what matters is kids getting as many touches of the ball as possible. In the past we have seen 10-year-olds playing on a full-sized grass pitch, running around but never getting a kick.

“At the end of the day it just comes down to kids getting lots of touches and enjoying it as much as possible, so the size of the pitch and quality of it is the most important thing.”

Because of injury, the talented midfielder only won three caps for England. But at youth level, Bracewell passionately believes the emphasis should just be on increasing participation.

“Not everyone is going to be a professional footballer, never mind being an international footballer, but what they will get here is the experience of playing regularly, exercise and just getting out in the fresh air.

“Plus technically they will improve because they are getting many more touches of the ball, not trying to play on some waterlogged pitch somewhere else.

“The ones who do turn out to be good enough will find their own way later on; the ones who don’t will still enjoy it. That’s the whole point of these facilities.”

The Football Foundation is funded by the Premier League, The FA and Government via Sport England. Launched in 2000, it is the nation’s largest sporting charity and has awarded around 8,000 grants worth more than £420million towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of over £520million.

Bracewell, whose own company Complete Football also provides training facilities for youngsters, added: “A lot of people have worked very hard to get this, and I’m just delighted to come along and open it.

“It’s a community facility and kids can use it, but at other times it’s fully booked as well. That’s great because people talk about obesity and what can kids do? Well, we can get them off the streets and coming in to use facilities like this.

“With my company, Complete Football, we have 300 girls who come and play on a Saturday morning and they play on this type of surface. The games are always on, so they get a full programme.

“Prior to us, they only played eight games which is horrendous really. Now, just like here in Blyth, it’s a safe environment at a fantastic facility and they are guaranteed to actually play and get plenty of time out on the pitch, which is the most important thing.”

Bracewell, who won the League and European Cup Winners’ Cup with Everton, added: “These kids today couldn’t wait to get in and running round on the pitch. That’s the experience we want to give them, whether it’s at school or on a Saturday or Sunday; get them playing and enjoying running around.

“From our own centre and then from facilities like this, the feedback we get from coaches and scouts is that these facilities encourage kids to have lots of touches, they encourage them to develop a good first touch.

“And if you start, at an early age, with that mentality then it will help them improve much more – as individuals and as teams – as they grow up.”

Article originally produced for Football Foundation.

At the World Cup finals in Germany, the Three Lions were a penalty shootout away from a first-ever semi-final appearance and the only side to defeat eventual champions Japan.

Despite their disappointing exit, England coach Hope Powell believes the overall success of the tournament bodes well for the future of the game in this country.

“It proved that there is a passion for the women’s game,” Powell enthused.

“I was at the final and it was like being at a major men’s final. It was unbelievable. The interest that went with it was just unprecedented.

“You came back to England and so many people were talking about it – that just shows to me there is demand for it.  We have to keep the game in the public eye. We hope that through the WSL and if England can do well, it just keeps it in the public mindset.”

This year saw the inaugural WSL (Women’s Super League) – a new summer league featuring the best sides and players in England which raised the profile of the domestic game and, according to the national coach, raised standards with it.

“The standard has been better than ever, certainly during my tenure, so it’s really pleasing. There have been bigger crowds and more TV coverage – ESPN coming in has been brilliant. So it’s been a really good start.”

Some critics were quick to point out that, despite the new dawn, the winners’ podium had a familiar look, as Arsenal Ladies continued their near-monopoly on domestic trophies by claiming the first ever WSL title as part of a domestic treble.

But Faye White, captain of the all-conquering north London team, is unsure quite how they managed it.

“People might say ‘same old same old’ but we were wondering how we did it because it was such a hard season,” she told Club Website.

“For most of it we were chasing Birmingham and we dropped the most points we’ve ever dropped in a league campaign. All games were a lot more competitive and even.

“It was a lot more positive, it got a lot more coverage in the media and more people attended games – sometimes a bit sporadically but we certainly had the biggest gates we’ve ever had at a league game.”

Building on a successful year is the next big challenge for the Football Association but, according to Powell, recently appointed as head coach of Great Britain’s team for the London 2012 Olympic Games, the grassroots game is as healthy as it has been at any stage during her 13-years in her current day job.

“There are more opportunities to play now than ever before. It’s more structured and it’s a safer environment for young girls to play.

“And I think the fact that more girls are playing means the standard of some of those young girls coming through is higher. There’s more better players.

“In my day I thought I was the only girl playing. There are more girls playing today and there’s a real pathway that helps them develop – that structure wasn’t in place when I was 11 or 12. I think it is fantastic what we have achieved.

“Of course we all want it done that little bit quicker – more investment, more money, I’m never satisfied and never will be until we are world champions. Is there enough? Of course there isn’t. But there is more now than there has ever been.

“There’s enough people who work in the game who have the drive, ambition and passion to change things for the next generation coming through. They will benefit and, if it keeps going, so will the generation after that.”

A significant change to the youth football setup in England this season will allow girls and boys to play together in mixed football teams up to the age of 13, an increase of two years on the previous limit – a development that is welcomed by both the England coach and captain.

“I played football on the streets with boys and when I got to 11 and 12 and boys started getting bigger and physically stronger, it made my decision-making so much quicker,” said Powell.

“So from a selfish point of view, an international point of view, it’s good as it made my game speed up which helped me develop as a player.”

White also benefited from playing with boys for “a long time” and, whilst she believes that there has to be a cut-off at some point in the youth setup – “you can’t keep playing with boys because of the physical difference” – she believes that providing girls with any chance to play is the number one priority.

“Some girls want to continue beyond 11 years old but [without mixed football] would have to change teams, so they may not want to continue. They can just drift out of the game so we need to try and make it easier for them to keep going.

“It’s about opportunities for girls. That’s always been the biggest thing – them having the chance to play and get the progression through. There’s a clear pathway now.”

The foundations are in place at grassroots level and Hope Powell hopes that the FA use these can build on what is “already the number one female participation sport in England”.

“There are some big things coming up, including two GB teams in the Olympics, talk of changes on the FA executive board and raising the age limit for mixed football,” she said.

Men’s football will always be the public’s first love but Powell hopes that, with a little help from the media, the women’s game can build on a successful 12 months and kick on to the next level.

“It’s been a phenomenal year, and if we can get some success with the national team, that will be the driving force. We continue to hope the media take to it and the public embrace it. The appetite is there, but we need to sustain the interest.

“Men’s football is such big business in this country and that’s what seems to fill the back pages but, from an international perspective, if we do well then we get more media attention. If we get more media attention, more girls see it and then they want to play.”

Coaching for Hope – harnessing the positive power of football

Hope Powell and Faye White were speaking at the launch of Coaching for Hope’s ‘African Women into Football’ project at Wembley Stadium this month.

Coaching for Hope is an innovative programme using football to create better futures for young people in west and southern Africa.

Professional coaches from the UK train local youth workers to recognised FA standards so that they can coach young people themselves, whilst they also learn how to deliver HIV awareness and life skills sessions to young people in their communities.

Powell has witnessed the work being done by Coaching for Hope first hand, having done some coaching as part of the project a few years ago, an experience which put any troubles for women’s football in England into a bit of perspective.

“We take things for granted in this country. We will moan if we haven’t got a ball each, then you go there and see what they have got. It just gives you an appreciation of what is happening in the rest of the world, and it’s very humbling.

“The people I worked with were just so appreciative of people going out there. It was a very different experience, but they never complain, they just got on with it. You look at what they have got, and what we have got, and yet they just work the best way they can with very little. It’s really humbling having seen it first hand.”

The work that Coaching for Hope do with women and girls in southern Africa is trying to help alleviate some pretty horrifying statistics.

Of the 10% of South African 15 – 24 year-olds who are infected with HIV/AIDS, 77% of them are girls.

So far, about 30,000 children have benefited from football and HIV awareness sessions and 700 coaches have been through Coaching for Hope’scourses.

It is a shining example of how football can be used as such a powerful tool for good, something that Powell recognises through her experience.

“You can use football in so many ways. If you love the game, it embraces so many things – it’s about meeting people, it’s about teamwork, about solidarity,” she said.

“There is a togetherness which really comes through and I think you can educate people through sport. When I was growing up and playing, it taught me discipline and about being on time – if you’re not on time, you don’t get picked! Or do your preparation because if you don’t, you won’t get picked.

“It taught me about sharing, working with people – all of those things you can pick up through sport; not just football but sport in general. It’s a great vehicle for bringing all of those skills out of people. I guess it’s a different way of teaching.”

Coaching for Hope, an official charity partner of the FA, aims to continue using the positive power of football to benefit vulnerable young people who have little access to sport and health education- many of whom are orphaned or disabled.

The chance to play football in proper kit and take part in a tournament can be a life-changing experience which raises their confidence and self-esteem and builds valuable life skills.

Article originally produced by Club Website editor Dan Pope.

ConnectSport also provided coverage for Coaching for Hope with Beyond Sport, Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, Shekicks.net, Sportsister and Inside World Football.

The FA’s head of elite development was speaking to club coaches and league administrators from across the East Midlands at the penultimate ‘Your Kids Your Say’ Roadshow event at Nottingham University.

The Roadshow has visited 16 towns and cities across the country this summer, and showcases radical proposals which aim to improve technique, prevent kids dropping out of the game and ultimately raise the standard of English football.

Part of the FA’s youth development review, the proposals entail scrapping league tables for children below secondary-school age, the introduction of five-a-side and nine-a-side football, and a change in the date that determines which age-group children play in.

They follow 18 months of exhaustive research led by the FA’s national development manager, Nick Levett, who also spoke in Nottingham.

Southgate said: “I think we have been pleasantly surprised with the reaction we have had.

“We had some good debates, some good questions come in – it’s not been a totally smooth ride.

“But I think people have appreciated that we have come out and explained what we’re looking to do.

  Click here to watch video.

“I have found that invaluable. I have really enjoyed the interaction over the last six months with people from every level of the game. It’s been fascinating.

“Of course the unknown is the people who haven’t come, which we can’t affect too much, but we can hope the message filters through.

“I think people are seeing it as commonsense now, that’s the perception I am getting as I travel around. There is a groundswell of opinion, certainly around the formats, and particularly around the win-at-all-costs attitude.

“I really think people are buying into that and realising we have got to keep kids in the game as long as we can.”

The child-centered proposals are designed to alleviate the pressure on kids and educate parents and coaches who often expect too much, too soon from young players.

The roadshow is part of a consultation process and it is hoped the new measures, if rubber-stamped, will start being adopted in the 2012-13 season with mandatory introduction for the following campaign.

The FA, led by Levett, have consulted more than 300 youth clubs, hundreds of grassroots coaches, more than 150 youth leagues and, most importantly of all, 42 different groups of young footballers aged from eight-12 from both professional and grassroots clubs.

Levett also recently attended UEFA’s conference of grassroots coaches across Europe and feedback from other top footballing nations suggests the FA are on the right track.

For example, Spain recently moved 11 v 11 up to under-14 level, with their grassroots director claiming it is “pointless” playing 11 v 11 before 13.

Southgate added: “Now we have to get the legislation through. I think this impacts for decades to come.”

Article originally produced for Nottingham Evening Post and Nottinghamshire FA. Further article produced for Grassroots Football Show.

So who is the most important man in English football these days? Fabio Capello? Wayne Rooney? Perhaps.

What about Jack Wilshere, who has been held up as the type of technical player our national game needs to be producing if it is to challenge other forward-thinking European nations?

Well here’s another name for you – Nick Levett. Not heard of him? Well that’s probably because he’s been traipsing up and down English motorways for the last 18 months building a new future for youth football in this country, talking to the people who matter – the volunteer coaches, league administrators, county FA staff and, most importantly, the kids.

Levett was at Nottingham University on Monday evening to present his ‘Your Kids Your Say’ Roadshow for an incredible 105th time. Officially, the Roadshow has visited 16 towns and cities this summer, from Exeter to Sunderland, but in truth Levett has been preaching his gospel of more inclusive, child-centred football to anyone who’ll listen.

“I know it off by heart!” he laughs, with the finishing post (presentation number 106 at Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok Stadium on Wednesday evening) finally in sight.

Development

Part of the FA’s Youth Development Review, the Roadshow explains proposals to scrap league tables for children below secondary-school age, the introduction of five-a-side and nine-a-side football, and a change in the date that determines which age-group children play in.

Levett, The FA’s National Development Manager, has consulted over 300 youth clubs, hundreds of grassroots coaches, over 150 youth leagues and 42 different groups of young footballers aged 8-12 from both professional and grassroots clubs.

No-one can argue with the weight of evidence accumulated by Levett, who once again was ably supported by Head of Elite Development Gareth Southgate, in Nottingham. The duo pair up again at Bolton and, just like all the other Roadshows events, anyone who genuinely cares about the game is welcome to attend as The FA’s top brass well and truly escape their ivory towers.

Southgate and Levett were joined by The FA’s Head of Grassroots Coaching Les Howie, England under-20 head coach Brian Eastick and England under-17 coach John Peacock. All mixed freely with local players and coaches who openly voiced their hopes and fears for the future of English football.

“If you had told me when we started that it would be as well received as it has been, I wouldn’t have believed you,” said Levett.

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised, I would have thought there would have been more opposition – certainly to some of the competition elements, but that’s been the one proposal that has been supported the most, a flexible approach to kids’ football.

“I’m hugely pleased with the feedback we have had, but we have got a lot of ‘the converted’ in the room so you have to balance that out and be realistic about it. We’ve still got a big communications process to get through and we need to ensure we share the message a bit wider now.”

In short, the proposals are designed to alleviate the pressure on our children, give them more touches on the ball and, according to Southgate, “just keep them in the game” when perhaps otherwise – with outdated tactics and over-anxious Dads on the touchlines – it all just gets too much for kids and they ask to quit.

Rewards

Parents and coaches, who often expect too much too soon from young players, need to buy into this philosophy which has reaped rich rewards in other European countries – hence the “big communications process” ahead.

“I think people are rightly raising the question now, why aren’t we technically playing the same way as the Spanish, Portuguese or Italians? I think there’s a generation of fathers saying that this is what they want for their kids,” says Southgate.

“We had done a lot of work anyway but I think last year’s World Cup highlighted it, and deep down people know there needs to be a longer-term plan in place anyway. What happened last summer just maybe has moved things along more quickly.”

Levett recently attended UEFA’s conference of grassroots coaches across Europe and feedback from other top footballing nations suggests The FA are on the right track. For example, Spain recently moved 11 v 11 up to under-14 level, with their grassroots director claiming it is “pointless” playing 11 v 11 before 13.

The Roadshow is part of a consultation process which reaches its conclusion this week and it is hoped the new measures, if rubberstamped, will start being adopted in the 2012-13 season with mandatory introduction for the following campaign.

Levett explained: “After the final event we have got to make some decisions on what this all looks like, otherwise we’ll end up talking about it forever.

“We will pull all the information together, then we have got a variety of committees internally that we need to go through up until the end of the year, before we get to the FA Council in January and the FA AGM in May.

Shareholders

“There are rule changes that need to be voted on, and they will need 75% of the vote to get them changed, so it has to go through to the shareholders at that stage.

“We need to pull it all together, and it needs to be an honest assessment of what it all looks like. For example, with the relative age effect there have been some mixed views – some are supportive and some don’t understand it. But with formats and competition, generally the feedback has all been positive.

“We have got to use some of the leagues who are doing a fantastic job and are examples of best practice, and share what they are doing – where they are really thinking about the kids – with other leagues who might be struggling.”

And with that, Levett is off to plan presentation number 106. Not that he needs any more practice.

You can read more about the proposals here.

Article originally produced for FundSport.

Some of the blame for the recent riots in cities across England has been apportioned to an apparent breakdown in communication between young people and the older generations.

And the FA’s Head of Elite Development, speaking at the opening of a new Football Foundation-funded facility in North Yorkshire this week, believes community facilities built for sport can help bridge the growing gap.

“When you see an event like this, you see every generation of the community,” said Southgate.

“It’s just so important to get the whole community together, and especially for youngsters to have role models in their own community.

“It’s vital that people can mix and talk, and I think it’s also important for it to be around sport, with the impact it has with regards to health, leadership, teamwork or just belonging.”

The new £650,000 sports pavilion and floodlit multi-use games area in Reeth, near Richmond, was part-financed by a £344,000 grant from the Football Foundation. The UK’s biggest sporting charity is funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government (via Sport England).

Since its launch in 2000, it has awarded around 8,000 grants worth more than £420million towards improving grassroots sport, which has attracted additional partnership funding of over £520million.

Southgate added: “The clubhouse is great but to have an all-weather facility with lights, especially here in the north of England, is fantastic.

“They can play tennis on here and other sports, so although it’s funded by the Football Foundation, the fact that it’s multi-sport too is important.

“That’s good because we’re looking for kids to play sport as much as possible, not just looking to create elite players.

“It’s always difficult in an area like this to get the number of players, but if you have got a really good facility, kids will come that little bit further to use it.

“And often the kids aren’t going to get to the club unless the parents can drive them there, or walk them there, so we want it to be welcoming for everybody involved.”

He added:  “Where the clubhouse is great is that people stay around it longer, they will mix together. Even if there’s poor weather, they can go inside and interact more.

“For kids that’s really important. Part of their enjoyment of using these facilities is going to have something to eat together.

“I remember my Dad playing rugby, and both teams afterwards would go and have sausage and mash. That sticks in my memory from when I was a kid – everyone used to go in there together and socialise.

“What a great environment, and while the adults were in there all the kids were outside playing too; we had created a safe environment, and we’re not blessed with many of those nowadays.

“Investment in pitches is crucial but there is this massive social aspect as well.”

Article originally produced for Football Foundation.

ConnectSport also provided coverage of this event via football websites, local and national newspapers.

Images courtesy of Vaughn Ridley / swpix.com

The Spanish club recorded an astonishing 67% possession of the ball as they beat the recently-crowned Premier League champions 3-1 at Wembley.

And Mills, speaking at the FA’s ‘Your Kids Your Say’ Roadshow, believes everyone involved in the game in this country should aspire to the standard set by Pep Guardiola’s team who put ball retention above all else.

“Barcelona beating Manchester United the way they did, was possibly the best thing which could have happened for us,” he said.

“Barcelona are without doubt the best passing side on the planet. They don’t play with an out-and-out centre-forward – but they play with belief, they pass the ball and they play with lots of homegrown players.

“They won the competition with a midfielder playing at centre-half, they didn’t concede a corner, the goalkeeper kicked the ball once out of his hands, they played beautiful football. So not only are they technically the best, they are winners too – and everybody should want to emulate Barcelona.”

Mills was helping another former England defender Gareth Southgate showcase radical FA proposals for the youth game to coaches and league administrators from Yorkshire’s grassroots football community.

Southgate is now Head of Elite Development at the FA and has overseen the proposals, which entail scrapping league tables for children below secondary-school age, the introduction of five-a-side and nine-a-side football, summer football and a change in the date that determines which age-group children play in.

The changes are seen as the long-term answer to improving technique, preventing kids dropping out of the game and ultimately raising the standard of English football.

Mills said: “The fact that Barcelona played that well and won, I think everybody now wants their kid to learn to play like that.

“I played against Xavi when I was at Leeds and he was just a young lad, and he has stayed at the same club because they are such a great club. The players are brought up in the right way, and the majority of them are Spanish players which bodes well for the national team.

“English football is very exciting; the Premier League is watched by millions and has great atmosphere, but technically we are well behind.

“Until we address that, kids will see Premier League football on the TV and just want to emulate that. Unfortunately that’s not great for development and it’s not great for winning.

“So Barcelona winning in the manner and style they did, was phenomenal – for English football and world football.”

Mills believes it is time for some serious messages to sink in with parents who think their child has a chance of playing professional football, and subsequently put too much pressure on kids.

“All the people involved in kids football and grassroots football almost have to disassociate themselves from the Premier League. The percentage of kids making it into professional football is so small that you can almost say it’s not going to happen to anyone you know.

“So people should be looking at the bigger picture – football should be about enjoyment for kids, it’s about them having a good time.”

The 34-year-old has been actively involved in grassroots football for the last eight years because of his own children.

He said: “I recently saw a seven-year-old goalkeeper score by kicking the ball down the pitch and everyone was cheering. I don’t want to see that.

“I would much rather see 10 passes between team-mates and see them miss the target at the end of a great move. That is what we have to teach kids, and they will embrace it.

“There are so many volunteers – dads, teachers, mums – who do a fantastic job with all they do for kids’ football, but they all have to realise that change is needed. If you stand still, you get left behind – and I think the FA have realised that and want to push things in a different direction.

“But change takes time. German football took 12 years to put these changes in place, Spanish football has been doing this for 20 years; I’ve just come back from Brazil and they have been doing it for forever! So to change the whole ethos and mentality of English football is going to take time.

“I am a strong believer that if you play the game the right way for long enough and coach kids properly – then yes, you may lose a few games to begin with but eventually, just like Barcelona, Spain or Brazil, it will pay off and it will come good.

“The professional game and grassroots football are almost completely separate. There’s no correlation between a game of seven-year-olds on a Saturday morning and a Premier League match later in the day.”

Article originally produced for Club Website.