Youth Football's Confused Return

2020 has been a rollercoaster year so far, for both society and the footballing world. The English game has been tormented since the start of the year, with storm after storm, followed by the Coronavirus Pandemic. Now at this point it is important to remember that football posses little importance, when so many people have unfortunately lost their lives.

However as we begin to transition back in to a moral recognisable life, football is emerging from the shadows. Firstly its returned within Germany's Bundelsiga, and now last week we find that the Premier League and now the Championship plan return in the following weeks. Of course they return under strict social distancing and with the empty stadiums we have becomes use to seeing in the Bundesliga. But now the question emerges, What happens with the youth game in this country?

Now this monday (1st June) the first real news developed in regards to youth football in this country. The national governing body The FA announced as you've probably seen (http://www.thefa.com/news/2020/jun/01/grassroots-football-covid-19-guidance-update-010620) that grassroots football could return within groups of 6 (Coach included), all the coach needs to do is ensure the player 'Socially Distance' and abide to 'Good hygiene'.

Now TheFootballCoach has learn't that this message was released without consoltation or priot acknowledgement of The Football League (EFL) or The Premier League (PL) , meaning a gap now exists meaning children are subject to different rules and opportunites dependent on their ability. Academy's will not be able to return as both The EFL and PL councils have decided that the environment is only safe for first teams with specially adapted environments to keep players safe.

Now this poses some really important questions, the first being around communication, with out a cohesive and well communicated plan, between governing bodies, are our young players put at a greater risk? How can it be that Manchester United with huge resources in every department, can't safely operate a group of 6 players, but my son's local u11's team can? Somebody has this very wrong, and i hope for the sake of young players that is the PL and EPL who have this wrong.

But now we see the money making development centre model kick back in to action quickly, does this point us towards the american model, where football is going to become a opportunity for those with momey, and those who can't aford th play the game suffer, as they are either in acadmies where they are not able to play. Or they find themselves in grassroots setting that still have not had the opportunity to return.

I really hope that these mixed messages being sent from our governing bodies do not put our young people at risk, and hope that the development centres value the importance of social distancing and the use of Personal Protective Equipment. Though i still find it an unexplainable risk, when Premier League sides are training under huge scrutiny and restrictions that are so strict they're well resourced academies can't match. Yet our local football clubs are encouraged to retrun, educated by a single A4 poster card posted online by The FA.

In conclusion of this, i like so many, are delighted to see the game return, i'm very pleased for the young people that will have maybe suffered the loss of family members, but also suffered from the chellenging social isolation they have encountered. This could be very damaging to their generation and i belive we as coaches will have a large social responsiblity once we are called back in to action. I just find it confusing that the return has been so poorly comunicated amongst stake holders, and that the return works in opposition to financial resources. Something we know doesn't make sense. As professional clubs have huge advanages in staff resources, medical resources, PPE resources and space resources. Lets hope for the good of young people, that this becomes clearer in the coming days and weeks.