Post by leytonboy on Sept 8, 2008 15:07:43 GMT 1
WHAT FUTURE FOR ENGLISH FOOTBALL
A Personal Opinion
Following Harrow Councils decision to allow development of their White Lion ground, which overturned the decision of the Development Committee to deny the application in April 2006, Edgware Town had to resigned from the Ryman League in June this year. Edgware Town’s plight was featured on the BBC’s Inside Out programme screened on Friday 25th April 2008
They did most of the filming at the White Lion on Saturday 19th April for the league game between Edgware and Dartford and it couldn’t have turned out to be better day in many respects. The weather was bright and sunny, Edgware won the game 2-1 and Dartford won the league.
The game was a thriller and although Dartford scored first, from a Jay May free kick 24 minutes in, Greg Ngoyi scored a fantastic equaliser, levelling the score just 3 minutes later.
The game was nip and tuck and very much looking like a draw, with honours even, when Denis Maharjan hit the net with a thunderbolt of a shot, seconds from the final whistle. The midfield dynamo was promptly mobbed by the rest of his team. This was real Roy of the Rovers stuff.
However, Dartford fans also had cause to celebrate as their closest rivals in the league, AFC Sudbury, lost out 1-0 to Redbridge which meant that statistically the Darts had won the league title and promotion to the Premier Division. To give credit to the management and stewards at Edgware they let the Dartford Fans, some 800 of them, invade the pitch and congratulate their players, who eventually managed to get back to the dressing room, mostly minus their shirts and some even missing their shorts and socks.
I don't know if the BBC are planning other shows, but there are literally 1000's of small non-league clubs around the country and each would have a story to tell, some happy, some sad and probably a lot downright criminal as was the plight of Edgware Town.
Non-league is the grass roots of football where the professional footballers of the future should be honing their skills. Although the government pay lip service to the plan to 'keep kids off the streets' and 'get them into sport to keep them fit' they turn a blind eye to the number of football clubs which local councils are allowing to be taken over by developers. 20 in the last 12 months.
Come to think of it a Football Club is like a gang, only a good gang, not one that terrorises neighbourhoods and mugs old ladies. Our good gangs, don't cost a lot to belong to, usually just a pair of boots, are for girls and boys, ages 8 and upwards, attract thousands of supporters as well as a lot of mums and dads, so it can't be bad for local communities and social cohesion either. Our gangs are taught discipline, working with and for others, team spirit and are given direction and a sense of purpose, often forging friendships that will last a lifetime.
It is little wonder that the National squad can no longer perform on the world stage, when our football leagues are full of foreign players and there is no structure to promote football at grass roots level in this country. It is left to small clubs, often funded by benevolent local businesses, although more often struggling from week to week to stay afloat, to try to progress the sport and players in the community they serve. What chance for our players of the future?
A Personal Opinion
Following Harrow Councils decision to allow development of their White Lion ground, which overturned the decision of the Development Committee to deny the application in April 2006, Edgware Town had to resigned from the Ryman League in June this year. Edgware Town’s plight was featured on the BBC’s Inside Out programme screened on Friday 25th April 2008
They did most of the filming at the White Lion on Saturday 19th April for the league game between Edgware and Dartford and it couldn’t have turned out to be better day in many respects. The weather was bright and sunny, Edgware won the game 2-1 and Dartford won the league.
The game was a thriller and although Dartford scored first, from a Jay May free kick 24 minutes in, Greg Ngoyi scored a fantastic equaliser, levelling the score just 3 minutes later.
The game was nip and tuck and very much looking like a draw, with honours even, when Denis Maharjan hit the net with a thunderbolt of a shot, seconds from the final whistle. The midfield dynamo was promptly mobbed by the rest of his team. This was real Roy of the Rovers stuff.
However, Dartford fans also had cause to celebrate as their closest rivals in the league, AFC Sudbury, lost out 1-0 to Redbridge which meant that statistically the Darts had won the league title and promotion to the Premier Division. To give credit to the management and stewards at Edgware they let the Dartford Fans, some 800 of them, invade the pitch and congratulate their players, who eventually managed to get back to the dressing room, mostly minus their shirts and some even missing their shorts and socks.
I don't know if the BBC are planning other shows, but there are literally 1000's of small non-league clubs around the country and each would have a story to tell, some happy, some sad and probably a lot downright criminal as was the plight of Edgware Town.
Non-league is the grass roots of football where the professional footballers of the future should be honing their skills. Although the government pay lip service to the plan to 'keep kids off the streets' and 'get them into sport to keep them fit' they turn a blind eye to the number of football clubs which local councils are allowing to be taken over by developers. 20 in the last 12 months.
Come to think of it a Football Club is like a gang, only a good gang, not one that terrorises neighbourhoods and mugs old ladies. Our good gangs, don't cost a lot to belong to, usually just a pair of boots, are for girls and boys, ages 8 and upwards, attract thousands of supporters as well as a lot of mums and dads, so it can't be bad for local communities and social cohesion either. Our gangs are taught discipline, working with and for others, team spirit and are given direction and a sense of purpose, often forging friendships that will last a lifetime.
It is little wonder that the National squad can no longer perform on the world stage, when our football leagues are full of foreign players and there is no structure to promote football at grass roots level in this country. It is left to small clubs, often funded by benevolent local businesses, although more often struggling from week to week to stay afloat, to try to progress the sport and players in the community they serve. What chance for our players of the future?