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Sir Trevor Brooking has told the BBC he is growing frustrated with the Football Association's failure to have a telling impact on youth development.
The FA's director of football since 2003 says England is continuing to fall behind the rest of the world. "We should have better depth of young English players," said Brooking. "We are not maximising our opportunities.
"I want to have an effect with the 5-11 and 11-16 age groups. That's where the gulf is with the rest of the world." In a frank interview for BBC 5 Live, Brooking says his organisation has failed to provide the proper coaching infrastructure as well as the necessary resources for clubs to tap into.
"We've been treading water for two-and-a-half years," he said. "There is more money in the game than ever before, but I don't see us, in 10 years time, having capitalised on it."
Brooking is keen to raise standards from top to bottom, both in terms of coaching and facilities. "We've got some fantastic examples of good work going on," he said. "Having said that, there are some clubs that are not so good. "What we would want to try to do, as the governing body, is to support them much better, to go out and do in-service stuff and let them know what's happening in the bigger clubs.
"That is the sort of service the governing body, but for the last two-and-a-half years there has been a vacuum. "We would like to give much better support than we are giving. I think as a governing body at the moment, we are not giving enough."
Brooking says he is frustrated at his own inability to implement initiatives but claims he has been denied access to key FA meetings. Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor also revealed his concern about the failure of English youngsters to stay in the professional game.
He said that of the 600 boys join who clubs aged 16, many represent their country at different levels at under-17, under-18 and under-19 level.
"But they don't then get the chance to play for the first team, so there's a vacuum where they disappear into," said Taylor. "By the time they are aged 21, 500 of those lads have gone out of the game."
He cited the influx of foreign players into the English game as a major reason for managers not sticking with homegrown talent. "Managers are so concerned about their security, so they very rarely have the time and patience to stick with young players. "They want instant ready-made players and there's a network of agents who can provide that from abroad," added Taylor.
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It's a disgrace Brooking isn't getting more support from the FA. He's spot on on what needs to be done, The FA have the money, but apparently they do NOT care.
The FA's director of football since 2003 says England is continuing to fall behind the rest of the world. "We should have better depth of young English players," said Brooking. "We are not maximising our opportunities.
"I want to have an effect with the 5-11 and 11-16 age groups. That's where the gulf is with the rest of the world." In a frank interview for BBC 5 Live, Brooking says his organisation has failed to provide the proper coaching infrastructure as well as the necessary resources for clubs to tap into.
"We've been treading water for two-and-a-half years," he said. "There is more money in the game than ever before, but I don't see us, in 10 years time, having capitalised on it."
Brooking is keen to raise standards from top to bottom, both in terms of coaching and facilities. "We've got some fantastic examples of good work going on," he said. "Having said that, there are some clubs that are not so good. "What we would want to try to do, as the governing body, is to support them much better, to go out and do in-service stuff and let them know what's happening in the bigger clubs.
"That is the sort of service the governing body, but for the last two-and-a-half years there has been a vacuum. "We would like to give much better support than we are giving. I think as a governing body at the moment, we are not giving enough."
Brooking says he is frustrated at his own inability to implement initiatives but claims he has been denied access to key FA meetings. Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor also revealed his concern about the failure of English youngsters to stay in the professional game.
He said that of the 600 boys join who clubs aged 16, many represent their country at different levels at under-17, under-18 and under-19 level.
"But they don't then get the chance to play for the first team, so there's a vacuum where they disappear into," said Taylor. "By the time they are aged 21, 500 of those lads have gone out of the game."
He cited the influx of foreign players into the English game as a major reason for managers not sticking with homegrown talent. "Managers are so concerned about their security, so they very rarely have the time and patience to stick with young players. "They want instant ready-made players and there's a network of agents who can provide that from abroad," added Taylor.
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It's a disgrace Brooking isn't getting more support from the FA. He's spot on on what needs to be done, The FA have the money, but apparently they do NOT care.
