THE Irish FA aims to “revolutionise” soccer in Northern Ireland up to the age of 18 with the launch today (Thursday) of a new Youth Football Framework.
One major aspect of the plan is not to play 11-a-side games until U14 level, with smaller-sided games at lower age levels – starting with 3-a-side for U6s and going up by two players per side every two years. Teams would also play on pitches of increasing size as they grow older.
Another radical recommendation is that all participants would have at least 50 per cent of the playing time, rather than some barely featuring or not playing at all.
IFA Technical Director Aaron Hughes explained that increased participation, increased retention, and more players vying for youth international teams are three central aims:
“Core to the framework is looking at participation for everyday play, and then how that feeds into performance further along the chain.
“Whenever we were looking at where gaps were, it went to the grassroots – that’s where every player starts their journey.
“First of all we want to make football as enjoyable and safe as possible, to increase participation, then not to lose players as they move through different levels.
“Then, when players do go down the performance route, to have the structures right, the focus on performance at the right levels.
“U8 football shouldn’t be about winning leagues, it should be about enjoyment and technical development.
“If you have a better environment at the base to increase participation, then hopefully naturally you get more players not only staying in the game but filling that performance pool and coming in at a better, technical level.”
James Thompson, Director of Foundation at the Irish FA, who has overseen this project for around 15 months, declared:
“Essentially we set out to revolutionise youth football in Northern Ireland, simply to align all youth football to a consistent and clear approach.”
Currently children of the same age in different areas may be playing different formats, in different environments, under very different coaching approaches.
“There might be one area heavily focussed on fun, not caring about results, players just rolling on and off; another might be more result-based and they’re keeping league tables at U8s, so coaches are more competitive, not putting a player on,” explained Thompson.
“It’s to have clarity so that, wherever players are, the format they would play would relate to their stage of development.
“The framework is a one-stop shop which will outline every single component of youth football.”
Heading will not be outlawed, but Thompson said: “We want more dribbling and passing ability, so up to 7-a-side the re-starts will primarily be dribbling or passing.”
Former NI defender Hughes added: “It’s important we follow guidelines, and we’re very aware of the conversation and research behind it. This wasn’t designed to remove heading, more to focus on the technical aspect.”
With that literally being his job, the Cookstown man hopes the framework will deliver improvements at international level:
“We’ve seen the gaps increasing at U17 and U19 level. We found that better nations had more players to choose from, meaning they had more physically bigger players, and also their technical ability was superior.
“We looked at how to improve those elements, and it took us right down to the grassroots.”
Thompson believes that the framework’s ideas will bring multiple benefits: “Essentially what we’re trying to change is the culture of youth football: how does a coach talk to a player? How does a parent talk to their son or daughter on their way home from a game?
“We were getting it loud and clear through the vast and wide consultation…generally very positive feedback.
“The formats are linked to getting more time on the ball, more technical touches, more space, more freedom of expression, all components of making it a fun environment.
“In the past, even now, some players not starting might not even get on the pitch, or only play a couple of minutes. Our recommendation is that all players get at least 50 per cent of playing time. Having rolling subs, and coaches creating a positive environment, will allow mass participation.”
The framework was developed after a extensive review, including almost 24,000 responses to the IFA’s survey, involving more than 150 clubs.
Hughes is confident that the framework will be widely accepted: “It’s about trying to get people on board. What we’re trying to do is evolve, make the game better for kids, for grassroots.
“We’re not coming in with a big stick, saying ‘This is what we’ve decided, this is what you should be doing, and you have to do it’. It’s about getting the buy-in.
“It’s about changing culture and mindset, very much getting people on board.
“Any team, any Association wants to get better. It’s about how we do that incrementally, at each stage bringing people with so, so it doesn’t feel like we’re having to use a big stick or a carrot, but that people are just naturally buying into the journey.
“The youth leagues, the teams, the parents, they players – they’ve all bought into it, they all see the value in it. That’s one of the biggest elements.
“Credit to James and his team, who’ve gone out and done an awful lot of work in engagement with those stakeholders, to sell that message.”
The IFA will triple its investment in youth football over the next five years and also have more of its officers attending youth leagues and clubs.
Hughes believes that work at grassroots will boost the game at all levels: “We used to get a natural development from street football, but kids aren’t playing street football as much, they’re playing organised football – but it’s inconsistent and, at times, too structured.
“We want to create an environment where kids can enjoy the game, learn the game, develop skills naturally. Moving up through age groups we hope to see those skills being more prominent than they have been.
* More details will be available on the Irish FA website from 1pm Thursday.