the future of village football .

[fenman]

Before I put pen to paper I'll make it clear that it is easy to be critical  and comment in ignorance , so I'm probably unfair and wrong to make the following observation . 

Having been involved in  village football , as I call it , at this league level  for 50 + years as a player , club secretary , team manager , groundsman , kit washer etc. etc . like thousands of others , I wonder how much more the F.A.  will pile onto club secretaries  with the latest F.A.  safeguarding , accreditation and other posts that have to be filled at this level . Most if not all clubs at this level are run by willing workhorses , many of pensionable age , all volunteers  and many spending their own money in order to keep clubs afloat . County F.A. 's  regularly tell us what a wonderful  job we are doing  in providing football , and how much they value us ,  " oh and by the way on top of the thousand things you are responsible for  can you now be a welfare officer and provide a deputy to be present at every game , and provide a first aider who has attended our first aid course at club expense . We are sorry but your  para medic who works at Trellisk  isn't  deemed qualified  enough  so he or she will have to attend our course . Also your schoolteacher , children's nurse will both have to attend our CRB course and attend at all game where under 18's are involved  as will your mini bus driver if an under 18 year old is onboard travelling to a game . Oh and from next season we are considering  having grounds person having to take a welfare course  at clubs expense , in case an under 18 is present when he / she is marking the pitch out or putting the nets up . ( this last bit  is a bit of artistic licence BUT !!!!!! . 

 Do any of you club officials feel this way ? 

p.s  by F.A.  I mean national as opposed to County  F.A. 

[Brendan Jennings]

I think you have pretty much covered it.

[Martin Eddy]

Talk about flogging a dead horse. The FA are so out of touch they should be in parliament 

[fenman]

In addition to my comment above  about the F.A.  piling more  work on unpaid volunteers , it is only fair to add that the players attitudes are also a problem as regards to  the future of village football . Many , certainly the case in this county , have the attitude of " I'm a talented player I'll  only play when it suits me , but don't you dare drop me or one of my mates " . A case in point , the league I'm involved in , the fixture secretary moved heaven and earth to accommodate  a team  for 2 cup semi finals . He finally reached 2 dates around pitch availability ,  oppositions availability etc.  and now the players have decided that they don't want to play  either game . Rappo if you read this , can you ever in your wildest dreams imagine as a teenager not wanting to play in one cup semi final let alone 2 with the prospect of playing a final in a stadium under floodlights in front  of 3 or 4 hundred people . ( probably Rappo is a bad example to quote as he was used to playing in front of large crowds , but to the average village level player it's  a once in a lifetime game ).