Developing football stars of the future

by

Developing football stars of the future The performance that England put on at Euro 2012 is going to influence the amount of money the FA can spend when developing football stars of the future. The continuing recession is said to be damaging the grassroots football. This week the football Association is set to release its national game strategy which is going to deal with how the sport is run until 2015.

The report is going to outline how football is being affected by the state of the economy. It is not all bad news in the report though as it is expected to show that the amount of racism being seen at football games has fallen significantly. It is also expected that the event which is taking place in the Ukraine and Poland next summer is going to bring in a great deal of revenue for the FA. They have stated that many people are going to be spending money on tickets as well as merchandising.

The head of the FA is Kelly Simmons who has commented, “We are going to see more money brought in if England do well and this will be reinvested back into the game. The FA is a non-profit organisation and we generate money from events such as Euro 2012. We also very much hope that the event is going to bring more attention to football in the UK and bring in economic boost to the sport.”

The FA have also said they are concerned about facilities in the UK falling into disrepair because money is being spent in other areas and sports are often one of the first parts of the budget to be cut. They’ve also said that sports facilities in the UK could learn something from their European counterparts. Other countries in Europe are generally better at creating sports facilities that cater to many sports, this offers great cost savings and allows for higher quality facilities, although less of them.

About the government the FA have commented, “They could definitely do more for the sport and offer greater protection for sports facilities. We understand that there is a lot of pressure on them right now and playing fields don’t seem so important, but sport, and particularly football, is an important part of our culture, and many cities lack adequate facilities.” Research by the FA has shown that the number one issue in the sport is dissent and a near 60% improvement has been seen in this area.

 

God Speed – A Tribute to Gary Speed

by

Roy Stannard has written this poetical tribute to Gary Speed.  He says “I thought it would be good to compose something that deals with the Celtic and Welsh heritage of the man. Ideally it should be read in the wonderful rich tones of a Richard Burton as in his reading of Under Milk Wood‘ .

 

God Speed

God Speed you. Black and white Emperor.

Pure breath of granite hewed from the ground of Flintshire

where dragons fly and the hills sigh for the business of dreaming.

You were already formed as a warrior

As the Merlin alchemists mixed your being together

In the days before the men of Harlech began to sing your name

when your promise whirled and eddied from the valleys,

tendrils of smoke from the miners’ fires gathered

and formed on the terraces of Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton

where working men admired the chiselled stare, the rapier pass and the Aquila dribble

A club man that darted, never clubbed.

You served in the football trenches with McAllister, Batty and Strachan,

going over the top with them,

comrades in no man’s land, where even the enemy ceased firing to admire you.

You were the midfield General, the Captain and Sergeant of armbands

You played them at your own game

You did not go gently into the night

You were the black on the white, the raven hair and pithead eyes burning coals on the turf.

You saw the whites of their eyes and flayed them with black and white stripes.

And yet, the gentle cleft of your jaw, the downhill saunter of your nose,

were a softer frame for the imperial neck, a pedestal, a clenched life raised in victory,

the full motion slide on grass, cutting your legend into the soil,

a fighter blooding his territory with over 500 battle cries.

Many were victories, but you couldn’t win them all.

Your legend will grow in your passing.

When your foe faced you, you vanquished him.

But when he came to live within, you vanished.

God Speed you. The Emperor who did not fade to grey.

 

(c) Roy Stannard. 30th November 2011 (for Gary Speed 8.9.69 – 27.11.11)

 

 

Roy’s website: www.roystannard.wordpress.com

Gary Speed suicide shocks football and beyond

by

Gary Speed suicide shocks football and beyond Gary Speed had already insured a legacy as one of his generation’s finest players. As the manager of the Welsh side he had only really just begun his task and it this has ended all too soon. Speed began his career when the Premier League was just starting and he quickly became an icon in the sport and one of the best players in English football. He played for Everton, Bolton, Leeds, and Newcastle.

After playing for these sides he went on to play at Sheffield United eventually accepting a job managing the team. After this he became manager of Wales, the country which he is from. During the time the Speed was in charge of the Welsh national side saw great improvements, and this is something that all teams that were managed by Mr Speed benefited from. He has recently died aged 42 and he is survived by his wife and two sons.

Gary Speed was born in 1969 in Mancot and eventually moved to Leeds when he was given a professional football contract. He played midfield at the side and his fellow players had a big influence on his game. He was known for being a professional and had a great focus on the sport. Despite early promise and excellent playing during his career he only won cups during the start of his career which was a surprise to many people who watched him play.

As he continued to play the sports it seemed that age did not affected his game and even late in his career he was seen playing in several FA Cup finals although unfortunately these were lost to Manchester United and Arsenal. He was also on the side that reached the Champions League final in 2003. All of this occurred while he was playing for Newcastle.

He was the first football player to ever have appeared in 500 Premier league games and he achieved this in 2006. After this he accepted a position as the coach at Bolton that he decided he wanted to return to play the game in 2008 where he played for Sheffield United. After a while he took the position of managing the club.

When he took over the lead position at Wales he showed himself to be a bold and forwardthinking leader and appointed Aaron Ramsey as the captain of the side – despite only being 20 years old. The side also had very few footballing stars but he still managed to turn the side around after a disappointing start. Craig Bellamy and Gareth Dale were some of the stars that he empowered on the team and he relied on them to bring Wales’s victory.

His death was announced by the football Association of Wales on the weekend and has been met in the footballing community with great shock and sympathy. In recent matches his team had been very successful having won five out of the last seven matches. One of the most impressive victories was over Norway where the Welsh team beat them by four goals to one. Wales had been climbing up in the FIFA rankings at a great pace and it is hoped that whoever takes over as manager of the team will be able to continue the great work that Gary Speed has brought to the side.

Olympic Association want British football team on side

by

Olympic Association want British football team on side The Olympic Association which is organising the Olympic Games which are coming to London next summer has stated that they want to see a British football team compete. Football associations from the United Kingdom, excluding England, have said that they do not wish to field a team as football at the Olympic Games would greatly overshadowed other events. Dai Greene has also agreed with the statements by the football associations, stating, “The Olympic Games doesn’t have a place for football.”

Mr Greene continued, “In football the crowning achievement is not becoming an Olympic champion but is winning a cup. Therefore there seems to be no reason for football to be involved in the Olympics. Football players do not grow up with the dream of becoming an Olympic champion, they dream of the Champions League trophy and victory in the Premiership. It seems unnecessary to me for football to form part of the Olympic Games.”

Mr Greene is a Welsh athlete, who this summer is hoping to complete his collection of medals for every one of athletics major event. This would make him the fourth British person to do this and put alongside such greats as Daley Thompson and Linford Christie. He will also be the first Olympic champion from Wales in the track and field events since Lynn Davies in 1964.

He has previously played football in Swansea for their youth team and feels that his comments against football being played at the Olympics would be welcomed by other athletes who are competing. He remarked, “Unfortunately the UK is obsessed with what goes on in football and at the games it would significantly overshadow other events.”

 

Fifa’s ruling panel member leaves over kickbacks

by

Fifa’s ruling panel member leaves over kickbacks A kickbacks case has forced one of the 24 members of Fifa’s ruling panel to leave his position. Sepp Blatter, the president has said that a member of the panel had been accepting kickbacks for offering television and sponsorship deals for the World Cup during the 1990s. He has said that it is likely that some people involved will be exonerated but it seems almost certain that one person at least will be leaving the executive committee. This information has appeared in a German newspaper which was published last Sunday.

The broadcasting rights were given to a marketing agency who went bankrupt in 2001. After this investigation was launched into alleged kickbacks and BBC documentary showed that Ricardo Teixeira had received significant sums in order to help them secure contract. All of those involved in the allegations have denied them.

Mr Blatter, the current president, has had a long commitment to tackling corruption and encouraging reform in the body. A report about the kickbacks situation will be published in late December after a meeting in Tokyo. If members are found guilty of any wrongdoing and external body will offer advice to Fifa about what action they should take.

One of the members accused of taking kickbacks was Mr Hayatou, who the BBC claimed he took around $20,000 in 1995. Mr Hayatou has claimed this was a gift and Mr Blatter has defended his actions. He is also a member of the Olympic Committee and is currently being investigated by the ethics commission for any potential wrongdoing. Disciplinary action will be considered by the board at a meeting in Switzerland early next month.