Thousands of players have passed through the First Steps Soccer Academy over the years, and it always gives the Coaches a great thrill to see our graduates competing, whether it’s for their school, junior club, or a professional academy/centre of excellence. We all find it fascinating to watch players develop, and we’ll often chat to […]

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Football Associations, like Governments, are instinctively drawn to Big Ideas whenever they are faced by a perceived crisis. So, when England are knocked out of yet another major Tournament, an F.A. representative is unlikely to shuffle his feet, look at the floor, then shrug his shoulders and say, “Look, I’m very sorry, but finding a […]

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It’s two years since the FA Youth Development review, and now that the key changes in the junior game have been properly phased in, I think its worth assessing whether the FA national game strategy of ‘developing better players’ is being served by these new approaches in youth football. Let me nail my colours to […]

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