The Way Forward

Book excerpt: English football is in a state of crisis. It has been almost 50 years since England made the final of a major championship and the national sides, at all levels, continue to disappoint and underperform. Yet no-one appears to know how to improve the situation. In The Way Forward, football coach Matthew Whitehouse examines the causes of English football's decline and offers a number of areas where change and improvement need to be implemented immediately. With a keen focus and passion for youth development and improved coaching he explains that no single fix can overcome current difficulties and that a multi-pronged strategy is needed. If we wish to improve the standards of players in England then we must address the issues in schools, the grassroots, and academies, as well as looking at the constraints of the Premier League and English FA. Unafraid to speak his mind, Matthew Whitehouse makes a well researched and compelling case for all footballing parties to work together to improve standards and modernise their approach. Improvements need to come from the FA and their work with grassroots football to increase the quality of coaching, as well as from the academies who need to do more in terms of the environments they create for producing elite players. An improvement in scouting, talent identification, sport science, and attitudes is also long overdue. Unless change is implemented soon, England will continue to exist in the backwaters of international football - enviously watching the likes of Spain, Germany, Holland and others, as they deliver high quality teams that are able to win tournaments.