The Long Read: Is Grassroots Football Dying?

ON Monday February 13, I received an email from Neil Atkinson; could I do the second ever recording of the new AFQ Football podcast at 5pm that night? Obviously I said yes, I’ll say yes to anything that sounds like it’s going to be interesting and enjoyable. And then...

Is football doing enough to keep grassroots growing?

SUNDAY was a notable day for local players in the north west of England. At 1:30pm, Scouser Jon Flanagan was leading out Liverpool as captain for the first time. A few hours later an 18-year-old striker from Wythenshawe was scoring the winning goal in the Manchester...
PREMIER LEAGUE MUST WAKE UP TO THE GRASS ROOTS CRISIS

PREMIER LEAGUE MUST WAKE UP TO THE GRASS ROOTS CRISIS

FORMBY, an affluent suburb on the outskirts of Merseyside, has been home to enough Premier League footballers to put together a star-studded mixed age representative team. Steven Gerrard, Leighton Baines, Jordan Henderson, Alan Shearer, Neil Ruddock, Glen Johnson,...