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When Rick Fenoglio co-founded a
grassroots campaign to reclaim children's football (soccer) from the suffocating
dominance of pushy parents and overbearing coaches, he could scarcely have
imagined the enormity of the response. With widespread coverage in the
media and clubs signing up across the United Kingdom, Give Us Back Our
Game seems to have touched a raw nerve.
 Kes lesson
There is a scene from the classic 1969 film Kes that has rung bells with
children watching it ever since. It shows a muddy school field in Barnsley
where the dictatorial teacher Mr Sugden, played by Brian Glover,
orchestrates a match between 'Manchester United FC' and 'Tottenham Hotspur
FC'. When not bawling at players, lamenting their failure to adhere to how
he wants the game played, he is playing the role of Sir Bobby Charlton.
Wearing the referee's whistle and Charlton's No9 shirt (though boasting
none of his finesse), Mr Sugden fixes the game to make himself hero,
pealing away in celebration when he scores a twice-taken penalty - much to
the pupils' consternation.
'Child empowerment'
It is an incident Chicago-born Fenoglio recalls as he discusses the
exponential growth of Give Us Back Our Game, the movement he launched with
Cirencester Town FC youth manager Paul Cooper in November 2006. "The
campaign, it really hit home when we came up with the name - it sums up
what we're talking about," said Fenoglio, a lecturer in exercise and
sports science at Manchester Metropolitan University. "It is about child
empowerment, fun and making mistakes; taking the pressure off. Let them
fall in love with the game - just let them go. Let the game be the
teacher."
Huge response
With Mr Sugden representing the other side of the coin, it is a persuasive
argument, and the enthusiastic reaction from the press and the public
suggests they have already been won over. "The response has been
phenomenal," Fenoglio enthused. "We seem to have hit all the right
buttons. A lot of people have their own experiences of playing football as
a child. Whether they fell in love with the beautiful game or have
horrendous stories of coaches, referees and fights - everyone remembers.
We've been overwhelmed. We're thinking of creating another campaign called
'Give Us Back Our Lives'!"
Fresh format
It is a situation that would have seemed far-fetched nine months ago when
Give Us Back Our Game started on the internet. The basic aim is to reverse
the hijacking of youth sport by adults, to rid children's football of its
rigid format of eleven- or seven-a-side games, played in pristine kit,
watched by baying, foul-mouthed parents and overseen by obsessive coaches
and unyielding referees. Instead they want children between the ages of
six and ten to play four versus four and referee themselves with almost no
interference by adults.
 The
majority of kids aren't going to make it in football and we want to give
the game back to them, let them play. The by-product should be skill
development, not the aim Rick
Fenoglio
'Enjoyment and fun'
"We all know stories where a child displays talent or prowess aged six,
and parents see Premier League 'pound' signs in their eyes," said Fenoglio.
"But there's a lot of data about why kids start playing football. Winning
and the competitiveness is down there at number seven or eight; the main
reason is for enjoyment and fun, the second reason is so they can learn
and develop. The majority of kids aren't going to make it in football and
we want to give the game back to them, let them play. The by-product
should be skill development, not the aim."
Small-sided games
Skill development is perhaps an inevitable side-effect of playing 4v4
games, however, with children encouraged to get more involved, increase
their touches of the ball and work on their close control. "We're not
anti-coaching; we want smarter coaching, to set games that improve certain
skills, like crossing or movement," said Fenoglio, who has worked with
Manchester United among others. "There's plenty of research to show these
ecological learning environments are better than the stop-start methods
people commonly use. It doesn't have to be 4v4. It just needs to be more
appropriate for the children; small-sided games."
National fun day
Give Us Back Our Game staged a national fun day between 15 and 17 June.
"We asked clubs and coaches to organise an event, taking a group down to
the local park, letting children have fun and then telling us about it."
Many signed up, ranging from local pub sides to the Manchester United
soccer school and dinner ladies in Derbyshire as, according to Fenoglio,
"it just feels right for everyone". Were Mr Sugden about he might disagree
but if the campaign achieves its goals then opinions like his may be
consigned to the past.
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