the decline of street football (1 Viewer)

[HelterSkelter]

the times when you could just pick a can and start playing in your street,park,yard etc are gone.With so many academies out there,parents want their kids to join them instead.

is football suffering because of that?Everything at the academies is structured,and it ends up taking the fun out of football.Genuises like maradona,pele,jairzinho etc grew up playing on the streets.but that trend is on the decline.Is that hurting the game in general?

 

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[Martin]

How exactly is an academy worse for your development as a player? Pele didn't play on the streets because he rejected an academy, he did because there wasn't one.

 

[Slagathor]

I agree with Martin. Academies can offer great opportunities for young players. In Holland, Johan Cruyff's academies allow youngsters to continue their education and combine it with professional football. This has resulted into many more young players emerging because they are no longer forced to drop their studies (which most parents won't encourage).

Academies are a good thing. Street football will teach you nifty little tricks but in order to become succesful in professional football you either need to be a really really good street player (there are only few Maradona's) or you need to learn all the other things that come with professional football. Academies will teach you those things.

 

[Bisco]

i think soccer academies are a great improvement to the game. they take the kids at a young age and improve the talents they have. they work on there skills and tactics too which is sth u dont learn eaily playing in the street.

over here there are tonnes of new soccer academies one of which is the ac milan soccer school which is a massive prokect here in cairo. i have been there with friends and i think the kids who gfet accepted into it get the best services and training they could ever get.
the thing is they also give players an oppurtinity to play abroad for example if they think they have a pure talent int here hand they send him away to milan so he can develpe in to a great youngster, this way he gains match experience, tactics,and skills making him a better player as over all.

so i think it adds to soccer. damn wish those academies were there when i was still younger and not a smoker but i guess its just bad luck.

 

[ADiGATi0N]

Offcourse football academies offer more opportunities, but i still enjoy playing soccer with my friends in the street

 

[Gill_juve]

Offcourse football academies offer more opportunities, but i still enjoy playing soccer with my friends in the street

and that will never die, friends alike will always play casual football together

 

[gray]

I don't think street football's enemy is the football academy, but there are plenty of other things that are causing a decline in the number of young kids who are kicking a ball around in the neighbourhood, from television to video games and childhood obesity.

 

[Slagathor]

I don't think street football's enemy is the football academy, but there are plenty of other things that are causing a decline in the number of young kids who are kicking a ball around in the neighbourhood, from television to video games and childhood obesity.

I think it's more like:

Television/video games = no football = obesity

Rather than:

obesity = no football

But solid point. And all those things of course are related to wealth. Kids are much more likely to go out and amuse themselves with a cheapass football if they don't have any money to do anything else. Which is why Brazil's street football culture is so huge.

Mind you of course I'd rather see a world in which everyone is wealthy. I'm merely pointing out how I think poverty plays a role too.

 

[Jun-hide]

IMO over-protective parents also play a role in a wealthy country. It is hard for young kids to gather up and playing a kick about when they can hardly get out of their house or spent large amount of time in a private tuition school. Academies should be developed due to pricely for this reasons IMO. They arent driving away the kids from the game. Beside, these days a lot of games are organized based on school basis anyway.

 

[AngelaL]

the times when you could just pick a can and start playing in your street,park,yard etc are gone.With so many academies out there,parents want their kids to join them instead.

is football suffering because of that?Everything at the academies is structured,and it ends up taking the fun out of football.Genuises like maradona,pele,jairzinho etc grew up playing on the streets.but that trend is on the decline.Is that hurting the game in general?

I think the decline in street football started before academies began to sprout up. I think mostly because of complaining neighbours. In our street (a cul-de-sac, with a "island" of grass, gardens & cherry & applebloosom trees) there is a little bit of "live & let live" & all the kids play together happily. The lads play footie on the green "island". Sure the grass ends up with "bald" patches due to their play, but they are good kids & they are not intentionally or maliciously causing damage & no-one complains as they haven't dented anyone's car. However in the adjacent street (similar to ours) children are not allowed to play in the street because of neighbours complaints.
Between neighbours complaining & "over-protective" parents keeping their children off the streets & in the house are the real causes for decline in "street" football. Also the lack of play space provided for children - they are few & far between & traffic being heavier, not to mention speeders, make playing in the street less attractive.
Football academies are a good idea in principle, but they are pricey. Some schools provide after hours games like football, rugby, hockey & netball, but some either do not have enough pupils interested or teachers unwilling to give up their own time to tutor/referee.

 

[Bozi]

I don't think street football's enemy is the football academy, but there are plenty of other things that are causing a decline in the number of young kids who are kicking a ball around in the neighbourhood, from television to video games and childhood obesity.

totally agree street football/childhood games are in decline as the children have more options,distractions they are no longer limited to street games. plus teh amount of cars on the streets have grown meaning street football is now a deadly game.

 

[Geof]

There has been a complaint in Belgium where people asked the judge to bn the kids from the playing ground, as they were to loud and their ball often fell in the garden...

They actually won, but I think they lost in appeal. What were they thinking seriously? Let the kids inside, and play individually on their PC/ Playstation? Wankers.

Anyway, I don't think street football is that important. The important part is that kids play football, be it in a small amateur club, on the street or in a top youth academy.

 

[Nejc]

I am 15 years old and I play for a local football club, here in slovenia are poor conditions to became a good player, so I think that I learned more football skills when I was playing with my friends than on trainings, but on trainings I gain more stamina and strenght so I think it's both important for development of a young player, but academies are more important.