FA reform, what does our "Brains Trust" think.

[SydneyRover]

I have read quite a bit in the UK online papers about FA reform, and today I read that the sports minister stated that funds would be diverted to other area should reform not go ahead. What are the main areas that should be reformed and how should it be done. Also who is the person/s to do it?

[Bentley Bullet]

Never been one to avoid a question when personally asked one, but this is a tricky one. Not sure to be honest until I give it more thought.

[The Red Baron]

SM's your man, I think.

Although Greg Dyke was trying to push through reforms to the FA's governance system and now he's gone.

[silent majority]

The last review and reform of the FA was in 2006 following the Burns report. That didn't go far enough and was very limited in its scope. Football has moved on quite considerably since then and another reform is well overdue. The FA were instructed by the Government to go through a Governance review and reform quite a while back and Greg Dyke promised it would be done.

However you look at it he's failed and has decided to move on because he knows he can't achieve what needs to be done. The review was carried out earlier this year and there was a joint submission by Supporters Direct and the FSF which was warmly welcomed by Greg Dyke and was mentioned in Council. However the recommendations he put forward failed to be accepted by the FA Council despite his attempts at openly bribing those affected.

I'm glad to see that the Sports Minister has kept the threat of government withholding funds at the top of her in-tray as its one of the first things she's done/said since returning from maternity leave.

Its a very complicated scenario at the FA, and those involved don't really understand it either. I have several papers on this subject, including our submission, which goes some way to explaining what the issues are. If anybody's interested let me know and I'll forward them on.

[silent majority]

If The FA need to reform, what about the Premier League, Football League or Football Conference? Do they need to reform too?

Changing the suits/names at a sw**ky top table, supposedly representing the very top of English Football, won't affect anything without the collective togetherness of other national football organisations wanting to adapt too.

Then you have to get clubs to listen and adapt - most clubs are run by petulant millionaires who've had their own way on everything - so they won't like being told how to run a business).

All these politics though, and it's just 11v11 kicking a ball around which should be the focus.

The FA have been instructed by Government to go through a governance review and implement reform. This has nothing to do with clubs or the relevant leagues.

[Sammy Chung was King]

The whole system needs thinning out, too many loafers picking a wage up. On the committee that makes the decisions there should be a mix of ex players and younger forward thinking business types.
Money has to be stopped all of it near enough being pumped into the pro game, and to start strengthening coaching in local leagues. Making sure all teams have good equipent and facilities to change in, and train on.

Too many decisions are being made, where money making is foremost in thinking. I know you can't run anything without money, but the amounts in the game, and the actual sums coming down to local levels is scandalous.
Future england players, are playing in these leagues, do they only care about them when they are older, or will they start trying to give them a better start earlier?.

[SydneyRover]

To follow up on my own OP, I can find reports that state things that should have happened years ago such as making the board less matey with and more accessible especially to women. Board members should have shorter a tenure and be more adaptable to change. But what I don't find is how the FA should change to make football better for all the fans and how it can improve the performance of the national team. Thanks by the way for all your earlier replies.

[Chris Black come back]

Will this help sort out the queues at the bar during half time?

[Sammy Chung was King]

To follow up on my own OP, I can find reports that state things that should have happened years ago such as making the board less matey with and more accessible especially to women. Board members should have shorter a tenure and be more adaptable to change. But what I don't find is how the FA should change to make football better for all the fans and how it can improve the performance of the national team. Thanks by the way for all your earlier replies.

I see no reason why more women aren't involved, they are still being treated as a 'lesser sex'!. With womens football growing it's important that women good enough to be on the board making decisions, get that chance.
You need a mix of all abilities on things like an fa board, ex players, business minded, kids football representatives, but it needs to be a streamlined amount of people, the more opinions, the less get's done.

The amount of money coming into our game, should mean our facilities and coaching, can't be bettered anywhere in the world, but that is nowhere near the case. The problems start at the lowest point, and until you strengthen, coaching facilities and values lower down, things will carry on the same.
The association hasn't moved on that much, from the days when committee's picked the england side and squad. It needs to move on into the modern age, while also retaining values that we do have.
 Not everything is bad, it just needs tweaking in every area, give local coaches the opportunity to study for the badges, pay for it out of the tv money, improve changing facilities out of it also, and give the kids pitches similar to the one's the professionals play on.
There are good people giving their time up to train players, on pitches that are a lot of the time, mudbaths, give these people the tools to do the job, and things will improve tenfold.