It's one of the most controversial topics in grassroots football today, 'non competition based football'. Is this really good for our game?. The following podcast audio located below really grabbed our attention this week. The podcast is bound to offend some people and their beliefs but at the same time it does once again highlight the divide of opinion that clearly exists between non competition based sport and just leaving competition alone as it has always been down through the years.
Non competition football? Is this really going to help develop better technical footballers or is it a solution being introduced to silence sidelines and parents. In countries like England, Ireland, United States, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland one thing they have all excelled upon developing and nurturing within young footballers is the will to win, it's allowed them compete the way they have successfully throughout the years against nations which supposedly have a higher level of technique among their players. Is non competition football going to rip that competitive edge from those players? is non competition football going to prevent kids learning invaluable life lessons?.
Is it not our responsibility as adults to educate young kids on how to win and lose gracefully, this is an invaluable life lesson that will stand to all children. Why is winning or losing such a big deal and how have we allowed it to become one?. We can still improve the level of technical player being produced within a competitive environment if we all just focus on development and stop trying to deal with competition. Competition is a huge learning curve for kids so long as development remains the primary focus on and off the pitch.
