As the dust settled this week on another major tournament and all its repercussions, it’s quite something to reflect that it’s now four major finals in four years for England’s men and women’s teams. But it’s no surprise or coincidence. English football has built a system which is producing world-leading players and teams we can all be very proud of.
The vision to transform English football out of the doldrums came from Howard Wilkinson who has never received the credit he deserves for his Charter for Quality, a blueprint that set out an ambitious plan for a National Football Centre, academies, mini soccer and the raising of standards in children’s football. It was groundbreaking for an organisation that had previously failed to put the football in the Football Association.
It took 15 years to build and open St George’s Park, but it is now a world-class home for all England men’s, women’s and para squads and – equally importantly – it is a hub for FA Education, ensuring we are developing our coaches, managers, sporting directors and wider workforce to be equipped to lead and develop our game now and in the future.
The rise of the Premier League as the richest football league in the world has enabled its clubs and others in the EFL to develop state-of-the-art boys’ academies (the girls’ equivalent is underfunded), with outstanding facilities, age-specialist coaches and multi-disciplinary player support teams who are producing exciting, creative and well-rounded players.
The biggest challenge for young English players is getting meaningful game time to break into first-team Premier League and Women’s Super League football in what are global leagues. Gareth Southgate and Sarina Wiegman have expressed concerns to me personally and in public about the number of English-qualified players available and that they and future managers would have limited competition for places and selection options if this wasn’t addressed.
Ten years on from Greg Dyke’s controversial England Commission plan for B teams, the game is still grappling with how to give those talented young players on the fringes of the Premier League and WSL the appropriate meaningful minutes to prepare them for the huge jump into first-team football. The men’s game has recently announced a new competition for national league clubs and category one academies who are not taking part in the existing EFL Trophy; the women’s game is yet to address this issue at all.
All boys and girls start their journey in our grassroots game led by an incredible army of volunteers. The FA has transformed youth football in recent years ensuring it is more accessible, inclusive and developmental. In fact, Gareth played a key role supporting myself and Nick Levett, who led on the youth review, to drive through recommendations which mandated five v five, seven v seven, and nine v nine football to make sure children received the most appropriate introduction to football at their age and stage of development. It was a groundbreaking moment and one that would have been harder to drive through the FA Council without the support and credibility of Gareth – everyone trusted him to do the right thing for young players.
But the development of youth football wouldn’t be possible without the continued, much-needed work to transform grassroots facilities across the country. The Football Foundation and its partners should be applauded for for their investment into new and improved facilities. The National Lottery has invested £440m in grassroots football since 1994. Gareth is an ambassador for the Football Foundation and knows just how vital this work is to enable children to play football and all the societal benefits that brings. This investment work desperately needs to continue and it was heartening to hear Keir Starmer emphasise his commitment to breaking down barriers for access to football, though this will require further significant investment to make it a reality.
Notwithstanding some tweaks (and the large amount of cash that’s needed for grassroots facilities) I think the system is pretty healthy. But all great systems need great leaders and in Gareth and Sarina England had two of the best. Gareth’s transformation of the men’s team has been quite remarkable. A values-driven leader, he is a shining example of how you can lead with compassion and integrity. One of my favourite Gareth memories was at an all-FA staff conference where, on stage, he described himself as “the warm-up act” for Sarina who had just led the Lionesses to Euros victory. That showed typical humility from Gareth but the truth was that everyone wanted to hear from both, as together they were building a culture and environment at St George’s Park for England teams to flourish.
His “Dear England” letter to the nation before the Euros in 2021 was a stunning piece of thought leadership that helped unite a nation and promote England’s glorious diversity. He quite simply reconnected England with the nation – an England I and many wanted to get behind and could be proud of.
So, thank you, Gareth. You will be greatly missed, but you can leave knowing your replacement will benefit from the fruits of your hard work, dedication and vision for the English game that will put us in a strong position for many years to come.
