The PFF launched Jez George's "Walk for Change" before last night's Blue Square Premier encounter between Oxford United and Cambridge United.
Picture (David Fleming Photography): Kelvin Thomas (Oxford Chairman), Chris Wilder (Oxford Manager), Jim Rosenthal (ITV), Geoff Moss (Wrexham Owner), Dean Saunders (Wrexham Manager), Martin Ling (Cambridge Manager), Jez George (Cambridge United Director of Football)
Wrexham manager Dean Saunders was in attendance to launch the PFF and Jez George's "Walk for Change", which starts at 9am next Wednesday, leaving from the Racecourse Ground. A legend at Oxford United, where the walk concludes 19 days later, Dean will join Jez on the first leg of the walk from Wrexham to Crewe Alexandra's training ground. Dean's son is coached at the Under 14's at Crewe by first team manager Dario Gradi.
Former League Clubs Launch Campaign to Protect the Future Funding of Youth Development
We believe youth schemes should be judged on their quality and output (i.e. players produced), rather than the league in which their first team play. We don't believe that a one size fits all approach is right.
To this end a group has been formed called Protect Football's Future, and the mission statement is:
"If a full time Football Club runs a Youth Development Scheme which meets Governing Body Qualitative Criteria, access to funding should be available and player registration should be protected."
The rules at present mean any full time professional club will lose their funding and protection for their youth scheme within two years of their first team being relegated from the Football League. We believe this needs changing.
This campaign isn't just about the six or seven ex-Football League clubs, it is about change to benefit all clubs and youth development as a whole. The current rules impacts on communities throughout the country - young children lose the opportunity to access Centres of Excellence so their opportunities become a postcode lottery.
Any club could be affected by this unfair youth funding policy. Just four years ago Luton Town were in the Championship. Now they are in the Conference and face the removal of funding for youth development should they not have regained league status before the end of the 2010/11 season. Fourteen Premier League teams have subsequently been relegated to at least the third tier of the English leagues. For the future of developing young English players these rules need changing now.
For further information regarding the PFF, please visit www.protectfootballsfuture.co.uk.
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