Coaches hold key to game’s recovery

THE NUMBERS, the studies and the talk of putting football ‘at the heart of the national recovery’ come easily enough to Ian Maxwell. As chief executive of the Scottish FA, part of his job is to talk up the game. And he believes that a post-lockdown boom in youth football, with kids desperate to get involved in sport, will offset all those fears of a ‘lost generation’. What makes him so confident? The structure being put in place by his own organisation is part of it, obviously, and the success of both the men’s and women’s national teams in qualifying for major finals in recent years doesn’t hurt. More than both of those, though, Maxwell knows that the same sorts of volunteers who guided him during his early steps in football are still out there putting in the hours. ‘Clubs are incredibly well run by individuals whose aim is to give young players the chance to play — and we cannot take that for granted,’ said the former Queen’s Park, Ross County, St Johnstone, St Mirren and Partick Thistle defender. ‘The game as we know it in this country could not function without them. ‘Like so many, I remember playing as often as I could as a youngster — sometimes three games a weekend between school, club and Boys’ Brigade. ‘At the time, you don’t recognise or appreciate the commitment made by coaches and club volunteers. ‘But, looking back, they all gave up a huge amount of time to ensure we could make it to training, had clean kit, the pitch was cut and everything was organised.’ Arguably, there isn’t a grassroots coach who can be entirely confident of retaining young players, in particular, after they’ve been away for so long. ‘The impact of Covid-19 and restrictions cannot be underestimated,’ says Maxwell (below). ‘But we are motivated to ensure that the grassroots game is mobilised and supported when restrictions are eased and normality — whatever form that takes — is restored. ‘Based on conversations we have had with our affiliated national associations we know just how keen players are to return to playing. ‘We are also aware of the need to re-engage and reconnect those who may have lost touch with their clubs and ensure that football can be enjoyed by everyone. ‘Community clubs are the lifeblood of the game — but as our recent UEFA GROW research shows, football generates more than £1billion in social return on investment. ‘It improves general fitness and wellbeing but also improves employability and confidence, and is shown statistically to reduce crime and also prevent disease by staying engaged in a healthy life for longer. ‘Football is a fabric of our society and a key objective is to work more closely with Government to reinforce the power of football for the nation’s benefit.’