Plan to limit number of games for youths

LOCAL football is set to crack down on the number of games played by juniors. The GFA's Youth and Football Development Com-mittee is investigating the adoption of 'player licensing' - whereby an under-18 would have a limit on the number of games he can play - because of concerns about the damage caused by overplaying youngsters.

Juniors could be restricted to 10 games a month across youth and senior football, for example, with the GFA keeping a strict record of matches played.

'Then it would be up to the clubs and the players to decide when and where they would play their games,' said committee chairman and former Guernsey manager Colin Fallaize.

'Once those 10 games were played, that would be it. This could be the answer to our problems.

'That would be the rule and all would have to adhere to it. My view is that when people have rules in place, they tend to stick to them.'

Fallaize, who said he had sympathy for coaches at the GFA clubs, said that the committee was already considering the issue. But he could not indicate when, or even if, change would be implemented.

'But I am acutely aware of the fact that we have got younger players, at different levels, playing too much football.

'People will bring up the example every time that ?it didn't do me any harm?. But my view is that everybody knows that there's more interest taken in psychology and physiology and we know more about them than ever.

'It's been proved well beyond doubt that younger players who are overplayed do get joint problems and we know more about it now than we ever have. There are very strong arguments that we shouldn't be overplaying young athletes.'

Fallaize's committee has responsibility for junior football at all levels, but it is unclear whether schools' matches would be included in the controls.

'We've got to make sure those children playing football are playing the right amount of football and I think it's more acute, obviously, the higher you go.'

Currently there are a number of young players at different clubs who are playing regularly at both Youth levels and in Jackson and Priaulx matches.

It is not unknown for some of the island's top juniors to play three GFA games in four days.