Outside-the-box thinking is refreshing
THERE is nothing like a hard-hitting, gawp-inducing statistic to turn around an argument you might be losing.
THERE is nothing like a hard-hitting, gawp-inducing statistic to turn around an argument you might be losing.
So when this week the Guernsey Football Association's open forum were debating the merits or otherwise of the under-21 development league and a suggestion to reinstate a full under-18 programme, the talk turned to the number of young players dropping or being forced out of the game at a local level.
At this point Neil Laine, the association's county secretary, began to play a blinder.
His response to the not-so-new news that youngsters were dropping out of football at 16 was to step in with the amazing statistic that of 180 registered under-14 players last season, 68 were not playing this campaign – a loss rate of more than a third.
The stat hit its intended target – the clubs – and struck hard.
So much so that Laine could safely make his next move, a suggestion that in the past might have been given the shortest of shrifts, but not on this occasion and for two good reasons.
The clubs were still stunned by the statistic which underlined the extent of the battle football needs to fight to keep young footballers from turning to other sports, but also that the proposal was an outstanding one ... in my eyes anyway.
GFA's answer to the fact that youngsters are being turned off because some clubs are hoarding players who get so little slice of the action, is to allow clubs to run a second team in the same division.
The GFA suggestion – it has not reached the proposal stage quite yet – would allow clubs such as Sylvans, who have enough players for two sides at under-14 level, and Vale Rec at under-21s, to split their resources as they see fit and enter two sides.
Every club could do it if they had so much talent at any particular age-group.
The only restrictive measures would be that the 'second' team would carry another name to avoid confusion and that the players could not cross between the two club sides.
GFA would hope to allow such measures to happen from Corbet Cup level to under-21s.
Immediately, one club groaned that such a move would allow clubs to monopolise talent at any particular level but, in the main, clubs gave the 'Laine Plan' muted approval.
So they should, as it is a cracking, thinking-out-of-the-box idea to keep dozens of players in the game.
It is clear that you cannot force youngsters to move clubs to get football, but this development would really be a development diamond.
In general, it was a quiet night at the Corbet Field clubhouse and a clear indication that slowly, but surely, the senior clubs are coming to terms with the GFA's new ways. There was no rancour, no accusations, but sensible discussion. The talk was of 'tweaking' as opposed to open revolt.
GFA are getting there with the sad exception being the reinstatement of the social leagues under the GFA umbrella.
Clearly that is not going to happen soon. The brick wall is too big an obstacle.
TODAY in the magnificent National Indoor Arena in Birmingham Dale Garland and Tom Druce go head to head on the sloped track which will stage the televised Aviva Grand Prix.
Who is my money on? To answer that, and it would be with no assurity at all as these two are now so evenly matched, I would want to know the lane draw. I will pass this time.
But to have two men ranked in the UK top-three is a remarkable achievement.
