The Nation's Game - life at the bottom of the pyramid: Part 4, The politics and power behind grassroots football

An area of grassroots football that has been kept out of the public domain, the relationships between those at the top of the game has played a crucial role in determining the health of the sport. Specifically, cooperation between the Premier League, the FA the Football Foundation and the Government has been vital in moving the game forwards – or backwards.

The general consensus among these bodies is that prior to 2010 the grassroots game was in ill-health and poorly managed by a group of decision-makers who gave little consideration to those at the bottom of the pyramid. One individual at the very top of the game told The Independent that there was a “lack of cohesion and direction” among the leadership, with grassroots seen as an inconvenient distraction to the betterment of the elite game.

Whitehall similarly conceded that, in recent years, sports administration across the board has been hampered by politics and dysfunctional relationships. With regards to the FA in particular, a culture of revolving doors throughout the 2000s ensured a solid strategy for the grassroots games failed to crystallise.

The tripartite agreement in place between the FA, the Premier League and Sport England with regards to their annual Football Foundation investment still bears the hallmarks of this weak leadership. Upon the charity’s inception in 2000, the three organisations all agreed to a specific amount they would donate to the Football Foundation with each passing year. But as the FA set about dropping its investment in the years thereafter, due to finance difficulties exacerbated by Wembley costs and the 2008 crash, the two other parties subsequently cut their own funding. This meant that by 2012, the FA, Premier League and Sport England were donating £9.4m, £6m and £10m respectively, having collectively invested almost nearly £60m in 2005.

Why did both the Premier League and Sport England follow the FA in cutting back on precious grassroots investment? To avoid “embarrassing” the FA, one figure with inside knowledge said. Another simply put the cuts down to “volatility” in funding.

Investment into the Football Foundation – a key vehicle for protecting and promoting the grassroots game – has since been increased. Last year the three parties donated £66.7m to the charity, with much of that money kept aside for a new flagship programme set to be unveiled later this year.

This upturn in investment fits into a larger picture now emerging, one defined by a renewed, re-focused commitment to grassroots. Across the Premier League, the FA and Sport England, the right decisions are increasingly being made by the right people for the right reasons. As one insider explained to The Independent, before there was a reluctance to get involved in each other’s affairs, with little love lost between the likes of Richard Scudamore, the Premier League’s chief executive, and the FA’s hierarchy. Whereas Scudamore has been consistent in attending every one of the Football Foundation investors’ meetings, the FA went through a period of repeatedly sending different figures. This has now changed. A mutual respect has developed between Scudamore, Martin Glenn, the FA’s chief executive, and Paul Thorogood, chief executive of the Football Foundation.

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Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has similarly slotted well into this emerging coalition. A qualified FA coach and keen Tottenham fan, Crouch has been praised among peers for her efforts and simply “getting” the issues present within grassroots better than her predecessors – unsurprising given her two decades’ worth of experience within the game.

It is Glenn, though, who rather surprisingly has been credited in the upper echelons of the game for being the “spark” that finally focused the FA into taking grassroots football seriously. Upon arrival at the FA, the former CEO of Walkers Crisps immediately made his presence felt. Those who weren’t committed to his new vision were sacked or disenfranchised while those on a similar wavelength were promoted and handed greater responsibility in helping move the FA forward. His dispassionate approach – whether or not a good thing for a game shaped by raw sporting emotions – notably saw him wield the axe just three months after his appointment in May 2015, when around 100 employees were made redundant to free up £30m for 3G investments. Certainly from the perspective of the Football Foundation, after years of pushing against a closed door, Glenn’s arrival suddenly saw the door thrown wide open.

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Still, we cannot get too carried away in praising the FA’s chief executive. This is a man who, in August of last year, was accused of behaviour “bordering on blackmail” by Eniola Aluko. Glenn’s handling of the Aluko case, alongside his colleagues, showcased an individual and institution that, in so many ways, remains out of touch with the game. Glenn added further wood to the bonfire when, earlier this year, he suggested in an FA briefing that women footballers weren’t capable of ‘putting up’ with ‘banter’ in the same way as their male counterparts before this month conflating the Nazi swastika with the Star of David. No matter how much praise Glenn receives behind closed doors, he remains a decisive figure across the English game.

But as the FA attempts to recover from its annus horribilis and restore its reputation, there’s a growing confidence within elite circles at least that the grassroots game is moving forward. Prior to the likes of Glenn and Greg Dyke – another figure who wasn’t afraid to upset the apple cart – the FA was happy to shrug off responsibility and defer strategy-making to those who cared. But now they want the relevant parties, like the Football Foundation, to deliver their strategy and goals. Where this strategy has taken the grassroots game over the past 12 months, and the direction it’s now moving in, bodes well for the future.

The ever-increasing effort being made to improve the sport is in itself telling. The FA, the Premier League, the Football Foundation and Sport England clearly know there is work to be done. As will be seen in Part Five, the new multi-million initiatives currently being rolled out across the country are in their infancy but, for now, what matters most is that all concerned parties are moving in the same direction. As evidenced by the collaborative nature of Parklife, the FA’s joint-funded, flagship grassroots programme, or the Premier League’s Primary Stars scheme, there is a “collective will” now in place across the board.

As Paul Thorogood told The Independent, “All the partners are now moving in the right direction and I am more optimistic than I have ever been that we will get this right. It is not an over statement to say that we are at a ‘game-changing moment’ for grassroots football in this country.” Time, now, to make good on such promise.

Look out for Part 5 of ‘The Nation’s Game’ series, which will be published tomorrow.