\u201cThey\u2019re on a screen pretty much all day,\u201d says Casey Warren, manager of Fairwater FC, of his two sons. \u201cThey\u2019ll wake up, have their Zoom classes and in between each lesson they will play on the computer. We have some gym equipment in the house so they use that every now again, but they\u2019re doing nowhere near as much as physical activity as they used to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While last summer presented children with opportunities to be more active, the winter lockdowns have proved more of a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the summer, kids could be out in their gardens with their parents and it didn\u2019t make too much of a difference,\u201d Ford says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMore parents were on furlough and had more time to spend with their kids. Now there are fewer parents on furlough and the weather has got worse and it gets dark earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Morgan adds: \u201cWe sign our kids up for sports clubs so they\u2019re not sitting in their bedrooms on their phones all day. But the pandemic has forced us into not only allowing that to happen, but not being able to give them any other option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat else can you do with an eight or nine year old who is used to playing football four or five hours a week? Particularly in these winter lockdowns, the weather has been so bad you can\u2019t even take them for a kickabout.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not being able to play football has had an impact on children\u2019s mental health as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI speak to parents quite often and I know kids have been struggling,\u201d Ford says. \u201cMentally, the pandemic has had a huge impact on them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A survey by UK charity Young Minds found that 67% of 13 to 25-year-olds believe the pandemic will have a long-term negative effect on their mental health. While not directly related to the amount of physical activity that children do, a lack of exercise undoubtedly has an influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe know that the last year has taken a significant toll on young people\u2019s wellbeing,\u201d says Ali Oliver MBE, Youth Sport Trust chief executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat so many parents have seen a decline in young people\u2019s engagement in physical activity is extremely concerning. Active young people are healthier, happier and better equipped to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nClubs have tried to adapt to the circumstances and Zoom fitness sessions have become the norm, while inter-club challenges have proved popular in order to try to keep children active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t speak highly enough of how well my coaches have dealt with it,\u201d Morgan says. \u201cThey\u2019ve done Zoom sessions and kept in contact with parents, giving them drills that their kids can do in the garden.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Warren says: \u201cWe\u2019re doing a club challenge where all the junior teams have come together to attempt to do 25 marathons in a month as a collective. But it\u2019s the same people taking part each week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt seems like the ones who are really into football, they\u2019re engaged and will do the runs, but my biggest fear is the ones who are not involved. I\u2019m not sure they will come back when football restarts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That seems to be a shared concern across Wales. The statistics around current levels of physical activity among children are worrying, but the long-term effect could be even greater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said their children had been without football for so long, they had lost interest in playing. They are unlikely to be alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe big worry for us at the moment is when next season comes around, people will have got out of the habit of coming to football and won\u2019t return because they\u2019ve found other things to do,\u201d Morgan says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSome kids will have simply lost interest because they\u2019ve been allowed to sit on an iPad for 18 months. The number of children that the game will lose is frightening. The decline in participation will be the legacy of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe age group that I fear the most for is the one that was under 14s at the start of the pandemic, who will be under 16s at the start of next season. There were four leagues in our area in that age group last year. I would be amazed if there are even two next year. If you give 15-year-olds the excuse to not bother, they won\u2019t bother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Children aged three to seven went back to schools in Wales in late February, while all primary school children will return on Monday along with those in qualifications years. That will only heighten the desire to see youth football return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese kids will go to school and they will be able to have a kickaround at break time, but they can\u2019t go to football training,\u201d Morgan says. \u201cI\u2019m not sure of the reasoning behind that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a frustration among coaches that there has been no clear plan for grassroots football from governing bodies. Even when the sport temporarily returned to park pitches in the autumn, the rule of 30 meant that many players at 11-a-side level had to stay at home to avoid matches being over capacity once coaches and officials were taken into consideration. At younger age groups, parents were not allowed to watch on from the sidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to motivate the kids because we don\u2019t have a restart date,\u201d Warren says. \u201cThere is nothing to work towards or focus on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a concern that children will have lost interest in football by the time it is allowed to return. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u201cThere has been absolute silence from the FAW,\u201d Ford adds. \u201cWe have heard nothing from them since they stopped football just before Christmas. Not even a message to say, \u2018how are you doing?\u2019. It feels like they have forgotten grassroots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the first week of February, the FAW confirmed its intention to complete junior competitions for 2020\/21 when Wales returns to Alert Level 3, but coaches had hoped that grassroots football would be cited in the Welsh Government\u2019s review of the restrictions on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While not referencing football specifically, First Minister Mark Drakeford told WalesOnline that organised children\u2019s activities will be reopened from March 27 for the Easter holidays, stating that “I want children in the school holidays to have things that they can do”. However he did not mention whether there would be any limit on the number of people allowed to be involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FAW responded to the announcement, stating: “If the public health conditions continue to be favourable, football activity for Under 18s will return from this date [March 27]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The FAW are awaiting clarification from Welsh Government on specific restrictions that may be in place for football activity to return for Under 18s and updated Return to Play protocols will be communicated as soon as possible.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is a sign that there is light at the end of the tunnel, but for many people involved in youth football it is too small a gesture that comes too late. Children are simply desperate to kick a ball, to pass to their friend and to score a goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust let them play,\u201d Ford says. It\u2019s not even about winning or losing. I just want to see kids smiling and having fun.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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