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Baroness Brinton on Saints and Premier League

Toon Saint

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Toon Saint

Toon Saint

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http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?gid=2013-07-25a.1451.0

 

Stumbled across this debate held yesterday in the House of Lords, discussing the international economic and cultural contributions of Premier League football. Saints fan, Baroness Brinton, had some interesting words to say about us, especially with relation to the Bath academy:

 

Baroness Brinton (Liberal Democrat)

 

My Lords, I, too, thank my noble friend Lord Bates for initiating this important debate. The English Premier League and the clubs that comprise it have real cultural and economic significance.

 

Looking at the gender balance of today's debate, your Lordships’ House might think that football was still very much a male preserve. I inherited my Southampton gene from my mother, who remembers cycling with her brothers to Southampton, by way of the Hythe Ferry, from her home in the New Forest during the war. My brother and I are season ticket holders and, if your Lordships’ House did not have such a strict dress code, I might even prefer to wear my 125th anniversary shirt, to make my support even more visible. I am mindful of the point made by my noble friend Lord Taylor about the women’s game. It is noticeable that most of the clubs in the EPL have been developing their women’s game but it needs to go much further.

 

I will focus on skills, and the importance of developing the next generation of English players, so that perhaps we might once again hold up the World Cup. The statistics look worrying. In 1992 76% of the starting 11 in the top league were English. By 2009 it had fallen to 37%, and it rose marginally last year to 39%. Last year, Southampton and Norwich—which my noble friend Lord Addington will be pleased to hear—were the only two clubs with more than 60% English players. Fulham had the fewest, at 15%. No wonder we struggle to win games at the highest international level.

 

There are some shining examples bucking this trend in the Premier League, and Southampton is one of them. Indeed, it has a long history of developing its youth; I remember Mick Channon coming up through the youth team into the main team in the 1960s. Today’s Premier League stars who are graduates of the Saints academy are Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. More recently, I have delighted in watching James Ward-Prowse and Luke Shaw, both of whom have been with the club since they were eight years old. Southampton’s Football Development and Support Centre is unusual in professional football in that it looks after pre-academy, academy and professional squads together at Marchwood. It is particularly important because it provides a seamless pathway that supports young players from the age of eight right up into the first team.

 

Southampton currently has the enviable position of being the supplier of the highest number of players to the domestic international squads, particularly England, over the past season. We have had an England player selected for every competitive squad, from the under-17 squad to the national team and the Olympics.

 

For me, what is impressive is the satellite academy at Bath University, also unique in the academy system in football. Bath’s global expertise in sports medicine, psychology and technical performance is balanced by Saints’ long experience in growing its own talent. I believe that it is a groundbreaking model that should be not only protected but duplicated in the wider game.

 

The English Premier League academy courses are rated by Ofsted as outstanding, and are all deemed to be one institution. We should celebrate this fact. Southampton academy scholars have a 100% pass rate, achieving predicted or even better grades in their formal exam results. Through the Bath academy, they are given the opportunity of three pathways: academic, including degree courses at Bath or elsewhere; vocational, learning to coach; and football, via the Southampton academy, and a chance of playing with other professional or semi-pro clubs. This is vital because, as I am sure your Lordships are aware, very few will make it to the top flight. The Daily Telegraph said in 2009 that fewer than 10% of those, “who join a Premier-ship academy will … make it into the first team. Most won’t even become professional footballers”.

 

Southampton’s principles are to develop those young footballers to their full potential but also to ensure that alternative routes are available to them, which they will need at some point in their careers, whether at the age of 18 or 25 or when they retire as players. They will have important and relevant skills that ensure that they will not be on the scrapheap. To pick up on my noble friend Lord Taylor’s point, it will also provide the next generation of black and ethnic minority managers in the English Premier League.

 

I want to speak briefly of another important economic aspect of English Premier League clubs, and that is, to use the title of the EPL report, Using the Power of Football to Positively Change Lives. It is not just about enabling youngsters to participate in football in their communities, although that is important. There are many projects where those heading for offending or disengagement have a chance to rethink and develop themselves in ways that they did not think possible. I was particularly impressed with the English Premier League’s scheme to take young boys to northern France to visit the battlefield sites, combining that with playing football at the same time, giving young lads who have come from backgrounds where offending might be a real possibility in future to think more broadly about the sacrifice that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers made.

 

Andrew was one such person from Southampton, who had a real problem with his start in life. When he started with the Kickz programme, which is one part of the Southampton foundation, based in an antisocial behaviour hotspot, his youth inclusion officer and local police constable agreed that he was hard to engage with, did not respect the police and had serious anger management problems. Through the programme, Andrew has learnt to channel his anger. His inclusion officer has said, “A spark came alive in Andrew that made him want to achieve and go further in his life”. Using football as a vehicle, Andrew has turned his life around and is now working towards going to university.

 

Throughout the English Premier League, there are many committed and excellent clubs and staff training the next generation of outstanding footballers. Just as important are the initiatives to support those who do not make it into other roles and those for whom football can turn around their lives. Each of these strands is vital to our economic well-being, both in our clubs’ local areas and nationally, and I am proud to say that my club, Southampton, leads the way in all three.

Edited by Toon Saint
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Colinjb

Colinjb

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Fantastic, not just about the academy being recognised but also the work of Saints foundation in helping local youngsters.

 

Proud to support a club that is working well within it's home community and showing genuine social responsibility. We truly are the complete opposite of our rivals.

Edited by Colinjb
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ant

ant

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Thanks for posting that. When we're scrutinising everything in micropscopic detail on here it's easy to focus on this, that or the other the club's doing wrong. Given the wider picture, I too am proud of what Saints are achieving and agree there's elements of our methodology that could be used to brighten prospects at a national level.

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um pahars

um pahars

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Fantastic, not just about the academy being recognised but also the work of Saints foundation in helping local youngsters.

 

Proud to support a club that is working well within it's home community and showing genuine social responsibility. We truly are the complete opposite of our rivals.

 

Have to say the work the Saints Foundation is doing in Millbrook & Lordshill is top notch (also only heard great things about the stuff over at Woodlands School as well). Engaging with the youngsters and getting loads involved. Local Police deserve praise along with the local youth workers.

 

If I had one criticism/improvement, then it would be to get more players involved. I've always thought that given the amount of spare time they get and the way the kids in the local communities look up to them, then giving up a few hours to pop along to these events would be a good idea.

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Bearsy

Bearsy

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is this really the sort of stuff they sit around chattin about in house of lords? I mean, i like people bigging us up as much as the next fan, but ain't they got better things to chat about? If i was trying to run country and some woman stood up + started making long speeches bout Andy of Southampton's battle to control his anger management issues I'd be like, Yo! Broness! Sit down! Let the men chat about inflation + middle east politics, you go make us nice cup of tea!

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DuncanRG

DuncanRG

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is this really the sort of stuff they sit around chattin about in house of lords? I mean, i like people bigging us up as much as the next fan, but ain't they got better things to chat about? If i was trying to run country and some woman stood up + started making long speeches bout Andy of Southampton's battle to control his anger management issues I'd be like, Yo! Broness! Sit down! Let the men chat about inflation + middle east politics, you go make us nice cup of tea!

 

I don't think the House of Lords needs any more sexists.

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um pahars

um pahars

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What a top forum member Toon Saint is for finding something so obscure as Hansard.

 

That story sure as hell wouldn't have made it into The Gulf News over here.

 

Had a dig around the interweb to try and find out her Soton link and turns out her maternal grandfather ran RAF Calshot and also did something over at Hamble before WWII. He ran the RAF in North Africa supporting Monty, played a major role in D Day and died when the plane he was travelling in disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle!!!

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Latheal

Latheal

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'The standard at the club is rising, but we have a responsibility to help the English team with players if they want to select them.'

 

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2378319/Southampton-chairman-Nicola-Cortese-People-thought-I-E-T-I-Ianded-Saints.html#ixzz2aF2J2Wmh

 

Found that comment on the Daily Mail interview with the Don quite interesting. Not sure if I fully believe it but equally, not sure how many other chairmen would even mention it. With the first team standard rising, its great to know that we are looking after those that don't make it, especially as one of my nephews is there now.

 

Outstanding results in the Academy, but why do politician speak like Mongs from the 1800s in the House of Lords?

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