New under-21’s league

New under-21’s league seeks to support youth-to-adult transition

TEENAGE footballers in the region concerned about making the transition straight into men’s football, or worried their competitive playing days will end once they hit adulthood, may have found the perfect solution in a new under-21s league.

The number of 16 to 18-year-olds leaving football is increasing year on year and reversing these figures is a priority of Gloucestershire FA and the Bristol U18/U21 Combination League, not only to prevent the loss of talented youngsters but also to ensure the sustainability of the adult game.

The long-established and hugely successful Bristol Under-18 Combination is looking to plug the gap between youth and senior football by urging teams to enter an under-21 wing of the league from the start of next season.

League officials experimented with the idea last year when eight clubs signed up for an inaugural season. Now they believe the time is ripe to fully launch a campaign for enthusiastic young adults from the start of the 2014-15 campaign.

Bristol U18 Combination secretary Ken Howitt explained: “Many players find it a challenging business making the step up from under-18s football into adult football, and we feel that an under-21s league for players in Gloucestershire, Bristol and North East Somerset will provide a perfect platform for them to make that transition.

“While some 16 and 17-year-olds make the transition straight into senior football, others are in danger of giving up altogether once their youth days have come to an end, as the jump may prove too daunting, not least when it comes to the physical element of the game.

“We are very hopeful we can make a success of it. The Bristol U18 Combination began in 1995 with only six teams. Now we have 46 teams playing in four divisions so the infrastructure and know-how to get an under-21s league off the ground is certainly in place.”

Gloucestershire FA senior football development officer Matt Boucher enthused: “This is a great chance for players who are about to finish their youth football days at under-18s level to continue performing together as an under-21s team.

“It’s not just about the already-established teams though; it could be that a group of enthusiastic students want to form an organised team to play in the league and we can help them with that. The same applies to individuals who think under-21s football may be for them and they’re searching for a club to join.

“Opportunities like this to spend a few seasons as an under-21 player affords young adults the opportunity to develop physically and as footballers before making the transition into open-aged football, a transition that some players are not always ready to make.

“Under-21s teams registered with the new league will have the opportunity to enter the GFA Minor County Cup tournament, while we are also planning to stage a summer tournament on our 3G pitch (Oaklands Park, Almondsbury) for any under-21s sides considering signing up to the league. We’ll be publishing details of that in due course.”

So far eight teams have expressed an interest in joining the new under-21s division next season. If there are sufficient numbers the league may be split into two divisions to minimise travelling. Anyone else wishing to register should call Matt Boucher at the GFA on 01454 615888 (email Matthew.Boucher@GloucestershireFA.com) or contact Ken Howitt on 01454 314822 (email khu18fc@talktalk.net).

Applications should ideally be made by the end of April but the deadline can be extended in certain cases.