England Bans Trophies in Leagues for Youngsters

England failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championship and many in the country started to wonder if there was something wrong with their system. Apparently, the focus on winning at the younger ages was hampering the development of the players. England's failure to make the Euro2008 championship woke some people up.

From FoxSportsNews.com -

LONDON (AP) - England has banned young children from playing for league and cup trophies in soccer in a bid to remove pressure from parents and coaches.

The ruling issued Friday by the Football Association affects under eight-year-olds and is intended to develop their skills on the field.

"It's widely accepted that we need to improve the skills and technique of players in this country," said Trevor Brooking, the former England and West Ham midfielder who is now the FA's director of football development. "At the moment we are not at the same level as other countries.

"In the youngest age groups, there's too much emphasis on winning leagues, often to satisfy parents and coaches. That's what we're looking to change. We need better, more skillful players coming through."

England fans have been waiting since the 1966 World Cup for another trophy. The dearth of talent has alarmed Fabio Capello, who replaced Steve McClaren as England coach in January.

But while Capello embarks on World Cup qualifying in September, the future generation of players will have to play a less intense version of the game.

<"Every game played is competitive, but undoubtedly having league tables (standings) at this age is not helping their development," Brooking said. "It is the league tables being stopped rather than matches."

After the disaster of the 2006 World Cup for the US Men's team, many people pointed out the same stresses in the youth ranks and how it would ruin players as they grew up. It is time to allow the kids to just play. Countries like Brazil, Spain, and Argentina have either very small youth soccer programs or none at all. Maybe that is why they field the best and most creative soccer players.