Health & Safety maybe to blame for lack of footballing talent.
I couldn't believe my ears when my son told me they weren't allowed to play football in the playground at school because of the school health and safety rules! Is this complete football madness? If the kids in the playground can't kick a football about, coupled with the fact lots of school teachers can't be bothered to put in time after school or on a saturday to fix up interschool friendlies. What chance have we got in turning our talent like the brazilians? As a child I couldnt wait to get the ball out and play footy in the playground at break. Maybe this is the reason we have so many overweight kids in classes these days. Health and Safety gone mad if you ask me. Footy in playgounds please, let the kids PLAY!!
Fabio can help our Football Games by footballs at our feet.
Everyone at the grassroots end of football, where the funding comes a distant second to the fundraising, is acutely aware of the problems. The Premier League’s latest carve up makes the imbalance worth with each relegated Premier side receiving £48 million to help them to bounce back. That’s right two seasons at £16 million with a parachute of £8 millions for years 3 and 4.
With the top of the pyramid awash with cash yet choosing to send out for imported delicacies is it really any wonder that we fail as a national side. Indeed the latest moves towards the distribution of the media cash should ensure the supply of English talent dries up some time soon. They will site that League one and two teams get around a hundred thousand extra, but who is kidding who?
It is heresy to say this as an Englishman, let alone one who is striving to help a not for profit fundraising organisation such as Football Buster; yet whilst our football game is awash with cash the whole of South America is awash with starry eyed kids with a ball at their feet. Park your car in any Favela and you will still smile at the beauty bursting forth, breathtaking to behold as ball to foot skills mesmerise from the bright eyed barely a decade into walking. That is even though you will return to your motor on bricks at best. Just as we, with Adland bombarding us relentlessly, have become poster blind, so have the poor people in the slums. To them survival is the day to day mantra and the kids understand ‘the ball’ is far more important than the classroom globe.
Education it seems does not offer the way out that football does. So whenever they are not at work or at school they hone the skills whilst western counterparts raid their fridges in between the levels of their favourite platform games. Whilst many of our kids choose fat they get fit. Not by choice perhaps but then necessity is the mother of invention where human nature is involved.
Take a look at the South Americans and the Africans in the Premier League, it is desire, pace as well as grace that is letting the British kids down. Back home in the Favela, the morels and values are so so different. Perhaps at best a ‘Well done’ from a proud but tired mother and father thankful they have fed the lad and struggled to even give him that ball. Brow beaten yes but the love is there and they will never destroy that dream.
Trot down to any of the rougher estates in
The FA cannot do it all but it can take the lead, it can change the future for our game and many of our kids. Fitness will certainly be the winner even if everyone cannot be a professional they can at least train and play on a Sunday. It will not be easy as the never say die attitude that we were once famous for must be rediscovered first. We can give the kids a ball each but how many really have the time commitment or inspiration to master its mysteries?
That, our FA fat cat friends is the true problem. No spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations or media consultants. Its starts with the example you, the banks and Simon Cowell have set, thus if you are fit to govern it should be you who pens the script and spreads the word. The papers will print anything that sells advertising opportunities. Ride on the crest of a wave of hard work, common sense and getting back to and building on the fundamentals. Or do these virtues not have a place in a modern aspiring nation like
It can be done, it is a Pandora’s Box of sorts for some at least, but those at the top need to utilise the media for football’s needs as opposed to their own devices for a change. If you do not have the time or the faith at your own Football, sports and social club then feel free to start a Football Buster game when the season starts.
The introduction of goal-line technology in Football Games is a no-brainer.
Certainly the 'goal' brings back the debate over technology. The most frustrating thing in football games has always been the goal that is scored but is not seen. Endless television replays don't help the referees and their assistants and I'm always amazed at the number of decisions they get right, especially with offsides.
However, I believe that goal-line technology is a 'no-brainer'. It has to be introduced. The big question beyond that is how far do we go with technology and analysing borderline decisions? It needs to be thought out. You get panels of pundits on TV and they can't even agree on some decisions.
I think that we will find more and more that the fourth official, or the fifth one in the stand, will come into play. There will be greater co-ordination between them.
The extra official will have the monitors to see whether or not he can help the referee. We have to be careful not to take this too far, as in American football. I certainly wouldn't want to see a situation whereby we are stopping the game for five minutes while a panel discuss it.
We had extra officials behind the goals in the Europa League last season and, to be honest, you couldn't tell what difference they made.
You don't know what they are saying to the referee. We didn't have any instances when they stepped on to the pitch frantically waving a flag to stop play but they were talking to the referee. But we did have two situations when bad decisions were made – one for us, one against us. So it was impossible to tell.
As for England's performance as a whole, against Germany, I don't think it was that bad. But, of course, I know that a performance is judged by the result. What is certain is the players and manager won't be happy with the goals that were conceded. They were the result of bad defending. They know that.
But we got some good strikes away – the disallowed goal, Lampard hit the crossbar, Steven Gerrard should have scored, their goalkeeper made an excellent save.
I really don't think there was as much doom and gloom as has been portrayed. And neither do I think this England squad is too old by any stretch of the imagination.
They are not an ageing team. It just so happens that a couple of the German youngsters, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller, did very well. In the previous couple of games the young Holger Badstuber didn't do quite so well for them. What's more Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker, Arne Friedrich and Miroslav Klose are not young players.
I don't subscribe to the theory that it was youth against age. We had James Milner, Glen Johnson, Wayne Rooney. But we all know the margin for error is so small. It could have been Germany going home. Instead it's England and just like with France and Italy the headlines are screaming.
Football Games for kids.
Did you know Football Buster games are content friendly for kids? Well many kids are setting up free world cup football games on the football buster website. They can choose two teams in their game and play against friends. No money involved and parents can rest in the knowledge that kids can play safe on football buster. The World Cup football game buster being the most popular.
Football Games with free prizes.
Have you joined the latest buster king football game, register your email and get friends to do the same, its free and you can win prizes for your club. YES its FREE, we know we keep saying it, but you cant believe how many emails we get saying what's the catch. Well there is no catch, we are here for you!! Get it? Join now. Buster King Football Game
Football Buster solves the summer fundraising problem.
Football Buster has lauched the summer fundraiser solution. football Clubs, soccer teams and charities can raise money throughout the summer using the newly launched "League of Ireland" and "Major League Soccer MLS USA" football leagues, whatsmore managers can decide to combine the teams from each league for a special twist too.
New Country Leagues, Multiple Gaming and World Cup Buster goes LIVE!
Football games have just been given a big boost. Now football buster football managers can run multiple games based on many different football leagues from around the globe. Furthermore a brand new Football Buster game has been developed to cater for summer fundraising using the World Cup football buster.
Buster Play Offs - Fantasy Football Games have a new rival
Fantasy Football games have been going strong for a number of seasons, but is Football Buster's new PlayOffs game going to prove to be the latest football game hit? Buster play-offs is set to launch on March 1st 2010, the new play-offs game has been tipped as the next game to make a big splash on the internet. Football Buster has been helping clubs fundraise for a few months now, but the founders want to make the buster games fun to play too. The new play offs game will see player test themselves in both luck and football knowledge. The game is based around Football Play off positions and the popular card game pontoon. The games will be free to play and players can accumulate points by guessing and using a little skill to get their teams into the play off positions. Sign up to play Football Buster play offs - football games.
Buster MEGA - Football Games set to get subscription function!
MEGA football games are going to have the added function of "Subscription Joining". The new feature will be coming in March enabling Football managers to set their MEGA games as "subscriptive", meaning their players wont have to join over and over each time a game is won. Football Buster users have expressed the need for easier ways in which to join in the football buster games, and the new function will mean each time a game is re-started, all players subscribing will be auto-joined. Its thought this will enable MEGA games to grow at a faster pace, meaning prize amounts in football games get higher too.
Football Game set to be grass roots revolution!
Grass roots football has an online ally at last. Football Buster is not just a free to run, easy to play game, it is an empowerment tool that is set to revolutionise grass roots football club fundraising. At no financial risk throughout the game, small clubs and charities can raise significant amounts of money by simply getting people they know to pick two numbers. The numbers represent the 92 clubs in the Premier league and Coca Cola Football League and all you have to do is be the first to land on 21 goals to scoop the pot. We kid you not! You decide for Free on the entry fee, the prize pot then simply save the rest for that new football kit or whatever you need.
Football Lottery News
The Lincoln City 12th Man football lottery is underway and fans of the Imps can join in and support their club and gain the opportunity to win a nice prize in time for xmas. Join here
Football Buster - Help for Heroes - Support our Injured Troops
Simon Yeo, is not a name that rolls off the tongue when we think of a football hero, but he is however very much a hero with international connections when it comes to serving his country. To fans of Lincoln City, Peterborough, Chester and Macclesfield Football Club he was a hero on the field, with a nose for goal wherever he went. But he has never forgotten his roots and will never forget his comrades in arms having served in Northern Ireland (multiple tours totalling 3 years), Bosnia (6 month tour) and Germany (a year) at a time when East met West begrudgingly. Help this fantastic cause by joining Simons game. Help For Heroes Football Lottery - (News Addition - Nathan Griffin co founder of Football Buster won the first Help for Heroes Buster game and has kindly donated the winnings back to the second game pot.)
Football Buster - FRSB
We are proud members of the FundRaising Standards Board (FRSB) self-regulatory scheme. The FRSB works to ensure that organisations raising money for charity from the public do so honestly and properly. As members of the scheme, we follow the Institute of Fundraising's Codes of Fundraising Practice and comply with the key principles embodied in the Codes and in this Promise.
Football Buster - Football Lottery for grassroots sports clubs.
Do you recognise this question, "where can i get funding or grants for a local football team", I guess you do, just like so many of our grassroots football clubs these days we are underfunded and always in need of money to provide for the players kits equipment, insurance, pitches, first aid and so on.
So often this money is sought from parents, and playing staff with the occasional football sponsor thrown in. Obtaining grants for grassroots football is not an easy task, but its worth contacting bodies such as the football foundation to see if you qualify. There is help out there though, believe it or not you could be raising funds from all four corners of the globe with the right promotion.
Does your club or organisation have a website? Have you considered setting up a football lottery of your own? One that has very minimal manager and zero outlay to get it going. Well you should be! Promoting your football lottery throughout your football season could be the answer to your prayers and indeed the answer to your football financial problems too.
The web site www.footballbuster.com has created a MEGA football lottery game for you completely free. Your job is to attract players to it from all over the internet. Many clubs have written articles spelling out why joining there game would be a very worthwhile idea and posted these across the internet as a promotion tool. Football fundraising has never been easy, but forward thinking football clubs, are indeed tapping into the power of the internet to recuit lottery players.
Your lottery is not just a football funding plea though, the players can actually win a large cash prize. The more players you get involved the more cash your club and the winners get, hence "football lottery", so what are you waiting for. Here's your 5 step guide to solving your football club finance problems today.
1. Setup your free MEGA football lottery game - on the www.footballbuster.com website
2. Promote your game page Online - Use the promotional link tools and post them around the internet on socail networking sites and blogs
3. Write an article - spell out why supporting your football club is such a great idea
4. Contact your audience - Get in touch with large groups of people, work colleagues, neighbours, facebook friends, email contact lists, mobile contacts, fellow school childrens parents, hobby groups, and ask them to contact their contact groups
5. Get them Involved - the game itself is great fun, real time, has cash winnings, and requires zero skill.
Not convinced about the football lottery game? Take a look at some of the current games running on the football buster website. Consider this - 100 players in your first game at a £5 entry fee gives a "game pot of £500, paying winners 50% leaves a big chunk of cash for your club. And whats more, all your players can join in the next football game after you email them, so you'll start with a big player pool the second time around again. You may know people in other countries who'll help you promote your game there too, the world is a pretty big place.
As each game last approx 5 weeks, you can fit in approx 10 MEGA games a year, so thats a large amount of money for your football club.
So start your MEGA game today, and have fun while a brand new revenue stream builds a better future for your grassroots club.
Football Buster is alive and kicking
Nathan Griffin and Gary Simpson (Assistant Manager of Macclesfield Football Club) are proud to announce the launch of a football club fundraising tool set to help needy sports clubs and charities for many years to come. Two years in the making Football Buster provides organisations the tools to fundraise online, using the "buster games". Nathan Griffin - Managing Director of Sunrise Computing Limited in Sheffield and co founder of Football Buster said "Gary and I always had it in our minds that we'd like to create an online football game that would give something back to Football as its treated the pair of us so well over the years. Starting with Grassroots clubs seemed the perfect place to begin. During the launch of Football Buster we have knocked on the doors of some of the biggest bodies in football, but we were very surprised to have those doors closed in our faces. It seems unless you are part of the inner circle of these football bodies you get very little help. This attitude actually spurred us on even further and we were deterimed to personally contact grassroots clubs until we got so many clubs involved that the football bodies couldn't ignore us anymore. It will be interesting to see which of these organisations is the first to give credit to Football Buster and its aims. I'm pleased to say some of the major UK charities have embraced Football Buster and are using it daily to create a new revenue stream." The plan for Football Buster is to grow the amount of football clubs, sports organisations and charity games and with that success launch into Europe and the US. Look out for the Football Buster iphone App coming soon.
Macclesfield manager Keith Alexander has died at the aged of 53
Keith who was one of the main supporters of football buster will be sorely missed. A fantastic man involved in all areas of football life worked hand in hand with one of our co founders Gary Simpson. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends in this difficult time. Rest in Peace Gaffer!