Well Matt is 18 soon and off to university so after 10 years his junior football career and mine is over.
Over those 10 years I have to say I've given total dedication to whatever team he has played in and rarely missed one of his matches, probably maybe 2 evening games that spring to mind as I was working. I've driven all over the county picking up players, pretty much been linesman for most of his games, erected and dismantled goals, coached, been assistant manager and even took over the team last season as manager when his manager resigned.
We've seen promotions, relegations, this seasons cup final appearance, played with some great players and seen some horrible injuries.
So I feel qualified to pass comment on junior football and in fact football in general as follows:
The one thing I would love to change in football is the attitude i.e. sportsmanship, comaraderie, honesty, integrity and respect for authority. I have played many sports in my time but mainly being an A league hockey player and an A league tennis player. I got a lot out of those sports on and off the playing of that I don't see Matthew gets from football.
For a start the scale of abuse of officials is unique to football. Why would anyone want to officiate a game, I have got used to it over 10 years but still feel really bad sometimes if I've had a particularly stormy match. I have only done it for my son, I've told him there is no way I will officiate in mens football for him, which actually is a shame because I'm really good at it, as I'm regularly told.
This leads to the key elements of honesty, sportsmanship and respect for authority. I'm sorry if I offend the genuine guys out there but generally speaking football players are just a bunch of cheats who will constantly break the rules then routinely abuse the referee when he pulls them up. This then spreads to the manager and the spectators who all jump on the bandwagon and blame the referee for everything in the world.
A striker can miss 5 easy chances and his team lose 1-0 and it will be the referee who takes the blame for some dubious decision.
Am I talking of junior football here or the Premeir League ? Actually there is no difference. The Premier League are role models for the juniors to copy. I guess it all starts from U16 upwards though. To be fair, kids football is pretty enjoyable up to U16 level, then it all becomes a brutal gladatorial experience.
We have had a really skillful team this season with a great bunch of lads. They have been kicked from pillar to post and brutally culled in this league they have played in and despite that still got to the cup final and finished 2nd in the league. But have had no protection.
The answer to producing skillful english footballers is not just the coaching. We have very good coaching at our club. But come the match our skillful players are brutally assaulted week after week.
The way to change this is not difficult in my view. Start with the Premier League and stamp out using the officials as an excuse for losing. Heavy fines and bans for anyone speaking out of turn against officials, this would have to include Alex Ferguson as well by the way.
Stamp out dissent by the players too. You watch any game of football on tele and the players are in constant dialogue moaning at the referee as they try to con him over incidents all over the pitch. To me only the captain should be talking to the referee, the rest of the players should be concentrating on playing and not officiating, a bit like rugby !!
At junior level we just need more referees. There are many refs I know who have just given up because of the abuse. Actually I think they are victims of the culture in football i.e. blame the ref for everything.
The answer is again not too difficult to change the culture. Simply send off players who abuse officials or go out to cripple other players. You would be amazed at what players get away with at junior level. Referees also need to be supported, respected and defended and that is the responsibility of all of us.
I am very proud of Matthew, I have brought him up never to speak to referees or pass comment on their decisions in a game and to treat them with respect. He does that very well even in the cup final when he of all players was unjustly given handball against and booked to boot. He just took it and walked off, I was very proud of him at that moment. Unlike many of the thugs he comes up against whose behaviour on a football pitch is frankly often illegal.
So really all parties in football need to change to make it a more skillful and enjoyable game at grass roots and develop skillful English players for the future.
One more thing is around the general atmosphere of a match. Again football is unique here in sports I have experieced.
Generally you turn up for a game in a pretty tribal atmosphere, you kick the sh*t out of your opponents, shout and abuse the ref, dismantle the goals and then go home.
I feel a bit sorry for Matt to be honest. In all other sports I have played you have a clubhouse, you get showered and changed and then meet the opposition after the game and discuss the match over hospitality of a drink and often food too. Very much like rugby, hockey and league team tennis.
This never happens in football in my experience. Matthews matches quite often end in a fight, quite a few have ended in mass brawls. Usually a row with the ref on your way out. It is aggressive, unpleasant and a million miles away from sportsmanship.
People in football, that is all of us, should really make the effort to meet up with the opposition, stay around after a game and socialise with them and generally enjoy some respect for your opponents, as happens routinely in other sports, put away the primitive tribal behaviour we have today.
So in summary of what has been a long rambling tirade:
Could we just be more respectful of officials and our opponents please and socialise after games.
It's as simple as that and out of that will flow Robinho's, Kaka's, Messi's, Ronaldinho's out of our junior footballing ranks, because they are there, I have seen them with my own eyes, but currently they are brutally dismantled before they reach 18 
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