20 Mar 2026 18:36:54
Hey Ed's,
Wanted your opinion on this.
The Liverpool area used to produce elite talents like Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler. Why are we seeing fewer local superstars now?
Is it down to modern academy structures and global scouting, or just the rarity of generational players?
Any current local prospects with top-level potential? There seems to be a lot from London area now.
Many Thanks.
{Ed001's Note - it is a whole bunch of things, academy set ups tend to scour the world, pushing out locals from the system to make space. Kids are not spending as much time outdoors playing sports any more, they are sat staring at screens. Even those that want to play out have fewer places they can do so. When I was growing up you could kick a ball in the street, now you can't due to all the cars.}
20 Mar 2026 20:19:56
The fact that kids are playing video games, watching YouTubers, and cartoons, rather than playing any sort of sport outside, is a very real contributor, in my opinion. Local parks round me are completely absent of children, outside of toddlers playing with their parents in their respective area. Which, as a football coach that does private group sessions, is a double-edged sword: plenty of room to train. However, I usually only get 6 - 10 players attending.
Then again, I know many parents who believe parks, etc, are simply too dangerous, and actively ban them from going. When we train at private facilities, I can get 6 - 10 players. But, when it comes to local parks (during Spring and Summer), it can go down to 4 players attending sometimes.
Honestly, now is the best time to make it as a footballer because most kids now like football, but don't genuinely love it enough to drop Fortnite, Roblox, or even the share bag of sweets and crisps (which they consume on their own). If a child was willing to work hard and commit to it, then their chances would be higher than previous generations, in my opinion.
Then again, most of the kids in my area are too busy trying to be the class clown, or their favourite YouTuber. And, the parents either ignore it, proportion blame elsewhere, or believe that shouting and aggressive behaviour will be enough to convince people that there is not a problem.
Apologies, went on an old person "Back in my day" tangent, gonna rein myself back in now.
{Ed025's Note - i think you are spot on Mango..
20 Mar 2026 20:13:23
Ed001 but the kids nowadays can do all sorts of skills on fifa or whatever it's called now.
I must admit though Ed I live near a massive green and there was never any kids in there since my age group played footy on it but since Covid kids round here seem to be on there all the time playing footy.
It's like because they was not allowed out during Covid they have seen what they was missing. Being an 80s child I just loved being out with my mates we would get the net up on the school goals and be playing till the goalkeeper could only hear the ball rustle in the net then we new it was time to finish.
{Ed001's Note - good to hear kids are back out there, I think a lot of that is the parents desperate to get peace after being stuck in with them during covid.}
20 Mar 2026 20:40:23
I remember years ago Harry Redknapp saying about the British kids not playing football, they were more interested in other stuff, social media, staying indoors etc n then compared it to the African kids, sayin they haven't got much but they're outside playing football in most of their countries and that's why we get plenty of these players rather than the British kids
20 Mar 2026 21:09:48
Kids wanted to be footballers when they grew up, now it's YouTube/TikTokers.
20 Mar 2026 21:35:54
100% Willo, most kids these days see how much money the likes of Jake Paul and the rest of these YouTube and TikTokers can make without putting no real effort in.
20 Mar 2026 22:17:00
There's been a clear drop in the quality of footballers in general over the last 15-20 years, despite more money than ever being pumped into youth development. I don't think that's a coincidence.
20 Mar 2026 22:18:56
There's actually a lot of work that goes into being a successful YouTuber, Red. It's not easy.
The problem I see is kids nowadays look at a 30 second clip on YouTube that has taken a week to prepare and think that's real life. They are comparing themselves against an impossible standard, and it causes so many mental health issues.
20 Mar 2026 22:26:15
Not just sport. Kids are growing up in the UK and can't even be bothered to work. Young lads used to want a job in a trade, now they wanna trade currency online instead.
It's a crazy new world, I'm glad I grew up before the Internet. ?
20 Mar 2026 22:39:56
Me too, LFC8, I work in tech, but it definitely has plenty of downsides for society. Look at the death of the high street, online bullying, cyber crime, and people lacking social skills, to name just a few.
21 Mar 2026 07:54:29
When I was a kid, my mum did a play scheme on the field in front of our house. This used to go for 3 weeks of the summer holidays. She spent a lot of her own money doing this. Technology has changed, but kids haven't. They need something to do, and someone to treat them with respect and be able to listen.
There's a reason why antisocial behaviour is rife: the working-class areas have been left behind. Many of the best players mentioned, and a lot more, come from these areas.
21 Mar 2026 08:23:44
LiverpoolFC8,
You must be ancient, mate ?. I'm 57 and even in my early teens we had the dial up internet when you couldn't use the phone.
You're right tho, great times indeed. God knows what it'll be like in another 20 years. ?
21 Mar 2026 08:28:22
I lived in Spain and Portugal, and the access to sport is so much better than in England.
Lots of playgrounds everywhere for kids to have space to play, and then renting courts for five-a-side was so cheap to do.
It was a while back, but I remember paying EUR5 to rent an entire court for an hour! That was for everyone. Maybe things have changed over the last ten years, but that was brilliant.
21 Mar 2026 08:32:09
I train young kids at football, and to see their faces when I talk about running home from school to get over the local field to play football and use your jumper and/or push bike for goal posts. Arguing if a shot was over the bar or not, or if it was inside the post.
Now they swap user names and have no communication skills. I've seen kids of all ages not talk at training and on football pitches.
It's a lost skill having social time.
21 Mar 2026 09:33:51
Irish Rover, dial up, you remember the noise that thing made? ?
I mean, modern day Internet, to be fair. I'm glad we got to grow up before our lives revolved around our phones.
I'll tell you what, though, mate. Even with all the amazing things you can do on your mobile phone these days, a simple call is still rubbish, signal still sucks. ?
21 Mar 2026 10:07:35
I grew up in the 60s, and all us kids did was play football from first thing in the morning to when my mam shouted us in. Best young days of my life, and on a Saturday, when the Reds were at home, off to the boys' pen with me mates. Life was so good then, nothing like today. YNWA.
21 Mar 2026 10:29:43
Skate parks seem to have taken all the kids' attention, at least where I live in Hampshire.
The local skate park is packed out every day, but the surrounding fields are usually empty, or have just a couple of kids playing football.
21 Mar 2026 12:34:41
Hsf
It doesn't bother me if it's not football, as long as it's activity. My boys were BMX fanatics when they were kids. Now they play hockey and ski.
I always say, if you can get your kid into sport and music, then you've a fair chance of raising a decent human being.