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11 Oct 2025 15:10:47
I was just having a think out walking the dog the other day across the fields at the back of where I live in hull. These fields when I moved in to my house 20 years ago were covered in sports pitches. I think from memory there were 6 footy pitches, two rugby and a cricket pitch.
Up till then hull had one of the biggest Saturday and Sunday amateur football leagues in Yorkshire. The sports mail used to have two or three pages dedicated to the league standings and reviews of selected games.
Fast forward to 5 years back on the same dog walk. Two footy pitches and cricket pitch. The goal posts would stand there for months with odd game on a weekend. Slowly that dwindled to nothing and now nothing and the pitches are not there anymore. It is the same in just about every park that I remember playing on. What is more worrying for sport In general is the lack of kids out playing it.
In my day we would have full 11 a side games with more and more kids turning up and playing. And games lasting 2 hours.
Is this a reason our sports are lacking real skill or maverick players? The pool of talent is not there the kids are not bothering to go out and play. When was the last time anyone saw a big group of youngsters playing kick around on park?
I know a lot of teams have moved to 4g pitches at schools etc. When i played veterans footy we moved to 4g because of bad council pitches. Looking at professional football now it's looking at 11 athletes who can play football. Some of the magic is missing. The amateur or none league players are getting fewer and the only ones who stand a chance of making it are the ones who are enthusiastic enough or lucky enough to get involved in the lessening organised leagues.
What do you think guys? How is the grassroots sport around you? How is it different to when you burst onto the scene?
1.) 11 Oct 2025 16:00:58
Ah, gutted since the local female mud wrestling team folded a few years ago. Those were the days.
2.) 11 Oct 2025 20:33:19
Good post WB.
We've just lost our local cricket club after 130 years!
Kids not taking up the game, young adults either working at weekends or not prepared to spend all day playing the game - its a great shame.
3.) 11 Oct 2025 21:30:38
I was amazed when we moved from UK to Canada the number of organized sports and activities available to kids at good prices and the huge participation rates. Often kids did multiple.
Eldest focused on football, karate and scouts while youngest did Fencing along with karate and scouts.
Both did basketball as well for a year or so.
This part of Canada is very laid back and when I coached football work were happy for me to leave early some days. Very different!
4.) 12 Oct 2025 09:49:29
Yeah Canada. Comes down to money and the will. Not enough spare coin and kids on electronics. No chance. Sport is for the elite.
5.) 12 Oct 2025 10:19:30
Have you watched the Freddie Flintoff 'field of dreams' this series cleggy. He tries to set up young cricket team in Manchester, Liverpool and a girls team in Blackpool.
All the cricket clubs he went to were struggling with one or two teams still playing. I'm afraid more will go especially the city ones.
Unfortunately Canada our youth system has been totally taken apart. When the councils are under funded for so long one of the first things to go are youth clubs and youth services.
Most young adults now will go to a gym regularly but not really play any sports.
We had 3 come down to our 7 a side game on Thursday night. All gym bunnies but knackered after 10 mins of running around!
6.) 12 Oct 2025 11:50:25
Very well thought and poignant post Ben, much the same down here in Sussex too!
Only going one way and sadly that’s the wrong way, mores the pity.
7.) 12 Oct 2025 12:57:27
Top post WB - it's all so sad that it is coming to this.
8.) 12 Oct 2025 13:54:27
Us oldies show the way. Just done true grit this morning 10km and 32 obstacles in mother hills. My 7th but at 63 not too many more in me. Never seen anybody over 50 on the course. Just my bit of proud.
Anyway. Knackered but alive pic on sightings.
9.) 12 Oct 2025 14:46:08
I agree that high level sport is generally for the elite Aus.
If I had the coin, my youngest would have had a chance at being at the last Olympics, but we couldn't afford all the traveling and private lessons.
Making Representative teams here (provincial level) becomes expensive but nicely most clubs have discretionary funds to help the more gifted who's family can't afford it.
10.) 13 Oct 2025 06:31:58
Shame about your kid Canada. We can only do so much.
11.) 13 Oct 2025 13:12:57
Great initial post Ben. I haven't lived in England now for nigh on 15 years, but I coached a lot over there, and scouted many other matches, so was able to see lots of the bigger set ups. The pitches at Roundhay were always a sight and a half, with so many games going on at once! Does anyone know if it's still like that at weekends there?
12.) 13 Oct 2025 18:07:33
This is what Mr Google says!
Roundhay Park has eight grass football pitches for various age groups, including adult-sized, 9v9 for juniors, and 5v5 and 7v7 for mini soccer. The pitches are full-size, have a grass surface, but are not floodlit or indoor.
Adult football pitches: These are full-size pitches for adult games.
Junior football 9v9 pitches: Designed for 9-a-side junior matches.
Mini soccer 5v5 pitches: Smaller pitches for 5-a-side games.
Mini soccer 7v7 pitches: Pitches sized for 7-a-side games.
10 Oct 2025 09:14:04
I've just read about our youth keeper Rory mahady was loaned for a game to Scunthorpe and he performed well.
Even got a standing ovation in the dressing room after the game for his performance.
I've not seen a lot of Rory as the youth games are not as well covered as they used to be but he seems a very talented and confident keeper.
Not the biggest lad probably more of a pickford type keeper. But I suppose being a keeper is such a long road to break into any first team. Still one to watch.
1.) 10 Oct 2025 13:11:57
It was a nice read. Read it couple days ago. Glowing report from manager and nice players did that too. He must of been sooo proud.
2.) 10 Oct 2025 19:25:44
Unbelievable for a young player to get a standing ovation. He must have felt ten feet tall!
I find it really hard to judge young keepers when I watch them. So tough to project how they will progress.
04 Oct 2025 21:58:02
So overall a good performance again from Leeds against a good team but the wrong result. A draw maybe would have been a fairer score. Again we had the chances to win this game and we dominated parts of the play. A slightly weakened Tottenham maybe but still with one or two players worth more than our squad!
Gudmundson played brilliantly until the kudus goal. A slightly awkward body position and a bit of a slip let a very good player through.
Òkafor blew hot and cold today but got a goal so we will let him off. Aaronson frustrated at times today. Against this better opposition he was bullied off the ball too much. Although he did get involved with the goal. Also stach again showed he struggles with the pace against better opponents. But he did have a better game pressing Tottenham.
Bit the main thing I gleaned from today was the balls into the box have to improve and the shots need be on target. And if we are going to be more direct then we need to pick and choose when to go direct. At times today we went long with no quality and it comes straight back.
I knew this season was going to be frustrating and yes it is.
1.) 04 Oct 2025 22:06:16
With Aaronson in front of Bogle it leaves him out to dry and very exposed. Yes lots of possession but nothing to show for it, as one commentator said lots of nice passing, but nothing comes of it . And as we all know Harrison still can't cross a freaking ball.
2.) 04 Oct 2025 22:15:27
Anyone at the game? It looked like all crosses from Bogle in 2nd half were way over hit, wonder if wind was strong in that direction as he's usually a good crosser?
3.) 04 Oct 2025 22:49:07
Excellent post Ben.
Aaronson had one of his better games but as you say was bullied off the ball to easily.
It all comes back to the summer recruitment. Not very good is the answer.
If I said on here back in May we should go all out and get DCL and make him our number 9 i'd have been slaughtered.
We have FOUR keepers in our squad of 25 and only ONE out n out number 9!
4.) 04 Oct 2025 23:57:31
To be fair to dcl he has missed a few but most of his chances he has got a head or foot on but direct at the keeper. But the crosses into the box on the whole have been terrible. Today even our balls forward were poor. We have to give Dcl better service.
5.) 05 Oct 2025 05:10:39
A few Ben? He has only scored one. Can’t recall an assist either. Woefully short of what we need and only playing cause we messed up transfer window and couldn’t get better. That’s the fact of the matter.
6.) 05 Oct 2025 09:20:26
Ben, I hope- A good performance but wrong result, is not our epitaph
come May.
7.) 05 Oct 2025 09:26:14
Don’t think we messed up the transfer window at all Aus, quality attackers who are Prem ready to not come cheap, in fact way out of our spending bracket plus that kind of quality that we need will not want to come to a newly promoted team from the Championship that has a high chance of being relegated.
DCL for all his past struggles with injuries etc is a Premiership ready quality number 9 and we are very fortunate that he actually wanted to come to Leeds.
My concern is with the state of our wingers, who I feel all lack that cutting edge in the Premiership. I hope for our sake that Okafor, James and Gnonto will when all fit push on and play a little more above themselves.
We are still at the end of the day, which I feel some forget, only a newly promoted Championship team and there is a big gap in quality compared to our counterparts. Considering that gap we are doing much better than I imagined and if it’s enough to survive this first season back, even if it’s by goal difference, then we will have achieved our objective for this season, that is the bottom line in my opinion.
8.) 05 Oct 2025 11:30:09
OP surely it’s not good to have 4 keepers and only one out n out striker in our 25 man squad?
We must be the only side to have 4 keepers in the squad which tells me the transfer window was effed up.
9.) 05 Oct 2025 13:02:43
Well it’s quite evident Cork that Meslier and Cairns will be leaving, either this January or in the summer. I think we all know the reasons why it is potentially difficult to offload Meslier and Cairns is not really considered back up if we’re honest about it.
I guess Farke and his staff view the striker situation differently to perhaps fans like yourself see it Cork. Whether you view Piroe or Nemcha as strikers or not, they still can play in that position, so technically we are not void of other number nine capabilities.
I don’t think we are in a position to pick and choose on out and out good quality Premiership players, but if we can survive in this league then opportunities will present themselves eventually to us.
10.) 05 Oct 2025 20:44:02
OP the point I was making is having four keepers in our 25 leaves us a man short in the squad.
If we had signed Wilson as we obviously wanted to do then Mez wouldn’t have been in the 25 man squad.
Even the club more or less said they screwed up the last day of the window. I’d go as far to say they effed up quite a lot of the window.
11.) 05 Oct 2025 21:45:45
Well see come the end of season Cork, if we get relegated then perhaps there’s good argument for that but if we stay up then equally there’s a more than a good enough argument to say that their recruitment was bang on.
I’m not believing any stories that they screwed it up, I’ll leave that for the gossipers.
I’m only interested in us staying up and if we achieve that then it was a big success, even if it’s done marginally.
As far as i'm concerned finishing the season in a comfortable position is not going to happen in my opinion, it’s going to be a nerve wracking battle to the end, to believe it will be anything but would be a tad naive or over confident.
12.) 06 Oct 2025 09:33:03
It's a very pragmatic interpretation of the challenge OP, and one i totally agree with. Transfer wise, what more could be done within the constraints we have to navigate?
And as for the gaffer, I think it's time the "sack him" crew acknowledge that he has got another vastly changed team playing good football, and competing with some of the established PL teams.
13.) 06 Oct 2025 10:14:56
I think if you can’t see the positives in what we are achieving on the pitch then those fans i'm sorry to say are not being totally honest with themselves.
I think from what I’ve seen so far suggests to me we’ve got a very decent chance of staying up.
The players themselves look up for the task and Farke has his players psychologically it would seem in the right zone.
I’m personally very happy with what I’ve seen so far and Lady Luck owes us a bit which will come over the course of the season.
14.) 06 Oct 2025 20:02:23
Great last post OP and I agree we have a good chance of staying up.
22 Sep 2025 22:06:01
Rapha coming in 5th in the balloon dor!
Who would have thought?
Orta got it right for once.?
1.) 23 Sep 2025 06:49:12
Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day.
2.) 23 Sep 2025 07:45:01
Exactly Alf.
3.) 23 Sep 2025 10:09:01
To be fair to orta a lot of his ones for the future come good and we made great profit on them. It’s odd his ones for the future were good but first team appointments under orta and Belisa were quite poor.
4.) 23 Sep 2025 11:18:57
Not if one of its hands has fallen off.
5.) 23 Sep 2025 18:43:57
I think things did click with orta towards the end. Rapha. Gnonto. Gio. But he was starting to spend a slight more money and focus in on up and coming stars not just promising youngsters.
But to much of a scatter gun approach for most of his time. And players who needed too much time to adjust to English football.
20 Sep 2025 17:21:25
Well then what can we say about that? Well played leeds. Plenty of effort. Midfield didn't let them settle on the ball. But when their goal went in after gabby had flashed it across their box I thought here we go again.
They seem to sit back after that and we never really looked like loosing. Okafor in the first half had a stinker giving the ball away constantly but he he came up with a goal and looked better second half.
Dcl first half won everything in the air he is what we missed last season. A focal point and what did I say about getting crosses in to him. Brilliant header at the far post.
Gabby played well but they managed to keep bogle quiet and it looked a bad injury as well at the end. Stachs goal will definitely make goal of the month. Amps and longstaff were great in the centre really controlled things.
And darlow. Could say he is in the form of his career? Looks really sharp and he may be our number 1 for a while.
1.) 20 Sep 2025 17:51:44
Good post Ben, and I'd say a very fair assessment! Delighted with most things today!
2.) 20 Sep 2025 18:07:38
Excellently put Ben. Okoafor definitely looked poor first half but showed second half what he can do and took his goal well.
I personally thought we sat back too much second half and if they had nicked one it could have been dicey.
Great to see all the new lads play well and the team worked their nuts off.
3.) 20 Sep 2025 19:12:13
Cracking Result . Darlow should stay Number1.
Stach cracking goal. longstaff putting in the graft and fair play to Okafore for keeping @ it as he gave the ball away easily! Great team performance may silence the Farke haters!
Up The Whites Down The Pints!
4.) 20 Sep 2025 20:06:07
Oddly tho, despite totally agreeing re Okafor's dour first 45, Sky are raving about it! 14 dribbles, 12 in the first half: they all came to nowt, but just shows how they make up stats to fit their own stories!
He was much better second half tho, having taken his goal very well!
14 Oct 2023 16:15:56
He said we would be looking at loans primarily.
If the loans are as good as jadon, rodon and spence we should be golden.
14 Oct 2025 19:49:06
It is a bit silly cleggy I agree. I have seen loads of fb posts like how many goals haaland has scored for Norway and pickford has 8 clean sheet equalling banks.
But haaland would not score as many against the top World teams. Pickford has played against teams at times that don't have a shot all match.
But extra game means more money.
But it does make for dull games.
13 Oct 2025 18:07:33
This is what Mr Google says!
Roundhay Park has eight grass football pitches for various age groups, including adult-sized, 9v9 for juniors, and 5v5 and 7v7 for mini soccer. The pitches are full-size, have a grass surface, but are not floodlit or indoor.
Adult football pitches: These are full-size pitches for adult games.
Junior football 9v9 pitches: Designed for 9-a-side junior matches.
Mini soccer 5v5 pitches: Smaller pitches for 5-a-side games.
Mini soccer 7v7 pitches: Pitches sized for 7-a-side games.
12 Oct 2025 17:46:43
Got to keep going aus.
You show them young uns how to go!
12 Oct 2025 10:19:30
Have you watched the Freddie Flintoff 'field of dreams' this series cleggy. He tries to set up young cricket team in Manchester, Liverpool and a girls team in Blackpool.
All the cricket clubs he went to were struggling with one or two teams still playing. I'm afraid more will go especially the city ones.
Unfortunately Canada our youth system has been totally taken apart. When the councils are under funded for so long one of the first things to go are youth clubs and youth services.
Most young adults now will go to a gym regularly but not really play any sports.
We had 3 come down to our 7 a side game on Thursday night. All gym bunnies but knackered after 10 mins of running around!
10 Oct 2025 09:05:02
I did my family tree a few years back. My dad's family were fair ground showman from Leeds and surrounding area.
It was interesting looking into social history and finding out stories surrounding the family. I have often thought it would be nice to write about it.
They say that everyone has a book in them.
Some times it's turns out just to be constipation!