Wotte: Grassroots is place for a summer trial

Mark Wotte reckons it’s a great idea to have summer football and would like it piloted at grassroots level.

But the Dutchman, who left his role as the SFA’s Performance Director last October, is adamant it will take more than that to transform our game.

Wotte said, “Overall, I think we should support a lot of what has been suggested in this survey, and investigate other proposals.

“It would be worth a pilot to have summer football at grassroots level. The only problem is that the grass has to recover in the summer for around 4-6 weeks because it doesn’t grow in the winter!

“It’s definitely a step in the right direction, a no-brainer to play in a better climate on a bright day. I’m sure the senior players would like that as would supporters but it’s not easy to revamp the whole schedule.

“When I was at the SFA, the grassroots wasn’t in my remit and nor was the calendar. But my colleagues at Hampden told me they were looking into it, so we’ll see what conclusions they come up with.

“But the bigger picture has to be addressed. The key to it all is to change the mindset and coach education for youth coaches. They must be told that the most important thing for them is to focus on individual development instead of team development.

“Coaches must see themselves as ‘Football Teachers’, developing the skills of the individual players instead of coaching teams to win games!

“Coaches in Spain and Holland see themselves as ’Football Teachers’. Until that changes in Scotland, the improvement will not happen at the rate it should.

“Listen, I’m not saying every coach isn’t getting it right. There are many, many coaches who are getting it right in Scotland. But the ones who aren’t must be told.

“I tried to change it at Elite Level, and the message was getting through, for sure.

“We now have to make sure the grassroots coaches are receiving it loud and clear because they are the ones who give young footballers from ages 6-11 their first sessions.

“I told all of the coaches to remember three important things when they took a session with the youths.

“To make sure a ball was involved and it wasn’t about running 100 laps of the pitch.

“To make sure the players enjoyed it and to make sure they learned something in every session.

“There also has to be more investment in more 3G pitches. The better the quality of the surface added to being educated in the right way will mean the future should be good for Scottish football.”

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Wotte: Grassroots is place for a summer trial