The latest speaker in the Stevenson and Adam Smith Research Foundation lecture series at the University of Glasgow was SFA Chief Executive Gordon Smith, who delivered a passionate and optimistic view of Citizenship in Football on Monday night.
Smith's lecture focused on three key groups - fans, professional players and children - as he set out the SFA plans to help reform youth football, and the wider attempt to change the cultures and behaviour of those engaged in Scotland's national sport, in order that the attitudes and performance of future generations can be more positive.
Throughout his well-intentioned and good-humoured address Smith sought to draw together thematic concerns which are clearly close to his heart, and the speech was punctuated by keen insights into his personal experience as a player and administrator and impassioned examples of the positives football can bring to the community and the nation, as well as the individual.
Gordon spoke candidly of SFA campaigns and programmes to deal with grass-roots football; outlining a multi-step initiative to offer advice to young players on diet, fitness and health, lifestyle, behaviour and psychology, and delivered a warm endorsement of an imported enterprise called 'positive coaching' which seeks to emphasise the love of winning over the hatred of losing, and incorporates focus on attitude, determination and work-rate in addition to ability. In addition, he expanded on plans to change the youth football season (to be March through November) and impressed the need for bodies to address some of the problems adults bring to the game, whether it is negative attitudes or inappropriate behaviour and expectations while involved with the youth level.
The desire to make better citizens of our youth was the dominant concern, and the SFA Chief Executive outlined a commitment to help wider society, happily relaying tales of co-operation with the Scottish Government in a number of small campaigns to be launched, aimed primarily at children. However, it should be noted that elsewhere Smith expressed disappointment with the present SNP administration, who have quashed funding plans offered by the previous McConnell regime in their Facilities Strategy paper. While Gordon was keen to offer the suggestion that some of the SFA plans and practices to be rolled-out at youth level may be taken on by schools and other sports, he was perhaps less optimistic of government backing their support in terms of the social dimension with hard cash for facilities. Recent developments such as at Toryglen were held as examples of what can be done, but the comparisons with overseas communities - including a Swiss town of 900 people with a full scale pitch and tartan track - did little to convince those present that a golden age of football fixtures and fittings is on the horizon.
The small but enthusiastic crowd in attendance contributed to a lively Q&A session, where Smith answered questions on funding, masculine culture in the sport, the opportunity for scholarships, the role of the Clubs in promoting citizenship, and the need for positive role models, amongst other topics.
Smith's lecture sought to establish the need and the desire to ensure Scotland's favourite sport can move forward, and leave many of the negative aspects behind it, as future generations learn how best to behave, to train, to play, and to respect each other: whether it be officials, opponents or the game itself. It contained much that was new, a great deal of informative and enthusiastic content, and if it sometimes strayed towards generalisation it did so only with the constraints of office and mandate in mind. The lecture rather confirms that the governing body did very well to appoint a man with such heartfelt consideration for the game and the intellectual ability to promote and consider new ideas and approaches.
A fuller report of proceedings will appear on this website later today.
Video of the lecture will soon be available at:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/stevensontrustforcitizenship/events/lectureseries2008-2009/