The 0-31 of Real Madrid opens a debate on the change of format of grassroots football

Soccer at an early age is seen as a tool to teach values, have fun and train the little ones. But the context of competition and rivalry to win exists and the level inequality is very evident. That happened this Saturday in the game of benjamines (8 and 9 years) of Villaverde against Real Madrid. The white subsidiary won 0-31, a result that was too bulky but very common in the youth football categories. A situation in which many clubs, coaches and psychologists have already warned that we must try to change.

“It was tough. I had my grandson playing in that game.“, relates Juan Antonio Cozar, president of Villaverde, who already warns that he is going to ask for changes: “This cannot remain like this. This rule must be changed in an Assembly of the Madrid Federation. I am going to propose that the youngest of professional clubs (Madrid, Atleti, Rayo …) face the fry (10-11 years) of the most modest. They do that in Andalusia. I'm going to give up my life so that no one suffers that humiliation. “

María Blanco, sports psychologist at Train Your Mind, analyzes these situations: “The clubs they must be clear if they are working on training or performance. We live in a context in which the result is very much looked at. Nobody watches if one plays better or not. Parents, coaches and everyone look at the result, being better than the other, winning. And in the end the day you concede 31 goals you just end up looking at the result. “Blanco encourages looking for alternatives to the goal as reinforcers and motivators for young people and that they can improve:”The one who receives the goals has the problem of frustration. Fitting 31 exceeds the tolerance that any person has and more than a child. But you have to make them see if they have achieved the other objectives they had in the game, such as encouraging the goalkeeper when he concedes a goal or with certain tactical nuances that the coach had asked to do during the game. You have to differentiate the result of the task, both for the winner and the loser. Coaches can help train through goals in the game (placement of the defenders, oriented control, shots from outside the area …) and not only the result. They can make it more complex to score so that they improve as footballers“In addition, he highlights that psychological work must be done with the boys, but also with the coaches:”There is a lot of emotional exercise and you have to validate your emotions. Understand that they are sad and frustrated after conceding 31 goals. It is necessary to conduct a global psychological training. It is not worth working on that aspect sometime during the week and on match day the coaches or parents tell their children that they have to win yes or yes and ask them why they cry if they lose “.

He talks about this aspect of training rather than competition Sergio Paredes, coordinator of the Villaverde School: “Our philosophy is purely educational and therefore the results go to the background. We have a sports psychologist at the school available to all players, coaches and parents. During the season he focuses more on working with the coaches to give them the concrete tools to work with the boys. We put competition aside at these ages to promote the values ​​that this sport can provide for day to day. I always say that we stay as we are on Saturday, Monday we have to get up to study or work and the result does not matter. Here we come to enjoy, have fun and learn. Our goal is to train children through sports “.

ZidaneAsked about the controversy, he takes the blame off the children: “They are there and they play. Unfortunately this can happen. It is a bit ugly to conceal 31 goals, but it is not up to the coach to say that they do not attack. In basketball, with a 50-point advantage, the game is stopped, you have to look around “.

José Luis Polo, sports vice president of the Madrid Federation, affirms that the restructuring of the categories is already approved to avoid these situations as of next season. But it is not going, as Zidane asks, to limit the annotations, which the clubs do not like very much, but to equalize the groups: “Two years ago we proposed a restructuring and we approved it in the Assembly. But last year it was not possible due to COVID and it will be done for the next. Groups will be created at the top of each category and the highest level among them will play in it. In this way, it will level out more. “Of course, Polo does not share the idea of ​​limiting goals since” in the end, more parents and coaches are left with the results and the children forget it after a while and they go back to playing soccer for fun “. As he sees it difficult to divide the categories by first-year and second-year players: “We are many clubs and groups. We have to try to make everyone happy. There are areas in which clubs need to mix players from both years in order to have a team. “.

A restructuring vision that shares Jesus Péramo, candidate for the RFFM: “We want to put measures so that the jump from football 7 to 11 is not so great.” Miguel Galán, another candidate for the RFFM, asked on Twitter to “reflect on the sports values ​​of the quarry.” “I will modify the regulations to close the score to 10 goals and separate the categories.”