Exclusive: UK Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe On Wages, World Cup Bids & A Great Britain Team
The Sports Minister was pleased to share his thoughts with Goal.com about a number of issues surrounding the English game...
Gerry Sutcliffe MP, the United Kingdom government's Sports Minister, was at Derby County's Pride Park Stadium on Wednesday giving government backing to the 'Every Player Counts' initiative.
This scheme has been launched in partnership between the The Football League Trust and the The New Football Pools, and aims to increase disability football provision across England and Wales on an unprecedented scale, with The New Football Pools donating £2.59 million to a three-year, pan-disability scheme that will develop opportunities at 36 Football League clubs.
At the event, Mr. Sutcliffe was also pleased to share some of his thoughts about the current state of the game in England with Goal.com's Zack Wilson.
With the event focusing on grassroots and community football, Mr. Sutcliffe was asked as to whether he felt the huge spending power of a club such as Manchester City could actually be good for the game, widening as it does the gap between the Premier League and the lower reaches of the football pyramid.
"That's one of the reasons why we wrote to the Premier League and the FA in autumn last year to raise a number of issues of concern about governance of football and homegrown players," he revealed. “There's quite a wide ranging agenda, and we've now received all their responses and I'm due to give my response to their response in the next couple of weeks.
"It's not the government's job to run football. What we see ourselves as are critical friends basically. These are the issues that are raised with us by fans. We do have a part to play in that we invest £25 million into grassroots football through All Sport plans with the FA, through the education system and we liaise with clubs about Premier players going into academies. So there is a legitimate role for government to play.
"I've said previously that I think if football is to be sustainable it needs to keep in touch with its grassroots and to keep in touch with supporters. I think issues around wages and around ticket prices are key elements that they've got to look at.
"At the end of the day it's not for me to set caps, although I do understand that discussions are taking place around Europe and indeed in the UK. It's for the FA and the Football League to sort that out - it shouldn't be up to the government to demand that they do."
With that in mind, the minister was asked whether he felt that the proposed FIFA '6+5' ruling, limiting the amount of non-homegrown players in a side, was a positive move.
"The 6+5 is an issue that FIFA are putting forward. There are concerns around its legality in terms of European competition law. As European sports ministers, we are looking at what we can do to help and support the UEFA proposal as well," he explained.
Mr Sutcliffe highlighted the fact that the government see international success for the England team as its priority, and he would like to see more young Englishman given the chance to play more regularly for their club sides.
"The England national team is important," he asserted.
"A good example of that for me was that, whilst the England Under-19s and Under-21s did very well to reach their [European Championship] finals, in the U-21 final, most of the German team played regular first team football, and unfortunately the English team didn't.
"Regular first team football is important if you want players to develop. These are all issues that I will be responding to when I make a speech in Europe in early September."
With a bid to host the 2018 World Cup in England in its incipient stages, the national team is likely to be high on the agenda in the coming years, and Mr. Sutcliffe was of the view that the bid to host the tournament could only be good for football in this country, as well as elsewhere.
"What we've tried to do, we can see the inspiration sport has in people's lives, is to get across the message of be the best you can be with whatever you get involved with,” he said.
"We think that inspires not just the senior level, in terms of people playing in the competition, but goes right the way down to grassroots and school level because people are excited by having the World Cup.
"The other thing, and we've learned this from the Olympic bid, is that we want a football legacy for the world as well. We can't be arrogant and we certainly can't be complacent, because the competition [for the bid] is very stiff.
"We think it will help the national game, but also the international game as well, in terms of we've got great excitement, seen from the number of cities that want to bid for it."
Mr Sutcliffe isn't the English Sports Minister though, his role extends throughout the UK, covering Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well, and he felt, with a joint British bid being impractical and unlikely to succeed, England hosting the 2018 tournament would have positive knock-on effects in the other nations of the UK too.
"It has to be a single country bid. FIFA haven't ruled yet, but they are likely to say that the joint bid from Spain and Portugal is not the way forward so it has to be a one home nation bid," he explained.
"We believe it will benefit Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well."
Another major sporting event shortly to arrive on these shores are the 2012 Olympic Games, in which a Great Britain side consisting only of English players will represent the nation.
The Scottish and Welsh FAs will not be sending players as they feel it will compromise their separate national identities within FIFA. Mr. Sutcliffe, though, maintained that he was disappointed with the negative response from the other Home Nations.
"I'm disappointed about the home nations' response to the Great Britain team,” he lamented. “I understand the concerns about losing the individual identity of the home nations, but we did have assurances from FIFA that that wouldn't take place.
"I think it was unfortunate that the home nations sent a letter to FIFA saying that they didn't think football was an Olympic sport. I don't think that was in their best interest.
"There will be a team representing Great Britain, made up of English players. Even at this late stage I would hope that, if we are able to find Scottish and Welsh players who are under 23 and who want to play, then the home nations don't stop them playing.
"I think it's a disappointment because the Olympic Games in London will be a fantastic showcase for all sport, and football in particular. I think it's sad that a Scottish player or a Welsh player won't get the chance to play at Wembley.
"Chris Hoy [a Scottish-born Olympic track cycling gold medallist] did it, a lot of athletes do it and are very proud to represent Great Britain."