有一項大家都承認的事實，那就是只有1%的年輕足球運動員最后能真正成為職業足球運動員，那么剩下的99%的年輕人去了哪里了？

小時候我喜歡踢足球，還喜歡除了籃球以外的各種體育項目。英國鼓勵人民參加運動有著長達150年的歷史，所以我曾經有機會接觸各種各樣的運動。從我們能走路起，身邊的玩具中總少不了一個足球，我們嘗試著把足球扔給或者踢給父母和親朋，門外的綠草坪是我們可以盡情玩耍的場地，我們不用擔心摔倒受傷，因為這本來就無法避免。

英國在學校和幼兒園向來非常重視體育教育，所以即使我們覺得自己不是“體育苗子”，我們也必須努力嘗試并為一個團隊而戰。如果我們在學校階段萌發出了對任何一種體育項目的熱愛，我們也許會被邀請去校隊效力。

如果我們的父母是典型的父母，他們也會鼓勵我們加入球隊、甚至在放學后和周末的時候踢比賽。你只需在周末的時候參觀任何一個英國小鎮或鄉村，便不難發現正在享受足球樂趣的當地孩子和他們的父母們。大多數孩子知道自己的水平，所以他們沒有成為職業運動員的強烈愿望。

草根足球是這項運動的血脈，它為6歲的男孩女孩們提供參與競技足球的機會，從而學習足球的規則、新的戰術，培養團隊合作能力，鍛煉出強健體魄。為了使這樣的好處能成為現實，年輕人們需要可以踢球的綠茵場，父母們需要組建一些非正式的聯賽，這些在英國都存在，但不幸的是這些環節在中國是缺失的。在英國和其他國家，這樣的聯賽一般都是由想鼓勵孩子參加足球運動的父母組織的，雖然當地的足球協會支持聯賽的舉辦，但這并非是政府的責任。政府應該負責的是提供綠茵場和對場地的維修保養。

在英國，12歲以下的孩子不會在11V11足尺的場地上比賽。根據年齡，他們會在小場地上進行5V5，7V7，9V9的比賽，因為如果想讓這些孩子經常想踢足球，比賽一定要有趣、令人愉快。如果你是8歲，你愿意在足尺的正規場地上跑來跑去踢夠90分鐘嗎？為了樂趣而踢球，不用擔心輸贏對年輕運動員來說至關重要，我們希望他們培養出技能、發展出自信，而不用有在聚光燈下的顧慮。大衛·貝克漢姆在8歲的時候被星探發現，我確信他當時非常顯眼，因為人們發現他十分享受比賽，這意味著他在對那些觀眾展現自己的潛力。

中國的足球學校在孩子很小的時候就對他們進行了挑選，將他們從主流學校中帶到足球學校里，配置大量足球課程的同時，也講授同量的數學或者科學課程。在世界其他國家、包括英國，那些足球方面有天賦的孩子還是要在主流學校里上學，因為我們知道最終成為職業運動員的只會是少數。有些孩子會在青少年的時候發現比起足球他們更熱愛科學，并且所有人都得學習必備的生存技能，以應對入選職業隊失敗的情況。

英國的職業俱樂部訓練營只能容納幾百名9至18歲的孩子，許多孩子會在長大一些的時候被淘汰，另一些孩子又會被邀請進來補充空缺，競爭非常激烈。但是一定要明白職業俱樂部經常在全國范圍內尋找有天賦的孩子，他們經常會去觀看課后以及周末的比賽，草根足球哺育著職業聯賽。還有一點十分重要，那就是訓練營里的每個孩子都是作為獨立的個體被對待，而不是作為標準化的足球運動員批量生產。有些孩子進步的比其他人要快，對于他們技能組合和足球智商的訓練需要根據身體和大腦的的發育情況而細調。

理論上來說，人口龐大的中國有著成為世界一流足球強國的巨大潛能，但是如果草根足球沒有惠澤到每一個人，如果沒有一個經驗證、被認可的成長體系來鼓勵年輕人更多的參與足球運動、改進足球運動，如果沒有星探在課后和周末的比賽中尋找未來明星的影子并將他們培養成那1%的職業運動員，那么人口再多也于事無補。如何將潛在的人才儲備效用發揮到極致，如何打造年輕運動員的人才庫，以及如何讓課后和周末的比賽對孩子和家長來說成為一個“酷酷的”選擇，中國對這些問題需要進行深入的思考。

剩下的那99%不論走向了社會的哪個領域，他們仍然可以享受足球這項美妙運動所帶來的樂趣，提高健康水平。足球是屬于大眾的，每個人都應該被賦予愛上足球的機會。

英文原文

It's a commonly acknowledged fact that only 1% of all youth footballers actually become professional players, so what do the other 99% do?

As a child I liked to play football, and in fact most sports although basketball was not a favourite of mine, and as a child I had many opportunities to play different sports because I am British and our culture has encouraged the playing of sport for 150 years or more. From the time we can walk there will always be a ball amongst our toys that we try to kick or throw to our parents and relatives, and outdoor green spaces where we can ‘play with a ball’ without fear of hurting ourselves as we inevitably fall over whilst trying.

The nation has always encouraged physical education in schools and kindergartens, so even if feel we are not that ‘sporty’ we still must try sport and learn how to play within a team. If we show any interest in sport at school, we may be asked to play for a school team from a young age, and if our parents are a-typical, they will encourage us to join teams or play team games after school and at weekends. You only need to visit any British town or village at the weekend to see local children and adults playing football for fun; most know their limitations and have no aspiration to become professional players.

Grassroots football is the lifeblood of the game; it gives boys and girls from the age of six a chance to play competitive football, to learn the rules of the game, new techniques, team-work and creates a healthy body. But to facilitate these benefits there need to be pitches for young people to play on, and adults to organise matches and informal leagues, something that exists in the UK, but is badly missing in China. In the UK and elsewhere in the world the leagues are often established by parents who want to encourage their kids and others to play football, this is not the role of the government, although the local FA may support the league. The government is however responsible for the provision of the pitches and their maintenance.

In England, kids under 12 do not play on full size pitches in 11 v 11 matches, depending on their age they may play 5 v5, 7 v 7, or 9 v9 on smaller pitches because playing football has to be enjoyable if young people are to want to play it regularly. At the age of 8, would you like to or be able to run up and down a full size pitch or try to play a long ball across one! Playing for fun and not worrying to much about winning is essential for very young players, we want them to develop their techniques and confidence without feeling they are under a spotlight. David Beckham was spotted at the age of 8, and I am sure he stood out because he clearly could be seen as enjoying the game which meant he was showing his potential to those watching.

Unlike the football school model adopted in China, where kids are selected at a young age, taken out of mainstream schooling and placed in a school that teaches as much football as it does maths or science, elsewhere in the world including England, those good at football must still study in mainstream schools, because we know that a small fraction will play football professionally. Some will find that they like science more than football in their teenage years and all must have the necessary life skills to get another job if they don’t make the cut.

Professional club academies will only handle a few hundred kids across the age range 9 to 18, many will be dropped as they get older and a few will be invited in to replace them; it's a tough environment. But what is important to understand is that professional clubs are constantly looking across the country for young players with ability, and they are watching after school and weekend matches, grass roots football feeds the professional game. It is also critical to recognise that every one of these kids in an academy is treated as an individual and not a clone of a standardised footballer. Some develop faster than others and their skill set and football brain needs to be fine-tuned and adjusted based on where they are physically and mentally.

In theory, China has a huge opportunity to become a leading footballing nation due to the size of the population, but just having lots of people wont help if grassroots football isn’t open to everyone and a proven and recognised development system isn’t used to encourage young people to play more and better football and there are not people out there spotting the really good ones and guiding them into the 1%. There is a need to think differently about getting the best out of the potential talent pool, how to create the greatest possible pool of young players, and how to make playing football for your school or at weekends a ‘cool’ choice for the kids and their parents.

The 99% can still enjoy playing the beautiful game for pleasure and the benefit of their health, no matter what job they have. Football is for everyone, and everyone should be given the chance to fall in love with it.

作者簡介：Ken Grant 鴻俊，體育業內人士、投資人和觀察家；國際主席俱樂部(IPC)及亞英體育俱樂部(AASC)董事；The English Football League中國區官方商務開發代表。在足球、高爾夫、馬球等體育領域擁有廣泛的國際關系。

聲明：文中觀點僅代表作者本人觀點，不代表懶熊體育。