Summary: Joining Anto for a special year end episode about grassroots challenges and opportunities is Tom Byer from Japan as we once again have a frank and candid discussion about youth development, the expanding roles of culture and media in this process and how new regulations in US youth soccer around heading a football is the perfect storm for kids in the sport. We begin with some important emerging news as the Chinese School Football Program has adopted yet new game-changing strategies involving media support across its entire educational media channel and how the German football and the Bundesliga have also stepped into the breach as the grassroots strategy has begun to prove that technical training at even younger ages is proving to be yet another significant step in youth development. We also discuss the recent issues in the US around heading a football, debate whether this focus is more of a cultural phenomenon that actual practice around the world, yet leave little doubt that this could be a catalyst for real systemic change in youth development as coaches have been mandated officially to keep the ball on the ground for safety reasons linked to traumatic head injury. We also discuss the future as Tomsan takes his work to UEFA grassroots, why some cultures resist change and why the successful ones always seem to push the envelope looking for the next advantage. And how China has proven to be the location where innovation and experimentation has led to some of the most aggressive and creative developments in youth football education.
