Harry Kane says new grassroots strategy will help England

Friday 14 Aug 2015
Harry Kane says new National Game Strategy is positive news for grassroots football
Harry Kane has hailed the new grassroots investment from The FA’s National Game Strategy as vital for the future of English football.

The Tottenham Hotspur and England striker feels passionately about the topic, having learned his trade as a youngster while growing up in Chingford, east London.

And with the new strategy seeing a record investment into the grassroots game, which will generate more all-weather surfaces, qualified coaches and facilities, Kane was left impressed by the plans.


"It’s great to hear and hopefully there will be many more years of stuff like this," he told TheFA.com.

"Grassroots football is very important and for every youngster coming through, it gives them a great opportunity to play more football at a good level."

Among the aims of the strategy is to improve existing grass pitches and build more 3G artificial surfaces, which can be used throughout the year.

With that comes the opportunity of more football in the winter months when weather conditions often see postponements.

"When I was a kid, I would have played every day of the year and it’s important," added Kane.

"The kids will love it, being able to play all through the year without having to worry about pitches because they’re 3G.

"It’s very important to do this sort of stuff and it’s great to hear."

The increase in qualified coaches working with footballers at grassroots level also encourages Kane, who spent loan spells with the likes of Leyton Orient and Millwall as a teenager before breaking into the Spurs first-team.

Harry Kane wheels away in delight after his debut goal

Kane celebrates his first England senior goal against Lithuania in March

He was the top scoring Englishman in the Premier League last term, with his form earning him a call-up into Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions squad in March.

A goal on his debut against Lithuania at Wembley followed before he ended the campaign with the Under-21s at the Euro Finals in Czech Republic.

And having experienced top level coaching in his professional career over the last few years, he knows that an increase of qualified coaches at grassroots level will help English teams in the future.

"It can only make the players coming through better and that’s what we all want," he added.

"We want to have a strong national side and strong club sides for many years to come, so this can only help that.

"It’s an investment for the future. The benefits of it won’t be immediate but in the next 10 or 20 years, we will hopefully see the results."

Kane will be hoping to feature in England’s next two Euro Qualifiers in September, when they travel to San Marino on 5 September before they host Switzerland at Wembley on Tuesday 8 September.

Tickets for the Switzerland game are still available now, so click here for more details on how to buy them.

By Nicholas Veevers Content Manager - FA Owned Channels