FA Chair Greg Dyke admitted the grassroots game in England "is in a degree of crisis," according to Roan & McNulty of the BBC. Dyke said that he wanted to invest £250M ($401M) "in new training facilities and improve English coaching standards." However, "his plan to add Premier League B teams into the Football League is in doubt" after a report said the reaction from clubs was "not favourable." Dyke: "If you go to Germany or Holland we are miles behind in terms of facilities and the number of coaches. It is clear we have a real problem with pitches. Local authorities' budgets are being squeezed and most of the pitches are owned by them." Dyke wants to create football "hubs" in 30 cities by '20 and "increase the number of top-quality 3G artificial grass pitches in urban areas by 130% to more than 500." A pilot scheme was unveiled in Sheffield on Friday and will be followed by similar schemes in Birmingham and Liverpool. It is likely to cost about £50M ($80M) a year to reach the required target by '20 -- but Dyke "is confident the scheme will find plenty of backers, including the Premier League, local government and private companies." Dyke: "We will put some money in, and we hope government will put some in and local authorities will as well." Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore said, "We were consulted by the FA chairman's England Commission as part of its research into the provision of grassroots facilities and coaching, and welcome proposals to enhance both areas." Sports Minister Helen Grant added, "I welcome the FA's plans to strengthen the game at the grassroots through improved facilities and coaching." Last year, Dyke set up a commission, which included England Manager Roy Hodgson, former England Manager Glenn Hoddle and ex-internationals Rio Ferdinand and Danny Mills, "to assess the future of the sport in the country" (BBC, 10/12).
