If club football was home-grown only...

[Dante Lavelli]

Does anyone know what affect these new rules will have (EPPP?)?

[amfy]

I remember thinking, even at the time, that the city of Liverpool had more cause to be proud of our League title and European Cup than any of their own!

This idea has kicked about in my head since then really - you would definitely have more of an interest in the local team on a general level, if they really were your local team.

They used to have a thing in athletics where to change clubs without good reason you had to serve 9 months "hardship" -i.e. you couldn't compete for 9 months. (I don't know if it still goes on) The AAAs would ask people who moved house to prove that they had moved for work or family reasons, not just to join a top club. If they just wanted to run for a top club, then they were out of competition for a while. Of course there were ways round it, but it slowed the pull of top clubs and gave smaller clubs a chance to bring through talent and compete. A version of this could happen to allow some movement.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Probably the two most famous examples of "local" teams are Athletic Bilbao and the Celtic 'Lisbon Lions' team which won the 1967 European Cup.

The Celtic team of Simpson Craig Gemmill Murdoch McNeill Clark Johnstone Wallace Chalmers Auld Lennox were all born within 30 miles of Glasgow. As far as I am aware this was a unique achievment and clearly will remain so.

The current Wikipedia page for Athletic Bilbao is as follows:-

The club is known for its cantera policy of bringing young Basque players through the ranks, as well as recruiting top Basque players from other clubs (like Joseba Etxeberria or Javi Martínez). Athletic official policy is signing professional players native to the greater Basque Country, including Biscay, Guipúzcoa, Álava and Navarre (in Spain); and Labourd, Soule and Lower Navarre (in France). Still, in recent times, this policy has been somewhat relaxed and players with direct Basque ancestry or with no Basque ancestry but formed in Basque clubs have played for the team.

Fellow Basque club Real Sociedad operated a similar policy but abandoned it in 1989 when they signed John Aldridge.

[Dave Cooper please]

Albrighton is from Tamworth, so who would he qualify for?

Tamworth.

[Salsa Party Animal]

What about kids who were moved from say Newcastle to Birmingham at 2 years old. They would eat, sleep, breathe in Birmingham all their life.

Should they play for Villa instead of Newcastle United ?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Albrighton is from Tamworth, so who would he qualify for?

Tamworth.

Except Tamworth don't have a football team, do they, Dave. My guess is Albrighton would play for Villa.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

What about kids who were moved from say Newcastle to Birmingham at 2 years old.

Geordies being allowed through our borders ?
More questions for Theresa May about immigration issues !

[Handsworth Wood Villa]

What about kids who were moved from say Newcastle to Birmingham at 2 years old. They would eat, sleep, breathe in Birmingham all their life.

Should they play for Villa instead of Newcastle United ?

Case in point - Micah Richards.

Born in Birmingham because his parents were on holiday here but he was raised and grew up in Leeds.

I'm sure he feels more like a Yorkshireman than a Brummie so he would play for the Leeds team.

[luke25]

What about kids who were moved from say Newcastle to Birmingham at 2 years old. They would eat, sleep, breathe in Birmingham all their life.

Should they play for Villa instead of Newcastle United ?

Case in point - Micah Richards.

Born in Birmingham because his parents were on holiday here but he was raised and grew up in Leeds.

I'm sure he feels more like a Yorkshireman than a Brummie so he would play for the Leeds team.

On holiday in Birmingham? WoW

[Dave Cooper please]

Albrighton is from Tamworth, so who would he qualify for?

Tamworth.

Except Tamworth don't have a football team, do they, Dave.

What about Bolehall Swifts?

[Brend'Watkins]

What about kids who were moved from say Newcastle to Birmingham at 2 years old. They would eat, sleep, breathe in Birmingham all their life.

Should they play for Villa instead of Newcastle United ?

Case in point - Micah Richards.

Born in Birmingham because his parents were on holiday here but he was raised and grew up in Leeds.

I'm sure he feels more like a Yorkshireman than a Brummie so he would play for the Leeds team.

On holiday in Birmingham? WoW

It would be a WoW if you lived in Leeds.

[TopDeck113]

On holiday in Birmingham? WoW

Why not? If the missus is heavily pregnant, its a way of enjoying a villa holiday without flying...