Is that a high proportion of second and third generation immigrants? Any particular reasons for this?
I played football in the Paris suburbs in the 90s and I reckon a sizeable minority of players and coaches in our club were second generation immigrants. In some teams and suburbs they would have constituted the majority.
I think it was the classic recipe of athletic kids in poorer areas looking for an activity that didn’t cost a fortune. Also, most French immigrants back then came from cultures that seemed to love playing football. Here in England a lot of kids whose families arrived from S Asia would probably have been more interested in cricket. Crucially, as well as the tarmac playground areas municipal French football facilities were much better than here. Every suburb had a multi purpose sports stadium with either an all weather shale type pitch or astroturf and multiple indoor sports facilities. Games and training were rarely cancelled. The local teams often had all age groups from 5 years old to adults, and were well run with several coaches. The French professional clubs also established the academy model long before we did, so it felt that football was more organised, focused on basic skills and simply easier to play.
Here in England I’ve generally played in teams set up by a group of mates but no junior or reserve teams. We rarely had a coach and pitches were often a mud bath in winter. Hot water in showers was the exception. I did play for one club similar to the French model, the Polytechnic which is around 110-120 years old, but that was an exception for me.
I think the UK has much better structure for kids now but I have no idea if the Sunday football game has changed.
