The opening weekend of the English Premier League marked an all-time low in terms of the number of Englishmen participating at the beginning of a season. According to the Guardian,two-thirds of those who played on opening weekend were foreigners.
For comparison: back in August 1992, 73.1 percent of starters held English nationality. This year, that figure fell to33.6 percent. Further, just 12 of 61 signings made this summer have involved English players. The English top flight now trails Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga, France’s Ligue1 and Italy’s Serie A when it comes to showcasing indigenous talent.
The question is how this dramatic change has impacted the English national team. “Everyone recognizes the need forgreater numbers of English players getting opportunities in the Premier League,” Trevor Brooking, the FA’s director of football development, told the Guardian. “It issomething Ged Roddy [the Premier League’s director of youth], Dan Ashworth [the FA director of elite development] and I have worked closely on with the EPP [Elite Player PerformancePlan].
He added: “Ged and the Premier League share our desire to improve upon the quality of young players coming through the academy system. Combined with the work in kids’ football tochange the culture and increase technical standards, and raising the coaching standards through St George’s Park, there is a lot being done.”