David Horrocks is the academy development officer for Fletcher Moss Rangers, the little club tucked between a housing estate and a dual carriageway where Marcus Rashford learnt to play. You might remember the time when you didn’t know who Marcus Rashford was. Then he started goals with ease for Manchester United, including a famous brace against Arsenal.

As well as Rashford, Fletcher Moss Rangers have produced a long list of players for Manchester United, including Wes Brown, Tyler Blackett, Ravel Morrison, Danny Wellbeck


In our chat David talks about the current state of grass roots football in England, a story that starts  with a difference of opinion with Sir Trevor Brooking himself during a seminar at Pride Park.

We also discuss Fletcher Moss Rangers in more detail including how they like to involve parents, what happens when you have a pushy parent screaming from the touchline and how challenging it is to keep coaching staff at the club.

Finally, we get to Marcus Rashford himself and the development of youngsters including some of the tell tale signs that hint you’ve got a future pro on your hands. However, it’s not all about technique and ability. Fletcher Moss Rangers take immense pride in the development of their players as people. Enjoy!

Music credit:  'I Feel Good' by Ehrling (https://soundcloud.com/ehrling)

The 3 Points

The State Of Grass Roots Football, Youth Development & Marcus Rashford

Vincent Kompany, Daniel Sturridge and Jack Wilshere. Three big players in the game today, and they all have something in common at the time of this interview. In this episode we’re chatting to the founder of Back2Action Rayan Wilson.

Rayan Wilson founded Back2Action in 2011 with a vision of enhancing athletic performers ability through promotion of strength, power, stability and speed within a sports specific environment, whilst at the same time treating biomechanical imbalances, injuries and aiding people back to full fitness. Being a simple guy, I just imagine Rayan as the man who helps professional footballers come back from injury and improve their overall performance.

Rayan has worked closely with Yannick Bolasie, from the time he was struggling to get into the Bristol City team and their relationship continues on today as Yannick lines up for Ronald Koeman’s Everton side. He has also worked with Jan Vertonghen, Danny Rose and a whole host of other men and women from pro football



In our chat we spoke aboiut how clued up professionals are about injury recovery and prevention and we explore the ups and downs of rehab and how the relationships work. It’s a real chance to go behind the curtain and explore the detail of injury recovery that we don’t always get to hear about in the media.

Let’s not forget that even though this job sounds cool it’s a business like any other, so I asked Rayan to break down how it all works including how he might win new business and co-ordinate with other outfits offering similar services.


Music credit:  'I Feel Good' by Ehrling (https://soundcloud.com/ehrling)

Bolasie, Vertonghen, Rose & More - Meet The Man Bringing The Stars Back To Fitness

In this episode we’re speaking to Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish, trying to get him to summarise 20 years into about 20 mins. We’ll find out about Steve’s first real career opportunity and why he turned it down, to his rise thought the media industry which put him in the position to buy Palace in the first place.

There’s other questions too, such as managing your own manager and how that relationship works, spending money, is it a necessity for success (?), expansion and the addition of social media to the world of football. 

It’s a great opportunity to learn a bit more about running a football club and the everyday things that come with having that job and it’s made more intriguing by the fact that Steve, as most fans of the game know, has been a Palace fan his whole life.

Music credit:  'I Feel Good' by Ehrling (https://soundcloud.com/ehrling)

Running A Football Club With Palace Chairman And Lifelong Fan Steve Parish

You may know Paolo Bandini from the best football podcast available, which is of course The Guardian Football Weekly. 

Either that, or you read his articles on Italian football which you’ll find on The Guardian, ESPN and I’m sure other places but today we’re going to find out in great detail, How Paolo became a football journalist. 

This conversation covers his qualifications, odd jobs, a stint working in a pub, Vancouver and the small but significant things that pushed him in the direction of sports journalism.

We’ll go over question such as how you can gain credibility, get recognised and start your own career as a football journalist and we’ll go over the biggest misunderstandings of the job, such as people mistaking you as an easy source for free tickets!

Other tidbits include the let down of meeting Marcello Lippi, stressful moments, being friends with footballers and much more. 

This interview is a great guide into the world of football journalism but ironically, it’s the probably the episode of The 3 Points which has the worst audio quality. I’m going to step up and take the blame for that...

Paolo Bandini - Becoming A Football Writer, Dreaded Deadlines & Common Misconceptions

The 3 Points is a football podcast bringing you interviews with individuals involved in the game. Like every player on the winning team, we hope you'll be 'happy with the 3 points'.

The 3 Points

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