How England's unique football league system is producing players differently to everyone else

[ASFN Admin]

Between them, the 16 players who represented England against San Marino on Thursday night had made a combined 1198 league appearances outside of the top flight. Only three players in Gareth Southgate’s side had never played in the lower divisions of English football, while the others had a combined 100,000 minutes of non-Premier League action under their collective belt. Of those who featured against San Marino at Wembley, none had played more matches in the lower leagues than Ollie Watkins. Forged in the footballing fires of Exeter City, Weston-super-Mare and Brentford, Watkins played 224 league matches across the Conference South, League Two and Championship before becoming a debutant goalscorer for his country. To look at Watkins, and at Southgate’s England squad as a whole, is to see the value of the country’s unique footballing culture. No other major nation in Europe enjoys such depth within its professional game, and no other major nation can call upon players with journeys as varied as those who currently represent England. This is not to say that the English footballing system produces better players than the likes of France, Spain, Italy and Germany. England’s lack of success on an international level speaks for itself in that regard. But it is abundantly clear that, as a nation, England is producing its international players in a markedly different way to its rivals on the continent. Thirteen of England’s 16 players against San Marino had played adult first-team football in the lower tiers. Of the 14 players who represented France against Ukraine on Wednesday, only four had done the same in the French system.

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