WARREN Barlow, chairman of the Bolton, Bury and District Football League gives us his views on trying to improve opportunities for young people.

This time, he talks about the new plans for an Under-21s league to try to keep people in the game.

LAST week Kevin Davies, Gary Russell and I outlined plans to build a vibrant pathway into the adult game by offering under-21s football.

Many football traditionalists ask why and many adult leagues feel this may be a step too far for a youth league which is venturing into the land of adult football.

Both questions get the same answer from the Bolton, Bury and District Football League committee and that is to grow the adult game and support the very leagues that feel we may be a threat.

The BBDFL committee has stated many times that it has no intention of offering adult football and nothing has happened for us to change that view.

All FA statistics show that the biggest drop off from the game is under-14s upwards and this is why the football foundation offers "grow the game" grants to clubs that create teams from this age upwards.

We have been fortunate in the BBDFL as we have grown these age groups year-on-year, although as we stopped at u18s we found the majority of players did not make the transition to the adult game.

Reasons are many, but include not being developed enough to cope with games with predominantly 25 to 35 year old experienced players.

Our objective is to build a strong u21s over the next three years, which will develop players in order that they may compete with those already in the adult game.

Only time will tell, but in our history we have always hit our objectives and if we do so on this occasion, the adult leagues who may feel threatened by us are welcome to take the spoils of our voluntary work.