Injuries. They plague us all, no matter if you're a footballer or not. However in the grassroots scene, development is crucial for young boys, growing at rapid rates, and injuries can be the downfall to what would have been a hopeful future career.
You may think it would be broken bones or torn ligaments, but no. This injury can go quite under the radar because it's not seen in the professional game, but it is quite serious, seeing how severe this injury would be.
The growing pain can be severe to a child's career and is usually assumed to be the bone growing quicker than the muscle, however, this is only an assumption, and the true reason is still undiscovered to this day.
For example, when I was younger and playing for my old club Timperley, we were always losing to this one team, Altrincham F.C. Every time we played them they would beat us, always winning by two or three goals.
These matches were when we were only 6 to 7 years old, and I don't remember much, but what I do remember was their star player. Small and quick like me, he would run circles around us, and I remember watching him, certain he was going pro.
Luckily, I was granted the privilege of attending the same high school as him and we got to know each other through a mutual friend.
I was excited to train with him for the school team, but my expectations were set too high. It looked as though injuries had got to him, as during training, he wasn't as quick and skilful as I remember.
At the time I was unaware it was because of growing pains, but a year later when Timperley faced Alty again, this time winning 5-2, me scoring a hattrick, his mum would talk with mine and my mum eventually discovered the reason for the end of what would be an exciting prospect.
He had sustained these injuries at a very young age and was even hospitalised because of it, and this is a prime example of how such an untold injury can go and ruin a kid's dream.
I too, suffer from growing pains and have dealt with some serious ones that even disrupt my sleep which isn't good when you have a game the next day.
Injuries alone can be disastrous especially at ages 14-16, as that's when you are developing most, physically and mentally, and in the football scene, these ages are crucial as it is the last push to get into academies and fight for scholarships.
Many footballers have said in interviews that the lowest part of their career would be recovering from an injury. Not being able to play football and at the same time spending months in the gym doing rehab could be enough to make a player break.
Especially if they're fighting for contracts and unable to get one because of an injury, it could be a struggle on the mental side of the game.
Overall, injuries can be both tough on your physical and mental side, and an injury prohibiting development in the game, especially at younger ages such as grassroots can be overlooked, especially growing pains.
This article is a part of a collection of short stories I am producing for the Pitch Side Journal along with the website I am making with my Father and his friend. The Pitch Side Journal aims to bring the grassroots scene to life, shining a light on the world of youth football that often goes unnoticed. While the academies and professional games already bask in the spotlight, we're here to ensure the grassroots stories are told and the voices from the pitch are heard.
