PDA

View Full Version : FA wants GB team in 2012 Olympics

Beerbaron
06-07-2005, 20:39
The Football Association of England is hopeful that a Great Britain men's and women's football team will be able to take part at the 2012 London Olympics.

Britain do not currently enter a team, fearing it would damage the independent status of the English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland unions.

bbc (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4657649.stm)
Davos
06-07-2005, 20:55
i dont tihnk we should - it would degrade us to be frank. especially if we lose.
edavies87
06-07-2005, 21:36
No i disagree with Davos (no offence) this will be our olympics! We should enter everything!

Ed
Beerbaron
06-07-2005, 22:23
i think we should enter a team. i have always wondered why we never entered a football team. GB could a enter a fairly strong team.
Don Corleone
06-07-2005, 23:06
yeah why not but the football is effectively the under-23 world cup. The under-23 age limit does allow for three over age players though.

That aside, there's any god's amount of u23 players around to put together a very strong squad so maybe the question is : Who would be your 3 over age players :confused:
jellybeard999
06-07-2005, 23:14
lets face it... it... atm it would just be england anyway, and thats unlikely to change by 2012 IMO
Beerbaron
06-07-2005, 23:43
1. i thought the athletes couldnt be professional..or does that just apply to boxers??

2. is it only the football restricted to 23??
burgi
07-07-2005, 10:25
1. i thought the athletes couldnt be professional..or does that just apply to boxers??

2. is it only the football restricted to 23??

It's a bit of a mixture. Tennis is another pro sport that's in the Olympics. The athletes in the big track n field events are effectively professionals - they get round it by paying them sponsorship or for turning up - not based on their performance so they claim they're not earning money from the sport itself. I don't think they are paid to attend the Olympics though - just those Grand Prix events that run every year.

The number of people who hold down a job and fund their sport are very small now - it just takes too much money in pretty much anything you want to compete at - equipment, travel to good training camps and events. And then there's the time - if someone else devotes 100% of their time to it how can you compete if you're at a desk 9-5?

As for the football rules and u23 - exactly what the previous poster said - 3 over age players allowed.