George Elliott, a youth football coach in Fermanagh for over 30 years, believes getting young people involved in outdoor sport and football is as important now as it has ever been. Probably even more important.

Moreover, George who has worked in some capacity with many if not all the young players in recent years that have progressed to play the game professionally in England and Scotland, adds that it is all about giving the youngsters a choice and an option that not only takes them away from the computer or anti-social behaviour but also develops the person as well as the footballer. In so doing, George then sees the role of the youth coach as very important and he takes great enjoyment from the challenge it presents.

His philosophy is simple in so much that he only sees good in young people and it is about getting that good out of them while the fun and enjoyment he elicits from the interaction of the younger generations, in fact helps keeps him young.

"People talk about how bad young people are," explains George. "But to be truthful I have not come across many bad lads and when people are involved with sport, it is a great way of them integrating and keeping out of other troubles. I feel it is important to keep giving them that choice which is important within all communities because you don't see as many kids out on the street or play parks nowadays. I think many are more interested in computer games and things like that, so to get involved in sport is important as is keeping providing that opportunity for them."

Indeed, George has been helping provide that opportunity for over 30 years now after an injury while playing for home club NFC Kesh ended his career.

"I played mostly with Kesh and a bit with Fivemiletown but then I got a bad injury in 1982, tore the cruciate ligament and never got back playing after that. In those days there were no operations, so that put me out of football at 23 years of age but I loved the game so I turned to coaching," he reflects before adding.

"Seamus McCusker got me involved with Kesh and he was taking over Kesh Youth and I got involved coaching with Seamus, Sean Brennan and started to do the coaching badges. I found I enjoyed it and continued on from there."

George's coaching skills were soon in demand and he started coaching the Kesh senior team who had just been promoted back to the top flight of the the Fermanagh and Western and he was involved as the club went on to enjoy their most successful era winning the Mulhern Cup, Irish Junior Cup and narrowly missing out on the Mercer Cup. A spell at Irish League club Glenavon followed while throughout all this George was an ever present on the Fermanagh Milk Cup preparations, mostly as a coach with different age groups and also as a committee member.

Then in 2005, the IFA set up excellence centres in every county, appointing Christophe Moulin who immediately recruited George.

Hence, George's experiences are widespread but it is working with youth footballers and youth footballers in Fermanagh that gives him most satisfaction.

"I really like the coaching, management does not appeal in the same way. It is about being out on the pitch. Over the years when you see the progress the lads make, not only in soccer but in other codes like gaelic, rugby or whatever sport they are involved with, that is what pleases. I love the day to day interaction with young people and I suppose as I get a bit older, listening to the young boys, the slagging and craic, it keeps me young. I do like the buzz around young lads and the comments they make, listening to them keeps me young - it's hard to explain."

Moreover, George remains at the centre of youth development as he now leads the local Excellence Centre after the departure of Christophe Moulin.

He explains: "Christophe got me involved in the first year, 2005 and I have been involved from day one, Christophe moved on and there was talk the excellence centre may be moved from the county but thankfully that has happened and I got involved to co-ordinate it really, It developed from there and we are still going next season which is good, so we try to get together the best players in the county and give them regular training at U12, U13s, U14s and U15s. As I say, it is in place for next year, I don't know after but we have started a younger age group, named Fermanagh Skills, run through the IFA which looks at U10s and U11s."

Indeed, George believes that the standard of the young player now being produced is rising and he has no doubt this is done to the mini-soccer coaching that almost all clubs now offer from the age of six.

"The standard is rising, clubs have come on absolutely brilliantly inside the last 10 years, mini soccer has been a great boost. Whenever Christophe started in 2005, the first year boys looked as if the had never seen coaching and it looked like as if a ball was just thrown at them on a Saturday morning. That has certainly changed in the last couple of years which has led to massive improvements in the standard of the players now coming to the Excellence Centre and the Milk Cup. That is great credit to the clubs and hopefully the young players will see the benefits in the years to come," enthuses George.

George agrees that some of the benefits are already being seen with four Fermanagh players (Kyle Lafferty, Andy Little, Roy Carroll and Michael McGovern) all involved at senior level with Northern Ireland and Ballinamallard now playing in the IFA Premiership.

He agrees that Ballinamallard's success can only be good for football in the area and he hopes it will mean that young players from the area will now be viewed in a more positive light in terms of the standard of the player that is being produced in the west of the Province.

Football, though, he feels needs more people to put a bit more back into the game after finishing playing.

"To be truthful, young people when they quit football do not give enough back to it whether that is coaching or administration. Too many leave and go and that is it, one out of a hundred that actually stays in and gets involved, that is what is going to be the main problem in the years to come.

"I have young people willing to help who once you mention a Child Protection course, get scared off, they really do. It is important for clubs to get qualified guys, sometimes a licence does not make you a good coach, okay you learn and don't get me wrong, it is a good way of learning the principles of the game, but you still need to have common sense. A good coach needs the right mix of everything," he says.

And so, George Elliott has seen it, done it and got the t-shirt. More importantly, he is still doing it and he feels the rising standards in coaching and the current system in Fermanagh will help produce more players to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Roy Carroll, Kyle Lafferty, Andy Little and Michael McGovern.

Equally though, he admits it is also about developing the person, giving them the option of a positive recreational activity and then developing the standards thereafter be they the elite footballer, the intermediate footballer or the junior footballer.

Sports' role in society has never been more important in terms of health and lifestyle and to that end the role of people like George Elliott over the past 20 years plus should never be underestimated or taken for granted.

Indeed, what we need is more people like George Elliott not only in football but all sports and disciplines.