JOE Roach insists a revamp of age groups is "critical" to the future of English youth football and is hoping his message will get back to the FA hierarchy.

Cherries' head of youth believes up-and-coming youngsters should be given an extra 12 months to prove themselves and is calling for a return to an under-19 level.

And Roach was given the opportunity to put his point across during a recent meeting with newly-appointed FA national coach Steve Wigley.

The former Saints boss and ex-first-team coach at Manchester City has been charged with developing young English talent between the ages of 17 and 21.

Roach, who met Wigley last week, said: "Part of Steve's remit is to visit academies and youth teams to gauge what we believe the FA needs to look at.

"I think they have lost some contact with youth football because the Football League and Premier League have tended to administer academies and centres of excellence, respectively.

"Now though, the FA is one of the major stakeholders in funding youth football so they have an active involvement and Steve is finding out what happens at the coal face."

A controversial overhaul of youth football saw under-16 and under-18 age categories replace under-17 and under-19 age groups four years ago.

Roach added: "We need to get back to three-year apprenticeships because the under-19s being taken away was a massive indictment in my opinion.

"I'm delighted Steve is hopefully going to take this issue forward to the powers-that-be because I think it's critical and so do most other people in youth football.

"I made a big standpoint when it was taken away and another one 18 months later and I haven't changed my mind and nobody will ever convince me differently.

"At our level, players come into a full-time environment where the demands and expectations are raised and they need time to develop.

"The time scale is currently two years but, in reality, it is nowhere near as long as that and before you know it, you are trying to make a decision on whether or not they are taken on.

"You get situations where, in the blink of an eye, under-16s are turning out for the reserves and potentially training in the first-team environment.

"It's tough for them if they are out for any long period of time and there are a lot of physical and mental developments to consider. I don't think they are given long enough."

Wigley, who holds the prestigious UEFA pro-licence, also held a coaching masterclass for Roach's charges at Canford School.

  • Cherries' Youth Alliance clash at Bristol Rovers on Saturday was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.