FORMER Saints star Gordon Watson has condemned the FA's plan to ban under-8s from competitive' games.
The Daily Echo revealed yesterday that from September, the Eastleigh & District Mini League's under-8 teams would NOT be competing in any cup competitions.
They would also NOT have their league results and league tables made public. The only information that would be widely available through the media is the clubs' fixtures.
The FA have introduced the ruling nationwide after some mini leagues - but not the EDML - asked for the controversial change because some of their games were getting too competitive.
The Hampshire FA have backed the Soho Square initiative, but opinion at grass-roots level is split.
Watson, who used to manage in the EDML but whose team are now in the Southampton Tyro League, said: "It's absolute ga-ga.
"It's got to be a joke.
"Kids love competing and they love being rewarded for doing well.
"Under-8 is not too early to start being competitive - the earlier the better.
"A lot of it comes down to character building, how you fight back from being 1-0 or 2-0 down.
"Kids love looking at the league tables, even at that age.
"And you're always likely to try harder if you're coming up against a team at the top of the league.
"But if there's no league tables, how are you going to know who's doing well.
"As I said, kids love getting rewards for their hard work.
"I'm glad I'm not managing in that age group any more, we're better off out of it.
"I feel sorry for those who are coming into it."
