This Guardian opinion piece argues that Andy Burnham’s long involvement in football policy shows a deeper understanding of the game than political image-making alone suggests. It says one of his most important interventions came after England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, when he was part of discussions that helped drive major reform of youth development. The article presents that episode as significant because the resulting academy changes are framed as one reason English football later became stronger at producing elite players.

The piece says Burnham, then culture secretary, was at Wembley with James Purnell and Premier League chief Richard Scudamore when England lost 3-2 to Croatia in November 2007. It claims that conversation helped lead to the Elite Player Performance Plan, which gave clubs more access to young players and wider recruitment reach, though it notes others including Scudamore, the FA and Ged Roddy were central to delivering it. As evidence of the reform’s impact, the article cites players such as Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, and also notes that Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise benefited from the redesigned system.