The league continued as usual, but with all matches being eight versus eight. Over the winter, he wrote to the FA, the English Schools Football Association, the FA's regional officer and his county association, and several times each, but all passed the buck. In exasperation this summer, he wrote to the Minister for Sport, Kate Hoey, and the FA chairman, Geoff Thompson. Finally, he received handbooks and brochures. All's well that ends well.
Teachers still have huge reservations about the scheme.
The practical experience is that too few goals are scored. I can vouch for this having seen my son play five matches in a tournament, three of which finished 0-0. That result is common. Eight makes more sense - one defender, one midfielder and one attacker withdrawn, giving the game more balance. There is another anomaly.