It is no accident that North Village are the best football team on the Island.They have taken the Premier Division by storm so far this year and it will take some doing for another side to wrestle the league title from them this season.While Shaun Goater can pick from some of the best young players on the Island, the reason he can do so is because Village are a club that have a community feel to them and also bring through their players instead of stifling their growth in the game.More of the Island’s teams should look at a structure that allows them these sorts of luxuries and also instills loyalty and commitment in their players.Very seldom do you see or hear of Village players leaving to go to other clubs or not happy at the club, and I think we need more people and players like those at that club to be involved in football in general.Obviously it helps if you are winning, and Shaun is now in the happy position of having several young players returning from school who he needs to try and fit into the team. That isn’t a bad thing, and the fact that Village have that strength in depth speaks volumes for the club in general.Clubs can only do so much, however, and if they are getting children coming in who aren’t getting the right education at school then they are going to be fighting a losing battle.Children are coming out of school and don’t seem to be willing to compete for things unless there is a monetary award at the end. When I was in school we looked forward to the bell ringing and heading to the pitch to play and be competitive, without asking to be paid.For example, whenever we heard about our game against the former Central High School, we would prepare weeks in advance to get that result against them because they were legendary, so you wanted to show them and everyone else you are good.This desire and passion, or a lack of it, plays a part in how teams and clubs play today. If your players are out there doing whatever they want in life, that in turn goes to the training ground and then into games, and the level won’t be as high as it should be.When you look at schools they are responsible for preparing the kids for club football but Village have a knack of getting the most out of their kids early on so that when they get older they fully understand the game.Loyalty also plays a big part and Village are successful because their players don’t leave. That doesn’t happen with other teams, but it was unheard of for players to jump ship in my day.Players never left their club to go to a rival because they were winning. You strived to get your team to be better and in turn be the team to beat. Nowadays you see players leaving Devonshire Colts and going to Village, which was non-existent in my time of playing.But their players never leave, and that’s why they are winners.It would be interesting to see how this Village team would have fared with the teams in my era like Key West Rangers, West End Rovers, Young Men’s Social Club, Pembroke Juniors who were all dominant sides.They key to modern game is to look at what others are doing and see if they are doing something that can help you in your system and approach to the game. If you go in thinking you know it all, you will never win.You have to be wiling to get information from other people, listen to other people and go about your business that way.