Junior football. Are you happy with your club?

Junior football. Are you happy with your club?

Problems persist at some clubs, certainly in Canberra, with the implementation of the Mitchell technical report.

Clubs are encouraged to follow the report. With no goalies and only five on the field for the Under 6 and 7’s at least one local club has reverted to goalkeepers and seven on the field. When coaches introduced an extra player on the weekend if was quickly ruled out, and seven a side was reintroduced!

Coaches seem to hate having subs in the earlier age groups. Having to concentrate on giving everyone fair game time seems to cause some coaches extra hassle.

Pitch lengths have been readjusted for Under 9 and 10’s. At one club the pitch ahs been lengthened! Complaints of overcrowding have been given as the reason.

Watching an under 9 game on the weekend I saw a team full of enthusiasm but little skill. One boy on the team had heaps of talent but his little legs and lack of support meant he and his team-mates were never going to get to the other goal, never mind score.

That team lost 6-0, as apparently they do every week. Increasing the length of the pitch in such cases gives weaker teams even less chance of scoring a goal never mind winning. The guys don’t seem to mind losing but never getting near the other goal is pretty heart breaking.

I’m a believer in less players and smaller pitches. As a former teacher and football nut, the more kids touch the ball during the game, the better their experience. If they enjoy the game, they keep healthy and will stay with the game longer. As their skills improve they will feel more comfortable when they get to the older age groups. They will also feel better about sport and, should they drop out of football, they may well feel comfortable having a go at another sport.

Wherever you are at in Australia tell us what is happening at your club. Has the game format changed or not? Are you happy with the current system?