Aussie football: It's too expensive
FFA Technical Director Han Berger talking at the National Junior Championships in Canberra yesterday said there is a chapter in the National Curriculum (coming soon) about the financial barrier for football.
Football became the World's game because it's so easily accessible for everyone, rich or poor, everyone can play. So if there is a financial barrier, which I think there is in Australia, we have to do something about it and make football accessibly for everyone
Amen Brother!
5 comments:
No better example than the Capitol Football Academy program. It costs a lot of money for a family to have one child attend and sadly, for what may a marginal return. As a consequence, we do not have the best U11 or U12's in the Academy squads, which are promoted as "development" squads. If the current U13 boys squad is the best of the best at this age level then Capitol Football has really missed the mark. But of course it is not, its just all that the coach has too work with and sadly, they have been exposed as lacking in technical ability and skill. Without that, success is not possible at the national competitive level. Comparisons in the U13 Boys between the ACT and WA squads illustrates the point and are a reasonable point of comparison, given the relative population data. The WA team was a revelation, in terms of the high quality of individual skill across every player in their squad, while the ACT squad looked cumbersome.
Capitol football has not got the Academy structure right nor relevant or supportive of club football. Parents hold out on the vague promise, and Capitol Football trade on, the notion that if the child is in the Academy they have a chance of representative honours. Why should that be so in such a small place like Canberra? As I listened to parents and club junior and youth coaches (and their were a few about)on the side of the ground at the U13 Boys Nationals, I noted that the U12 boys squad had intentions of forming a team to play in the Kanga Cup. I thought this was "development squad", not a "playing squad". Now how does that help clubs that play these boys each week in the Red Division for this age (or higher sometimes? Of course it doesn't! Quite the opposite. It's just another example of empire building by academy coaches and Capitol football inadvertantly failing to support clubs.
As I looked at the dazzling array of talent on display at the Nationals, I relfected on the fact that my son's team (and the club's other team at the same level) who had planned to combine to campaign the Kanga Cup, and so build the club's capacity at this age group, would now find their plans ravaged by the potential absense of a number of academy U12 players. Just who is being "developed" in this situation? The maximum good for a club would be layed waste by a coach with ambitions to have an academy team win the Kanag Cup and a thoughtless Capitol Football Academy, who had failed to ask itself just where the most good for the greatest number of footballers could be done in this competition.
If that were not bad enough, parents with children in this age group at the Academy went on to tell me that all of the approx 38 players in the development squad had been continued on in the squad (no bad thing if its worth the effort and cost) but owuld not know which of them would be in the Kanga Cup squad (which at best is little over a third of them). Both parents were continuing with the Academy, not because they thought it was worth he effort, but becuase their boy had no chnace of making the Kanga Cup squad if they did not and that would not help them next year when the academy moved to a "playing squad". A "nice litte money spinner" was one parent's conclusion. A bit harsh I thought but perhaps not far off the mark, as it plays directly to parents vulnerabilities when it comes to seeking teh best for the children. Capitol football and its academy should be above that and Put that another way - Capitol Football allowed this part of the Academy to trade on the fact hanging out for a spot in thier Kanaga Cup team would be the best option for their child's football dreams, rather than playing for their club in the same competition.
This is not a good situation. And its also noteworthy that some parents also remarked that they thought the so called "development training" was less robust than say Coerver. It all comes down to the quality fo the coaching at an academy, as some other parents also remarked that their children (in higher age groups) were having a very good experience. Hard to please everyone on that issue and always difficult to find well qualified and experienced coaches across all the age groups, particularly where the number of academy players in that age group is large.
Junior and youth football must focus on development of players - as many as possible - for they change so rapidly from year to year. Its simply stupid to allow the slightest hint of preferrential treatement in these age groups. It is absolutely crtical that we do all we can to keep players in tehgame when they are young and our clubs are the heart and soul of this solution - not the Capitol football academy. I think we have it back to front. The U12 boys academy team for the Kang Cup is a prime example of very short sight thinking. It shold not happen.
Then we might turn our attention to how we recruit for the academy, how the academy develops plays and how the academy returns a dividend to the clubs that underpinned our footballing existence. AT the moment its seem to be all one way traffic - only good if you are one of the select few with a seat on the train going in that direction.
Interesting comments...and the Capital Football Academy is one that continues to cause a lot of debate.
Always interested to hear your thoughts so thanks for them.
Tech Director Ian Shaw is coming into the radio show in a couple of weeks and I'll put a heap of this stuff to him...seems reasonable to get the official response rather than me giving my 10 cents worth
So if anyone has any thoughts or questions on any matters re:the academy or indeed Tech Dir. matters in general fire away.
They'll also be an opportunity to phone in on the night.
Keep checking the blog for date/details but expected to be 28 April.
I have found that in regards to Capital Football's so called Academies and National teams, it is not a matter of whether the player has talent regardless of age it is a matter of who can afford to pay for it. Development squads should not compete in competitions as they are there to be developed, and if these players are talented surely Capital Football can afford to nurture them from their own budget??
It really depends on who the coach is. Some age groups get lucky with the coaches they get, others aren't so lucky. The 14 and 15 Boys have very good coaches who have been involved for a few years. They seem to have well organised training programs in place and they have been playing games against the Matildas which I believe are organised by the coaches and not Capital Football.
In comparison the 13 Boys preparation for nationals was a joke and their results and performances are proof. Meanwhile the 11 and 12 Boys train once a week and have had no games organised for them. It seems like the younger ages are just a money raiser for Capital Football.
The reason kids should be in the Academy is to improve as players not for the status of being in the Academy. If you think the money isn't worth it for the younger ages take your kid out and find a good club coach for no cost. Then once you get to the older age groups when you get better coaches trial again. Those coaches won't care if you were in the Academy as an 11 year old.
The Natonal U13 Boys competition is over and there was a lot of terrific talent on display among the teams and a lot of first rate football games.
Sadly, the ACT team were an example of neither of these.
It must have been a hard week for these young ACT players. The best that can be said is that they were playing the same at the end as they were at the start. Someone is bound to say something empty headed like "its character building" or " they'll be better players for it". Not likely, and lets hope they have good seasons with their clubs.
Capitol football must as a matter of urgency, must review the Capitol football Academy structure and in particular, the U11 / 12 and 13 Boys age groups. What they are doing isn't working and if they do the same for next nationals as they have for this one, we may anticipated the same outcome. In which case, don't bother to send your chidlren to the U11, 12 13 age groups, and certainly not for the outrageous fees they charge.
Has it ever occurred to those that run Capitol Football that the price they put upon attendance at the academy is descriminatory? Because it is.
Any review of this nationals performance must look closely at the conduct of the U11 / 12 squads, because the U13's for next season are likely to come from this group if nothing else changes at the Academy.
Capitol Football should speak to as many parents as possible from these ages groups to establish their feelings on the quality and usefulness of the programs to date. A very hard headed and independent technical review should be done of the programs being conducted with these young players, and importantly, examine whether the coaching staff up to the task and in sufficient numbers to do anything that approximates "development", as opposed to endless "games" with precious little feedback. If results speak for anything, there is regrettably. every reason to think they are not.
The much used and often abused word "curriculum" springs to mind. More observed by the ommission than the observance one suspects.
The coaching staff of the U11 to the U13 players own this result far more than the players.
It all leads to one big question - what sort of "academy" should we have for U11 - 13 players?
The U13 boys are clearly not to an acceptable standard and that was there for everyone to see from around the nation. It says more of Capitol Football and their Academy system than it does about a group of young boys, who must have started as proud as punch to be an ACT representative player.
Capitol football owns this outcome. Lets see if they are up to fixing it.
The ACT U13 boys last game was against Tasmania, a team who till today's game had faired no better the the ACT. I had not seen Tasmania play this Nationals, but those I knew that had, remarked that they were not a bad team.
I attended the ACT's last game in the hope that they would find there way to victory. To that point they had not been much of a team to watch.
Before kickoff parents told me that the ACT coach had been given a suspension of one match for abusing a referree's assistant. New coach at the controls. Not a good start. A number of players in the team looked like they were playing in different positions, which was curious adjustment. But the "new" coach may have had new ideas or perhaps the collective brains trust at Capitol Football had simply run out of ideas? Talk about your chickens coming home to roost! Who really knows, but it seemed to this observer that giving the lads a few new variables in the last game was either inspired or a desperate gamble.How many times do we see this in football. It so often fails and all that some care to talk of is the rare game when it worked. As they say "hope is not a method'! Nor was it today.
As I watched I found it hard to believe Tasmania hadn't won more games. This game went the way of the rest of them for the ACT - they lost and never really liked they were a threat. That left Tasmania second last and ACT dead last.
Conclusion: Tasmania was the entry level to this competition and the ACT fell well short.
It's no good blaming the young players. That's not say that the players should be excused poor football - but they are young and prone to error. That's what is important about the quality of their preparation.
Captiol Football and their academy carries the weight on this one. They failed to identify and prepare the players for a very competitive environment and as a consequence, the players were not "developed" as Capitol Football said they would be.
It will be interesting to hear Capitol Football's analysis and explanation for this unsatisfactory performance, and how they intend to ensure they have a more competitive squad in future nationals.
Perhaps Capitol Football could refund the parents in the U11/ 12 and 13 squads the fees they have paid. Job not done!
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