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Sunday 10 May 2009

Cap Football Tech Director on Radio this week

Capital Football Technical Director Ian Shaw will be our guest on the Nearpost on Tuesday. Any questions you'd like put to Ian post here.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would like to know, regarding the new national curriculum. When will it be implemented into the capital football curriculum, and how does he feel about its implimentation. I realise that Han Berger is talking about it the following evening but would like to know how Ian feels about the whole methodology.

Anonymous said...

The 2009 season for Junior Footballers has seen an unexpected and poorly advised change to playing rules.
The change concerns goalkeepers, but it dramatically effects the conduct of play and not for the good!

The chnage is at Section 6, para 6.2, Appendix D of the competition rules for 2009:

“Goal keepers are permitted to handle the ball in the Penalty Area. To restart play after a save or gathering the ball with their hands, the goal keeper is not permitted to kick the ball directly from their hands. Ball must be thrown, rolled or played from the ground with their feet.”


In other words, no punt kicks after regathering a ball, instead, put the ball to ground and place kick / pass, or throw. The ball can then be played by the opposition when it is put to the ground by the goalie in these circumstances.

Several comments on the conduct of games I haves seen and several coaches concurred at a Premier League game today:
- The players are not sufficently skilled to play their way out form the back. They are young and it's important that they have some space to recompose themselves.
- This change does not bring more useful "touches" to the ball by players. It's more like a turkey shoot. It does not encourage good passing movement or retention of possession at this age.
- Play gets locked down at one end of the field - the end where the goalkeeper is restarting. It stays in location for more time than is reasonable or helpful to their development. Its certainly "end to end" football, but it is more akin to relocation than passing and movement around the whole field.
- Goalies at these ages (10-12) seldom have a strong place kick, which ofte sees a turnover in possession in the half of the field closest to the goalie clearing the ball. Now we are to stress that a little more with players in clser proximity at the restart and alert to press and smother an attempt to play out or place kick out. Goalies as a rule at these ages generally have a better punt kick, but it seldom goes past half way. The punt kick is the first mastered by young goalies and should be encouraged. Now its out of the game till they are 13 years. not helpful.
- Goalie restarts in junior football are crucial for one very important reason - it relocatesd the play toward the middle of the field, leaving a lot space in which players can reposition, transition, move and pass. It helps prevents the game log jamming at the end of the field where the goalie is attemtping to restart. The game opens up. More touches, move movement, more passes etc.

There were other crticisms but they coming so quickly I missed a few. Experienced junior, youth and senior coaches having their say, volunteering their observations and practical week to week coaching experience. I'd back them any day, rather than some doctrinaire idealog who crafted a rule change without consultation at the grass roots level and seemingly without much nouse about how junior footballers - little 10 -12 year old are able to play the game and have fun while learning.

The small side game approached is in my view a wonderful development in football. It works. But there are limits. Theses young players cannot be managed as though they are young adults, which is what this lastest change has done. Its given them a problem they do not need to solve.

It wasn't broken, so why in heavens name try to fix it!

Another thing for Capitol Football - if you intend make a significant change(s) from one season to another, it is essential that the change is considered and time given for consultation before the change happens (if at all). When you publich the competition rules, it would be helfpful to have a notice at the front of the document advising changes from the previous season, rather than squirelling them away under the curious title of "Apendix d in section 6.2" It makes about as much sense as "Platform none and three quarters" - junior footballers would undertstand this reference even if inflexible techncial ideaogues might not.

Capitol Football is not the sole repository of technical knowledge, there are lots of smart people out there that can help if you provide the means for them to engage. But madating changes of this nature is both arrogant and ignorant.

Remove this latest change without delay. Things were working well.

To this we may add the vexacious issue of loitering. The stupidity of allowing young players to loiter seems to be understood in every corner of junior football except Capitol Football. Coaches usually coach to ensure their players do not conduct themsleves in this fashion and they are right to do it. Loitering is a blight on junior football, causes disatisfaction and tension among players, parents and coaches and diminishes the usefullness of the concept of the small sided game approach in junior football. Respecting the notion of offside is so fundamental to football. The earlier you start the better. Would rugby consider abandoning the notion of not passing forward? Not likely.

So get your teeth into that Mr Shaw!

-

Anonymous said...

Is he willing to admit his failings in the preparation of the teams for the national junior championships?

Does he think that winning only 1 match out of 13 between the two teams was acceptable?

Is having in the 2 30 player Australian squads only 1 girl and 0 boys acceptable?

Anonymous said...

Much has been said about the performance of the U13 ACT Academy boys at the recent FFA National Junior Championships held in Canberra – finishing a dismal equal last with Tasmania.

Many felt it was a wasted opportunity to show case the technical abilities and flair of the local boys to their families, supporters, the other States, but more importantly, to the selector of the Qantas Australian Under 13 Boys Head Coach, Ante Juric, who, as you know, will be taking an Australian based team from these Championships to the upcoming “Asian Football Confederation – Festival of Football” competition to be held in Malaysia from 24 May to 6 June 2009.

Many lay the blame directly at the coach and yourself for under-estimating the importance of the Championships, evidenced by:

1) the decision taken to not train the boys from mid-December to early February (8 weeks of lost training opportunity);
2) failure to provide clear support, direction and mentoring to the boys, often playing boys out of position; and
3) not being able to commit to a training program commensurate with that expected when going into such Championships, often requiring yourself to step in and train the boys on the 3rd night.

Firstly, what do you have to say in responding to these statements?
Secondly, how did you rate the performance of the coach in the lead up and during the Championships bearing in mind his ejection from the field in the game against Tasmania for an ‘alleged’ outburst towards an official? and
Thirdly, what feedback has been offered to the boys and parents (if any) since the Championships and what lessons have been learnt in moving forward to the club competition?

Anonymous said...

why did you ian put a coach u13 when his not interisted or committed to coach .alot of u13 capital foot ball team have gone back wards ,