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Monday 25 October 2010

Canberra Football: Boys areThe Number One issue.

So Western Sydney are to die on Thursday so we're told. No money. Not when they ditched Canberra for the West and not now.......leaving Canberra football exactly where?

The fair city of Canberra with thousands of players in it's city walls and surrounding lands still has not one State Youth team, not one State Premier League team, not one National Youth team and of course no A-League Youth team. How can we be so inept at providing our boys with a pathway after all these years.

How come the brains of Canberra football can't solve this problem, ever?

Does anybody with the keys to the city walls see the problem? Do they even care?

We have tons and tons of boys heading to High Performance Programs, presumably boys aspiring to the higher level, but no-one in the City able to assist them to get in the shop window.

But we'll take their money on a hope they'll do what exactly, have fun, improve, shine, get a trial, ACT Rep Football, or just be baby sat?

Surely we can do better, and isn't it about time we did?

When the Asia Cup Bid is announced for Australia in January, with six games planned for Canberra - will Capital Football, Canberra Football be able to take advantage?

Did we take advantage of the 2000 Olympics? Will we take advantage if the World Cup Bid is announced?

Or will the other codes merely get an upgraded stadium.

No strategy from the Capital Football Board on getting some real high-level football or is it the best secret in town!

And I'm not talking a couple of Mariners drop-in games.

We bloggers within the City Walls will not rest until the plan is revealed.

We have a W-League team; after being initially excluded we were able to overcome all barriers - all barriers - and thankfully we now have a team. It's great.

Now time to bring the same skills and acumen to our Boys. No if's, no buts. It's time.

Canberra Football: Boys are The Number One issue. Everything else should be put on hold until this pathway is opened. Everything! Is that clear enough?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I couldn't agree more!

Capital Football comes across as a small-time community based organisation - far from anything looking even close to professional organisation! Our boys are suffocating! And they won't even realise it until it's too late. With no clear future pathway for our 15+ year old boys will eventually just fade away. We will never realise the full potential of our youth as they have never really been give the full opportunity to shine. What a waste! It's very unfortunate for the expansion of the beautiful game we love, let alone the growth and development of our boys.

I say, bring John Mitchell in, (former Head Coach of ANU). The elite program that he and his coaching team put together over the last 2 years for the 16-20 year-olds, should be implemented. It was a proven program at ANU. I think that John and his team were responsible for 3 or 4 young players making it to the A-League. John was streets ahead in his methodology of anything Capital Football has done for Football in our region. It certainly would take some feat and some time to implement such a program, but with adequate financial support from local government and businesses it could become reality. Let's face it … we get nothing if we do nothing. So we need to get out there and get the ball rolling!

Anonymous said...

Absolutely agree with both of you.
I live in some vain hope that the Ron Smith (who is to be highly respected) HPP review will provide the answers. However I am also a realist and the clock is ticking and we have seen nothing yet. Looks like it might be left to one of the one of the up and coming clubs to do it on their own. (The existing PL clubs that have the money have shown a decided lack of ambition in this area preferring to concentrate on trying to buy a PL premiership - big deal who cares!) Wake up Canberra!

Anonymous said...

I think that Ron Smith will go back to Capital Football re: the HPP review with 2 options.

1) Make significant changes to develop our youth to the highest possible level in the region, hence, invest hundreds of G's into a project that could achieve this or,

2) Anything less would ultimately, in the end be pretty much a waste of time for all concerned, especially our football players.

I don't want to come across as a pessimist, (I'd like to think that I'm a realist) but, I think that when the CEO of CF is also the CEO of Canberra United (W-League), then there is a conflict of interest! What I see here is women's football being actively promoted, with a definite pathway for the ladies.

It's somewhat difficult to verse oneself in a game of chess and then say that you've won the game! …don't you think?

Perhaps we need to offer the CEO position from one of Canberra's prominent 'rich' 'men's club' to CF's CEO! By doing that, maybe then we we will have a pathway for our boys!