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Thursday 4 November 2010

Canberra Players rob local football

2. If you want more money, get another job


Canberra Premier League Clubs are shooting themselves and the local game in the foot.

When Belconnen United, Canberra FC or whoever have to find tens of thousands of dollars to pay players each year to run around in the local Premier League they are ripping hard earned money out of the junior game, the development game.

Why?

Of course the players wouldn't take it if it wasn't offered, but who is to blame. The Players or the Club?

Here's what Goulburn President says about Player Payments in the Canberra Premier League.

1. The money you take is money from your club and your mates
2. If you want more money, get another job
3. We are not really professional (in terms of paying players) until the players start bringing in gate receipts (we have A league clubs that can't do that).
4. Don't ask your mates to pay you for doing something you enjoy.


What else could the clubs do with that money?

Peter Funnell has a much better handle on the local scene than me. His latest blogpost should be read.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Totally agree. Have a look and what some of the other clubs are doing eg. Canberra City-Gungahlin -there were 90 players at their Premier16 and Premier18 trials over the past 2 first weeks of their trials - and there will be more over coming weeks - they are interested in promoting youth and have openly said it. One of the clubs you mentioned that pays the big bucks had 13 players at their Premier 16 trial - and year on year tries to plunder other junior as well as senior clubs for their playign ranks - speaks for itself about which clubs are promoting and developing their juniors.

Anonymous said...

not sure i agree with anonymous or eamonn for that matter,
how many clubs are participating in the under 20's competition this summer.
Like to see what those 90 players did at the trials, oops i actually did.
Not sure what i saw was actually going to develop their footballing skills.
Grand final winners in Premier league had 5 boys under 20 years of age. Belco had at least 4.
Not sure those boys were on big bucks as you say.

Eamonn said...

You say.

Grand final winners in Premier league had 5 boys under 20 years of age. Belco had at least 4.
Were they on any money?

And I say this is the point. Where can these young guns go now.

Anywhere? or just stay at Belco forever.

And what about the other 18 starters on the field, did they get nothing as well.

To me big bucks is anywhere from $50 per game upwards. Why? Because add it up for a sqaud over the season and see how many tens of thousands are being used to fund the players in Canberra Premier League.

Like the A-League it ain't sustainable based on crowd figures. That money is wasted. What does the local club and local football get for it?

Why not put that money into a Pathway to play beyond Belco or Canberra FC so those young guys you talk of have the next step to aim for; or indeed put it into junior development before 16 in some serious dollars?

What will the clubs do this year?

Chuck more money down the drain of the local players for a season that finishes on Aug 21!

Not very visionary are we for Canberra boys 2011. Nothing past Canberra FC Belconnen.

Once a kid gets there....that's it!

Anonymous said...

its sounds to me you have the same opinion as most around town, lets get the money from FC and Belco.
As we could do a better job in spending it.

You dont need their money to make your other clubs stronger or smarter or better in developing players.

Id like to bet you that in 10 years time you will be saying the same things.
your other clubs will do nothing to improve the standard of anything as they havent in the last 10 years.
Belco and FC have their own grounds and provided capital football dont have a say in things, FC and Belco will be in a better league leaving the rest to do nothing of note as in the past.

Anonymous said...

Nobody wants money from CFC and BelU - what is needed is for CF to do the right thing by the talented boys in Canberra and provide a pathway that is more than just playing for those two clubs in the ACT Premier League - ie. NSW P/L as a start.
CFC and BelU could push this line if they wanted to but I suspect that don't have those ambitions/resources to do it own their own.
Isn't it time we leave the petty club politics aside and all push CF to do the right thing for these boys.
But who is going to speak up?
And will CF listen/have the ability/will to do anything?

Anonymous said...

In response to:
"Like to see what those 90 players did at the trials, oops i actually did."
"Not sure what i saw was actually going to develop their footballing skills."
Very easy to criticise from the sideline - why don't you do it yourself (but no that wouldn't happen would it) or if you didn't like it then maybe you need to rethink if you go again (oh but that's right apart from CFC and City no-one else is having trials at the moment are they?).

Anonymous said...

I'd actually say that it's only City having trials at the moment....

Deakin (lets call it for what it really is) are a joke. They are a blight on football in Canberra. I actually hope they containue down the current path, galvanising everyone against them and burning bridges left right and center. Eventually they will run out disaffected idiots from other to harbor and implode.

Just wish it would happen faster... The Belco could back to doing proper development and stop trying to compete with money.

Anonymous said...

Interesting topic.
Alot of the people commenting on this subject are dreadfully misinformed in a number of areas. It is one thing to say that the money used for payments could be used more wisely elsewhere it is another to say Deakin is a blight on the game.

A few FACTS for those who assume otherwise.

*Deakin (& Belco) do not pay the highest wages in the league. Maybe years ago but not even close now.

*Players go to these clubs to play with the best players, and to share in the professional winning mentality. Not for pocket money.

*No youth development at CFC or Belco?? I think you'll find that the large majority of ACT's football success story have plied there trade at one of these two clubs as junior.

Do not blame the successful clubs for being successful year after year, they are making the most of what they have. This should be commended not frowned upon. It is not there job to provide a pathway for junior players out of the ACT. I know for a fact each year CFC turns to Capital football for support in branching out to a better league, with none provided whatsoever.

Capital Football is suffocating the regions best players and established, successful clubs with their lack of ambition and preference for non ethnic associated clubs.

Capital Football is to blame, not the clubs and defiantly not the players.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, that's because no-one wants to see Deakin representing Canberra... Wake up. Capital Football are just representing the view of the Canberra football community.

Being part of a winning mentality - ha. Deakin win the PL every year not because have the best development model, or attract the best players because they are brilliantly run, it's because they pay them well. Belco is trying to compete to the detriment of everything else in their club and it is showing.

This is not a beat up on them just because they are 'successful'... Although if you consider paying the best players to win the ACTPL successful we have different ideas on that....

Anonymous said...

The last comment from anon is disturbing.Ill informed as mentioned by another post. FC do not pay players as much as some other clubs.

Deakin won the National Youth League of Australia with a quality professional coach and committee.
THE canberra football community should only hope they had such people running their clubs.
Canberra would be in the A League now if their brains were picked by the right people.

Disturbing and jealous people around with many phobias.
Maybe you need to read JW's book. Sheilas wogs and pooftas.
And get a copy of his speech at the launch of the Deakin National Youth league season before he died.
Enough said

Anonymous said...

Very interesting topic Eamonn, and one that has been harped on about for decades in Canberra.
The issue is, if there was no payment's in ACTPL, what players would we have in the ACTPL? I know numerous players who only play at the highest level (which although challenging and rewarding is very time consuming, especially for those with families) because of the payments. Equally I know others who get paid but would play regardless. But again there is another strong competition (probably slightly better) only 2 hours away being the Illawarra PL, and history shows that some of Canberra's best players have chosen to travel each week for the higher cash that is offered in Wollongong (yes they pay more money up there). If there was no money here, than I would envisage waives of talented players leaving Canberra for Illawarra. If that happened, what would that do for youth development? Ask someone in rural Australia? Young players don't fully develop there because the standard of the top leagues are not strong enough to assist their development…playing against good players makes you better, hence this would be disastrous for youth development. To me I see nothing wrong with player payments, yes it means the league will always be lopsided but so is nearly every sporting league (professional or ameture) in the entire world, it's the club's money and they are aloud to spend it how ever they wish (even if they don’t get any gate takings, prize money in return…it’s up to them to work out their own financial viability). The big issue for youth development is not that there is not enough money being spent on it... what's throwing money at it going to do? Are you going to pay kids to drop out of school and train full time at 15/16??... The real issue, as has been touched on, is that there is no stepping stone to bigger and brighter things once you conquer the ACT PL. It would be in the ACT's interest for both Canberra FC and Belconnen (or ACT rockets), representing North and South Canberra, to be playing in the NSW State/Super/Premier Leagues. Similarly to how all the Sydney local Associations/ Illawarra/ Central Coast leagues work, where there is a local league with the best players representing these local leagues in the top NSW leagues. The problem is NSW don’t want us, cause Sydney clubs cry about having to come down here to the freezing far off land. Both clubs have been trying to push into these leagues (cause they know it’s the right thing to do for their player’s development…even the mid-20’s players) but with little success, whether Capital Football would have more luck persuading their bigger brother of FNSW is unclear. But I don’t think Capital Football have really tried, not cause they want to see strong clubs leave their precious league, but they are simply not that interested because they have never been presented with the proper reasons for why the ACT should have representation in higher leagues.

Eamonn said...

Which begs the question if we have the nous to get a pathway for our girls - remember our women were excluded from the W-League initially - why haven't we come up with a strategy to get the boys and men sorted beyond the gates of Canberra.

We can disagree on many things - player payments in Canberra etc but it seems I've never met anyone who is happy with the pathway for boys in football in Canberra.

Which is my point - what is better to put money into men's premier league players or use that money to open pathways to NSW and the same players may then get to earn even more money - and I mean earn it!

Next time you see a Capital Football Board member I'd be asking what they have done about it in their term, what they are going to do about it and when and if they have no idea - they should resign...and quick!

Leadership, passion and smarts are required to assist a solution - now!

Anonymous said...

Eamonn, running a womens team for six or seven games a year isnt really rocket science.

Too many people afraid to say it as it is.

For the good of the game in Canberra.
We would have been better off with a team in the Youth League than Womens league.
Simply truth.

Until the Board at Capital changes Canberra football will never go anywhere.
Forget about your angle on player payments. The last comment on the Illawarra league is spot on.
Simple answer get two teams into NSW. Will happen if the CEO of Capital football goes.
Why not have the balls to say it as it is.

Eamonn said...

Totally disagree!

I'm interested in all football in Canberra. That is the difference between me and the last poster.

It's not a case of men over women, youth men v W-League.

The football community need all pathways. We currently just have a female pathway and after years of watching it's clear to me....Capital Football couldn't careless about the men's pathway.

Are the football community ramming this need thru; the players, parents, and clubs need to tell the CEO, the Board over and over what the next priority is, and quick.

Saying having a youth team is more important than a W-League team is complete tosh and reveals a lack of respect and understanding of the Canberra community, not just for football.

How many times do we see male sport pushed ahead of females and if Canberra had a Youth team or A-League team we may never have got the female pathway sorted.

Men v Women ain't the issue and it never should be.

Indeed a smart Peak Body would have be able to tweak some funds out of the ACT government for W-League, Youth team for men and set-up fund for A-League; we were supposed to get $800,000 by now for our A-League team annually, that would go a huge way to sorting football, initially, in Canberra.

It's now all about the men's pathway or it should be.

And player payments may not be the issue, but if it allows us to solve the problem in the short term than unless there is another solution it could be an option.

Depends if we are serious to get something going.

Maybe we're not!

Of course having a Community Body like Capital Football run a W-League team or even a Youth team is bizarre to me but that's another issue.

Face it, we're stuffed, if we go on with our current models.

Anonymous said...

Quote: The football community need all pathways. We currently just have a female pathway and after years of watching it's clear to me....Capital Football couldn't careless about the men's pathway.
Unquote

Exactly what i was getting at.
An the fact the W league team is driven by Capital Football and its CEO is where the problem is.

Quote:How many times do we see male sport pushed ahead of females and if Canberra had a Youth team or A-League team we may never have got the female pathway sorted.Unquote.

Purely based on a numbers game, that should have been the preferred option. A league before W league
this way we will never have an A league or youth team.
All the other states did it the other way around.
Well done Canberra

Eamonn said...

But if Capital Football won't do anything about boy's men's pathways they in turn reflect us the football community.

We need to drive a hammer through the Board - ie they need to know from every male HPP player (for ever and a day), every parent of these players, every ex-player, every club, this is what we need and want.

We've been too quiet, too soft.

They need to respond to the football community; as clearly they aren't able to lead.

Three places on the Board are up in March...but who can get on, how is it picked, is it only Club members allowed...or can we get some leading Canberra Business people, fmr Socceroos, Community savvy leaders or how does the process work?