Nearpost Football: April 2011

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

Asia to save football - money to roll in?

There is no way the Federal Government could have staved off Peter FitzSimons, Roy "NRL need more TV money" Masters, Rebecca Wilson and all the Melbourne cronies who love to boot the football code.

The Feds couldn't have ponied it more money after that World Cup debacle, the A-League crowds plummet and code woes in general - if we hadn't been handed, ney gifted the Asia Cup 2015

Now the sweet review will ensure more money for football - this will help this country party with our Asian friends and be beamed into all those Asia homes - er just like AFL and NRL..cough cough splutter.

The afore mentioned journos did their bit to hurt, kill and mock the World Cup bid but we ain't dead yet.

2014 World Cup Qualifiers and 2015 TV Asian Cup rights - that should set the banks rolling.

Bring on that review!

Nearpost Poddie talks Matildas, FFA review, Aussie news, ACL and more

David Fuentes Solarno, Lucy Zelic and Eamonn Flanagan talk Aussie Football

The review! Matildas, Aussie news and ACL :We've got Aussie football covered. We've got all the news, and how many football poddies only cover Aussie football?

We are clearly Australia's number one football poddie, apart from all the others, We discuss all the news from Australian football. What more could you wish for from the Australian media?

Quiz: Name five Aussies Matildas heading back to the World Cup?

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Tuesday, 26 April 2011

Capital Football too small: Should we join NSW?

Frustrations abound with Capital Football, Canberra football, to achieve competitive football post-15 for our boys.

A boy coming out of 4 or 5 training sessions a week can go and train twice a week at the best Canberra Premier League clubs. Waste of time isn't it if you really want to push on as a player.

Should Canberra football or even Capital Football join with Regional NSW? Or even simply fold into the new NSW Federation?

Let's hope the new Government review will have one paragraph on the future pathway for our boys. We haven't been able to provide any solutions as a community to date.

We have not been able to solve the problems of boys development under our current structures, maybe we need to restructure Canberra and NSW football to enable this to happen and truly grow the game in Canberra.

Ange Postecoglou still guides the Young Aussies!

He might not have the job anymore - he may have gone down in one of Australian footballs greatest TV stoushes with the Foz way back when but the latest Aussie Young Socceroos Coach sees Ange as the man to guide our young revolution.

Most Aussie fans will smile when they read this I suspect. My thoughts?

When has any Coach got more out of Kaz Patafta - outstanding under Ange in the U17 World Cup - made the World Youth Eleven, no coach has done anything with Kaz since!

Australian youth teams coach Jan Versleijen has set his sights on guiding the Joeys and Young Socceroos to the knock-out phase of the looming FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Mexico and Under-20 World Cup in Colombia – playing the brand of football that won Brisbane Roar the A-League title.

An advocate of the Ange Postecoglou school of flowing football, the Dutchman, who is scouring Europe looking for untried talent in the under-17s bracket, believes creativity rather than brute force will be Australia’s best weapons on the world stage.

“We’ll be selecting players on technique ahead of simply fitness and endurance,” Versleijen told The World Game.

“We will be aiming to play the way Brisbane did all year in the A-League, with a fluid passing game and technique and touch being paramount.

Fitness guru joins Nearpost to slam "sand dunes" Branko!

Seems like the Nearpost are not the only one who thinks running the dunes is for yesterdays men.

Raymond Verheijen has come out swinging after hearing what Branko had in store for his pre-season regime at the Jets.

''From which century is this guy? Still a long way to go Down Under,'' Verheijen said yesterday. ''I'm already wondering which external factors coach Culina will blame once his players hit fatigue, injury crises and a drop in performance.''

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/a-league/culina-confused-by-verheijen-tirade-20110425-1du62.html#ixzz1KZmPWFAP

In reply - Branko blamed the FFA saying we've got Adam Waterson onboard and he came recommended by the FFA. Touche Branko!

Friday, 22 April 2011

Socceroos/Asia Cup 2015: TV Money to save the A-League

But will we ever use money in football wisely in Australia?

Socceroos are the big big drawcard and with World Cup qualifiers on FTA in coming years and the Asian Cup in Australia in 2015 we have a lot to sell.

Not to mention the A-League which is what really needs the money to kick on.

Jesse Finks talks of rumoured figures below. And if Fox wanted to get in early you'd imagine we'd get more money than $42 mill per year.

A nice ten A-League teams with $3 million per year per club would be great - but given each W-League team needs $1 million per year (wouldn't that be nice) and all the other increasing costs from o/s teams, Socceroo payments and of course ahem grassroots and coaching programs - and the soon to be increased if we get the TV deal FFA staff, can we really give the A-League what it needs.

$60 million per year is probably a 4 year $250 million deal approx - surely the Socceroos and Asian Cup Hosts can lock in the cash.

Last year Buckley turned down a revised offer made in late 2009 by Fox Sports that included a free-to-air component and which would have replaced the $130 million, seven-year deal made in 2006 with Premier Media Group, owners of Fox. The new deal would have locked in FFA until after the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, which is to played in Australia.

In the press this figure was put at $60 million a year. Insiders at FFA I have spoken to have it at $42 million. Whether it was $42m or $60m, or something in between, the exact figure was significantly more than the $17 million a year averaged out on the original seven-year 2006 deal.

Thursday, 21 April 2011

Canberra boys back in the big time in NSW - finally!

Great news for Canberra's boys - they finally have somewhere to test their skills outside of the confines of the local (tiny) boundary.

And it's one of our newest clubs, Boomerangs FC leading the way.

With Canberra FC back in the NSW Cup - okay it's only a limited number of games but it's a start - and now the Boomerangs in the TOP NSW Futsal league finally, finally our boys post-15 might get some opportunities worthy of their developing talents.

And better still this can and will lead to our players lifting their game, with Representative and National Honours bound to come from these players.

Who knows we may see an ACT Futsal boy heading off to play professionally one day.

There's still a lot of work to do in Canberra Boys football - and a Canberra A-League Youth team is critical to our boys opportunities post-15.

Currently the best boys who don't get into ACTAS would be well-advised to follow the Futsal path.

But who knows with Boomerang visionary Eddie Senatore now on the Capital Football Board it may not be too long before we see some changes and impetus in boys outdoor opportunities boys post-15. There hangs a big questions mark over Capital Football's leadership in this area in previous years - and I'm not for a minute suggesting they should run the team - although they seem to be happy to do this for Canberra United. Long-term both Canberra United and any Youth team should be independent of Capital Football. Surely this makes sense!

Anyway times are a changing and with key changes in NSW under direction from the FFA it may not be too long before we have reason for all our Boy's development and HPP programs - currently apart from a bit of fun and money earning I'm not sure of the value the boys get.

Where can they go post 15?

Football Federation Australia has endorsed the F-League and recognize the benefits for Futsal players playing all year round.

The F-League will be played on an International sized court and game will consist of twenty-five minute halves.

This competition is expected to become the development pathway for Futsal players to progress to state and national team honors in NSW.

Tuesday, 19 April 2011

Nearpost poddie April 19th

Paddy Bordier, Lucy Zelic and Nick Cumpston talk Aussie Football

We've got all the news, and how many football poddies only cover Aussie football?

We are clearly Australia's number one football poddie, apart from all the others, We discuss all the news from Australian football. What more could you wish for from the Australian media?

Quiz: Name five Aussies playing in Asia

Download.
or play right from your computer....

Official: Perth to win ACL in two years.

”"That (winning the ACL title) might take another two years now ... but we'll get there."

Tony Sage said that - he did, he did he honestly did.

Is it any wonder he's losing money hand over fist and signing Travis Dodd, Dean Heffernan, Robbie Fowler, Iain Ferguson, Evan Berger will scare the bejaysus out of the A-league never mind:

Kashima, Shandong, Gamba and co.

Saturday, 16 April 2011

Matildas in World Cup Shoot-out today

Sally (Shipard) tweeted:

MATILDAS Internal GAME 2moro (saturday) 2:30pm AIS!Come have a squiz.All vying for WORLD CUP selection.Will be a competitive entertain

As usual it's all happening in Canberra:

The Olyroos were in town this week - the Young Socceroos and Mustafa Amini was spotted at the AIS swimming pool during the week.

He was with 20 other blokes but my mate didn't recognise any of them!

Friday, 15 April 2011

FFA: Still blundering along - Will they use Grassroots in 2011?

Socceroos v Chile the game is expected to be off.

But in a football world on the FFA seem to be able to handle PR with such aplomb.

Still on the backfoot - still making the most beautiful game one that lacks worthy news and promotion.

When was the last time an FFA announcement about the game excited you?

Cancelled Socceroos games.
Expected review of the A-League
Mooted shorter season?

We just seem to lack a whole lot of excitement. Bring back John O'Neill.

It's not what you say, but how and when you say it.

Into Asia
Hyundai Sponsorship
Socceroos to the World Cup
New teams in a new league.

Admitedly much bigger bolder events but really do we have nothing to sell in Australia in term of a vision.

Junior season kicks off in 4 weeks - lets see how the FFA leverage this in 2011.

Afterall it's all about the Grassroots isn't it - but how is Ben and co going to connect.

I'm waiting.

Boom time for Aussie players - in Australia - in 2012?

With so many young Aussies and older Aussies heading to Asia in the recent A-League break you have to start to wonder who will fill the spots next season.

Matthew Leckie, Robbie Kruse, Mustafa Amini, Luke Devere, Dino Djubic, and Alex Brosque are just some of the good great and ordinary A-League players who have left or will leave the A-League in coming days. And most of them have been established players on increasing pay packets.

So when these stars and rising stars of the A-League depart - and there are many more going or gone in 2011 - what does that mean for the players left behind and indeed the wages of those left behind?

Of course clubs will look to reduce their wage bill as clubs cost spiral but given the huge numbers of players leaving, the limit on overseas players, the Aussies left to pick up where the above mentioned players have left must be able to get an inflated wage.

Did Adriano Pellegrino get a handy pay rise heading to the Patricio Perez, Mustafa Amini depleted Central Coast Mariners?

Will the A-League youth players suddenly find $5,000 is not enough anymore as they are whisked off to another A-League club desperate to swell the ranks, the Aussie ranks.

With less and less players coming back from England and Europe, most of them are here now aren't they, it seems to me the Aussie player playing in the Youth League or VPL or NSWPL will have a better chance than ever of getting picked up and getting a better wage than they possibly could have dreamed of previously.

Great opportunities you'd think for State League and Youth League players to come into the fold.

But will they be able to improve the quality - some maybe - all, no chance.

And what of their wages - less than a Brosque and Devere perhaps but surely a wage bigger than they truly deserve right now.

The A-League clubs must spend 85% of their salary cap - but will the Aussies benefit?

Indeed with all the Aussie players leaving will the standard fall in 2012 - or are we now producing so many quality young players it won't matter?

Wednesday, 13 April 2011

Muscat Victorious?

Kevin Muscat retires at the end of the Asian Champions League - and he's been the backbone of the Victory side for years.

A leader on the park - hard to believe he wouldn't have had huge influence over the playing side of things at Victory - but his name rarely seems to be mentioned in the mix for the Victory job.

True he'd be better off in an Assistant or Youth team position but you have to think he's already been doing his apprenticeship over the last six years.

Can't see him leaving - will he get the job?

Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Nearpost Poddie: KeaNo, Victory, Asian Champions League and all the news

Paddy Bordier, Lucy Zelic and Eamonn Flanagan talk Aussie Football

We've got all the news, and how many football poddies only cover Aussie football?

We are clearly Australia's number one football poddie, apart from all the others, We discuss all the news from Australian football. What more could you wish for from the Australian media?

Quiz: Name five Aussies playing in Asia

Download.
or play right from your computer....

Know your football? Who said this?

I'm all for playing football from the back into the midfield and into the forwards with penetration thorough the middle and boys out wide.

Who said that?

Branko welcome to 1970!

THE Newcastle Jets will be running up sand dunes, racking up kilometres on mountain bikes and rock climbing in what coach Branko Culina predicts will be the most thorough pre-season his players have experienced.

Shades of Big Jock Wallace at Leicester in the 70s - and they were nowhere near a beach.

Have to wonder if Branko has been studying Barcelona's techniques this year - or maybe he's been walking the dunes in the off-season.

Branko, "hmmn that's a might big dune.....I've just had a great idea."

Maybe this is why Ljubo left.....for South Melbourne. No dunes in St Kilda are there!

Sunday, 10 April 2011

Ozzie for Melbourne - surely it's time

Roy Keane, Ozzie Ardiles were great players and both are supposed to be after the Melbourne Victory job.

Surely they would cost a bomb - and surely we've learnt that Ange Postecoglou and Graham Arnold can play great football, much cheaper and they're Aussie.

So give another Aussie a go - how do they learn if they don't get a gig.

Do we really need another foreign coach - how much would that cost if it went wrong - indeed how much would the club make if it succeeded?

Remember Pierre Littbarski at Sydney FC - won the title, great crowds, sell-out grand final - club went belly up!

Lest we forget.

Canberra A-League bid still on the radar? With Tassie or Wollongong?

FFA have written to Canberra A-League Bid Leader (Friday last)stating if/when Canberra can raise the $6 million start-up fund ($3.5 mill currently) and all other requirements being fulfilled the FFA are very interested in a team from the Capital.

Hmmmm maybe so - but once bitten twice shy. The FFA need to work with Canberra to ensure it happens for the good and growth of the game.

Alternatively if Canberra stumps up the money - pressure should be placed to ensure the team is accepted.

Would be better to start with a Youth team - if the FFA are serious about the growth and development of the game - and the A-League bid should seriously consider the long-term financial viability of a Canberra team in the current A-League and Canberra sporting team environment.

If AFL has to play four of it's GWS games in Canberra - surely Canberra playing four A-League games in Tassie and/or Wollongong would make the team more viable going forward.

We could get good crowds to 8 home games a year, 8 games much much easier to sell - whereas straight into 14 home games, given the size of the city, the rest of the league crowds currently - large home crowds over the first three seasons are most unlikely.

Time to look at a different strategy - one that brings in more fans in total, more dollars from more sources.

When we're stronger - then we could build our own, one city, team. And maybe Wollongong in time could similarly advance the game in their region.

We can have a team in Canberra. Union and League and now AFL can so football can to. But getting the financials right is crucial.

We can learn from every other A-League Franchise - so we are sustainable. It requires a different model from the current one - $6million and we're in.

That will end in tears and a waste of six million in my view - much the same as money has been wasted in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Newcastle, Townsville, Perth, Auckland by many previous owners!

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Nearpost Poddie: We beat Germany. Socceroos, Asian Champions League and more!

Paddy Bordier, Lucy Zelic and Nick Compston talk Aussie Football

We've got all the news, and how many football poddies only cover Aussie football?

We are clearly Australia's number one football poddie, apart from all the others, We discuss all the news from Australian football. What more could you wish for from the Australian media?

Quiz: How many times has Australia played Germany, what were the results and who scored? It's now four and we won one!

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or play right from your computer....

Tuesday, 5 April 2011

Nearpost radio tonight - We beat Germany, ACL and more.

Great strides for young Aussies this year but a big roadblock in develop with expected start to A-League in October. Matt McKay may not play until OCTOBER competitively.

Can't wait to watch Melbourne Victory in China this afternoon at 5.30pm followed by Sydney FC tomorrow. Both need to win, simple as.

SBS put up their schedule for May/June - simply awesome. All the usual Champions League and FA Cup stuff - but it's the FIFA World Cups, Women, U17 and U20 plus a couple of Aussie friendlies that really excited me.

Should the A-League take a game to Marconi stadium - packed out 12,000 v dismal 7,000. Interesting discussion on 442 today.

And nearpost radio podcast is on tonight - get all your football news streamed 630pm www.2xxfm.org.au

Footballers;: Best Aussie role models?

Survey wake-up for footy players

Michelle Grattan
April 5, 2011

THREE in four Australians don’t think that professional footballers make good role models for young people, but soccer players are better regarded than those in other codes — even in Victoria.

Friday, 1 April 2011

UK: SSG's for U13s - there's people on the pitch!

English FA youth football proposals get grassroots support. They've been playing football along time in UK - and it's now getting serious about development - maybe - in 2011!

Check out the debate in the land of drizzle, pie floaters and mushy peas. http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/news/2011/02/28/fa-proposals-for-youth-football-have-your-say/

Last month in The Club House we outlined the FA's proposals for youth football in England, which will increase small-sided football for under 13s and ban league tables for under 11s. We knew it would get people going, but what a stir it caused!

The debate has been raging on our website ever since with some strong views expressed on both sides, but now the results of a Club Website poll can reveal that the majority of the grassroots football community support the FA's plans.

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