Very good points JDB03....that saying the cream rise's to the top has its merit but let me expand a little on your last sentence which is so important and a very good one.
Important that a coach likes/suits the style/morals/values of the young up and comer - mine has just gone through 2 wasted seasons with a coach who's style of play doesn't suit his game therefore that precious time is lost never to be gained back. (we should have changed after the 1st season but its not as easy as said, your thinking give it one more go or not ??, trails are here there and everywhere and similar times as mentioned, such a melting pot).
Were past it (YL) being mine is about to start his 2nd season in 18's but I'm saying this for Zoltan being his boy is younger - time pass's too fast, if things are not looking in the right direction get onto it, question, make move sooner rather than later for you can't afford losing a season on development.

Hume City seem to understand the issues and have opened a performance academy that compliments (along side) its NPL teams.

Whatever way you see it hey are 'looking after the better players' by supplementing (for free) their development with more focused, higher level, probably skill based sessions. Bravo Hume city who I reckon realise that Excellence is 'not a given' and that they (we) need to do something extra to improve youth football outcomes at an elite level. And this does not mean they don't care about the wellbeing of individual kids, nor does it mean that parents who aspire to better coaching and systems are Damir Dokic's or Earl Woods's. It just means that people who understand excellence understand that in context its ok the try and be good at stuff. Soccer should always be seen in context and school, being good citizens etc should always come first.

"This is the first step forward to being able to deliver high quality football education to our kids at no cost to them. My background makes me recognise the need for change as we work towards making elite football development free for those good enough.

"If I could get one message across to our parents it’s that we are looking to push the boundaries of player development"

"Think about domains like GPS data, wellness cards, pre/post game nutrition, skill acquisition, warm-up protocols, injury management and recovery, sports psychology, etc. The list goes on".

http://humecityfc.com/2017/09/23/performance-academy-coach-appointed/

Amazing inspiring stuff that should be more the norm (at NPL level) than some kind of anomoly

So jdb03 are you still sure the cream always rises to the top and that if a kid is good enough then they will get recognised? Or like HC model they recognise that talent needs to be actively nurtured and that npl as it currently is fosters mediocrity? You can’t tell me in one sentence to relax and let nature take its course (and ignore politics) and then in the next congratulation HC for being proactive...Your default view is very common.

That’s cool. Just whenever someone gives administrators some real feedback a fairly quick defensive reply is to suggest that the parent shouldn’t try and live out their dreams in their kid. That stops meaningful dialogue pretty quickly. The problem we need to recognise is that the npl isn’t really producing any cream. Yes there will always be kids rising to the top of our system. The problem is we are climbing mount Donna buang and we should be aiming for Everest. So no I don’t think the cream is currently given a chance.

Overseas is not the answer

Hume City seem to understand the issues and have opened a performance academy that compliments (along side) its NPL teams.

Whatever way you see it hey are 'looking after the better players' by supplementing (for free) their development with more focused, higher level, probably skill based sessions. Bravo Hume city who I reckon realise that Excellence is 'not a given' and that they (we) need to do something extra to improve youth football outcomes at an elite level. And this does not mean they don't care about the wellbeing of individual kids, nor does it mean that parents who aspire to better coaching and systems are Damir Dokic's or Earl Woods's. It just means that people who understand excellence understand that in context its ok the try and be good at stuff. Soccer should always be seen in context and school, being good citizens etc should always come first.

"This is the first step forward to being able to deliver high quality football education to our kids at no cost to them. My background makes me recognise the need for change as we work towards making elite football development free for those good enough.

"If I could get one message across to our parents it’s that we are looking to push the boundaries of player development"

"Think about domains like GPS data, wellness cards, pre/post game nutrition, skill acquisition, warm-up protocols, injury management and recovery, sports psychology, etc. The list goes on".

http://humecityfc.com/2017/09/23/performance-academy-coach-appointed/

Amazing inspiring stuff that should be more the norm (at NPL level) than some kind of anomoly

Why can’t going overseas be an adventure if done properly? Why would going over and having a crack equal destroyed lives? Plenty more shattered 20 year olds here in Melbourne playing xbox, living at home and doing a meaningless business degree. Depends how you see risk...

I would almost say that that one almost needs to be an outlier (and avoid the system) in order to help your kid reach any sort of potential. I'm not sure how much you know about soccer at junior levels in VIC but the best outcomes are not coming from NPL clubs or the FFV systems but through outlying 'academies' - like Glen eira soccer club, Heart wings world and some clubs in geelong - who are not only producing more technical kids but kids who look happier and kids who are ultimately making the state teams and getting picked for Melbourne Victory and melbourne City academies.

Yep but I don’t think overseas is not the answer. As I recall his kid was miserably.People can do what they like but being an older parent I can advise you of this. Your child’s childhood should not be destroyed for the sake of football and you risk your families happiness on the off chance something could come of it.Just saying and not wanting a fight over it.It’s up to you

Agree. So the ffv, npl administrators and coaches need to explain why an under 11 side in Geelong is full of doctors and our teams aren’t. Or at least recognise and acknowledge openly that we have a low bar. Our kids are just as good at years 8 & 9 but the gap will widen.

Whats the point?

Peddling a dream that just isn’t there.

Hypotheses – Australia’s soccer Industry of which can claim an incredibly impressive 1.1 million participants, has no pathway to professional success.

By professional success – I mean not just playing pro soccer but having a successful career where you earn say more that 250k per year for 7-10 years.

Any child wanting to be a successful professional soccer player in Australia (make a decent living and have a good career) might as well give up and go surfing because the chances are about the same as winning the lottery. Your child has more chance to be prime minister, 5,000 times more chance to be a doctor and a 50 times more chance to be an Olympian in another sport.

Lets see why.

The pathway to professional play in Australia is currently via the A-league clubs. We have 10 A-league clubs with squads of 26.

That’s 260 professional players in Australia. Compare this to AFL who have 18 teams x 38 platers = 684 professional players. Almost 3 x s many.

Every year maybe 2 youth players break through to be regulars in an A-league team. Then the likelihood is only one of them will go onto make a great career.

So the reality is if your kid makes an a-league academy as a 13-17 year old (an amazing achievement) their chances of making it as a successful professional is still about 100-1. Don’t sell the house just yet!!

The A-league clubs are made up of Internationals, stalwart ex socceroos and Australian Journeyman players lucky to be earning 100-150k per year. The Journeyman spend 2-3 years on a A-League roster (something to tell the grandkids) and go back to NPL teams earning 20k per year and working out what to do with the rest of their lives.

To eck out a decent living in the A-league you would need to have at have at some stage player for a Socceroo squad at some level and even then there is no guarantee.

So the only real option is to try your chances overseas as a youngster. This takes incredible will power and belief and a large portion of reckless stupidity to take this risk with your family. But you know what – its more risky to hang around and try and play the NPL political game, then navigate what must be a nightmare of politics and intrigue to get on an a-league list only to be still a marathon away from real success…

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer when considering a move OS.
At what age?
Is the kid ready mentally?
Can the parents afford it?
Which club?
What does the kid need to improve on and does the program here not provide it?
Is the kid good enough to start with?
Im all for it if you can tick the boxes, if not don't go.
I had the opportunity to take one of my sons OS two years ago and decided not to as we though he wasn't ready mentally. Like I said its an individual choice that only the family can make. Sometimes you might get it wrong but that the risk you take. 

Too many npl clubs is part of the problem in terms of watering down the quality of the npl league. But it doesn’t mean npl clubs can’t do things much better. Hume is listening! The academy teams might get the better kids it’s because they are providing a better product. Go and watch a training or read a website / watch a YouTube clip for one of them. Hume is listening.

I reckon all NPL clubs can take something from that.