Who is Australian football youngest debutant?
If you’re good enough, you’re old enough – that’s what Adelaide United are saying with the promotion of 15-year-old Teeboy Kamara to their matchday squad. But is Kamara Australian football’s youngest debutant?
This on the FFA web site
and the QF ban players playing up 1 year.

I know a lot of people who have played up a year. I remember when I was in Under 11's at Gosnells City, we won the State Cup and we had four players playing up a year. Out of those four, three of them were our best players. One has since made the NTS, another has played at inter-state carnivals for WA, and another represented the Joey's at the U-17 World Cup in Mexico this year. The other one, my cousin, just successfully trailled for Western Knight's Under 18 Premier League team. Make of that what you will. I believe playing up a year or two (the inter-state carnival guy played two years up at one stage) defintely helps you.

At the same time however, I'm currently trialling with Melville City's U18 Division 2 team. I've noticed that some of our best players, in terms of technical ability, are four guys who are eligable to play Under 16's next season. Whilst they are great with the ball, none of them are particularly big and tend to get pushed off the ball too much. I do worry that if/when they make the Saturday team and it comes to playing the big, physical teams that the squad is likely to encounter, wil they be a liability? Will they lose the ball too much and be bullied by the opposition? I hope not.

Double-edged sword that in many ways could hurt us.


Had a couple of friends as a kid who played up an age due to their ability alone; one then became an average player in the next age group because they couldn't adjust to the physicality of the bigger lads and the other continued to star because he had really good feet. Amusingly he ended up choosing cricket over soccer though *shrug*

When you actually can find kids who can play against bigger, more physical opponents and cope with that as well as retain their skill, you're finding potentially very good players. Of course that's balanced with putting too much pressure on other kids, who don't make the jump successfully - but not everyone can become a pro footballer, can they?

This season we will have forced on us a rule stating players can not play up above their age group. apparently this is coming from the FFA.
If this is true why is Adelaide thinking of playing a 15yr old in an a leaue game?
What do i tell 9yr olds who have been with me for 3yrs that they can not play up in U11's.
Seems like a case of double standards to me.