I am trying to get my head around potential pathways for junior players in NSW. For kids playing in the SAP league in U10s, what are their options from u12s onwards? I am aware of the Premier League 1 and 2 leagues from U12s. However, what are the other options? Skillaroos? Football NSW Institute teams? State sides? Neither the FFA or Football NSW seem to make their pathways very clear on their websites and other publications. If anyone could let me know that would be great.

You can trial for PL1 or PL2. If I were you (depending on where you live) I would try for one of the bigger clubs like Manly, Sutherland or Blacktown City. They have all been up in PL1 for a while and seem to have good coaches and TD's in place. You have to get selected to trial for Skilleroos and they normally just do that via email and the trial process runs over a couple of weeks before the PL1 trials start.

Thanks Neverwozza.
I wonder how the Skilleroos decide who they call up for trial? As you probably know, SAP is non-comp, SAP gala days are also non-comp. Every once in a while I see the odd Football NSW Rep out at the games, but without the top teams/players playing against each other regularly it would seem a bit of a hit and miss approach to evaluating players. And is the Football NSW Institute a separate entity to the skillaroos? There is a paragraph mention of it on the Football NSW website under the Talented Player Pathway Tab but I have never come across any other reference to it.
I realise these are probably questions I should be putting to Football NSW but thanks in advance if anyone could provide some more insight into this.

They either get scouted by Football NSW or their current coach can put them forward.

As fas as I know skillaroos is the FNSW intitute side. Two of my eldest sons team mates made it this season and they were absolute standouts in both of the sides that he played in so I think they pretty much have the selection thing down pat.

Thanks for the info. Appreciate it.

not one player who has ever played skillaros or anything fnsw institue based has ever made it as a pro footballer

Early days yet. Would've helped too if the established SL clubs weren't refusing to play them.

What's your point?

Fnsw should allow a well developed park soccer team be able to climb the ladder all the way to the so called top, there is no official pathway one thing is for sure, it's a pyramid pathway wide at he bottom closing in at the top only a very few will make it, apox 250 players in each age group in PL1 - another 200 in Pl2 that's aprox 500 players, then we have every other state you o the calculations it's time to have some fun and stop giving money to this sport until the football bodies open the market or everone to enjoy, if the scouts were doing a good job we would have won the world cup ages ago.

I completely agree with the idea about widening opportunities to all. I am not sure that this can be achieved by adding more teams/players to the existing SAP and youth PL tiers. The reality is that with 60 teams in each age division at SAP NSW, the gap between the handfull of top SAP teams/players and the others is already wide. What is needed is a commitment to radical change to the cost structure to allow access for all, but based on merit, not on the depth of parents'pockets. Australia will never win a World Cup as long as naive mums and dads are willing to help prop up a failing system by continuing to fork out thousands of dollars so their kids can play 'elite football' despite showing little aptitude at running, dribbling or kicking. Regardless of the need for restructuring the system to improve the quality, clubs will not willingly give up their SAP licences. SAP has quickly become a golden cashcow for struggling clubs that helps them maintain their over-payments to past legends in their first grade rosters. In the meantime, much needed FFA subsidisation of these elite youth programs is non-existent while millions of $ is wasted on pumping 'grassroots' targeted funds into feeding Tim Cahill's bank account and Murdoch's PR machine. The end result is that talented young players whose parent's can't afford to pay, or choose (probably wisely) not to pay for elite youth football are lost to the game.