NSW National Premier League clubs are on a warpath with Football Federation of Australia after plans to homogenise two tiers of youth football sparked a bitter feud and a boycott of a high-profile meeting.

Eleven of the 12 NPL division one clubs refused to meet Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, FFA technical director Eric Abrams and FFA head of national performance Luke Casserly on Thursday night amid fury over plans to dissolve the top tier of youth football. The FFA's proposal for the NSW NPL division one and NPL division two to be absorbed into one grade split by geography was met with anger from all but one of the state's highest-ranked clubs who are unwilling to agree to the new system.

By the 2016 season, five ages from under 12s to under 16s could cease to include collective promotion, relegation and finals series for NPL clubs based on performances. The 12 teams from NPL 1 and 12 teams from NPL 2, along with two regional teams and the arrival of youth teams of both Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers will be pooled together in one 28-team division.

They will be split into two 14-team conferences divided as either east and west or north and south. The move is to limit travel times of kids and parents, provide players in each district access to high-level football, improve the bottom standard of the existing top tiers and banish the negative tactics associated with promotion and relegation pressures of young ages.

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"When an under 12s team is winning 1-0, they're often instructed by their coaches not to take any chances, not to play out the back. Within the NPL in NSW the need for young players to win because of relegation and promotion sees that we're not getting a real adoption to the national curriculum and coaches aren't being instructed by clubs to play football in the way we want and the way our national curriculum sets out to play," Casserly said.

The proposal has been praised by several coaches in youth development who believe young players need to focus on performance not results while Football NSW chief executive Eddie Moore is not concerned with the potential of lopsided results in a proposed mixed competition.

"The gap between clubs that are NPL 1 or NPL 2 doesn't automatically mean that it's of a varied standard. The bottom line is that Sydney and NSW is too big to not have kids excel in their own backyards," Moore said.

However, the overwhelming majority of NPL 1 clubs feel aggrieved having invested heavily in youth development and senior elite performances especially given their limited earnings opportunities. APIA Leichhardt president and vice-chairman of the NPL 1 standing committee, Tony Raciti, fears the proposed model could lead to the clubs reducing funding for youth teams because they no longer fear relegation.

"We're of a strong belief like everywhere else in the world that it has to be the best playing against the best, that's the simple reality," Raciti said. "The Premier League clubs will stop investing in coaches, training facilities because there is nothing at stake and it will merely become a grass roots competition."

It's been mooted that some current NPL 1 clubs could shift resources to private academies instead of youth teams should the FFA's proposed flatline system of the two leagues be introduced.

There are also fears of lopsided performances and results in the short to medium term that could jeopardise player development. In recent inter-tier friendly games in youth games, scorelines of 17-0 and 15-2 were noted and could become common in competitive fixtures.

Former Socceroo, Mark Bosnich supports some stages of the model but is fearful of the lack of pressure young players learn to deal with. Before moving to Manchester United as a teenager, Bosnich cites the pressures of promotion, relegation and finals series as preparation for the jump to the English Premier League.

"My biggest fear is that you're going to have some teams that beat others by six-nil or more which is no good for anyone," he said. "[The flatline system for] Under 12s OK, under 13s at a push but from the age of 14 onwards, there should be times in a year when there is pressure on the boys to perform at a senior level, whether that is promotion or relegation or a finals series.

"These clubs are stakeholders in the games and have been for a very long time. They've jumped through hoops under the old Han Berger regime and it seems they've been told what's happening rather than being given the chance to discuss."

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/nsw-premier-league-clubs-on-warpath-with-ffa-over-youth-development-20150312-142i4y.html

Clubs are in the right. Learning to play under pressure is just as an important part of a players development into a senior player as technical skills.

So do you think its right when most youth teams are playing hoofball just to avoid relegation when the purpose should be about developing players and coaches?

That indicates a problem with a clubs coaches and development system, blaming Promotion and Relegation is a total cop out. Strong youth systems at clubs like Ajax for example will look to play the same or similar way so as to maintain consistency throughout their entire pathway.

If clubs are resorting to hoofing it, then the coaches are shit and are not doing their job properly.

If clubs are resorting to hoofing it, then the coaches are shit and are not doing their job properly.

Thats fair enough, i wonder if they have pro-rel at youth level in Europe?

So do you think its right when most youth teams are playing hoofball just to avoid relegation when the purpose should be about developing players and coaches?

Sick of these stupid NPL clubs...

You want to see proper Football development, look at the associations.

Look at the country association programs which are building in leaps and bounds. E.g. Riverina Rhinos and Western Mariners.

There are too many NPL clubs who see the NPL youth as a form of income for their First Grade players. NPL1/2 clubs paying ridiculous money for anything to win First Grade but not caring about youth Football... Perfect example at Bankstown City Lions with stupid money being spent and the God all mighty Leo Carle get paid a motza to run his academy out of their...

I dont know the ins and outs of the u12 NSW but if you broke it up east/west imo you should still have pro/rel. If Sydney United produced 2-3 teams good enough to stay in the top division so be it. If a club has the facilities to take many kids and have multiple teams then why restrict them?

Sick of these stupid NPL clubs...

You want to see proper Football development, look at the associations.

Look at the country association programs which are building in leaps and bounds. E.g. Riverina Rhinos and Western Mariners.

There are too many NPL clubs who see the NPL youth as a form of income for their First Grade players. NPL1/2 clubs paying ridiculous money for anything to win First Grade but not caring about youth Football... Perfect example at Bankstown City Lions with stupid money being spent and the God all mighty Leo Carle get paid a motza to run his academy out of their...

Even if a person with a lobotomy would not believe they were focused on youth.
They are focused on one thing, the seniors, and to win the title at that level.
The only way to do that is to rip everyone off on the youth side and use that money on the senior team.
This is a great idea from the geography point of view.

Pretty sure you're only allowed one team per age group in NPL.

wow, so instead of utilizing the resources within a club kids are forced to join other clubs or change sports.

No, they just play for the same club in junior divisions below NPL.

Is promotion/relegation the real issue here?
Surely there is pressure trying to win.If not why isn't the HAL a picnic for everyone?
The real issue is money and milking parents.

That indicates a problem with a clubs coaches and development system, blaming Promotion and Relegation is a total cop out. Strong youth systems at clubs like Ajax for example will look to play the same or similar way so as to maintain consistency throughout their entire pathway.

If clubs are resorting to hoofing it, then the coaches are shit and are not doing their job properly.

Will not matter what you do, in Miniroos (small sided games U11 down from 7v7 - U8-U9 to 9v9 U10-U11) there are no points, tables or cups and the majority of the teams play to win (playing with sweepers, long kicks, different formations to FFA suggested formations, forwards playing in off side positions to score - no offside at this level, etc.) so I cannot see it making any difference.

From my experiences you generally find a few coaches (as opposed to a club level) using this level for player development but the reality is that most are playing to win any way they can and the clubs do not put enough time and resources into these age groups to create a club wide playing style.

No point in comparing to Ajax or Barcelona because they have a playing style/methodology all the way through the club and have the resources to do this as opposed to using junior money to fund the club usually more at the senior level from what I have seen at NPL level clubs.

In Australia it will just depend on which coach you get and sometimes what parents you get. You know the ones with the my son should be playing forward all the time and scoring goals any way he/she can.

Former Socceroo, Mark Bosnich supports some stages of the model but is fearful of the lack of pressure young players learn to deal with. Before moving to Manchester United as a teenager, Bosnich cites the pressures of promotion, relegation and finals series as preparation for the jump to the English Premier League.

And its still not a good enough excuse for these clubs to follow their selfish ways, when the main is to follow the national direction. Thats how football will improve in his country.

The sooner a-league clubs have their own academies the better will be for the next generation and aspiring coaches too. It seems like many NPL motives don't have the interest of overall football development in this country.

And they want a gig in the a-league really...

Is it really clubs following their selfish ways. Did everyone really expect clubs to follow the national curriculum to the letter. It doesn't happen in any country, what makes you think it would happen here. Sure the national curriculum can provide a framework but at the end of the day if clubs don't agree with the curriculum they are not going to follow it . Do we really want to homogenize all our teams to play in exactly the same way and same system. Its unrealistic to think so. As long as we can produce good footballers that can adapt to any style does it really matter.

The NPL dont have interest in the overall development in this country................how so? It has been left to NPL clubs to fill the gap that the A-league clubs have so far been unwilling to meet. In the meantime A-league clubs quite gladly pinch the best players from the NPL and what do the NPL clubs get as a reward. That's right.............they get nothing for developing the player.

If you are talking about selfish, I think you need to look elsewhere.

Clubs are in the right. Learning to play under pressure is just as an important part of a players development into a senior player as technical skills.

Of course they dont have to copy the NC letter by letter It comes down to how they coaching our next generation of kids and the NC is a guide for that for everyone to follow so we produce players on a consistent rather than in spurts, i agree with the compensation aspect but if they are not doing the right things at youth level then it becomes a problem in the long run.

Teaching technique and tactics is far more important and looking to survive relegation or looking to get promoted, it makes a mockery of focusing on development which they talk about.

i also think having pro-rel at youth level will just ruin all the good work that the kids will have gone through at SSG and in SAP level.

Not about following NC to the letter it is about teaching good habits and technique so you can apply this tactically as you get older. You cannot do this booting the ball 40 metres in a direct line to your centre forward because that is the easiest way to get a goal. This is what I saw on Sunday at the highest NPL junior level by what was supposed to be one of the best teams in the state. Good luck if you think that is going to develop players, might win you a game.

This is why people do not go to NPL games because the standard has not changed as clubs are not focused on developing a bigger enough player pool to play at a decent standard. Listen to the Japan model and where their focus is.

Our excuse is the A-League will take all the players for a small fee, create a bigger playing pool and you will have plenty left over to improve your club. But I guess this takes investment and resources better spent on someone moving from NPL club to NPL club for $50 more a game rather than creating your own. In the end clubs are incapable to create their own because they do not invest in junior football - coaches, equipment, paying surfaces and so on.

Edited by justafan: 13/3/2015 12:39:18 PM

Maybe the FFA could give more than the $3000 transfer fee when A-League clubs pinch state league players. There's no incentive for them to be a breeding ground for the A-League. It's probably why clubs like Sutherland are sending players overseas instead.

There is no justification for clubs to get 3k per player if they charged them 3k per season to play in the youth team.
The reason there is no incentive to be a breeding ground because of the amount of money you can get by charging ordinary kids for a place in the team.
The reason Sutherland are sending players overseas is they can the charge big margins on overseas trips and earn more money that way along with academies.

FFA are there to act in the best interest of everyone in Australian Football..

Are you talking about SA? That might all be relevant down there, but it's certainly not relevant up here.

If the objective becomes survival or promotion and the club needs the $$$ from expensive 'top tier' youth league competition places, then the coaches will be instructed to do whatever it takes to get that done.

Forcing 12 year olds into promotion relegation situations to "toughen them up" is fucking stupid.

Can you name a couple of clubs who charge 3k please?

There is no justification for clubs to get 3k per player if they charged them 3k per season to play in the youth team.
The reason there is no incentive to be a breeding ground because of the amount of money you can get by charging ordinary kids for a place in the team.
The reason Sutherland are sending players overseas is they can the charge big margins on overseas trips and earn more money that way along with academies.

It may also have something to do with the kids having nowhere to go in the professional environment in Australia.

If Sutherland is doing this then good on them for creating a pathway.

I was going to write this. In Europe good kids get invited here or there. Do training camps, establish connections with clubs and the network is wide. It doenst cost much. This means as long as kids are developing they dont always need to be at the strongest clubs.

I feel that it will most likely be that one of the Melbourne or Sydney A-league teams will become the front runner in the country. I look forward to seeing the first Brisbane 12 yo move to Victoria to attend the Bentleigh Greens.

Clubs out of line in youth development

Craig Foster
Published: March 14, 2015 - 5:56PM

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One event in NSW last week perfectly encapsulated the final, major problem facing the game: alignment.

It is one Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop will have to solve as it is one of the most complex in all of Australian sport and is also of critical importance to creating the optimal system.

Despite all the beautiful things that have happened, and the growth in which we have all participated and contributed to so proudly, the game is still not in a position to be able to make medium to long-term decisions in its best interest. Roadblocks at state level still stand in the way.

We have often said that, if the game gets NSW right, we take a giant leap forward, simply by virtue of the number of players.

I am referring to the structure of the game, the talent identification, the first experience at junior level, the nurturing of good players, the passing on of technically competent boys and girls to the next coach, and increasing the pool of talented players in programs and sound environments conducive to development.

As such, a review of competitions resolved to combine the two divisions of the NSW National Premier League competitions into a flatter structure between the ages of 12 and 16 – the vital development years – to take away promotion and relegation, divide the aggregate geographically into two zones and finally add the Sydney FC and Western Sydney youth teams to the system.

The strategy is correct, the reasoning sound, and it is something that already has been implemented in Victoria to great effect.

But NSW is a very different beast. It is where incumbent clubs are famous for putting the brakes on any initiative, no matter how important for the game, that they feel is not in their narrow interests or weakens some of their authority or power.

Their reaction is predictable, and shows Gallop, the FFA management and technical director Eric Abrams just why they must dig in, refuse to take a backward step and implement these important improvements.

Like babies denied their rattles, the club representatives boycotted a meeting with Abrams and Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou. They literally took their ball and went home.

Actually, their reaction is perfect because those at the next level down, where we desperately need reform for a system that has been held ransom to petty politics for decades, have made clear to the rest of us they cannot be tasked with acting in anything but their own, narrow interests.

What is this wretched reform they are so dead against?

It is a change in competition structure that will broaden the number of clubs in the level directly below the A-League, double the number of boys and girls given opportunities under good coaches, geographically reorganise the zones so that parents no longer have to travel hours for training and competition, and allow the fastest growing regions of western Sydney a representative club to ensure the game is well placed 20years from now.

Promotion and relegation at this age is the scourge of development. It is where clubs give incentives to coaches to produce points, not players, where talent is not pushed to higher age divisions where it can be challenged so a team stays competitive or becomes champions. It's all part of the reason why we are not maximising the number of players we have, and are driving families either out of the game or compromising education for countless hours of driving time.

FFA recently conducted a Whole of Football research project to arrive at a set of deliverables over the next few decades.

These are of limited value if the game is not aligned so that every state is on song with the national game, and every competition engineered for the good of all.

Those who refused to attend an important meeting for football last week are not required in the game's future. They are most welcome to move on. We need futurists, visionaries, people capable of acting for the greater good.

The time when a small number of individuals could hold the game back has long passed.

Reform is finally coming to all levels of the game. The difference is that today, rather than having a material effect as in the past, refusing to participate only marks those incapable of working for football.


This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/clubs-out-of-line-in-youth-development-20150314-1445us.html

From the man who said Ange Postecoglou should resign

Those who refused to attend an important meeting for football last week are not required in the game's future. They are most welcome to move on.

From the man who said Ange Postecoglou should resign

From someone who plays the man rather than the ball in aid of his beloved mono ethnic club.

So do you think its right when most youth teams are playing hoofball just to avoid relegation when the purpose should be about developing players and coaches?

It should be entirely up to the clubs how they play. Clubs are the backbone of the game. Some sort of big brother organisation dictating how clubs should play- reeks of totalitarianism. It didn't even happen in East Germany.

Good players will stand out whatever system is being played- whether the club is fighting against relegation, or fighting for the premiership.

Edited by localstar: 15/3/2015 07:38:29 PM

Good players will stand out whatever system is being played- whether the club is fighting against relegation, or fighting for the premiership.

Unless it's a young midfielder playing in a team who play hoofball to avoid relegation or to try and win the league, and thus sees little of the ball and when he does he's told to just smack it up the field or get taken off.

I don't understand how playing hoofball is avoiding relegation. Teams who play this are usually the ones who get relegated. Teams who are a little more proactive are usually the ones going on to win the competition or end up surviving. If teams choose to play in this manner then it is also up to opposition teams and coaches to exploit this negative style of play. If people think that playing hoof ball is a way of avoiding relegation you are kidding yourself.