Isn't this the bloke that shot down the AAFC and its wish for a second division, stating the standard wasn't good enough or something like that?

But now he wants the same NPL clubs to have academies the same standard as the closed shop professional clubs?

Sorry but the guy has no clue when it comes to user pays and the Australian environment.
Not one study has been done or produced.
NPL clubs in Melbourne still waiting for an assessment since April.
He stated clearly that to achieve the required Academy Standard a budget of $350K (If you own your own facilities) to $600K.
In a user pays system! well work it out for yourself.

He's right.

One CoE in Canberra serving all of Australia wasn't enough.

9 CoEs at A League clubs and 6-8 state based in support has to be better.

Simple maths really 15 >> 1

Hard to argue with that logic.

Ned Zelic was talking about this the other day on a podcast, and his experience going into the AIS aged 16.

In his situation, it was a matter of just going down the road because he had learned his football at Croatia Deakin (in fact, another alumni of Croatia Deakin, Josip Simunic, would have been at the AIS at the same time as Ned).

One of the points he raised is that he wasn't sure how beneficial it was sending 16 year olds to live away from their families, so if each capital city can have the same infrastructure (and in the case of Sydney and Melbourne, two bites at it), then that has to be better than just having the one and forcing young kids to move to that one spot.

Another very important point Ned made is that by 16, your technique must already be at a very high level, if it's not, then it doesn't matter what programs exist beyond that age - so elite programs need to exist between the age of 12 and 15, but on top of that, these kids need to be playing the game in every waking moment, these days, too many are relying on elite programs (at immense cost), thinking that's all there is to it.

He talked of some of the academies he saw in Germany.  There are as many as 50 such that no child is ever more than 20 minutes away from an academy (his words).

These academies, much like the famous Ajax one, are churning through 100s of kids per year, it's like an endless conveyor belt, looking for the one or two gems in a pile of rubble.

the facilities in bundoora are modern, purpose built and probably better run and resourced.  they should have cut a deal with CFG to co-locate.

That doesn't sound that inspiring Mr Abrams...

Would be better spent funding a second division and bringing in loans and transfers to encourage clubs to develop players and to allow a-league clubs to loan out youngsters to get game time......maybe have a required number of under 23 players for each team  in the dvision.

“Our A-League academies are only starting so it’s impossible to already have a professional quality level. "
errr...yeah....
Ideally we would have what the Germans have, we don't. So instead of canning the COE just repurpose it? Use it as an National Technical Training Centre like Calirfontaine, or for the 12-15 age bracket or kids that can't afford to hand over the big bucks to the private academies?  coaches can upskill? Where national football strategy is devices and international experts can be brought in to give one off intensive sessions, lecture our technical directors etc etc 
It isn't an either/or argument. If I was smart enough to put in a giff I'd have the one of the little mexican girl with the Taco's saying 'why not both?'
Until we know the A-League academies can take over and are doing a better job why throw away resource because it isn't like Germany, seriously we will never have what Germany have

Ok my core belief
Any player who payed his yearly registration fees is entitled to be selected for state teams.
Not just the ones who can pay 2500 dollars. Or have the right last name or who's fathers are movers and shakers .The game needs the best players in the state teams. The county needs it and i will never accept anything less.
Regardless of race colour creed religion sex or socioeconomic status the best should be chosen.

One thing that probably should have happened is moving it to be based in Sydney/Melbourne (or have smaller training centres in each city) where there's a larger talent pool, less pressure for the players to move, more options to play against higher quality local opposition, and existing A-League clubs in the area plus more accessibility for international scouts.

Heard this argument before about the whole of canberra actually

100% And more transparency in who's paying whom

@ krones3

The academies should be free. The best get in, not just those that can afford it.

@ Bundoora Brah

But would a talented kid from Melbourne choose to go to CFGs academy in Canberra or Victiorys academy in Melbourne? maybe CFG could have been persuaded to run Canberra also but they need their academy in their home city.

And the participation boom demands more academies so this closure was inevitable, and kids need to go into academies much younger as young as 8 in some cases - that won't happen if there's only one academy in Canberra. It's served its purpose but it's time to kick on.

These are precisely the points Zelic made in a recent podcast.

What happens to the youth players that are unable to afford the $3000 per year to play youth league?
Are the A league academies free of charge for players 12-17 years old ?
I have a friend in Sydney that pays $2600 club rego plus $750 for team bonding camp , so that's $3350 for a 13 yr old to play NPL youth and train only 2 sessions per week !
Complaining to the club gets you the reply to try to find a private academy for another couple of sessions per week .
That's the real world of Aus football $$$$&

@ jonsnow

In Brisbane at the moment you can pay $300-$500/season for registration which normally includes some kit (socks, shirts and training top typically). Or you can go to an NPL Academy for $2-$3,000/season and get better coaching (not always but they do have better systems).

The AIS does not feature in this discussion because it's in Canberra and it's by selection only at 16.

What the A League clubs do will most likely vary, some will follow the NPL model and charge a couple of grand per year which means you'll only get those that can afford it and not necessarily the best, and some will make it free.

Roar intend to make their academy free from age 8 upwards.

Currently at MC no academy player pays a fee. They have the senior youth, U20, U18 and an U15's that train a couple of times a week. It my understanding that U12 and 14's will be brought in next year into full time programs. I hope that they would not have to pay either. I can understand if they do charge a small fee but not the 2/3K that NPL clubs charge. We need the FFA to help out the HAL clubs in order for these fees (if any) to be minimal.

These fee's as much as anything are what is holding our game back

How do you expect to fund the game then? $400 is not a lot it pays for:

- Insurance
- Training field rental
- Game pitch rental
- one Referee per game
- two assistant referees per game
- Administration of the club
- Administration of the governing body for scheduling games etc
- Training kit
- Equipment including goal posts, footballs, netting, corner flags
- Training equipment such as small sided goals, barriers, cones, bibs etc
- there's usually some spare to cover vandalism and theft which is a common problem.
- coaches give their time for free, as do managers and administrators and committee members and volunteers

How is $400 expensive? how is it holding the game back when over a million play it and 700,000 are in a registered club? I met a friend of my wifes who said she hadn't put her kid in to teh soccer because it was too expensive, when I explained registration for her child was $380 including kit she was shocked, she'd put her kid into netball and paid nearly $500 but she'd read on facebook soccer was very expensive. so who is holding the game back, the clubs charging reasonable fees or people like you spreading myths and untruths on line?

You can go to state school for free (nearly) or you can go to Private school for $2k a month, but dont complain the cost of schooling is too high based on private schooling fees - go state instead. If you go to an academy you will pay $2k, if you cant afford it dont go and pay $380 instead. BUT YOU CAN STOP HOLDING OUR GAME BACK WITH YOUR LIES.

Ease up turbo, i was talking about the 2,3,4k fees.

I know what it is to run a football club and know what it costs. $400 is pretty standard across most state leagues. Regional community leagues are normally around the $250-$300 mark

For what its worth i've done some work on what it costs to run an NPL set up based on actual figures, covering u12,13,14,15,16,18,reserve grade/20 and first grade as well as womens 12,14,16,reserves and firsts and it is near enough to $140k before you've even considered paying a player and have paid coaches very conservatively

sorry to rant, its just the NPL clubs are not the fee benchmark (I coach in one) if you want cheaper fees go to a good junior club, there are many. But we MUST stop giving the impression to teh general public that soccer fees are high when they are not. If you want to go to a specialist academy in AFL or League it will cost you as well. The enemies of soccer spout this line all teh time ("dont put your kids in soccer it is really expensive, like $2k, come to AFL ") we are our own worst enemy sometimes; fees charged by NPL clubs are not the normal fees and we need to make that clear

Sorry fullback but I didn't make up the figure of $3300 for a 13 yr old to play at npl level this year , that is a fact at this club , I have no reason to bullshit .
Local grass root clubs are between $300 and $400 I agree but at NPL youth level you will find rego starts at $2600 and rises in relation to extra training and camps , this is fact and not looking at the game through rose coloured glasses . I know also I could purchase a hell of a lot of gear for just one kids rego let alone 64 times $3300.
There are now also 30 NPL clubs in the Sydney metro , to say the quality has been diluted is a huge understatement imo.

Agree there are too many NPL clubs running elite development, would like to see an accredited system in rating the best NPL and SAP licences based on quality but Mr Abrams has changed to be geo. based so the quality is spread thinner, would like it go back to the best v best model and create a rating system.

I think to be a player pathway the NPL academy must produce the players . If they fail for a number of years to meet a set standard the thTD and coaching staff should be removed and more resources sent to that area. This would mean and a rotation of qualified staff around the state.

yep yep and YEP !
Go on about YL costs in Sydney (I expect similar other States) and then add in SAP fees U9-U12's.......
I understand any Club having to make ends meet, heck you got to pay the bills/running costs/(bloody councils etc) and what needs to be paid to FNSW running 1st's/20/18's, same goes for each State right - its OTT from all angles.

 

Just remember that the FFA regulations have created these "costs".
In the next two years the requirement will be to have A Licensed coaches as a minimum for Senior Mens, U20teams and TD.
That alone will further drive costs north due to lack of supply.
Remember this Abraams said that a two star Academy will cost $600K to function that's $4,000 per player.

I lol'd

https://m.imgur.com/a/bv6W9

Jesus christ Vidmar has not missed Tuggies there

https://www.choice.com.au/babies-and-kids/education-and-childcare/education/articles/kids-sports-fees  few years old mow and honestly dont know if anything has changed since then

I'll see you fees and raise you
Fees in Townsville's official pathways academy u12 is 2600 each they have 18 players, each week 2 players are not allowed to sit on the bench.
Howzat?

They'll learn a lot in a group of 18.
How many games a season and who do they play against?

One of the changes that need to be made to the NPL structure below the first team is to allow coaches to use their full compliment of 16 players on match day.

Very difficult to keep a kid interested if he only gets a token 5 minutes here or there every other week. Kids need to know they will get an opportunity to prove themselves and win a place in the starting line up. Hard to do that when they aren't getting a chance

@waz
This is the problem, kids player div 2 or 3 in local comps paying to get into npl 1 teams
So many good kids that cant afford the 2k plus walking away from the game.

No kid should be getting 5 min here or there. Even with a squad of 18 in a 27 round year 2 players can miss one game per week, maybe 2 max per season. All the kids are paying the same and should get the same game time. That's if we are serious about calling the NPL as development pathway.

The problem is while you can put 16 on a team sheet you are restricted to the number of substitutions you can actually make. In most cases in NPL that is 3. Meaning 2 kids who made the match days squad not to mention the two you are talking about that have already missed the match day squad

In Vic NPL U13-U18 its unlimited subs with 3 stoppages per half. Not sure about other states but if its only 3 subs per game that's not good.

Why all the stoppages?!

Not sure I don't make up the rules. Good thing is all the players get a chance for game time.

The closure of the AIS academy does not have an affect on NPL academy costs - you paid $2k+ when the AIS existed, and you'll pay $2k+ after it closes. So the loss of the AIS has no impact in this regard.

From an Australian football perspective what replaces it is important though - the 9 HAL clubs must provide academies that are free and only cater for the best players, not just those that can afford it. That also means that part of the FFAs cash distribution from the HAL revenue must be allocated to running academies. Say $250k?

I don't know what to do about NPL academies. I coach at a junior club with 1,600 kids in it and every year we have a handful of kids transfer to a local club and pay the $2k+ .... they're not the best players going and in one case we had a kid transfer from our Div3 team paying $400 last season to Brisbane Citys Div3 team paying $2k+ this season. Same level but the extra cost must be worth it? I would have though this is something the AAFC can address?

Someone touched on the coaching situation; outside of the elite pathways this for me is the biggest issue - there aren't enough coaches or coaching programs available nationwide to meet demand. This is something the ffa should address but is failing spectacularly to do sadly.

Wow that's interesting we have the exact opposite in Townsville. We lose so many players as they rise through the ages. So bad we have to cut down the prem league from 8 to 6 teams to encourage more competitive comp.

Capital Football have identified their own struggles in the premier league with non competitive teams being involved and almost no one meeting the required criteria of NPL, be it infrastructure, coaching quals etc.

It appears at this stage that Capital Football will be moving to an NPL1 and NPL2 of six teams in each. I'm not a fan of six team comps at all unless the intention is to push the season out so that you play each team 4 times to ensure players are getting enough games over the course of a season to actually develop.

From what i can tell, initially the NPL2 will have less restrictions as to the number of youth teams you are required to run. However in order to gain promotion you must have all teams etc in place

But all the Capital Football NPL clubs have the same amount of youth teams? I don't think a 6 and 6 will work exactly. Especially as that means they will need to find another 3 clubs to step up/come in.

It's happening as we speak bud.

May affect you guys if they expand by taking in Wagga.

There are also talks of Albury. Effectively Capital Football appears to be moving to take over Southern NSW and Football NSW are happy for it to happen.

I'd like to say more but there are a lot more ducks to put in a row before anyone says too much

I'm not sure where you live, NS, and don't want to know, but it seems you are much more impressed with the Capital Football set up than a Football NSW regional zone that is not too far away.

A few years back Capital Football was about three years ahead of us in development, according to FFA staff coaches.

Capital Footballs current premier league and Capital League is a farce make no mistake about that.

There are people working hard to rectify the issue though i feel they need to be a little more open minded to those who have been there and done that to guide them away from pitfalls.

CF very much want regional association based clubs where possible and are holding the Rhino's up as their great success story. No offence to NicCarBel and his club but to date they have proved nothing. Longevity and success will be the proof.

I look to previous failures of association based clubs Albury, , Blacktown, Parramatta, Southern Tableands, Southern Branch etc. These clubs were set up with the best intentions of being representative of an area the problem is it is all too easy for these associations to turn on 'their clubs' and kick them out in the cold. The inconvenient truth is the majority of the time this is because people lose focus on the big picture and are more worried about being the boss to do whats best.

@ jonsnow

Why are they walking away from the game? Just go and play for a non-NPL club. If people are walking away from the game why is junior participation booming?

We've gone from 450 kids U16 playing at our club 5 years ago to 1600 playing today. We're turning away 300 kids a year due to capacity problems not fees and we're not alone in Brisbane. Many clubs are capping out on capacity - this ffa BS that they're helping grassroots is crap

At the end of the day, NPL clubs must take initiative when developing Australian talent for a number of reasons. One is that there are only 9 Australian HAL clubs in Australia with many regions in Australia under-represented by these clubs. Canberra is one of the key examples of this where their top players will have no pathway once the COE closes. Other countries would have no problem as players could travel half an hour to an hour to their nearest pro-club, in Australia that could be 6 hours. These HAL clubs are also just starting up their own academies and each team can only really fit 16-20 players in each age bracket limiting the amount of elite talent these teams can hold. One day Australia might have 20-30 pro clubs and when that happens those clubs will be able to cater for more elite young players in their academies. Until that happens, however, the onus falls on NPL clubs. 

Therefore I feel it's up to the NPL clubs to develop their youth pathways as the majority of players will come to them. At the moment NPL clubs are falling spectacularly short with coaches changing each year, players being selected based on who they know, coaches not up to a certain standard and the amount they train not enough. This doesn't just extend to the NPL ages but all ages from 6 up. I've seen NPL coaches having players in pairs and just passing to each other with no defenders, pressure or decision making. And that's at multiple clubs, not just one. 

Yes the HAL needs to improve how it transitions young players into the senior league as they are abysmal at it. But at the moment the number of young players been produced is not high enough and this comes down to the NPL clubs who produce them from a young age. 

Need to look at that in context mate. It's possible the coach/s have identified a technical deficiency in the way the players are passing the ball.

For all the good the curriculum has brought to us it has also neglected many of the basics so coaches are dealing with technically poor players. You can have all the fantastic drills and practice sessions you like in your mind but if they are breaking down simply because a player cant hit a ten yard pass im afraid its back to basics and start again. Far from ideal but a reality for our NPL

I understand that technically alot of players are not up to scratch in the NPL especially in the lower age groups 13-16s. However, I believe that even the simplest drills should have elements of decision making and movement incorporated into them. I tend to look at it like this: In a game in what situation would you be standing still with the person you are passing the ball to also standing still directly in front of you with no defenders applying pressure. The answer is probably that doesn't happen. So in a simple passing drill can you incorporate some movement and maybe decision making into it. Sure if they're really struggling don't incorporate defenders. But by making it more game related, while still making it simple and easy to complete you enhance the learning they'll take into the game. I think this is off point a little from the conversation but it does highlight things that Australian players do struggle with; Off the ball movement and decision making. If we can incorporate these into every exercise players will always be thinking about these two key principles. 

Possibly building up to a more game related scenario?

Great post.

Before any drill starts the coach should ask himself 2 questions:

Does it look like football and/or is it game related?

If it's a no to either of those questions then there ought to be very good reasons for going on with what they're proposing.

IMHO the biggest and most fundamental issue at training sessions is the lack of intensity.  Go to any ground, anywhere and you'll see it.

If you train like a busted arse you will play like a busted arse.



Oh... and ball movement.  Kids play the ball too slowly. 

This and particularly that second point.

Move the F^^^^^g ball

In Sydney YL U13 - U16 its 5subs per game FYI.......

Welcome HeadCoach, good 1st post.

Arthur, yes mate, in my original post that was turning into a long winded sermon that I edited I had FFA as the Governor of what we have currently and to come - they, unfortunately with all due respect Must have someone who knows whats the better for our game overall BUT.......you know what I mean I gather. 

Agreed there has to be a penalty for not meeting certain standards such as a senior team demotion or points cut at the start of a season. Producing players might be a hard one to measure but having a state assessor looking at the programs NPL clubs run and the coaches running them will help keep clubs on track. But at the moment football is run all over Australia by individuals with everyone focusing on themselves rather than looking at the big picture. A lot needs to change before we make progress. 

Yeah I have heard as much. Wagga, Albury and even South Coast/Nowra I have heard mentioned. And I agree, it would be great for ACT to effectively absorb the Riverina region.
Wagga... is a touchy point though, as technically.. the Rhinos are not just Griffith, but Albury and Wagga as well, and this has basically been a reason why Wagga may be pushed aside unless there is reform from the Rhinos and the Riverina branch. Just quietly.. Murray United is technically in Wodonga...

Am i correct in saying there are moves to base the women's premier league team out of Wagga?

Trust me, long term the current set up wont work particularly if you dilute the talent pool by introducing a second team. CF may try and sell it as a derby or a rivalry but it wont work. You region will require one team and one team only representative of Griffith. Wagga will need to represent Wagga and Albury represent Albury.

You will also face second and third season syndrome where players decide they couldn't be stuffed travelling anymore and will want to play with their mates locally.

I'm not sure of your involvement with the Rhinos Nic but  i'm willing to provide you with advice as to what can go wrong so you don't make the same mistakes i've seen made

Yeah, I wouldn't say we have done anything or proved anything yet, that's in the seasons to come.
But most of what I'm about to say comes from myself, and not as anything to do with Riverina Rhinos.

But having Wagga represent Wagga, Griffith represent Griffith, I agree. That is how it should be. At the moment though, due to structures, it's a bit hard to do that. Riverina Rhinos is actually organised by the Riverina Branch as a whole, but run by, and from, the Griffith Association. There is a few technicalities and the like to get around, even I don't wholly understand it, as I was distanced from football in the Riverina during the Rhinos initial formation. But, the telling point, most of the players, including juniors, are from Griffith. I don't think there is a player from the 18s up that isn't from Griffith.
So the issue is, it is effectively a Griffith team. But technically it's not because it has the backing of the Riverina branch. For this Regional NPL to work (that's what I'm calling this proposal), Griffith needs to become wholly responsible for the Rhinos (mostly are, but there is still a little input from the Riverina branch, from what I understand) which will allow Wagga City (most likely) to jump across when the NSW State League disbands, and possibly Murray United to jump across from Victoria.

Also, in terms of Women's, I haven't heard anything, but that makes sense to me if the route doesn't change to something like I stated above. I did hear another proposal re: Wagga, but I don't know if I am in the position to just state it publicly.

I don't think we will have the travel issue, although a valid point. For example, this years NPL18s have played right through the Rhinos structure from 2014, and were quite successful. And are generally continuing that success this year. The travel issue will hit them though, if they are continued to be required to play back to back games because of.. the travel issue. That issue is a bit more prevalent in the two senior aides, but it's mostly due to work commitments, rather than wanting to just play locally

Update:

Wagga have been told they cant enter into the premier league in CF however they and yoogali may be permitted into the state league if it doesn't undermine the rhinos (clearly it would)

Murray united is in a similar boat but further consideration would be needed for that.

I believe the governance structure of rhinos is about to change to ensure all four member associations to which they provide a representative pathway are given equal say.

Yes, basically the governance structure needs to change. I'm not even sure of what it is, I'll have to find out.
The wording I heard with Murray United is apparently they are technically not based in Albury, and are based in Wodonga, and don't fall under the same catchment area as the Rhinos.
Personally, I believe the Rhinos should officially become a Griffith only side like Griffith United back in the 70s/80s allowing Wagga and Albury to have their own NPL sides (if they choose to apply and CF accept them of course).

For the people in the capital.

I saw a suggestion on Facebook the other day(not sure whom) that Canberra United should enter a men's team into the NSW NPL structure. A representative of Capital NPL of sorts and start in the bottom tier and work their way up into the top tier and even a national second division in the future.

My question is how would this be supported by the people(and clubs) in Canberra?

Well... I'm going to go even lower than that, and say this is basically what the Rhinos is to Canberra. 
Initially, and still in some ways, some clubs and people oppose the Rhinos set-up, as they would rather the clubs do this themselves. Just remember, for a while, both Hanwood and Yoogali competed in the Goulburn Valley structure; clubs that have effectively existed since the 50s or thereabouts. 
I daresay there will be some in support, but my guessing is, the Canberra NPL is strong-ish enough to, let's say justify having one team in the FFA Cup proper. Doing something like this will dilute the local competition.
Again, I turn to the Rhinos as an example in Griffith. I moved to Canberra in 2011, and football in the senior rank so was strong. 9 teams in first grade, 11 in reserve grade (the 9 first grades, plus two solitary clubs from surrounding areas), and a solid 17s and Women's competition. I am not sure on the make up of the 17s and Women's currently, but now this season, the first of the Rhinos senior set up (effectively an all stars from Griffith), there is an 8 team competition for first grade, and no reserve grade. Clubs can enter more than one team in first grade, and thus we have 5 clubs competing in an 8 team competition. And this coming from a competition strong enough that we generally have 1 team make a deep run into the State Cup in NSW. Once, we even had an all Griffith semi-final. In saying that, the one club that has been opposing this set up in the NPL, just got knocked out of the semi-finals, so go figure.

Anyways, in case my message got lost in translation, for a city/region as big as Canberra, I don't think it should happen. Honestly, I still think Capital Football should become a hub for regional NSW as well, seeing as there is a big divide in taking in clubs From Wagga, Griffith, etc, into the NPL and State League in NSW due to travel and distance.

I cant see it happening. CF are dropping their current academy format in favour of having the kids play club football. Capital football with then provide additional training to x amount of kids on top of their club training.

The biggest arguments against the capital football academies were that they were taking kids from the clubs and effectively operated as a club which isnt really the mandate of CF. Personally i think this is the right move. While initially the quality of one or two premier league divisions may be questioned, long term this will provide more opportunities for kids to be involved in performance programs. More kids being provided the opportunity can never be a bad thing

This would be amazing for Canberra. Canberra is been left behind at the moment I've worked with CUA in the past and it's hard seeing the best young players Canberra flog the talent in their local leagues and not really get challenged. Canberra is missing exposure to the intensity Sydney offers. It's all good having this regional sides come to Canberra as it means those regional sides get to experience a rise in their normal intensity but it does nothing for the best Canberra players. A team in the NSW NPL would offer a pathway for the best Canberra players to showcase their talents on a bigger stage, while allowing the best young players a more challenging environment against players of the same age. Whether it happens or not who knows probably to much politics involved unfortunately.

Unfortunately i don't think we'll see a club from Canberra join the NSWNPL again without totally destroying the legitamacy of the current CF NPL. At the moment the best players in Canberra get to play maybe one or two games a season against A league teams in trial games so really it is going to be up to the players to move to either the NSWNPL or VICNPL if they really want to chase a career in football

If Canberra United have a team in the NSWNPL however it doesn't diminish the CF NPL. Big clubs such as Canberra FC and Olympic can still field strong sides in those divisions. Having a Canberra United side however could be limited to a max age of 25 years old meaning the best young talents have a chance at impressing NSW NPL sides through the CUA team. If a player hasn't made it by 25 chances are they won't make it meaning when they turn 26 they have to go back to a CF NPL side or move to Sydney to compete in NSWNPL. But having a CUA side in the NSWNPL is more than about the seniors. It provides 13s,14s,16s,18s and 20s a chance to compete against the best sydney players helping Canberra produce better players.

But haven't the clubs opposed this system basically being introduced just last year? I know it's a little different as said academy competed within their own league, but still

The clubs have opposed it because they view it as Canberra United 'stealing' their players. I understand their annoyance at Canberra United having a team in the ACT NPL as that has players in it that should be playing for clubs at senior NPL level anyway. But they have no reason to be annoyed at this as it gives players a chance to compete at a higher level and increase their exposure. It makes sense from a pathway point of view and a youth development point of view.

Canberra is quite broken however at the moment with everyone just thinking about their own club and what's best for it rather than what is best for the best young talent. Canberra United is not having any game squads next year apparently which is a joke puts all the onus on NPL clubs to nurture these young talents and most clubs simply aren't ready.

I think it is more important to lift the level of competition in Canberra rather than send the best 16 players in each age group away to play in Sydney.

As far as clubs not being ready, it appears that CF have finally acknowledged that fact. Under HR clubs were 'helped' with a big stick. It appears under PB rather than bash clubs up for not meeting certain criteria CF is now going to assist those clubs to meet their obligations.

Basically we need more kids being put into performance programs with an eventual view to be producing quality players an increasing the level of competition. I understand initially this may see a slight decline in the premier league, though im not sure how much further it can fall.

Increasing the number of teams in the premier league may also see a larger spread of talent, particularly now the money for player payments is drying up. Hopefully that goes some way to addressing the heavily one sided results against teams like Tuggers and Monaro. 

I was told by ACT football stakeholders that when ACT clubs  (Belconnen?)  played in the NSW state league, they were quite competitive.

In 2000, Belconnen United switched to the NSW Premier League and were renamed the Belconnen Blue Devils. Belconnen first competed in the NSW Premier League in the 2000-01 season.^[3] The Blue Devils competed in NSW top flight for five straight seasons before a dispute between the Blue Devils management and board of Football NSW resulted in the club losing its licence to compete in the competition from 2006 onwards.During the club’s brief time competing in NSW, The Blue Devils enjoyed success, reaching the finals series in each season post their first and becoming league premiers in the 2003-04 season, beating St George Saints to the title with a +3 goal difference over the South Sydney club. Belconnen started the finals series with a narrow 4-3 overtime loss at McKellar Park to Sydney club Bankstown City Lions in the major semi-final. This meant The Blue Devils had to compete in the preliminary final while Bankstown advanced straight to the grand final. Belconnen once again played host in the preliminary final against league runner-up and winner of the minor semi-final, St George Saints FC. The Blue Devils were victorious over St George with a 2-1 victory thanks to a brace to Belconnen striker Macor. The victory led Belconnen to reach the 2003-04 NSW Premier League Grand Final, held at Marconi Stadium, where the Blue Devils faced-off against Bankstown City Lions once again. In front of a crowd of 5,000 the Blue Devils succumbed to two second half goals to lose the grand final 2-0. Bankstown were given a penalty in the sixty-fifth minute that was converted by Saso Boskovski before Belconnen player, Lee Pietrukowski, scored an own goal seven minutes later.^[4]In the 2004-05 season Belconnen won the ‘Challangers League’ by three points over Marconi Stallions and Wollongong Wolves after the league split into two groups following the combined league section of the season. As such, Belconnen qualified for the 04-05 finals series along with the top four clubs of the ‘Champions League’. The Blue Devils defied the odds to beat former NSL club, Sydney United on penalties 2-2 (7-6) in the qualifying final and Blacktown City Demons 2-1 in the minor semi-final to reach the preliminary final. 18 June 2005, the Blue Devils took on Bonnyrigg White Eagles in the preliminary final held in Sydney. The match ended 0-0 after regular time meaning extra time was needed to split the two teams. The White Eagles’ scored twice in the first half of extra time to take a commanding 2-0 lead into the final fifteen minutes of the match. Belconnen scored in the one-hundred and seventeenth minute to set up a tense final few minutes, but the Blue Devils failed to score again, which resulted in a 2-1 victory for Bonnyrigg, who progressed to the grand final.^[5]

Welcome to the forum.

The elite club academy system will be very important for Australia in the next 10-15 years, If we can create a class system where the best kids go to the best club academies depending on the state this will be healthy in the long term.

Which is why many want expansion and the second division as this help with that process, going away from the COE national model might be a short term but if done properly at club level it will have benefits in the long term.

It's probably the right path.

Local club should suffice but kids need to be playing more than once on the weekend and training once. Opportunities need to be made available for more players so to increase our playing pool.

Who plays twice a week? Unless its a cup game its more beneficial that they train 5 or 6 days a week and then play a game on the weekend.

I read an article a few years back about Coerver in Holland with 10,000 touches per player per session, and it sounded very high intensity. Maybe their take on Coerver is different or applied differently?
https://www.theguardian.com/football/these-football-times/2014/feb/14/footballers-practice-perfection-10-000-touches-day

@redcarded

This is the key article for the development of football in Australia.

We need technical profficiencey in Australia and this is the best way to get it. We have over complicated development in our country and have confused development with the physical and tactical components with not enough technical and psychological components.

If we had our key philosophy as 10,000 touches per session at ALL LEVELS of the game you would see short term, medium term and long term improvements in our game.

If I had a team of 14 year olds today that had done 10,000 touches per session, 3 sessions a week, 40 weeks a year for 10 years that's 12,000,000 touches in an organised environment.
This team due to technical proffeciency does not need high level tactics to perform!!!!

Having a 10,000 touches philosophy would just dumb it down for everyone and drive better outcomes.