"The Sky Blues’ youth setup sees players compete up an age group, and Fondyke said this move was paying dividends as his young squad overcame experienced sides to seal the title and progress to the NPL NSW Finals." 

“Winning titles as a youth development coach is not my goal and shouldn’t be at any youth development level as coaches."

https://www.sydneyfc.com/news/fondyke-heralds-youth-philosophy?fbclid=IwAR2x9oldc_yIDNZZ5FUTA5q2CVP-36wnetlr_mf1gmJherjttLn3m1e4fkI

Pretty sure most AL clubs already do 

You'd think so but apparently not.

Which ones?

Interesting to see him in a big coaching role at such a young age with minimal experience. Played against him from under 11s to under 15s in Perth. Was sure he was still playing in NSW.

Yes but I assume this already happens? 

Im assuming this has been happening for years now, its now a new concept in football.

I believe the Roar this past season decided to play the academy teams back in their age groups after previous years of playing up an age group. Naturally enough all the academy squads have won their comps apart from the U16's who unfortunately, finished 3rd after their performance drastically plateaued towards the end of the season. It is also worth mentioning that the academy players pay no fees, thereby giving club unrestricted access to the best players, as should be the case. 
Strange that the new academy boss seems to have adopted the opposite approach to other clubs, for what benefit?

As someone who seems to be in the know up there, could you tell me what Brisbane get out of funding the NPL level teams? It is a fair amount of money to spend towards players that you can't legally contract to stay with your club until they are whatever age? 
Or any of the other A league teams that also don't charge rego fees, not being specific, just curious as to motive.

The logic of playing up a year is simply an assumption that an A League (or State) Academy will have the majority of the best players available in a given age group - therefore to find better competition/challenges you play them up a year. 

very good point in general of the "mix" in a team.
Its not new playing "up" thats for sure, my days whenever it was obvious a player stood out they would be played up the next age level.
No issues with that just as you explain Waz, it doesn't suit "all".....
So the poor kid who is just that lkittle slower/smaller/lacking that bit more skill is exposed playing up and therefore judged in time he can't make it - unfair to him eh and the many others for IF they stayed in their age group how many more prosper.
In the end I see the appeal playing up a whole squad but yer its not for all.

Understand what you're saying and would certainly apply in a lot of clubs. But this is the elite of Qld juniors with no restrictions applied, such as Mum and Dad not being able to pay fees. The comp is quite uneven and some score lines blew out horribly with the Roar keepers in some games doing very little. They should play up, but that's simply my view, always keen to hear other views.

My worry is always that you will have players getting selected based on physical attributes over footballing ones when you are playing an entire squad up an age bracket. I have had many players playing up age groups in my time as a youth coach and they were always selected on the basis of footballing ability and blended into a squad that was of the appropriate age group. When entire teams were playing up an age group they were unable to effectively compete with their more physically developed opponents and it resulted in a fair amount of churn of the playing groups due to a loss of enjoyment for the game.

Playing up makes sense if you are trying to develop players and with the ability to pick the cream of the crop you would expect that to be the case, but AL academies are not really interested in developing players and so for some of them it is more important for their junior teams to be winning junior championships than being prepared for elite football.

In Vic I have heard of several players who were already playing up for NPL teams being recruited by MV to play down in their actual age group because they wanted trophies. I have also heard of a few players being released by MV because of their size and told they could make it back once they "develop".

Increasingly in Vic, there are more players rejecting offers of playing with MV & MC and staying with their NPL clubs as they have seen AL academies are a dead end.

Better off playing as a senior player for your NPL side.

 to understand your - this is elite of Q Jnrs, and Mum/Dads not being able to pay fees ?
Are the BR YL playing in Club comps right, so Div 1 ?
Its obvious AL Clubs play better in most case's, they train 3nights, Club 1 maybe 2.
Its not comparing apples with apples and there will always be that divide nowadays so playing up is fine but I'm not sure its great mentally for any kid who isn't up to it on BOTH sides. What about the opposing Club team who gets hammered ? how do you think they feel ?
Just playing devils advocate.

edit - agreed GA and AJF, @ AJF having seen othe rposts
IMO my observations by AL Clubs playing in local comps they also have the attitude aura, these kids think they are top S amongst their opponents.
Club management should teach these budding thinking Ronaldos etc to have some humiltiy amongst Club football.
Elitism attitude is fugly.
Before someone quotes I'm bitter or whatever, I'm a long time player, 2 boys who have been in YL, 1 in U20's now.
I watch and observe from the other sideline for I had to move away from the budding parents who think their Ronaldo is hard done by or whatever, they make me sick I keep away observe and cringe.

The number of players going from AL Academies to paid gigs in NPL in significant, so they’re defiantly not a dead end. And with an increasing number of kids going from AL Academies to overseas clubs picking up in this last 12 months that reinforces the opportunities. 

As mentioned before the best kids will want to be in these aleague academies as it gives them the best pathway towards pro football in Oz.

There will always be outliners in the NPL system, which is why more opportunities are needed in the game.

Does it though? Thats my main question. Im not involved in coaching or team development in any way but many on here are, so serious question.
As an outsider it seems to me that both Aleague franchises and NPL clubs tend to not play much of their own youth and in both systems a yearly merry go round of squaddies get shifted from team to team. Some do it better than others and its great that a few now offer free coaching and playing time as an incentive but what happens to all these youth players once they reach a certain age? Every year there are x amount of kids in Australia that reach .... lets say, 22 years old and are in either in an NPL or A-League youth squad. If only a small portion get filtered into the 10 team A-League and a small handful head overseas, how do the rest end up in a professional football in OZ? ANd then the next year, and the next etc etc.
I may be really off the mark here and cant see the bigger picture but it seems like shuffling deck chairs to me.

Problem remain no NSD and especially no promotion.

There is a bloc of AL players that the PFA protect. Instead of new players being injected into the league you have serial club-hoppers or even worse serial losers who have finished last several times and remain playing in the AL.

The fact NJ finished last and played in the GF the next year shows how messed up the league is.

Like I said, shuffling deck chairs.

Well thats what they see when they are in aleague academy sides at first but of course things change and they know if its an dead end or not.

It doesn't help that aleague dont invest in young players (not talking about academies) more or less investing in the players themselves and giving a realistic target of making the first team as a ways of the club to make the most of you.

Apart from Adelaide United recently, the attempts of aleague clubs to promote within has been rather poor, like you said with the safety net of the salary cap and no transfer system the clubs aren't motived in investing into players like what you see in European clubs.

Sydney FC is a recent example where instead of giving these guys go into the first team, they either sell them overseas or let go to other clubs in the aleague system.
The ones that stay rarely play unless someone is injured.

If you have an academy setup and dont integrate into the first team then what's the point of having one? 

If the salary cap goes then the PFA cant protect the recycled players with its CBA as the clubs are forced to develop its own players or get players from other clubs and pay them.

I've said it before, the PFA holds far too much power for what it is. Professional Football is a ruthless business, either rise up to it or don't pursue it if you can't handle it.

So, do you think it wasn’t good year for BR academies then?

Sure, they might of won across their age groups but they certainly didn’t dominate. In fact, in our age group I think they were lucky to win. I think it has been a competitive competition all round and it only makes it stronger for the future. Of course, It would of been different if they were flogging everybody and it’s not like they weren’t playing kids up.

They were still playing kids up, just not the whole team. For me, if they were focusing on players individually like physical, mental readiness etc then that is better approach to development than just playing the whole team up.

Something has to change given JJ wants to bring in which is the local transfer system in Australian football, the clubs have hardly embraced the global one which itself is crazy.

Are the PFA and the aleague clubs now are willing to do something that will benefit the game in Australia? Or would it be more less more of the same with the constant recycling of players and little motivation by aleague clubs to bring youth through? Only time will tell.

I think it only holds so much clout because of the system around it. As it's core function the PFA is a union for its members which isnt necessarily a bad thing and helps with providing young men and women the protection and safety entitled to them by law in this country.  It is the structure of Francising and ownership of the league, including its licensing agreements and restrictions of trade on the participating license holders that allows the PFA as a representative of the "on air talent" to wield so much power 

So AL academies are where kids go to if they want to play NPL? Here I am thinking playing for NPL juniors normally gets you a gig in the NPL seniors....

Also probably more kids going from NPL teams OS than AL academies at the moment.

If a coach gets the pick of the best kids in the state for his team and then doesnt smash everyone in his age group, either he didnt actually pick the best kids or he is a shit coach.