F..k off mate, I've heard full well what SMFC was like to deal with about the money for the ground upgrade, and what their demands were. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it can't be heard.

I'm still laughing at the rate for the juniors, $700 based on self-proclaimed "good coaching". It's a scam, whether you admit it or not.

:-({|=

Edited by Arthur: 4/11/2010 02:46:23 PM

Say what you like - but kids are lining up

FFV - ACE and FFA accredited - first club to achieve this also

this club is not "Made in China"

expect 100% retention from last years squad also - it must really hurt you to see smfc kicking goals

Edited by chris: 4/11/2010 03:50:01 PM

It's not a scam. It's a service on offer for a price. You can opt to pay the price, or you can opt for someone else's services. A free market.

The question you need to ask is, if the prices are unfairly high, why are so many parents lining up to send kids to SMFC rather than any other club?

And if the standard is so low, why do the SMFC teams finish so high in their leagues, and why are they so often disproportianately represented in the State squad selections?

Of course, you can't opt to send your kids to train with Melbourne Victory, because they've only been around for a mere 5 1/2 years and haven't yet found the time to establish a youth set-up.

Stop worrying about what our clubs ARE doing, and worry about what yours AREN'T.

Keep dreaming.

Victory is only a few years old, South had over 45 years to get it right from top to bottom and still it couldn't pull an average of over 10,000 per season consistently over a five year period.

Good to see you draw the line with your comment on the last line, but as I like your style I don't want to comment further.

The fact is that there are good things and bad in both the old clubs and the new franchises - if both could adopt the positive points of the other, we'd all be a lot better off.

I genuinely believe SMFC (and others) are moving in the right direction, forced perhaps by the way the system is now set up. It riles me though that one of the few, if not the only, club to have it's youth system fully accredited by both the FFV and FFA, and one that prides itself on investing all proceeds from the junior set-up back into the junior set-up (whilst many other clubs use it as a cash-cow), etc., should be berated for charging fees in line with many other clubs.

As for Socceroos coming through - the system at SMFC has ramped up dramatically in the last few years, quality is rising all the time. Many of the best players coming through the system are now being 'poached' by the NTC, a sure sign that we're moving in the right direction.

As I said, nothing is gained by berating a side for something they are doing... The criticism should be directed at those who aren't doing anything.

As for Victory only being a few years old... They have 5 years as the one and only A-League side in the state and they failed to set up anything beyond the mandatory youth league squad - and they don't even pay for that (you seem to have your ear to the ground, so you'll already know that the MVFC youth squad is funded by the FFV, from fees earned off the 'traditional' clubs). Not enough time is not an excuse after 5 years. It should have been mandatory for any side joining the A-League to have teams at state level from U10-U16, and at national level for U18. But no... Planning for the future is apparently too expensive.

Yep good call Diego, South should NOT be trying to get a good deal for itself.

Numpty:lol:

Yep you can only get it right by averaging 10,000:roll:

Fine line between fair negotiation between pub,ic and private parties and being considered pricks in the construction industry. That's why Italians are the chief builders in this town. There's no "Grollopoulos" or "Baulderstone Hornibokopoulos" around town is there?

you are a waste of time - spend your energy in building something rather than burning down someone else's

Edited by chris: 6/11/2010 06:45:05 PM

Strangely, there's also no Italian football club of note in town either...

I take it that Sth Melbourne are not interested in small sided games for juniors?

The juniors system/academy is endorsed by the FFA, which requires small sided games as part of it's curriculum, so I'd assume small sided games are part of the program.

Surely they are not charging that amount of money for small sided games.

I don’t want to knock Sth Melbourne, but I am just interested to how they justify that money on 5,6 & 7 year olds…? It seems a lot for one training session and a game on the weekend?

How transparant is the accounting ? is all the money raised from youth players spent on youth football or is some siphoned off for first team players 'expenses'

As far as I know, the money raised from youth football stays with youth football, and has done so for several years. Up until late 2009 SMFC and SMJFC were technically affiliates of the parent social club, SMHSC (it was a complex arrangement done made years ago for several reasons). One of the assurances that had to be made as part of the process of re-unifying the disparate parts of the club was that junior money stayed in the junior program.

I would like peoples opinions on the FFV's Zone fees for VCL whic can cost $500 for a 12 week season.

Ah, but Arthur, you forget two key factors...

1 - the FFV are not an evil ethnic organisation, out to screw all the good people out of their hard earned...

2 - the FFV have to charge these high fees in order to pay legal fees from various failed court cases they have been involved with against their own members.

I'm not sure what the situation is with the little ones, all I know is that everything is accredited by the FFA, so they are obviously happy with things the way they are.

Cheeky:)

\

Western charge me $450. But last year they charged me $600! So there going down.

Lot of complaints made to FFV about Western Wolves and they (Zone Clubs) have to submit fees to FFV for approval now.

That's a copout Ben and you know it. "the FFA must be happy", as you stated above, does not give South the right to charge kids families $700.

After only the 1st week of Trials - new sign up registrations are already confirming a substantial increase in numbers this year already

Synthetic pitches extremely popular with juniors and parents

We even had the nucleus of a whole team from a particular age group in a neighboring suburb join up - coach is fully accredited and runs his own acedamy - brought his squad with him due to lack of fascility in their previous club

Also I am happy to advise that in addition to the Lakeside precinct with a brand new double storey pavillion and junior social rooms - smfc will also have a campus comprisong of a full size pitch and up to four small sided pitches and pavillion at south caulfield for additional small sided teams - retention of this fascility means the club is now a leader in its category offering a multi premise proposal in the south east region

This is the embryo of the club's vision - allowing it to further expand the smfc banner whilst offering affordable football excellence opportunity and community involvement across multiple premises in Melbourne...may this trend continue to expand

smfc becoming more than a club.....smfc becoming "a system"


Edited by chris: 10/11/2010 05:37:21 PM

i don't know much about it but at face value those prices seem fairly reasonable to me. Priced high enough to make sure time wasters are excluded but also affordable for the average family.

Any idea what is happening with the womems team?

Saw them training out at princess park last week, Alan Davidson is coaching them:shock:

good question

I believe there is negotiation at the moment as we speak - 1st option is always a suitable resolution for all parties

my understanding is that the girls want to be a branch of the club but an independent body - the club wants the whole brand under the 1 umbrella

Also interesting that we now have 2 sets of smfc womens representation

nice summary Joffa - in any industry - regardless if its a need or a service - quality does cost more - but in smfc's case - you get a premium product/experience at an affordable price

Without wasting more time on this, nice sell job Chris, hope you can find a sucker to cough that up. I wouldn't.