"Registration fees for juniors (U12-U20) are capped at $1700 plus GST compared with $2400 under the Football NSW model." You've got to be farken kidding yeah??? Milking the juniors to pay the wages of broken down journeymen. Fark off now!!!

I think you misread the situation.

Knights ultimately refused to submit an EOI because they felt the FFV wasn't prepared to listen to the clubs - but they are ultimately supportive of the NPL.

South submitted an EOI because they felt the FFV would listen to the clubs if they 'played ball' - because they are ultimately supportive of the NPL.

As time went on it became increasingly apparent that the FFV weren't listening to the clubs, so they all made the decision to back away.

I don't take that as playing politics. I take it as ensuring the survival of clubs.

Having talked to several committee members as South, it's quite clear that they feel South could function in the NPL under the FFV's NPL structure, but they don't see much point in a long term development system which sees clubs regularly going broke and having to be replaced - with player development constantly interrupted as a result.

Just as I predicted. Anyway:

@Priest - Your club, which is my local and one I attend intermittently should be congratulated on keeping its fees low - it may also explain why Knight's didn’t submit and EOI to join the NPLV and in a public statement embraced its future as a “community club”. The NPLV will be the poorer without them as I stated to many of my friends who are supporters, however I respect their decision. "My" State League club, South Melbourne, have sadly done the opposite and are clearly just playing politics with football development in Victoria, which causes me great shame. Having said that – I hope they can purchase the Melbourne Hear licence soon and rid the A-League of that abomination.

@Chris - you personify the ignorance I alluded to in my original post and don't deserve a considered response. If you were to "like" me I would feel dirty and intellectually compromised.

The travel issue centres around the competition being the second tier competition or the only recognised semi-professional competition in the state.

The clubs are saying that to treat the competition with the "professional" respect and attitude to players and spectators there is a an added cost in transport in taking a senior team to a location and possibley staying overnight. This is an added expense.
And precautions will need to be made regarding the competitions integrity, we don't want kick off delays or games cancelled etc. etc.

Having to drive out to Geelong/Ballarat mustn't be a concern surely! To get to Ballarat it's an hours drive from the Western suburbs, 1.5 (two hours tops) from the Eastern suburbs. In the Ballarat & District Soccer Association junior and senior teams in Ballarat have to drive two hours to play in Warnambool and Horsham! And these aren't big teams either, try organising a trip to Warnambool when your under 17s team doesn't even have a coach, let alone much support from the club.

Can the FFV board just be sacked already

I have trouble liking anyone with the name Kevin Muscat on the back of their shirt
your ignorant stance makes you even less enviable
So the FFV have addressed lowering costs on families by making it a 44 week campaign with 5 sessions per week???

By asking kids and their families to travel to the country and this zonal stuff means exactly what in the greater scheme of thing

Please explain because junior football still hasn't recovered since the FFV scrapped the super league

mahony,

My club (Knights) have some of the lowest junior fees in the State. If we were to join, we would need to more than double them to recover new costs.

So what the fuck should we do? Run into a brick wall blindly for 'the good of the game'?

You're still an idiot.

That is the reality some one has to pay and for now its the juniors as there are no funds comming down.
The FFV is not even sure of outcomes not daring to develop a business plan or marketing plan for the new League. Which in itself is not a way to generate confidence.

Edited by Arthur: 1/8/2013 12:24:42 PM

This should be resolved by an FFV NPL All-Stars Game v Vic Rebels All-Stars Game.

@maddog - kids are already paying $1000 for park football and $3,000 for 'academy' football with no oversight of quality, selection, equity etc... The point of separating out 'juniors' from 'elite' is that the costs of 'elite' are borne by 'elite' - not subsidised by 'juniors'. Furthermore, having a NPL product to sell creates new revenue opportunities.

Where juniors make the grade and become part of the 'elite' pathway then their family can now be assured their development is properly managed and worth the price.

Furthermore, the additional costs are not just about coaching - quality, compliance etc... are all part of the mix. Managing these costs are a LEGITIMATE concern of VPL clubs - no question. However, milking juniors is not the answer.

Final point on this for me is that Victoria is NOT New South Wales. There are very real differences between them geographically – nut more importantly from, a football development perspective. The argument that FNSW squibbed it is not argument for FFV to do the same.

$1700 - $3200 for kids to play NPL? A rich man's competition for sure! Can't expect this country to be a future contender on the world stage if this is the model to success. I.e. relying on Mums and Dads to fork out that much money each year just to play football!

It looks to me like the model is geared towards paying the top. 16 kids per team x $2000 avg = $32Kpa for one team.
Where's this money going? Coaches wouldn't be getting paid this much for 4.5hrs training per week plus a 90min game on the weekend?

I bet there's a lot of talented kids missing out on top level football because they can't afford it?

Anyone just accepting the clubs claims about the juniors/revenue issues at face value can NEVER, i repeat NEVER complain about the cost of playing football again. Agreed?

The travel, zoning arguments are 'window dressing' for the real point of difference here. The FFV want to use the NPLV to address player costs (where other states have not) and some clubs want to continue to milk the market to pay journeymen footballers to win trophies while player development rots.

Now I await the onslaught from various people (many of whom are predictable) about how I have "no idea" am a "FFA/V apologist" and associated slurs. To assist you I am an Anglo Australian if you want to realy target your abise with racial undertones.

Do your worst.

I think the travel is the least of their complaints. Judging from the comments they'd be willing to travel if they're first two points were addressed

While I agree with the complaints, travel shouldn't be one of them.

Try working the NPL in QLD, travel kills away form.

A bus ride for a few hours won't be the end of anyone.

-PB

Why can't we just all get along ;)


What do you think about the FourFourTwo article Pressure mounts on FFV NPL?
PRESSURE continues to mount on Football Federation Victoria’s controversial National Premier League roll-out with numbers of rebel clubs expected to swell to more than 40 within the next 48 hours.

Have your say.