You need to read back a bit in the thread. 

I was responding to the content of a specific post bagging the lack of football intelligence of youngster (which you happened to agree with).

I did read the other posts and if I wanted to comment on them specifically I would have done so. 

I get reading back over long threads is challenging. 

But just to clarify - we were both agreeing that the inadequacy in certain youth players is down to coaching. 

I can remember years ago when Craig Moore came to the Roar , he made a comment that the one very big difference between European leagues and the A-League was the spatial awareness of Aussie players .
It was mostly non existent.

He said that in Europe before a player receives a ball he has already had a quick look around and knows where he is in relation to others...so he knows where his opponents are and what his options are for passing.
He said Aussie players tend to get the ball, then look up and think of what they will do with it .

Our players are improving at this but it needs to be drilled into players from when they first start kicking a ball as a kid .
It is how the really good players always seem to have so much time when they get a ball ...
Think Broich, Ninkovic etc ...they know before they have received it exactly where their opponents are and where their teammates are .
These sort of players can receive a ball and pass it before an opponent can even get near them .
It's like playing against a ghost.
They are incredibly hard to play against as you feel you can't touch them
...and it all comes down to something so simple...they know where they are in relation to others at all times .

Having said this... it does need great technical skills as well ...the quicker you can control a ball the more time you have .
So ,yes, our players are becoming technically better (and that is fantastic) but it needs to be married to spatial awareness.
We are getting there but we need to keep honing our training techniques .

well said miron.

+1
Great post!!

I'm really enjoying this topic so keep posting people. Having been involved in coaching since 2010, it is depressing to see how many problems there are in the game.

Absolutely spot on. It's the one thing that we should be teaching young players....space, how to use it and how to recognise it. 
I saw a great quote once, to paraphrase..' football is all about space, you are either moving into it or moving out of it to let your teammates use it'

I just wished to bring this back into discussion for us all if thats ok.
Maybe I'm talking crap :)
More so you coachs that I notice here such as AJF, TFL, Waz and others.
AJF made the point the Coachs have allowed some of these players not being "aware" and making "error" repeatedly.
Now I'm just a ol football playing tragic who played Prem/Div 1 levesl (still playing) and been around some good coaching and 2 boys having gone through YL and now in PL3.
So I live and breath it but by no means do I claim being a coach.
My sideline observations are my opinions/observations but from what I see - getting a good Coach is like the lottery.
You win some you lose some, I've seen my boys improve/shine and next season under next Coach go to zero, and I've seen fellow players go through similar......
Now this should not be happening for starters (excl my sons here) to any player who can actually play, in all my years I sure didn't go from say a 8-9 out of 10 season in performance to sub 5 for eg.the following and I never saw that with fellow competitors.
One the Club itself is responsible imo - they should step in more questioning why X player is going backwards to assigned coach but that depends on the type of Club management I guess.
2 does the Coach see/understand what his "philosophy" is doing to X good players ? I don't see them change much regards to a players ability/strengths but formations contesting the opponent.
Next you see well drilled players keep their start up position instead of the natural ability type player, not always but you can see with your own eyes at games..
Like every sportsperson, some people are more coach-able than others.
Waz this is where you mention the more Techinal type coachs.
Our system/curriculum is part to question here and imo should always be "tinkered" and filtered through down to grass roots as well.
I see many well drilled coach-able kids and their 1st step in Snr grade, U18's/even 20's who by now should have a clue how to play right but you know what, Waz mentioned re U18's and I agree incl 20's - how does any Coach teach "reading the play" ? game awareness ? do they prior getting to that age. How did those kids get through ?
The players with natural ability who can read the play, close touch control, take one 2 on create but many Coachs prefer playing the well drilled same game type of player instead who at times has no game sense but is good at small sided games during training and his enthusiasm, during the games he isn't as polished and being shown.
He's good doing his same ol same ol Mr reliable but his alertness as well is whoah, hang on there.
Doesn't know to step in the hole when play is over the other side is another.
Oh shit my opposing winger is hanging right out on the sideline I need to hang close - but the play is over the bloody other side and its more likely to cut out a switch ball being more central for lets face it, half of them can't play switch ball well much anymore lets face it - oooops did I say that.
Aaaargh there is more but I've probably said enough to inspire some more posting more likely abuse to me lol.....

@LFC there are a lot of points in your post to discuss, but I can only talk from my perspective and first thing is that development is not linear. The kids develop at different rates physically, technically and even in game understanding so it is impossible to tell who will kick on to what level when.

The thing that bothers me the most is many coaches teach kids to win, not to develop. There are 2 reasons normally, 1 is their own ego, other is job security as many coaching gigs are paid. Case in point, I knew a coach of U9's who was extremely strict with them about positioning and that was the focus of training and games. When they played other U9's they would easily win because at that age kids tend to want to chase the ball so with a structure they were able to easily play around and score heaps of goals. Fast forward a few years and many of these kids simply didnt develop the technical skills other kids did and similarly decision making was lost because they were only taught to follow a winning system.

Again I get annoyed with the many coaches who have got their C or B license but have no understanding of what was taught in the NC course. First myth I will bust is that NC requires everyone to play 433. At the time of the NC, 433 was the preferred structure for the NT and all junior NT's, but individual coaches were free to play as they liked. Yes the material in the NC is based on 433 but that was done to provide a template for coaches to use if they wanted to develop their own style. Like I mentioned elsewhere, there are people with no football experience or "feel" with these qualifications teaching kids and so all they know is what they see on TV (often HAL because they wont get up in the middle of the night) and what is in the NC then we end up with rigid ideas of what football is.

To the point of game smarts, this isnt really that difficult to teach and it was a major focus of the NC where they call it PDE (perception, decision & execution) but it requires preperation and commitment from the coach in terms of setting up appropriate game scenarios and assisting the kids with learning. Many coaches work day jobs and dont have time to adequately prepare and so at training run drills which look Ok but dont actually afford learning opportunities. Similarly playing practice games against other teams are always fun but in my opinion a waste of a learning session. I have been guilty of taking these shortcuts as well so I am not pretending I am a super coach but for many coaches this is the norm. On game day when the coach is yelling advice to every player how are kids expected to learn.

The sad truth about why many kids get through is that many coaches still pick youth players on physical attributes (ie size, speed, etc) because it helps them win and not for technical reasons as there is no immediate benefit for development. Just check out the size of the U15 joeys and compare that to a local U15 team and you will note majority of the Joey's were big boys while local U15's will have a mix of sizes which is normal for that age. This is why many of the junior reps dont kick on and others come out of nowhere (just look at N'Golo Kante's story).

Final issue is the development pathway and biggest difference between the NSL and now is that back then young players were exposed to senior team football early and what many dont understand is this is not just about playing against "men" but actually playing with experienced players who would give you guidance of how to play senior football. This is why the HAL youth teams in NPL comps dont do very well (both Melb teams will be relegated to NPL 3 next year) as one 19O has no real experience to teach the other 19YO's.

I am actually reasonably positive as I am seeing lots of improvements across the park and most importantly, many of the NPL and Grassroots clubs are starting to see the light and are improving, being pushed along by P/R and the pressure to improve this creates.

@AJF, yes I should've have set that post in bullet form for there is alot.
Thanks your post gives some insight that I've seen over the years.
1. @ YL Coachs going for the larger kids to beast opponents but not as skilful.
This staggers me for its short term thinking and as you say at the cost of Developing and look at the anti climax as these larger kids then get caught out once the rest catch up or that finally some of the smaller skillful guys get their chance.
I ask why isn't the Reps/TD's from FNSW being my State and the other Federations get their act on the ground and get this corrected ?! or at least get Memo's out on the subject.
This short term win this season at that level is costing long term and wrong for the kids/boys - Club TD's at Trials should pick the best kid suited no matter his size as we all know Football isn't always about how big you are.
2. The License's taken by devoted people/Dads etc, all power to them and god bless them we need them BUT again this needs to come from above regards to expanding their "experience" IF they hadn't played for eg......(having not gone to do a License is their questions on the applicants experience ?)
If not all of these budding Applicants without Experience needs more guidance to me, like in my business, how can my staff know what to do without training/support and refreshers to then do the job they applied for plus reviews mid season in this case.
3. PDE ah huh.
Your right overall "time" is the problem here for as we know its voluntary unless your at the top BUT in that case I question again the lack of support from Club Admin and Feds.
Surely there are gapping holes after all the FFA researches past to present they can see Coaching is sub standard and in need of more support......
How hard is it to structure up more documents/videos etc to improve this important area of not only developing budding players but Coachs.
As you say, many Coachs go for playing games for eg, U13's vsing U14's etc, I had that back in my day a little But the Coach would stop play alot to instruct who should have done this or that ( game smarts as you say) and role reversal again. Are they doing that ?
Small sided games are great for one touch skill and movement but as you know playing full pitch is a whole new ball game.
4.yep I here you re Coachs going for brawn etc at those levels.
5. Re AL Clubs in PL.
Ours for eg this seasons results some snippets.
PL1 SFC finished 3rd last in 10th on the ladder.
PL2 looking at CC points ending WSW 3rd....CCM 5th.
YL U16's from ladder finish - SFC 2nd, WSW 8th, CCM 11th.
U13's from ladder finish - WSW 1st, SFC 6th, CCM 14th.
and I hear you talented Youth need a blooding at Snr level being around Experienced players and some that like all of us that age look up to them.
P/R is a given.
6. Look its not all doom and gloom I hear you, I suppose having been around a while by now I would have expected more Johnstons/Dukes etc - I'll forever be a PL/grass roots supporter but I also wanted to grasp AL in the hope we got ahead alot more than what I grew up with, we have commercially and yes kids are more skillful/synthetics to keep playing more but Lowy put us 1 huge step forward Snr level but 5steps back imo at Dev levels, no P/R and this closed league.

 

@AJF Time is part of the problem. I'm taking a year off next year and don't know when I'll coach again at club level (I'm still coaching at my school). Working a full time job and then coaching 3/4 nights a week including the game means I have little time for family, friends and managing my life. Coaching properly is not just about turning up. I used to spend hours analysing games and using it with the players, scouting the opposition, contacting players, planning sessions with my assistant coach, etc. We need to think about what's really important and I've spent the last 12 months thinking about what to do. 

- Do I quit my job and work part time whilst coaching for peanuts which will impact on the quality of my life with no future prospects (coaching wise - there are very few full time jobs especially that pay the same as what I earn as a teacher)
- Do I take a risk and go to Europe and work part-time but there's a possible reward if I do well because there are more jobs
- Or do I give it up completely (I love coaching but I can no longer accept how much time it takes away from spending time with others).

TIME is a difficult problem that all coaches face and obviously it impacts on the quality of sessions that we deliver to the players.

I'd say some of those(and others) are now at https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/PedMenCoach/presentations

Scribd.com(which you have to sign up for, alas) also has some good stuff, if you type topic-related keywords in the search engine. One sample: https://www.scribd.com/document/118045582/Full-Switching-Play-Session

@LFC, 100% agree. Many of the guys in Vic NPL agree thatr if Viduka played now, he would be stuck in a NPL team and never given a real chance on the big stage locally (just look at how Nabout was treated)

@footballlover, I hear you, it is tough and luckily my wife (begrudgingly) accepts being a football widow, but there are many other good coaches I know that do it for a few years and then leave due to time and quite often parents!

Just wanted to revisit this topic.
Unsure where to begin. My experience as a parent of a 15 year old has been nothing but frustration and disappointment.
My son is technically gifted but small for his age, overlooked at all the trials over the past few years until this year.
In my area there are just two NPL youth clubs to join. The first is a well known team (a-league) but a closed door for trialists. The second is almost impossible to get into as it's the only real opportunity, serving a large population. Basically, if you aren't already in the system for that team, then you are going to find it next to impossible to get in. That means kids in our area have to look at long distance travel for other NPL clubs. 
To cut a long story short, my son was invited to trial at an NPL club further afield. After two weeks, we were told by the TD of this club he trialled at that he was good enough to play in any NPL team. He was wanted. However before it progressed any further the TD told me the clubs board over-ruled his decision in order to take on two local boys-  at the expense of the merit system. Meanwhile, the football director simply lied to me about why he wasn't chosen. Look, I know that dodginess goes on in all clubs and workplaces, but it still doesn't make it right and left a very sour taste. 

All the NPL teams were trialling at the same time and he therefore missed out on all the other trials. However he was given a lifeline to trial at one more club: 1 position for a number of triallists. What I noticed is that many of the kids re-signed to play in both of these NPL teams we experienced actually aren't that good. They have managed to 'stay in the system' but not progressed as footballers. Meanwhile many of the the triallists are kids that have steadily progressed over the years and these are the ones knocking on the door for one spot when they are better than most of the kids already signed up. In other words, for kids that are steadily progressing, it's so hard to crack the system. 
I'm yet to hear back about whether my son will be awarded this 'lucrative' spot but one thing I do know is that as a parent, I cannot trust the system, late bloomers that are starting to hit their peak few opportunities to progress and if you want to make it, you better be prepared to travel. 
We need proper development academies here, not just second tier clubs looking to win comps. 
It's been one big struggle.  

Yeah I had a similar experience at his age.
The club decided there would only be one team er age group from u/16s so cut about 15 kids.

Outside the best 5 or so players you'd be hard pressed to pick from the rest.

Needless to say the other ones that were picked had dads on the committee or who stood around drinking beer with the other dads talking about who was going to concrete whose driveway in return for tiling their bathroom etc

I scored the most goals of any wide player the season before, scored in several trial games and got cut. Big 6 foot+ dummies who couldn't trap a ball got picked. They also forgot to call me to tell me that I was cut so I rocked up on Tuesday night beaming thinking I'd made the team only to be asked in front of everyone "how come you are here tonight?".

I quit playing for 3 years then went to play Sunday league.

Not saying I was good enough to play at a top level but I sure as hell could play the ball better than half the kids that got picked I know that deep in my core.

Neveraeurosnob, well picked lol.....
There will be some here that will view this thread mine as another oh no here we go again.....regards to our current football climate re AL/now APL NPL battles but look where we are "STILL" in the big picture re our Development.
Glancing above I posted comments 2yrs ago and probably further back and I see others that reported similar feelings across the board.
Isn't it a shame your opening comment "My experience as a parent of a 15 year old has been nothing but frustration and disappointment." is still the same as I experienced with my own son 5/7yrs ago.......
It was a continous battle how the NPL Clubs function as you explained but we finally broke through to PL3 then U20's to PL2 first Snr years to sadly suffer a ACL tear beginning of last season covid debacled year.
He's ready to go again BUT to get back in is an absolute struggle but ce la vie.

As for your case at their most important years I feel for you.
The total lack of choices and travel distances are most challenging and the only way is to persist persist persist if he really wants to keep at it despite the many barriers presented by so many untruths by Clubs/TD's etc and importantly you accepting to be a Uber for him.
Looks like nothing has changed and all you can do is keep trying to break the door down to get in.

I disagree needing development academies per say, they are leechs taking anyones money, what we need is the above, FA with the FNSW/Vics/Qld etc work together to agree on a same same system on selection/coaching and open Trials up alot more, variable times not all the same time, reduce costs so as give as many possible up and comers a chance to show themselves.
Not just 1 trial under the absolute pump, some first timers can't even get a kick in amongst regulars who never pass the ball to newbies etcetc........
Its a melting pot mosh pit and lets not bring in the amount of favoured ordinary players who's Daddy puts in money to the Club.

LOL above all that mate, don't give up yet, your position is not unique about that lucrative one spot left, heard it all before, IF your boy is good enough sooner or later you'll break through, might have to accept travelling far but it is what it is here.

It will be interesting to see how a proper domestic transfer/loans system will impact situations like the one described by @Neveraeurosnob (and many others). Once there is a clear financial incentive for clubs (at all levels) to have high performing players, I'm sure TDs/Boards will consider recruitments differently.
Speaking of the domestic transfer/loans system. Where is it? Surely it's not that difficult. It's not like setting up a 2nd div with P&R in which there are many different potential approaches. Transfers/loans are pretty straight forward. The global football economy is built on transfers & loans. 

Same thing happens all over the country mate. It's not what you know (how good your are) it's who you know. Kid's who's granddad set up the club, on the committee, Dad's best mate with the coaches etc etc. In most cases it comes down to who's arse you're prepared to kiss. Everyone's biased I know, but my Son's pretty bloody good, but has always been overlooked due to his height (always the shortest in every team) and just couldn't crack into any NPL teams at youth level. 
Dropped down a couple of levels at u18s as a 16 yr old and ended up getting promoted to the Senior Team at a fairly big club in Brisbane, because the Head Coach was new to the club and didn't have past history to worry about (Club Politics). 
I dare say that's probably what happened with Valpato (club politics) - I'd love to see the kids that they did sign up instead of him!!!

I think its quite similar to other industries like video games, 10-15 years ago everyone did it because they loved games now the industry is filled with people who love money not games.

I think its similar here, they aren't coaching these squads to develop the next socceroo, they just want to fatten their wallet.

Hearing David's story made me angry, no wonder so many kids just leave the game - the way they are treated is terrible.

Hi Neveraeurosnob and all...

I'm wondering could you spell out what a " proper development academy " is?

Currently the pathways have so many different "streams / paths/ academies" these kind of environments start to be meaningless..  

A league academies
NPL club academies
Private Academies (external to club football)
NTC
NDC / TIDC 
SAP 
Community / Social football
School programs

Biases are in the game and every walk of life/ industry, as unfortunate as that may be. Some people are looking to play by merit and some are being promoted by as many have mentioned "who you know, not what you know" 

Is the issue that there is failure at the elite level? or that as unfortunate as it is some people are missing out due to biases and club politics and local level?

I apologise if I have missed the point of your post :-) 

Good day, Neveraeurosnob.

From reading this, I'm surmising you  reside in Sydney or Melbourne?

Sorry to hear you've  experienced  this 'closed shop mentality.'

I've been a TD of an NPL club in a smaller state, where opportunities for keen youth to enter NPL programs  are easier to come by. We want as many as possible players in  NPL and A L  development programs, because of the high attrition rate by adolescents. 

Unfortunately, by having low  numbers of kids in programs, means one can waste time with kids who drop out. The more kids experiencing quality coaching, the better IMO. I've never had to overlook committed kids for NPL development programs, but only for underage  rep teams that are feeders for underage state teams.

I love  to help, but I'm not sure I can proffer any useful advice for your scenario/predicament.

I must admit I'm a bit out of the loop these days, but I thought NTC programs had been disbanded?

I have coached the local NTCs for some sessions in the past , but in about 2013, FFA, now Football Australia, were moving towards a club based model. This was when I was last coaching. 

NTC still exists in South Australia

“Every disadvantage has its advantage.” Johan Cruyff
First things first.
JNPL is not the be all and end all. The percentage of JNPL boys that end up playing Senior Football at AL or NPL (Division One level) is minimal, less than 1% nationally of boys who finish U20 (or similar level) year on year.
So the key point for any kid is not where you are at 15, but where you will be at 21.
Most think that’s achieved by being in the NPL system whether with an NPL Academy or an AL Academy.
The vast majority of parents, like yourself and myself too, don’t have the knowledge of how it all works and find out when its all too late.
On Clubs selecting locals or committee member kids or Sponsors kids, my view has changed from seeing it as wrong, to understanding it’s a necessity for a Club’s survival in the Australian Football Ecosystem. Its just a fact.
Second thing, what to do now?
If the lad isn’t in the JNPL system the question is what to do now, for some they just give up. For the tenacious ones its not over.
In fact if I had my time over, knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have even worried about JNPL for my boys, or daughter. It was costing me $6,600 in fees alone, with add ons like travel, equipment and private coaching it was double.
My kids have trained at and played against, Liverpool FC, SALT FC (LFC community arm), Heart of Midlothian, Rennes, Nantes, Spartan FC, Dundee United, St Johnstone, Motherwell, Panionios, Atromitos, AC Brest, PEC Zwolle, Emmen FC and a few I’ve forgotten.
What I learnt was our kids aren’t far off the pace, in every case the improvement over close to two weeks there was exponential for every player. When they came back to Australia they mostly dropped off.
My oldest had trials at St Johnstone while on tour, and played professionally in the Cypriot 3^rd Division for a short time.
So point one, we don’t train enough, we don’t have good enough training.
Point two, to understand the “true” level travelling to Europe for the aspiring player is an absolute must. The longer the better, 4-6 weeks a year would be best.
Point three, playing in Community is okay. In fact if your kid is better than his teammates at this level and his opponents he will have the “freedom” to express himself, experiment without fear. And most likely the coach will let him do what he wants as he will see him as a his key match winner. So he will be played in key positions with plenty of game time.
Point four, Futsal, Futsal, and more Futsal. All modern training/coaching is based on “Game Training”, “Passing Games”, and tactical awareness within training games. You get all that in Futsal and more.
Point five, private coaching sessions. Once a week on repetition of skills (Coerver or similar) is enough. At PEC Zwolle all their youth teams do this once a week with a specialised coach. A no brainer.
Point Six, Fitness and Conditioning. We aren’t as Football Fit as we think, nutrition and a good personal trainer with strong knowledge of the game is imperative to reach the European Level. From 13-16 once a week is enough. Transitioning from youth 17-21 two to three times a week is a must.
Point Seven, self practice. A bag of balls, handful of cones, and off to the park, with a mate or two if possible, and just have fun and experiment.
Finally about having “Proper Development Academies” here, isn’t going to happen for a generation if at all. Our Football Culture is weak. Our focus is on the Elite at the top end, when it should be the other way around.
Could write more but this is my experience, these points are the bare essentials.

As Arthur days above

Hi Arthur, thanks for all these tips and especially insight. Much appreciated.
It's good to know my son is on the right path. He does all of these things. He has two private coaches: an ex-Austrian pro footballer who specialises in technical skills and an ex-EPL/ + lower leagues pro (Australian) who provides game skills. His fitness is outstanding for his age, but aware of maintenance and growth. He also has a European passport and is a bit rusty in the language but learns it at school. I guess that is an advantage for when the time come. Going over to Europe (bar COVID issues) is not an issue for us. Your comments puts into perspective development when you feel as if you are getting nowhere. 

What I meant by a proper development academy is what my son's Euro coach talks about what happens in Europe: A club that takes on youth with the specific goal in mind of developing them  as a player, as an 'investment' not just for the sole purpose of winning the comp. From my experience here, all I see is these NPL clubs picking players with the sole intention of winning the comp, little care for 'potential', with little if no interest at all in the welfare and development of the player. I guess that might be a harsh judgement and I am sure it's not all like that, but that's what we have experienced. 
I think it's fair to say SAP allows for this, but beyond that, after 13, it's a different story. 

Thanks for everyone for their insights and supportive comments! Appreciated. 
To cover some of the other questions and comments:
We live on the Central Coast. We have the Mariners and Central Coast United (CCU) as rep teams. Both  play NPL in football NSW (Sydney). Now these teams cover a population of 400K. Mariners are well known for picking Sydney and Newcastle youth players and almost impossible to infiltrate. They are good though and if you look at NPL positioning they tend to either win the comp or go close to winning most age groups. Not always the case but generally very good.  CCU pick the rest based on who they think are the best and of course 'who you know'.  Clearly by the way they perform, they aren't picking the best. 
This leaves a massive gap. There are a large number of very good youth that either can't or don't know how to develop further from a playing perspective as they have nowhere to go (or feels like that). We have been sold this idea that you 'need to be in the system'.  Many go to Newcastle and play there, but so many parents just can't drive that distance four times a week. The issue for the Central Coast, is that we are caught in no-mans land, between football NSW and football Northern NSW. I have never seen such a ridiculous system. Yet this area here is a breeding ground for quality players. It's a sporty area with sporty kids. There are huge numbers of community players and some players have managed to find their way to pro football, however so many more have that potential but are lost because they don't know what to do. I grew up in Sydney and thought it was a solid football city but the central coast - per population is amazing for football passion. Yet what do the kids here do beyond community football?
After trialling at 3 NPL clubs in Newcastle, my son said  his local community A grade club on the Central Coast would easily beat all 3 NPL clubs in Newcastle. To me, that's a problem. These are kids rejected by the Mariners and CCU and feel as if they have nowhere to go beyond community football. At that point they and their parents start to lose interest; it feels like barrier after barrier. After reading all of your comments I think we will just keep developing with his coaches (they are quality) and if you are good enough, it will come. Today I will find out if he has made the Newcastle NPL team (1 spot for 3 remaining triallists). 

We won't have a "proper" or better Academy system until as a Transfer System, with Player Compensation and Solidarity Payments is put in place.
In Europe this is the centre of Eveything, is the search for TALENT. Where ever that TALENT is.
Its part of the Economic Model within the Global Football Model.
We've just copied Australian Provincial Sports Models.

There is no incentive to develop players.