As a bit of background - My son is a talented little soccer player. He plays for a Victorian NPL under 11 kangas team, scored 30 goals this year from midfield, played up in under 12's for the last part of the year, does 500 juggles, tricks, almost made the state school boys team as a year younger etc etc etc...but I can tell you as a parent of a good young athlete, trying to navigate things hasn't been easy.

I would almost say that that one almost needs to be an outlier (and avoid the system) in order to help your kid reach any sort of potential. I'm not sure how much you know about soccer at junior levels in VIC but the best outcomes are not coming from NPL clubs or the FFV systems but through outlying 'academies' - like Glen eira soccer club, Heart wings world and some clubs in geelong - who are not only producing more technical kids but kids who look happier and kids who are ultimately making the state teams and getting picked for Melbourne Victory and melbourne City academies.

Ned Zelic said in a recent podcast that the problem is that we don't look after our good young players. The system is geared towards 'fun' and perceived fairness when in fact its a little unfair to treat all kids the same when some work harder and sacrifice more than others...So these academies tend to be more meritocracies whilst the NPL clubs have identity issues - are they community clubs or are they cradles for young elite athletes.

Many believe 'enjoyment' being the key to retention I reckon this has two aspects. 1. why is retention the be all and end all ? As I said if a child doesn't have the competency, the drive etc isn't dropping out and trying other things normal? Secondly from an elite perspective i wonder if elite kids drop out because they don't get recognition and reward for signs of early competence?

So a typical example is one child at an early age is taught that effort = rewards and that the more you practice they better you will be. In my opinion kids are never too young to learn about personal responsibility and that actions have consequences. So the child, with a little prompting by the parent slowly learns really good habits which translate to excellent onfield performance over the next 4 years.

But we know what happens in real life - the coach and the other parents emphasise 'the team' before the individual, the advanced kid rotates in the same positions as the less advanced kid, the team captain is rewarded as an encouragement award, and on the sidelines the parent applaud the one thing a less advanced kid does in a game and ignore the 30 things the better kid does week in and week out...This then plays out again and again and again in differnet ways as the kids advance - and then the child with the good habit says at some point - whats the point! Unless someone in a position of authority or power also recognises the childs performance.

As a parent its difficult because I reckon most parents with talented kids kind of give up and let their kids drop back into the pack rather than fight to find the best place to help their kids reach their potential. Ive had 3 NPL technical directors tell me things like - This club has never produced a kid who played in the seniors, the only kids who will ever be any good need a parent who played professional sport, and now I hear that the new youth technical director of an a-league club reckons none of the kids in the talent identification squad for under 13's would make a top academy in Europe...Whats the point then? Where is the excellence? I disagree with all of them but i can tell you its not easy bringing up a well rounded kid, with a talent - and trying to help him reach his potential. Many times the well meaning administrators and the clubs themselves are at fault

Moral - Look after and respect the good players - they probably deserve it!

As a bit of background - My son is a talented little soccer player. He plays for a Victorian NPL under 11 kangas team, scored 30 goals this year from midfield, played up in under 12's for the last part of the year, does 500 juggles, tricks, almost made the state school boys team as a year younger etc etc etc...but I can tell you as a parent of a good young athlete, trying to navigate things hasn't been easy.

I would almost say that that one almost needs to be an outlier (and avoid the system) in order to help your kid reach any sort of potential. I'm not sure how much you know about soccer at junior levels in VIC but the best outcomes are not coming from NPL clubs or the FFV systems but through outlying 'academies' - like Glen eira soccer club, Heart wings world and some clubs in geelong - who are not only producing more technical kids but kids who look happier and kids who are ultimately making the state teams and getting picked for Melbourne Victory and melbourne City academies.

Ned Zelic said in a recent podcast that the problem is that we don't look after our good young players. The system is geared towards 'fun' and perceived fairness when in fact its a little unfair to treat all kids the same when some work harder and sacrifice more than others...So these academies tend to be more meritocracies whilst the NPL clubs have identity issues - are they community clubs or are they cradles for young elite athletes.

Many believe 'enjoyment' being the key to retention I reckon this has two aspects. 1. why is retention the be all and end all ? As I said if a child doesn't have the competency, the drive etc isn't dropping out and trying other things normal? Secondly from an elite perspective i wonder if elite kids drop out because they don't get recognition and reward for signs of early competence?

So a typical example is one child at an early age is taught that effort = rewards and that the more you practice they better you will be. In my opinion kids are never too young to learn about personal responsibility and that actions have consequences. So the child, with a little prompting by the parent slowly learns really good habits which translate to excellent onfield performance over the next 4 years.

But we know what happens in real life - the coach and the other parents emphasise 'the team' before the individual, the advanced kid rotates in the same positions as the less advanced kid, the team captain is rewarded as an encouragement award, and on the sidelines the parent applaud the one thing a less advanced kid does in a game and ignore the 30 things the better kid does week in and week out...This then plays out again and again and again in differnet ways as the kids advance - and then the child with the good habit says at some point - whats the point! Unless someone in a position of authority or power also recognises the childs performance.

As a parent its difficult because I reckon most parents with talented kids kind of give up and let their kids drop back into the pack rather than fight to find the best place to help their kids reach their potential. Ive had 3 NPL technical directors tell me things like - This club has never produced a kid who played in the seniors, the only kids who will ever be any good need a parent who played professional sport, and now I hear that the new youth technical director of an a-league club reckons none of the kids in the talent identification squad for under 13's would make a top academy in Europe...Whats the point then? Where is the excellence? I disagree with all of them but i can tell you its not easy bringing up a well rounded kid, with a talent - and trying to help him reach his potential. Many times the well meaning administrators and the clubs themselves are at fault

Moral - Look after and respect the good players - they probably deserve it!

Yes up here until yesterday there was no choice but there is now.

@Gurk00

And others. A bit of an update on my kid before I reply. The original post still stands 2 years later - but the good news is that my son has reached all the major benchmarks for a 13 year old - despite the challenges. This would be NPL, State teams and A-league academies - also he is being monitored by a European club. So after lots of hard work and some luck he is where he should be (if he wants to be an elite adult player) and is a great young kid. He also does well at school and is well adjusted (we think so anyway).

A few points to make 
- Just because he is good now does not mean anything for the future. I like to joke that most good players at this age are 6 bad games away from being dumped and 6 ripper games away from being scouted. Never a time to be complacent. This continues to adult hood. His chances of making a decent living as a pro soccer player are still very very small.
- By in large from lets say the top 50 kids in the state i would say 80 percent  the parents are what most people would consider 'hyper vigilant'. That is the parents don't 100 pct trust the system and would never utter the words 'if the child is good enough they will eventually get spotted'. Most parents of elite kids go the extra mile. They search out best clubs, look at outside academies, they change clubs if they don't like the culture, they discuss performance with the kids (yes sometimes on the way home in the car). Maybe 20 pct of the kids come from non sporty families who let the system take control. 
- Even adult professional players need to take control of their own training. The norm is now private coaching whether that be skill based, plyometircs, speed and agility and strength and conditioning. 

@Gurk00

My advice to you and all young players is to continue focusing on skill development. Technique, technique, technique. So yes find an academy out west that will help. I don't know any personally but I think Joe Spiteri has an academy. Google it and check the references. 

The other big news is that the A-League teams now have pre academies usually run on Saturdays. Melbourne victory and west Melbourne will have ones in your area soon enough. They will source kids from here to be in youth teams or via the FV talent identification teams. 

Other advice - be realistic (early on) about your kids athletic abilities. Key things to consider - does your child excel at school athletics (100 meters, 200m and or cross country)? They should be the close to best in the school and at least regional level at school. Can your child dribble the ball easily. I still reckon this is a major Talent Id element. Takes natural ability to run with the ball at an early age.

Also I think early on does your child show early signs of taking responsibility for things? Doesn't have to be too much evidence but competitive kids will score a goal, or do a slide tackle at important times in matches and at training. 

Your kid is also one bad experience away from just completely dropping the game. Seen it happen too often.

Agree - and so what? It’s just football. If you read my posts I’m ok if he stops at anytime.

Zoltan you sound very level headed with regards to your son but i dont buy the 'Im ok if he stops at anytime' comment. Why would'nt you be upset if your talented kid quits? Deep down im sure you would be. 

Hey JDB03 - good question but honestly I'm ok. Thats the role of a parent I reckon. Teach the kids that hard work brings results (whether that be soccer or other things) but don't be set on an outcome. The moment you want your kids to 'be something' it takes away from enjoying the process. (smell the roses). It also means you are trying to live out your own dreams in your kid which is not a good thing.

Also think of it this way. My son gives up at the age of 15 we can look at it two ways. 1) what a shame the kid has given up, unrealised potential, burnt out etc etc or 2) wow the kid did amazingly well. He was a fantastic little soccer player as a 13,14,15 year old and that might be good enough. He may now go on to be a successful adult and human being and have nothing to do with soccer.

One way of seeing things is failure and the other way is success....

Its how we frame things....

Imagine when he is 35 years old and with a kid he can tell them that when he was young he played for Victory or Sydney etc.....thats amazing success in my opinion and in reality what will happen with 95 pct of the elite kids...

Hello Zoltan,

First of all, I really want to congratulate you on the way you're able to see life and put things into perspective.

Your kid will grow up to be an amazing adult, I have no doubt that you will make sure of it!

He now is 15 and it's usually a crossroad for players his age, where things tend to get serious. If he indeed chooses to go after that beautiful dream that is becoming a professional soccer player, here's an article I stumbled upon which I think summarizes awesomely what it takes and how to get there.

https://thechamplair.com/soccer/become-a-professional-soccer-player/

I wish you and your kid all the best and keep us informed of his progress, I'm actually quite curious as to how things will happen.

crossroads imo is when they get their licences's/P's and outer mate influences....re parties and girlfriends.
Prior to that its under age passion.....depending on circumstances.

Its normal to give up - because lifes other priorities take over. It could be mates, girls, parties but it could also be they realise that being good at something takes so much effort that maybe that effort is better spent studying or working.

Thats what I did. Played for the University side trained once per week and had a blast.

Agree - and so what? It’s just football. If you read my posts I’m ok if he stops at anytime.

I wasn't being negative towards you mate, just that I have seen a lot of kids drop football completely because of the people they had to deal with. There are people who are very good at killing a kids love for the game without even realising they are doing it.

I wasn't being negative towards you mate, just that I have seen a lot of kids drop football completely because of the people they had to deal with. There are people who are very good at killing a kids love for the game without even realising they are doing it.

I hear ya - don't worry about that. 

People and agendas are always the problem...haha. 

I was thinking about the list from Jmitch post (how to be a professional player) and one big one that is missing is its important for all players and parents to always 'keep their own councel'. 

Let me put it another way. Any professional player will look back and see that over 20-30 years they will have had many coaches, many teams, many clubs ad many team mates. So the brutal truth is all those things come and go like the wind. The only real thing a player has is their own self belief. One persons opinion doesn't actually change anything.....the player is the same person they were yesterday (when they played well). 

So the hardest thing is to stay positive, gain perspective and continue to play well when the chips are stacked against you. My son is going through this a little at the moment. 

Many athletes these days have private coaches, managers etc. I know a few of the top juniors have 'advisors'. So a parent will tape footage of a game and someone independent of the club will look at the game and give the player personal advice without the club knowing. This is a great way to mitigate if a coach or a club has other agendas. 

As you guys have said I have also seen many kids get treated poorly. Its amazing when one person in a powerful position hold one view on a player how that view then becomes a fact by various others either not wanting to upset the apple cart or for whatever reason. Also be careful of other parents. They are quite happy to heap praise on kids just as long as that kid is not better than their own....human nature. 

What does this all mean? Success is not linear.....also A Chinese proverb "A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials"....

And if not their is always tennis!...


 

Hey Zoltan. Whats the latest news?

HI Deebee

Tough conditions at the moment mostly due to covid. My son is going pretty well. Next year is looking really promising. So no real change.

Important that a coach likes/suits the style/morals/values of the young up and comer - mine has just gone through 2 wasted seasons with a coach who's style of play doesn't suit his game therefore that precious time is lost never to be gained back. (we should have changed after the 1st season but its not as easy as said, your thinking give it one more go or not ??, trails are here there and everywhere and similar times as mentioned, such a melting pot).
time pass's too fast, if things are not looking in the right direction get onto it, question, make move sooner rather than later for you can't afford losing a season on development.

Just took this advice.
Left a strong club with little technical development and going to a slightly weaker club with good coaches and has greater success moving kids into talented pathways.
See what happens.   

good on you making the call.
Time doesn't stop as I quoted.
Hope it works out lets us know.