By Zoltan - 15 Oct 2017 11:38 AM
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!
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By JosephJones - 11 May 2024 12:32 PM
+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+xI think if you want to work in football, whether coaching, playing or anything else, you are better off going to Europe at a young age. yep agreed, you have a promising kid, if you have the motivation send vids etc all you can to OS Clubs, GTFO if you can, its ametuer hour here for years and years even though Clubs show they are improving. All the shop front has improved but not the content. Its still very much who you know and many TD's have blinkers on. Club trials, Clubs mislead countless parents and promising players so they get 40/60 turn up BUT the TD is only looking to fill 1 or 2 positions. Say up front before Trials, we are looking to fill X positions only for RB CDM for eg, please attend if thats your preffered position. I've watched so so many young fellas and parents walk away pissed off once they really find out what the Club's/TD agenda was. They could have gone to opposing Clubs Trials - for usually many Trials are held similar times. Agree. I have seen this. It's an underground type system with high $$ costs where 99.999% of kids here wont earn a cent. Ive also seen TD's at local NPL clubs not wanting kids going to rep teams or academies so they can stay and win NPL titles and thus give the TD a good rep. Parents scouting and paying ex Aleague coaches for training to get their names on the lips of selectors. This is for the privilege to pay more $1000s to play a higher league. A-League academies have to approach the NPL team expressing an interest in their player. Disgusting that some NPL clubs don't tell the players or the parents about the approach. So when the kid grows up he will never know that he could have played for an a-league academy because some idiot was selfish. Parents and players need to look after themselves. Be smart selfish. Always keep an eye out for team, club, td agendas. Clubs that actively promote their kids getting picked up by a-league clubs are the ones you should be focusing on. Look at Facebook... Also ask around - which clubs have a high representation moving on to a-league My lad is at a crossroads here. Stay with Academy who doesn't really care about development or find a good NPL coach and team. He isnt playing as well as before and many of the other kids have their own agendas to further their.own cause and will throw each other under a bus to get there. Some of the behaviour from coaches are somewhat non effective for the age of these lads. My 2 cents deebee There is no right or wrong. Every season whether a success or not is a learning experience. It's hard to see that when its happening. Ideally all 'young players' should have a crisis and they push through to become 'men footballers'. You can't control everything nor should you. Let it play out imo... Hey. We definitely learnt a lesson. We stuck with the program and the TD/coach got sacked for indiscretions. Partly for focusing on his paying private academy kids. Not surprised, parents pay at every turn. At every level expect nothing, put your own effort in and enjoy it. The coaching cant be trusted in my area. Every parent will throw your kid under a bus to get theirs in. Lots of talking to coaching staff on the quiet. Its a toxic environment, be careful. Every industry, sport and pursuit can be construed as toxic. Every parent should be assisting their children in taking their learnings into their own hands. Self mastery and integrity to borrow a term from yoga. Being in multiple environments can assist in getting a larger knowledge base, and ensure the nepatism and “toxic” environment you speak of does not ruin a person mentally, as well as their attitude toward the sport and their personal growth
Agree. Toxic environments in youth sports can have a profound and lasting impact on children, affecting not only their performance on the field but their emotional and psychological well-being. Such environments are often characterized by extreme pressure from coaches, parents, and sometimes peers to win at all costs, neglecting the importance of sportsmanship, fun, and personal growth. This undue stress can lead to anxiety, loss of self-esteem, and a decrease in the love for the sport, ultimately pushing kids away from participating in physical activities.
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