By grazorblade - 22 May 2024 2:37 AM
Some rationale for each choice
1. Decline of funding for the AIS
Leading up to the Sydney 2000 olympics there was a lot of youth funding. The Sydney 2000 squad corresponds to the core of the golden generation. After we finished without a single win, the program started to get defunded. Multiple golden generation players including Viduka credit the AIS as pivotal to their development
2. Lack of domestic opportunities for Australian talent
Mark Schwarzer made this point that the nsl had around 140 starting spots for australian players, so there were many chances for our pathways to catch players who would eventually be good enough to outgrow the league. Since we exported more players in that era, law of large numbers meant some of them continued to progress. When the a league started there were 7 Australian teams with 5 foreign spots each which means a mere 42 spots for aussie players, below 1/3rd of the norm in the nsl era
3. No academies for the first decade of the A league
Craig foster complained over a decade ago on the world game that the a league is the only league in the world with no connection to the grass roots or youth teams. We do seem to be producing more talent who are breaking through in europe at a younger age and doing better now we finally have academies. These academies are new mind you, so it will be interesting to see how they improve over time
4. Changes in global football making it harder
The Matildas currently have a zillion euro players because the women's game is still developing. However, some of the performances at youth level have me alarmed we will slip behind quickly. The womens game is becoming more competitive now and perhaps the last 3 decades has seen the mens game become more competitive. In the early to mid 90s the majority of epl players were brittish. That eventually dived to around 25 percent of players as africa, eastern europe, asia, usa and many other nations rose. For an interesting case study, consider that in 2005 and 2021 we had to beat the 5th placed south american team to qualify for the world cup. Now compare the 2005 uruguay squad with the 2021 peru squad. The 5th placed south american team in 2021 seams to be our team was on paper! Many developing nations are improving their player pathways, Japan now has a connected pyramid with multiple professional divisions, as does south korea, Saudi has 32 pro teams and semi pro teams below that, America has been introducing leagues below the mls years ago. We are finally introducing an nst in 2025!! The game also seems to be becoming more technical. While,we produced the occasional technician, we were team whose best qualities were grit, fitness, and physicality throughout the 90s. We weren't a bunch of hoofballers, but watching old roos games and old nsl games, the change to everyone playing a more technical style has required a particularly harsh culture change from us. We introduced a ntc and its 2nd version with practice sessions in 2014 so fingers crossed that helps us close the gap in technique (I think it has) and the nst might help us close the gap in player pathways. But gee we have a mountain to climb. I'm thrilled with the ntc and the possible nst though. So hopefully greener pastures ahead
5.Removing nsl clubs meant removing intergenerational knowledge
With all the demonization of ethnic clubs a lot of intergenerational knowledge was just cast aside. Majority of player development is at home or with friends in a backyard and these ethnic clubs are connected to ethnic communities where everyone knows football well. A friend gave me a book about coaching in the usa compared to europe. In europe, kids automatically learn which parts of the foot to use for which action from messing around in the park with other kids. In USA, they don't have that peer reinforcement and that presents a challenge with making sure kids don't learn bad habits. Most of our golden gen seems to have spent at least some time at either marconi, sydney united and adelaide city. Who knows what was lost by throwing those (and other) clubs aside and perhaps we are about to find out what we can regain by their reinclusion. Aside from all of that, the nsl was pretty poor at producing talent in its first 15 years. Perhaps casting them aside and starting anew with the a league meant that a league clubs had to start again
6.The golden generation was a freak event and we have reverted to our level
Hans berger dismissed the golden generation as an outlier after saying that most minnows have golden generations. The PFA also made a lengthy report arguing it was an outlier. They provide a strong case and people should read it. Amongst the things the pfa listed was the roles of migrant parents and siblings constantly playing at home. Now we no longer have a flux of euro immigrants, perhaps we might get lucky with a flux of African immigrants. Would be sad if this was the reason as there is little we can do to create a regular stream of class talent.
7. Other
Go ahead and give your view!
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By grazorblade - 24 May 2024 4:04 PM
+x+x+x+x+x+x+xI had 2 sons go through from YL to U18's, opted out making it to Snrs - youngest now 23. Oh nice! Was there entitlement from other rep kids? I agree what we do in training is a small part of development compared to how many hours a player trains at home or with other kids other rep kids ? yep in spades. Certain Clubs and management/TD's ? yep. Parents ? yep and many who have NO FN idea of the game. Its like a look at me for some and some/many are not worthy but selected for many years. Its all about the $$$'s/status and agendas. Its a wanky status scenario that is pretty pathetic to watch - if only I knew what I know nowadays. So when you say entitlement can u go into more details? Do u mean lack of work ethic? Hostility and cattiness to other kids and parents? Know it all attitude while being wrong? (If so on what issues?) Something else? graz, said enough and my opinion means jack shit to others. Our trouble is massive all over as so so many know. We not a football country as the biggest hurdle. GTFO out here if want to make it somewhere and thats the big IF anywhere in the big picture - I would not spend the money here at all - I'd sooner take the risk abroad with my kids IF I could do it again. Why do u think ur opinion means little? because we all see things differently and in the end get labelled/judged or roasted.
Sorry to hear u have been judged before here
You are right that Id disagree that the professionalization of the national league is the problem. Sure there are outliers, but the strength of a national league is very well correlated with the wages in the countries first division. It is implausible to me that if we cut the wages in the eredivisie, or even the brazilian seri a to semi pro wages they would start to produce better national teams
If I were to tell a story of the a league hurting it would not be the fact that it is professional, but that it was run by the fa. This meant u have a double whammy of the fa, with their 260million in revenue, covering expenses of the a league and taking money from grass roots and the a league not having the pressure to generate money on the transfer market because they have that safety net.
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