I was wondering when this would be published on here.

Really good article from the 442 iPad version.




What do you think about the FourFourTwo article The Green & Gold Future?
FFA technical director Han Berger explains the progress of our National Curriculum.

Have your say.

“Nationally, there is now a clear pathway for talented boys, in which the various steps are logically linked,” says Berger. “Access to any of these programs should not be money-driven – it should be about every talented kid getting the opportunity to enter these programs.”

Great quote.

Nothing more than a collection of worn out cliches aimed squarely at the clueless.

However, should keep him in his $650k pa gig for the foreseeable future.

Well worth the money Chips, well worth the money.

Seriously?

I think you're deluded if you think the grassroots system was better before he came along.

I'd much rather shell out for the prevention rather than the 'cure'.

The other thing I notice Chips is that he holds the same opinion that you do on private elite academies... should I start to draw a connection here? 8-[

I trust you have intimate knowledge of the "system" both now and 20 years ago?

I suspect you don't, hence your silly comment re "pathways".

Edited by judy free: 16/12/2011 02:00:43 PM

i got to say that this article is on the money here...

Great Article, it definetely puts some doubters into persepective that its not doom or gloom!

Edited by Barca4Life: 16/12/2011 06:09:45 PM

Ah 'Chips Rafferty', where would Oz football be without the likes of him? Considering that people of his mindset were in charge of the game for 50+ years and stuffed things up every which way, I don't think the answer needs stating...

What Berger and co. are doing across the board/nationwide is nothing short of groundbreaking for us - it's only a shame it couldn't have been implemented years ago. The proof will be in the results, and they should by all rights leave anything that's been done here before for dead!

Just to clarify, when I said 'results' above I meant in terms of the better quality of players we'll churn out :)

LOL, please drop me a note when Berger produces his first Kewell, Viduka or Cahill.

Fanboy naivety is always good for a larf.

i agree our depth of quality has slipped dramatically in our kids NZ perform better than us now in junior levels wtf how is that so.

This article is so ridiculous and out of touch with reality. I could write 3 pages of what's wrong with it but I will just mention a few.

Geez where does one start?¿?¿?

Why are West Ham (Galaxy Academy) See FFT article, and many other top global clubs like manchester city, stoke, Leeds, (Australasian Soccer Academy) Celtic Rangers, (CSI Schofields Academy) just to name a few aligning themselves with private academies if they weren't any good? It appears to me that reputable academies are being viewed more highly than the FFA system otherwise these top clubs would not have a pathway to their clubs via these academies. I think Berger needs to get around and open his eyes a bit more about some privately run academies. Sure not all academies are worth the money but then there are some that are making fantastic opportunities for players that the FFA's flawed system let's slip through the cracks. And in my opinion they are very big cracks!

Berger might be interested to learn that Kerem Bulut also attended a private academy as have other A-League players Mitchell Duke and Kabsy Appiah (Central Coast Mariners) and around 15 NSW Premier/Super League players just this year alone also attend a private academy (ASA). Many of whom were playing park football out of the system 12-24 months ago. Just how did they get this good? It wasn't Bergers FFA system that's for sure because the FFA system is not available to them.

Why also is it OK to say failure at world cup level for youth is an option. That's like saying yeah ok they are crap now compared to the rest of the world but it's ALL GOOD these players will pawn in the seniors world cup. Nothing like hedging your bets 10 years in advance when he won't be around to cop the kick in arse for it. Tell Diego Maradonna who won the u/20 world youth cup with argentina then the world senior cup that failure back then was an option!! He would split his sides in awe of that comment.

So where do players go when they don't make the political buddies of FFA identification process? I've seen first hand how this matey/buddy selection process works. It's seriously flawed and corrupt. According Berger they shouldn't pay academies to improve their kids skills? I'd like to know why. Because the local park mum n dad footy coach isn't going to lift their skills levels from park football to selection in NSWPL or NSWLSL sides. It's the reputable private academies and NSWPL/NSWSL clubs that offer services in this area. What's wrong with parents giving their kids the best opportunites they can afford? If all parents had the same view as Bergers system parents wouldn't be sending their kids to private educational schools if they weren't topping the states report marks. The bottomline is parents do whatever they can within their means to give their kids the best opportunities possible. If parents don't get their kids into one private school or university they will find another school or university by which to achieve the same goals.

If I remember correctly Les Murray was ripping apart the NSW elite system because a talented 10 year old lads parents refused to be part of the project 22 system because the lads talents were in no way attributed to project 22 and felt his skills would be compromised by the said system.

I could find serious flaws with a lot more of this article but that will do for starters and i've just scratched the surface. It appears the view of Berger is to turn football here into a strict body controlled entity where natural talent and opportunities become even further limited. It stinks of a dictatorships flawed vision.

His whole article in fact is one big contradiction of himself and the system he promotes while discrediting other systems he obviously knows nothing about. It's FFA's way or the highway!! Very limited and sad to read.

What next...It will be OK for the senior team to fail at future world cups because Australia is in development? We had to wait 32 years for a world cup qualification and if we go back to it's ok to fail then we are not moving forward in my opinion. We are going backwards...Even our national coaches won't pick players to represent Australia unless they have played and been trained outside of Australia's FFA system! That's what they think of FFA's curriculum!! It's Rubbbbbish!!

This is all well and great to say parents shouldn't be paying money to private academies when the parents are the ones paying Bergers wages by way of association fees then having it pissed up by a flawed cracked system. Good one Berger I can see my kids fees that are paid to you by way of wages will result in failure is an option for this countries footballing future.

Oman 1 V Australia 0. Australia drops 2 spots in the FIFA rankings *Sigh* More cracks starting to appear...Can't wait for the full effect flow on. *NOT*

At the end of the day when players trial overseas, clubs don't care who's curriculum, club or academy the player attends. It's what the player can do on the park is the only skills clubs care about.

Bedankt Berger. Dat is niet ernstig. Wie wil er spelen 4-3-3 en zij krijgen bereikt. Ack!

Ik heb geleerd van sommige van de beste Nederlandse spelers in de wereld en een top-20 marktdeelnemer in de wereld in 2 verschillende spelletjes, maar wat is er gedaan hier is heel slecht voor Australië de toekomst van het voetbal.



Edited by Aussiesrus: 17/12/2011 10:53:25 AM

Now, if you could have only refrained from your standard Basha BJ's for a mo', that just may have threatened to be a half decent read.

It all goes hand in hand. The flawed system is creating private academies to spring up everywhere and top clubs overseas to look at other options besides FFA's flawed system which sees private academies and NSWPL/NSWSL and even NSW div 1 sides as a prefered option for future talent. This is really a vote of no confidence in FFA's system by quite a few overseas clubs.

The system does not address something which is core to Australian football and that is the multicultural aspect and the benefits different cultures bring to football. It's the dutch system or the highway. Geez we have stuff all dutch people owning and running football clubs here in Australia but we are swamped with their coaches now taking the pay cheque but delivering very little results. The top 2 clubs for the last 2 seasons are CCM (Graham Arnold - Australia) and Brisbane Roar (Ange Postecoglou - Australia) and none are dutch.

I have a lot of respect for the dutch system but it is suitable only for the dutch. Even the dutch think our system is crap otherwise we would have more than just one or two Socceroo's in the dutch first league, Australia is far more diverse in it's multiculturalism and we should be harnessing these benefits. Not culling it and drawing a straight line.

We have aligned ourselves with a Dutch system and the Dutch have never won a senior mens world cup! The only countries that consistantly win world cups are Italy, Germany, Argentina and Brazil. These are the main systems we should be looking at and modifying to suit our culture.

Also Berger bags out the EPL's academies as light years behind the Dutch and Spanish. The EPL is considered the home of professional football throughout the world. Spain has only ever won one world cup and holland none. I think Berger has been spending too much time in the Dutch cafe's eating fractured fairytale cakes and passively smoking the local weed.

As we can see the dutch system produces chokers.

Year Winner V Runner-Up
1930 Uruguay V Argentina 4 - 2
1934 Italy V Czechoslovakia 2 - 1
1938 Italy V Hungary 4 - 2
1950 Uruguay V Brazil 2 - 1
1954 West V Germany Hungary 3 - 2
1958 Brazil V Sweden 5 - 2
1962 Brazil V Czechoslovakia 3 - 1
1966 England V West Germany 4 - 2
1970 Brazil V Italy 4 - 1
1974 West Germany V Netherlands 2 - 1
1978 Argentina V Netherlands 3 - 1
1982 Italy V West Germany 3 - 1
1986 Argentina V West Germany 3 - 2
1990 West Germany V Argentina 1 - 0
1994 Brazil V Italy 0 - 0
1998 France V Brazil 3 - 0
2002 Brazil V Germany 2 - 0
2006 Italy V France 5 - 3
2010 Spain V Netherlands 1 - 0

I also spoke with the lad from ASA/Sydney Olympic last night and he been signed to attend the Manchester City Academy (All expenses paid) until he is 18 due to his hatrick against burnley and hatrick against wales and scoring against everton etc. The other lad has been signed to stokes academy for 1 year and he was from an NSWSL side I am told. These are just 2 examples of the FFA's flawed system and top players slipping through it's flawed cracks. I'm sure this is only the tip of the iceberger which appears to be floating upside down.

Edited by Aussiesrus: 18/12/2011 05:30:48 AM

"LOL, please drop me a note when Berger produces his first Kewell, Viduka or Cahill"

Oh I will Chips, but first how about you take your name off your shoulder (snigger) and the stick out of your ar$e...

You need to remember that Berger only has to convince a rower and an AFL dude of his worth.

As long as these two nobbies are content with the view that SSG's, 433 and a PDF will deliver player dev prosperity then who am I to argue.

FFA = train wreck.

Quote button, use it.

Dill.

I nearly forgot that you think cahill is the best player playing in the world.:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I chose a race horse and you pick a donkey.

Not best, but favourite (at the time, which was a few years ago).

My apologies for taking an interest in strayan developed players.

Edited by judy free: 19/12/2011 01:37:31 PM

I'm using the Comment box below the article, hence no quote button, Chips you 'dill'...

I'd put it to you that in your ideal world, you'd be FFA Technical Director having 7y/o kids play nothing but 11v11 bullsh*t hoofball...umm that's what AFL is for!

Step aside with some semblance of grace if you *really* want Oz football to succeed and let Berger do his thing. Jealousy is a curse!

I'll think about it and get back to you in the morning.

aussiesrus are you aware that Berger has the same opinion as you as to the number of spots available in the elite pathway and the level of talent recognition that occurs currently within Australia?

Yes mate I am. But what is he doing about it?

I gave him a flogging with what I think is wrong with his views. I suppose I should be fair and give him praise with what is right with it. Been a bit busy lately...

Edited by Aussiesrus: 23/12/2011 12:27:03 AM

It starts when kids are between five and roughly 10 years-old with the ‘Discovery Phase’, where youngsters should simply “play football in a natural way”. “At this stage, there is little need for ‘coaching’,” says Berger. “Mimicking the ancient situation of street football is the best you can do. Many coaches make the mistake to structure training too much at this age. Just let these young kids play and discover what they can and cannot do with a ball. The game is the best teacher at this age, that’s why Brazilian and African players are technically so good: not because of their ‘system’ but because they’ve developed naturally.”



This is an interesting point.


I've always thought it is good to let kids develop in a fairly unstructured way from age 5-10.

That is until we were confronted with heaps of players with poor technique at Football For Everyone school.

Also, we've scrutinised many refugee players who've learnt on the streets of Africa and Asia. What has often occurred is that players are very one foot reliant and have bad habits which need correcting.

A few years ago I had a girl training with a rep team, because her cousin was in it. She had never played before. She received correct instruction right from the first time she kicked a ball. She learnt receiving with good footwork, juggled for five minutes at each training training, plus learnt body swerves, Matthews Cut, inside to inside of the foot dribbling, passing with the correct angle of the non-kicking fot, heading, etc. She also played a lot of 1v1 drills and SSGs, as well as 4v4 SSGs and 7v7 SSG shape incremental work.

She may have had 25 000 touches at training over the course of the season. We struggled to find a club for her until half way through the season. She practicsed what she learnt at rep training in the school playground at recess and lunch every game in free play SSGs. Her positional play and game sense was pretty bad, but she played an integral part in her team's success with a good first touch, dribbling and passing technique.

Like the refugees, even in England, where many coaches don't perceive a need for training courses and books, I worked overtime with a relative who had deficient technique, yet he was playing in a junior premier league.

I think it is important to coach some basics whenever a footballer starts, to stop bad habits developing. These have to be unlearnt at a later stage. It is time wasted.



Edited by Decentric: 29/12/2011 11:07:33 PM

Berger's FFA system in theory is a good system for players in it, but so few players have access to it.

A Kiwi cricket commentator, Brian Waddle, recently was discussing on the ABC how NZ cricket had also put all their efforts into coaching just a few supposedly elite players, which he so strongly disagreed with.

Many suburban teams are crying out for some FFA staff coaching assistance at their clubs, but FFA is too busy with a few elite players. The elite players are often not allowed to play or train with their clubs, schools or play futsal.

Berger explains that while the purpose of football is obviously about winning the game, at a younger age it is important to teach kids the proper game skills, which will give them a better chance to be successful when they reach senior level. He stresses that at top level, fitness and strength are not the decisive factors, citing the 2010 World Cup where the likes of Xavi, Özil, Iniesta, and Sneijder dominated. “In Australia, we need to produce better players instead of fitter players – that is the essence of the Curriculum. There has been too much focus in the past on developing athletes.”


I just love hearing the quote in the underlined part of the above paragraph from Han Berger.=d>

In this state we still have a massive majority of coaches at all levels, including state youth coaches, who have players running without the ball on the training track. At least one state FFA staff coach does this with juniors.

It is an epidemic.](*,)

On a local blog, local football stakeholders frequently contend that because Man U, AC MIlan, etc, perform drills running without the ball, then it is okay for them to do it. Essentially, our split state league teams are amateurs, the complete opposite of top professional clubs in the world. They need all the time to develop technique they can get, but they don't seem to realise it.](*,)

I was pleased to see two of out of three senior split state league coaches doing all their work with the ball. Over the next season I hope to observe all of them on the training ground. The two happen to be good mates of Coach C at FFE.

Decentric,

The issue with structured training is that it interferes with natural abilities of gifted players. Could you imagine a structured type coach telling Pele not to try to score goals with a backflip because it's not in the handbook?

A gifted coach would see natural abilities and would simply work on the basic errors allowing the gifted side to run free. Once we start putting limitations on gifted players we are restricting their natural gift and effectively quashing what might be simply brilliance for the future. This is interfering with the evolution of game. I know the Dutch very well. Probably better than most Aussies and they are very forthright in their beliefs and will enforce them on whoever they can, Similar to German style.

In my opinion this selecting a very small few elite players at 11-12 years of age is simply hypercrap. Many things can change over the course of 10 years and who are these people that believe they have the right to select what is and what isn't a good player.

Just tonight we were wishing all the best to one of our academy lads who has been selected for Stoke City U/17-18 Academy. Yet this lad has been told for years he wasn't even good enough for NSW Premier League and was rejected by all clubs and played most of his football in NSWSL. Just goes to show what a crap system we have here in Australia if it can't recognise real talent OR isn't allowed too?.

In fact this hypercrap has been going on for well over 30 years that I know of. As myself and many mates would be rejected from every rep side we trialled for. But when our club side would play the rep side that refused to have our players from trials we would kick their arse by 5-10 goals. Later on I made a NSW Premier League first grade squad. Go figure. It wasn't so much my situation that was frustrating. It was the fact I had mates who could pawn the arse off top players but could never get a gig in any decent high level clubs.

Every time I hear some footballing body say we are implimenting a new system or making big changes it always sounds to me like they are changing the rules to suit themselves, their mates and relatives etc. So when the dutch say we are making big changes for the good of all.. It really means we are changing the rules so us dutchies can get a stranglehold on your system.

TBH it just pisses me off no end hearing the crap and interpreting the real meaning. They say one thing but it means another...

In a nutshell we don't have the best players wearing green and gold and never have because the best have been culled long before they reached 16 years of age. What we are watching is all the dud dropkick relatives of those politically or finacially who run our game. And they expect us to pay bucks to go watch the rubbish...Not on your life. I've never paid to watch an A-League, NSWPL or National match in my life and never will. I really get sick and tired of every football commentator nowdays who wore the green and gold who never qualified for a world cup because they were completely useless duds commentating in todays press or TV.

All I can say is bring on the future when Cahill, Kewell, Emerton and co start coaching and taking over the press and TV because todays lot of commentators were and still are a complete waste of space of breath. Divots the lot of them.

Edited by Aussiesrus: 29/12/2011 02:19:45 AM

I think Han Berg is good for Australian football however I'm a realist and a man of fact.

My opinions are these
Im all for: improved coaching education, better youth pathways, better talent identification and a more technical style of development.
i am in full support of Han Berg so dont let what i say below make you think otherwise.

However these are the facts in the last 5-6 years

Since we have changed our development we have failed in two U/20 WC a Senior world cup and a U/17. All competitions we were schooled on how to play football in one or more matches.

We have not produced a single good player with our new development system that is playing top level football (which to me is the single biggest problem at the moment with Australia)

In all honestly for the bulk of the last 2 national team coaches Arnold and Verbeek, played some of the worst and most boring football Australia has played ever not representing anything close to what he describes as what our youth are learning.

Also since Hiddik has left the national team has been on a slow downward spiral that only came to a halt when Holger was signed however we has lost Gulum and with no new real talent coming in other the Herd things aren't looking great at the moment for 2014.

The only improvement that has actually occurred is our Australian coaches have improved markedly in the last 5 years with the introduction of the Fifa A licence requirement to coach a A-league side.

I still support Han because i think the new development pathways need more time and he has made some great changes. I'm still starting to feel he is better at talking and saying the right things opposed to putting them in to action.

Edited by Davstar: 29/12/2011 02:34:26 AM