Post by dibo (pron. "DIB-OH") on Oct 30, 2007 9:44:16 GMT 10
Football Federation looks at national youth league
By David Davutovic
October 30, 2007 12:00am
THE youth league that Australia has been crying out for will finally be introduced in 2008.
Football Federation Australia will release their long-awaited development review on Thursday and a vital aspect will be their proposal for a national youth league competition.
After a year of research and consultation, FFA has finally narrowed it down to four proposals and the favoured one is set to be a junior tier for A-League clubs in what would spark a radical overhaul of squad lists.
The proposal includes:
AN increase to 30-32 players per squad (currently 23), with the remaining spots almost exclusively reserved for "youth players";
WELLINGTON Phoenix would not be included and the Australian Institute of Sport, which FFA and technical director Rob Baan are hell-bent on protecting, may be the eighth team;
RATHER than curtain-raisers, youth matches may follow A-League games to allow substitutes to play;
AFTER completing their A-League youth season, teams may also play in their respective state premier league competitions during the winter;
THE age bracket for the youth league will range from 16 to 19-21. Each club will be allowed to field between two and four over-age players, the exact number yet to be determined;
YOUTH players would be paid depending on their status, which would range from "pocket money" for young apprentices to more for older players - this will be done in close consultation with the players' association and the clubs; and
THE youth league would commence in conjunction with season four of the A-League.
While this is the preferred model, it is also the costliest and would cost upwards of $2 million a year.
But The Daily Telegraph understands that FFA is prepared to absorb the bulk of the costs, leaving A-League clubs to spend less than $500,000 to set up the coaching staff and field a team.
FFA head of high performance John Boultbee would not confirm that the model was a shoo-in but said it "ticked a lot of boxes", adding that it largely reflected the proposals submitted by the talent development review group of Alistair Edwards, Andy Harper, Ange Postecoglou and Tom Sermanni.
The all-encompassing review will also include recommendations for women's football and the Matildas, A-League clubs and referees.
Baan, who has coached at various levels for over 40 years, said the youth league was crucial to the future of all the national teams.
"If we don't do it, we will never be able to compete at the top level," he said. "If we want to qualify for every World Cup and for the Olympics, we have to do it. If players are only playing 10 or maximum 20 games a season, how can we compete?"
Baan said a youth league was just one aspect of the review, which concentrated heavily on skill development from the most junior levels.
"We shouldn't just see this small part as a solution, we have to see it as a total development plan," he said. "But I also see that with the implementation of a youth league, we will provide a better pathway for and educate coaches."
Boultbee admitted the process had been drawn out and required revisiting with key stakeholders.
"We've had to tussle with the ideas and the different objectives and spend a lot more time than we originally thought," he said.
"We went out a second time in August this year seeking further input from those bodies and after that we've narrowed it down.
"There are a number of objectives we're trying to meet through the youth league: youth development, underlying support for the A-League clubs and, where possible, a link back into the state league system and the development pathway."
By David Davutovic
October 30, 2007 12:00am
THE youth league that Australia has been crying out for will finally be introduced in 2008.
Football Federation Australia will release their long-awaited development review on Thursday and a vital aspect will be their proposal for a national youth league competition.
After a year of research and consultation, FFA has finally narrowed it down to four proposals and the favoured one is set to be a junior tier for A-League clubs in what would spark a radical overhaul of squad lists.
The proposal includes:
AN increase to 30-32 players per squad (currently 23), with the remaining spots almost exclusively reserved for "youth players";
WELLINGTON Phoenix would not be included and the Australian Institute of Sport, which FFA and technical director Rob Baan are hell-bent on protecting, may be the eighth team;
RATHER than curtain-raisers, youth matches may follow A-League games to allow substitutes to play;
AFTER completing their A-League youth season, teams may also play in their respective state premier league competitions during the winter;
THE age bracket for the youth league will range from 16 to 19-21. Each club will be allowed to field between two and four over-age players, the exact number yet to be determined;
YOUTH players would be paid depending on their status, which would range from "pocket money" for young apprentices to more for older players - this will be done in close consultation with the players' association and the clubs; and
THE youth league would commence in conjunction with season four of the A-League.
While this is the preferred model, it is also the costliest and would cost upwards of $2 million a year.
But The Daily Telegraph understands that FFA is prepared to absorb the bulk of the costs, leaving A-League clubs to spend less than $500,000 to set up the coaching staff and field a team.
FFA head of high performance John Boultbee would not confirm that the model was a shoo-in but said it "ticked a lot of boxes", adding that it largely reflected the proposals submitted by the talent development review group of Alistair Edwards, Andy Harper, Ange Postecoglou and Tom Sermanni.
The all-encompassing review will also include recommendations for women's football and the Matildas, A-League clubs and referees.
Baan, who has coached at various levels for over 40 years, said the youth league was crucial to the future of all the national teams.
"If we don't do it, we will never be able to compete at the top level," he said. "If we want to qualify for every World Cup and for the Olympics, we have to do it. If players are only playing 10 or maximum 20 games a season, how can we compete?"
Baan said a youth league was just one aspect of the review, which concentrated heavily on skill development from the most junior levels.
"We shouldn't just see this small part as a solution, we have to see it as a total development plan," he said. "But I also see that with the implementation of a youth league, we will provide a better pathway for and educate coaches."
Boultbee admitted the process had been drawn out and required revisiting with key stakeholders.
"We've had to tussle with the ideas and the different objectives and spend a lot more time than we originally thought," he said.
"We went out a second time in August this year seeking further input from those bodies and after that we've narrowed it down.
"There are a number of objectives we're trying to meet through the youth league: youth development, underlying support for the A-League clubs and, where possible, a link back into the state league system and the development pathway."
interesting...
