It’s 8 am, on a cold foggy winter’s day in Sydney. Buses slowly arrive to Jamieson Park in Penrith for the 2010 Primary CSSA NSW Cup. Excited 9–12 year olds scurry across the eight fields, all of which were given an international alias. For these 100 youngsters, playing in the ‘MCG’ may not be too far away.
I had been given three days notice beforehand to rock up to Penrith and referee these kids from all around the state. The standard I had expected was similar to a general consensus.
I was pleasantly surprised, however, as were many of the other officials.
It has been commonly argued that Australian Football officials have not turned to the next generation of footballers. With our golden cohort hitting their mid 30s, no one has really hit the title of the next ‘Tim Cahill’ or the next ‘Harry Kewell’ (notable exception being James Troisi, who crashed whilst at Newcastle United).
I mean sure, we do have the likes of Nicky Carle, Adam Federici and Scott McDonald, but we will lack the strength of the 2006 golden boys.
But enough argument on public opinion. I’m sure these boys will be able to step up and hold their own on the international scene. We should stop whinging about our next World Cup, but turn our focus to the future.
Here’s an idea, FFA, let’s turn our focus on the grassroots.
And yes, we have already started, but take a good look. We’re not trying hard enough. These kids are going to grow up with the names Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Central Coast. The effects are already showing.
In five years, the standard of junior football has almost doubled. The FFA needs to seize on that.
The NRL have already done a good job of this, and we need to take a leaf out of their book, especially if the Rovers want to successfully crack the competitive Western Sydney market.
Ideas would include community visits: get the professional players down to the local mall on occasion. Include the interaction factor. Bridge the gap between club and community.
And then there are implement membership strategies. Thankfully, Sydney FC are already trying this method, with their ‘Junior Blues’ campaign. Any junior player in the Sydney region is eligible to join, giving limited membership, access to matches, shirts, lanyards and so on.
As it currently stands, this has not much of a bearing on attendances. However, such a program needs time to take effect.
The NRL’s alternative is a league wide program, giving all junior players access to any NRL league match (except if sold out, finals, and special matches such as State of Origin). Members of junior rugby league clubs are eligible, giving a huge amount of people access and exposure to the game.
The FFA needs to emulate this.
If junior players are given more exposure to the game, it’s more likely to give them that push towards taking their hobby to the next level.
Let’s not worry about our next campaign, let’s worry about staying at the top level, embracing the growing talent of the junior players. Let’s give these 10 year-olds a chance.
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Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
What if we celebrated all of the achievements big and small, and weeded out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
A good performance from Michael Ruhs, scoring twice to beat Macarthur and doubling his season goal tally in the process.
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