It’s the nature of any sporting competition that most of us spend our time only looking at the shop front window. We thrill or groan at the quality of the football on the park.
We watch transfixed as Clive Palmer and Nathan Tinkler air dirty laundry in full sight.
And the football enthusiasts and football knockers either grimace or smile wryly depending on their respective views.
And even when it’s a full game in the shop front window, it’s the contentious events that get the column inches. The Berisha grand final penalty drew more commentary than the entire 93 minutes that came before it.
Sure it wasn’t a classic match, but there was a match on and Perth brought a strategy that almost succeeded though we didn’t hear much about it.
Berisha’s passionate celebration drew more commentary than any sports writer’s reflection on the rapturous noise of the 48,000 who were celebrating with him in the stadium.
Their noise was equal to, or greater than, any heard at Suncorp for a State of Origin match winning try, however, any reflection on how far the A-League had come was lost in the cacophony of calls for or against video technology, and the claims and counter claims of a dive.
In focussing on the highlight we quickly lose sight of the bigger picture.
When the shop front gets all the viewing, and the highlights get all the attention, it’s easy to forget that things are still happening in the back room to keep the game moving forward.
Two such events may have slipped past the casual viewer this week but they are worth repeating here and reflecting on.
The first item was the appointment of Rob Sherman by FFA to the newly created position of Advanced Coaching Manager.
As reported at The World Game website, “Sherman, who has been working with FFA as a technical consultant since 2008, will be predominately responsible for the delivery of the B and C Coaching License Courses and Instructor training as well as providing support for the Pro-Diploma and A-License Coaching Courses.
FFA Technical Director, Han Berger, said Sherman’s appointment will strengthen FFA’s Coach Education program.
“To have someone of Rob’s standing in the international football community within our organisation is a major coup for football in Australia”, Berger said.
“Our FFA Strategic Plan outlines a commitment to developing a larger number of professional Australian coaches by means of a world-class Advanced Education Department and Rob will be a key figure in that process.
“We look forward to working closely with Rob as we enter the next stage of coach education in Australia,” concluded Berger.
Sherman’s appointment is part of a re-structure of the Coach Education program within FFA’s Technical Department. Current National Coach Education Manager Kelly Cross will adopt the new title of Head of Coach Education.
Cross, who has been with FFA since early 2006, is focused on progress.
“Coach Education in Australia has been totally transformed in the last five years,” he said.
“The introduction of the two-pathway system and the recognition by AFC of our Advanced Coaching Courses, have led to a quantum leap forward.”
The second item was also reported at TWG but lost under the seemingly negative headline “B-League a long way off”. The story had nothing to do with a B-League but was the announcement that the FFA has set up a body aimed at improving the playing, coaching and administrative standards of the nation’s State leagues.
“The National Competition Review will look at the way State competitions are run and structured, to establish more all-round consistency so they can underpin the A-League more effectively and to support the player talent pathway established by FFA.
“In the past we have been criticised for ignoring the rich football history of this country,” an FFA spokesman said.
“We have been told that we ignored all these clubs and leagues that for 50 years or more have been producing excellent talent.
“Now for the first time ever we are officially recognising them as part of the pathway.
“You could call it a shift but it’s a fundamental first step from our part.
“This is all about strengthening the second tier of Australian football, which means the top league in each State.
“The whole purpose of the exercise is to give guidance to the clubs as to what a higher level of youth development looks like and what sort of coaching qualifications should be in place.
“The second tier of football in this country has to have a focus on talent development and this is about taking steps to speed that up.”
While it is easy to criticise the FFA for the things they get wrong, as I and other writers do, these two pieces seem to reflect a real desire by the FFA to drive football forward.
They are also a clear indication that while the FFA has one eye on the short term issues, there is also a long term view present and there exists committed people working busily away in the back room.
Transforming coaching education in Australia and strengthening State competitions to provide player pathways to the A-League and beyond won’t get the headlines of a Palmer or Tinkler war dance but they are much more important for the long term success of Australian football.
The FFA should be congratulated for both these announcements.
jbinnie
Guest
Stevo- Interesting observations. My problem. Han Berger was displayed on these sites only 3 weeks ago saying he was disappointed with the progress being made in the FFA plan to bring the game to the young masses (kids). After 5 expensive years of planning,set up & application, if the DoC is disappointed, then who should be held responsible for his disappointment?. He did not expand on that side of the discussion but did display an "open" attitude to the problem by demonstrating he had sought the assistance from one of the owners of the Coerver system of skills coaching , a system that has been available in the USA & here for a number of years since it's conception in 1984 ,some 20 years after the Loughborough College physical & psychological investigation into "junior" football which is the cornerstone of all junior coaching systems developed since that time. I was glad to see that you too get around the "grassroots" games going on all across the country, I too attended an Under 17 game yesterday &, despite enjoying the spectacle of 22 kids "busting a gut" to win their game,I was appalled at the lack of basic skills,both tactical & individual ball skills evident in the play of these kids so it became clear that the "coach education" had not yet penetrated down to this level. Your last statement is spot on,this is a huge potential market for HAL clubs to exploit & that is another area that needs investigation from above, for it should be mandatory that every HAL club employ a qualified "teaching coach" whose mandate would be to work their area in assisting the education of coaches at the grassroots level. Cheers jb
Stevo
Guest
Great article. We've had a diet of articles about FFA stuff-ups to feast on for well into the off season but we miss the good work going on in the background. Hats off to Han Berger and what he is quietly doing in the background, laying the groundwork for the game to grow in a mature and sustainable way. I also took a trip this morning to the local football club to see the juniors do their thing. Impressive turnout of youngsters that says that the the game is far from dead as some would like to believe. I wondered this morning seeing the mums, dads and kids just how many of these people had ever attended an A-league game.
Philip Coates
Roar Guru
JB, thanks for your comments. It is clear that some of what we have today has been done before (I had a football from the opening match of the 1970 season when Channel 9 televised live the match of the round on a Saturday afternoon) but as you point out "why this effort was allowed to die is another indictment of the national body of THAT time." (My capitals) In some ways it is a shame that we have effectively had to tear football down to it's very foundations and start the rebuilding process. In doing that, some good was probably lost but we had to get rid of the dry rot and termites that beset the old structures. You may be slightly cynical with your wait and see attitude but I'm confident that this time will be different. The FFA may morph and change over time in response to changing needs but I'm sure we will never go backwards again.
j binnie
Guest
Philip - An interesting observation ,right in most of it's assertions but I was surprised at the bit you have chosen to ignore. Now I know that the HAL is a relatively young body ( 8years & 1 in planning) but what I find incredible is the use of that statistic as an excuse for what has been going on for these 8 years,& I may add, at great expense. Most of the promotions you hail as part of a step forward are of people who have been with the organisation for at least 3 years.Why has it taken so long to recognise the talents of these people & get them into use? Now I am going to point out the use of blog sites like this one for initiating change. In 1974 we had a national director of coaching who inside 12 months had a Director of Coaching employed in every state with the mandate of coaching coaches.It was these men who introduced small side games into the coaching curriculum at that time & in my naive approach to things like to think their efforts helped to prepare our Golden Generation for their journeys into foreign leagues.Why this effort was allowed to die is another indictment on the national body of that time. Over the last few years there has been constant reference to this factor in blogs like these & again I like to think it is this constant barrage of request that has seen this sudden upsurge in activity at coaching level.Three weeks ago our present D of C was quoted as saying he was disappointed with the progress being made & I would agree wholeheartedly with that for the only Vidukas, Kewells , Zelics & Okons I see are not in our national under-age sides but playing in the HAL. Your second point is a dagger in the heart for a practice I feel has been in vogue since Australian football began,that is lack of interest in the lower echelons of the game by the ruling bodies of the time.Having been around the game for 50 years you will excuse me for being just a little cynical when I say I await the outcome of these latest moves with more than just a little interest, for only time,& action ,will make it different from what has gone before. Keep coming with the good discussion points. jb
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Wonderful article, Philip.
Mahony
Guest
Simply an excellent article. Critics abound for the FFA, but the sheer amount of governance, technical and administrative reform the have achieved since their inception is a great credit to them. These items being just the latest.
sheek
Guest
Philip, Very informative article - thank you. It's probably forgotten that one of the reasons why AFL is now the major sport in the country (perhaps even allowing for cricket) is because they, more than most, realised the importance of pathways from juniors to seniors earlier & more succinctly than most. Twenty years ago there was great jockeying for position as various codes sought to develop national comps - AFL, ARL then NRL, NSL, NBL, ABL. Australian football wasn't necessarily way out in front as they are now. While some codes got carried away (basketball) Australian football set about building powerful domestic structures. Today they are the top sports code in the country. The A-League has had a troubled start, perhaps trying to expand too quickly. But by preparing clear pathways for juniors through to seniors, this is definitely a massive step in the right direction.