Where are the results for Aussie youth football teams?

Wrong ICF!! For the 1993 squad you have posted the 1995 squad. And you've thrown in Craig Moore and Carbone who were there in 1993. Mate, it's all over the shop. Back to Wikipedia!

And the Olyroos to a first time ever goal scoring free (on the "for" ledger) wooden spoon equivalent in Olympic qualifying. He did the ACL with Kossie's team and a lot of luck in the draw, and a weaker comp. Truly awful coach. How he retained his job after the Olympic debacle defies belief.

Towser - Don't forget "heading" for as you know there is a right way and a wrong way to head a ball.There has been a "medical" argument in recent years that "heading" should be discouraged but until it is banned altogether it is still a basic skill in which kids should be taught the right way and the wrong way. jb

also took Adelaide to the finals of the ACL

I concur. Why aren't these coaches made to serve a club apprenticeship first? I saw nothing from Okon to suggest he is up to this job. Rather, I thought I did in the first game, but next two games put his account well and truly in debit. Or I suppose you could point to Vidmar. Took Adelaide to the wooden spoon and was rewarded with the Socceroos assistant's job. Figure than one out. Holger didn't want to feel threatened, I suppose, by someone with actual coaching ability.

Fuss - I will attempt to fill you in briefly with the supposed "aims" of the NC. In 1974 Australia was introduced to what I will term scientific football coaching. This was based on a study done in an English education facility where it was found after extensive investigation into young people, that from 6-11 a youngster was not only susceptible to physical training but was not able to tune into the tactical aspects of team sports. In other words he/she was more interested in the "fun' aspect of going along to train or play for "his" club.They then analysed that this age group would be the best time to teach basic skills which in football were classed as ball control,striking the ball,tackling, heading & dribbling.A series of exercises were then created where emphasis would be put on these "skills" but only to be taught during breaks from the physical exertions of "having fun" chasing the ball. Also developed from these findings was the need to get more touches of the ball for each individual & again it was decided to cut down the playing area & the number in each team,hence "small sided games". Of course this aspect also had a helpful effect on junior clubs with only one field, for 3 "small " pitches could be created across a normal field so that instead of 28 players in a game on the big pitch 48 players got a game on the 3 small pitches. The man who brought the idea to Australia realised from experience that in order to "teach" kids it would be better to employ qualified school teacher/coaches to do this on a national basis so he set about getting a school teacher into every state with the mandate,not to teach kids,but to teach coaches the subject matter & how they could pass that on to kids in their area. The football governance of the time could see no benefit long term in this approach (what's new) & when the government banned cigarette advertising in sport the beginning of the end was in sight for Rothman's were paying the D of C's salary & local Federations,always broke,soon took the opportunity to rid their State D of C's off their wage books. So once again a very good idea "died on the vine" but not before the seeds had been planted & some clubs & Associations dared to adopt the obvious findings despite some of our more "learned" pundits referring to the set up as a "Pommy Mafia " aimed at controlling our great Australian coaching set up of previous years?? What shortsightedness.!!!!!! Now to personal experience. I was actively coaching between 1974 &1980.& was using the above ideas at the 3 clubs I was involved with. As late as 2003 I was coaching my grandson's team in a small sided (8 to a team) league that was organised by a church association in Brisbane.!!!! So to tell me the "New" curriculum is a magic potion to cure our ills is a bit much to take in for in my experience it is not the curriculum that will fail it will be the governance of the same that will screw it up if it is not handled well & the signs are not good that penetration is being achieved in the coaching of coaches even after 4 years. jb

jb My knowledge of the National Curriculum ("NC) is limited to theory - what I've researched & read. I've had no practical experience with the NC. From what I've been reading, the major impediment to the widespread implementation of the NC has been "teaching the teachers" - i.e. coaches have either chosen to ignore the NC, or they're still in the process of acquiring the skills to implement the NC. Logically, the earliest we can expect kids, who have been fully educated under the NC (from the age of 6), to play AUSu20 will be 2019-early 2020s.

fuss - there is something in this statement you have to explain to me. Are you trying to tell us this curriculum has only been exposed to a group of 9 year olds in 2009 and it will be another 7 years before those kids will be ready to play Under- 20???. If this is true then the problem I have being writing about is much greater than I at first thought.Can you explain to us where this "elitist" programme is taking place,for I can find little evidence of it anywhere I have been,seen, or uncovered in discussion with people involved in the junior game.jb.

Great post...club level dwarfs these tournaments in terms of importance. Its a nice chance to see a few rising stars but people read too much into them.

Can someone please tell what qualifications Paul Okon has to lead this side? For goodness sake he has all the badges etc... but has he cut his teeth into coaching an actual squad before? His leaping for madness versus Turkey was utter folly. His mate Foster won't lambast him on SBS. Im so sick & tired of hearing a Golden Generation etc is upon us. I want style & results! We should aspire to this.

I've never been a fan of the AIS playing a role in elite football development. It narrows our options far too much and means that many of the kids coming through alternative development pathways get overlooked.

I agree with that. Clubs are most important for development of players. It's FFA jobs to ensure that the youth development in those clubs are up to scratch. It's part of the reason why I opposed the idea of picking players for "development" and "blooding" players in the senior national team. Like playing a few matches spread out throughout the year is going to significantly develop a player. International football is meeting up 3 days before the match, performing on the day and then returning to the club without seeing the national coach or other teammates until another couple of months, It's hardly the best vehicle for development.

dasilva Makes you wonder reading that article & going back over all that has been said on here,that maybe football clubs hold the most responsibility for deciding whether a youth player turns out to be a solid senior professional. Seems all the pressure is being placed on all things "National" to produce the goods & clubs are being overlooked. Would be an interesting exercise to look back over the last 20 years say of players who represented the Joeys & U20's ,note who became a Socceroo or a least a fringe Socceroos & which clubs they played for. Harry Kewell,Craig Moore ,Lucas Niell IMO can thank the clubs they went to rather than any NC. Even Viduka in my book can thank the Croatian community & Melbourne Knights for developing his talent rather than anybody at the AIS. Their is a thought that by playing at the highest level of club football you will find it easier to be a proficient NT player. South Americans who play in Europe in the top leagues are clear examples of this. Something that's always worried me recently about the generic system mentality is that Australia is somehow supposed to be a monoculture with national traits similar to older countries. My experience living here says it's not. Sure every kid must know the basic skills & the best technique in executing those skills,but other influences determine how they interperet those skills on the park. For me the basic skills are the key. 442,1237 ,just numbers unless you can control & receive the ball without thinking ,pass the ball accurately,dribble ,tackle like Craig Moore or shield like Viduka.

This could be supercharged by allowing 'marquee player' off-cap money to go to national youth team members.

Oh, for a good article on why the Japanese have turned from a fit and well organised side into the benchmark for Asia, have a look at this http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2013/02/tom_byer_the_man_who_made_japanese_soccer_a_player_on_the_world_football.html

We can - but not by taking a short cut.

They didn't qualify for this tournament

China? They are a basket case. Lost 1:5 at home to Thailand the other day. Their youth development is practically non-existent.