Youth football needs nurturing

It’s the great humbug of Australian football – the obsession with finding the next Harry Kewell.

We are obsessed with ushering in a new wave of world beaters. With ‘Gen Next’. Perhaps we were too hasty with the phrase, but its relevance has recently been restored.

At the fore of that is Paul Okon’s Young Socceroos. They demanded attention with a series of impressive displays during the NTC Invitational in California last month. 

A stunning comeback against Chile, a comfortable rout of Bermuda and a solid showing to draw level with the USA. Throw in a stalemate against the A-League All Stars last week and it’s clear Okon’s youngsters mean business.

The A-League experience provided by the likes of Devante Clut, Riley Woodcock, Hagi Gligor, Awer Mabil et al., is a sign that the kids are alright.  As Okon said in 2012: “You can’t expect everyone who’s been in the junior system to go on and play for Australia. It just doesn’t work like that because they’re still at a development stage.”

But what is crucial is giving the latest crop of hopefuls every chance to realistically chase the Socceroos dream. The most pressing side of football’s Rubik’s cube is ensuring sufficient pathways are in place and the standard of youth football is lifted with every season that passes.

If you’ve any reservations on the fact that youth football remains a work in progress, take Alessandro Del Piero’s response when asked about the challenges for football in this country. “The youth teams have to improve, have to be better,” he said over the weekend.

“The Football Federation of Australia want to work and want to improve the league. This is the most important thing.”

The National Youth League may not be a fruitful stream for revenue, but it requires much higher expectations and assistance from here. The league is a major stepping stone, giving youngsters the opportunity to strut their stuff in front of A-League coaches, with an adequate number having made the step into first team football in recent seasons.

And this is an essential area of focus to improve both the A-League and the future of the Socceroos. The National Premier Leagues has aided the path for young footballers, albeit as a temporary solution until a national promotion/relegation system is implemented.

But the lack of full-time professional contracts on offer for Australians means youth players must work overtime to ensure they’re the black sheep in a competitive field.

The required forward thinking approach has been adopted by a number of A-League clubs over the last two seasons, with Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory, Brisbane Roar and Central Coast (at least at arms length via the Mariners Academy) fielding teams in their respective NPL competitions.

Given the short-term nature of the NYL, the move has been introduced to maintain player fitness and improve stability within the club.  With all state leagues now at the business end, there have been mixed results, perhaps to be expected given three of the aforementioned teams (Jets the exception) having finished in the bottom four of the 2013/14 NYL.

Perth are languishing in 11th spot over in the WA NPL with just two games remaining, while Roar’s NYL outfit sits 10th with three games to play.

But it’s a contrasting story in NSW, with Newcastle Jets Youth taking out the Northern NSW NPL Premiership over the weekend with a final round draw against second-placed Weston Workers.

And things have looked promising all season for Central Coast Mariners Academy, which is comprised a number of NYL players, in the NPL NSW Mens 2, with former Socceroo Jason van Blerk steering them into fourth place with two matches remaining.

As well as having a firm foot in the finals race, Mariners Academy also remain in contention for promotion.

The extra season of play will allow these sides to head into the new NYL campaign at peak fitness and in greater sync, one would hope, than teams that have players sprawled across NPL competitions.

It’s all part of a larger ploy to ensure the gap between youth football and the A-League is constantly suffocated. The aim is to have the NYL act as a surrogate for the stars of the future, something which can only be achieved by making it even easier for a youngster to chase his dream.