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Opinion
It seems rugby union isn’t the only code having trouble with ex-players.
Mark Viduka has called for a return to the old days of the Australian Institute of Sport.
The programme was discontinued due to the cost and changes in the game.
Each state now has its own national youth pathway, which is a youth-based performance programme.
This doesn’t seem to be sufficient, according to Viduka, who wants a return back to 1999.
This is interesting as there doesn’t seem to be a lot wrong with the state of the game here in Australia.
(Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Realistically, the best young players will look to apply their trade overseas.
There are currently 215 players plying their trade abroad, up from 122 as recently as ten years ago. This shows the professional ranks are swelling.
The A-League has certainly improved from when it started and will take time to grow.
Some of the big clubs of Europe have been around for a century. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Football in Australia has always punched above its weight, and with a strong body of overseas players, the Socceroos should be able to field a strong national squad.
Football, as with all other sports, is constantly changing. It is up to supporters and management to understand this and work with it.
Who would have thought Manchester United would have American owners? But the club realised it is necessary to financially fund top-level football.
Sport today is very much financially driven. This continual talk of returning to semi-pro and amateur status is not realistic in 2020.
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