Parents and guardians pay far too much for their children to play football. That is simply a fact.
Costs have continued to rise in recent times, with no identifiable reason existing to suggest that the pattern will not continue permanently.
Such a situation potentially prevents kids from beginning their football journey or, perhaps even more alarmingly, halts their journeys after they have already begun.
For the average young footballer destined to play at local club level for the entirety of their career, the costs are at least manageable for most; comparative with high registration fees due in other sports, but at least manageable.
However, players demonstrating serious potential or those merely pushed a little harder by over-zealous parents will also have their ticket stamped to represent NPL clubs at a junior level, where expenditure rises well into the thousands.
Beyond that, the cream of the crop or the overly ambitious will venture into the murky, dangerous and ultra-expensive waters of the mysterious academy system.
There, parents can fork out anywhere between a couple of thousand dollars up to near $9,000, as one Australia-based international academy was charging in 2020. It is an unregulated system and one prone to sheer profiteering.
There are hundreds of highly qualified and great football people working in the academy sphere, yet also many whose business acumen and the actual resulting football benefit to the players attending are highly questionable.
One of the most disappointing aspects of the current structure is the seemingly copycat nature of the sector, with a host of academies competing for the fees of honestly intended parents and anecdotally, players receiving similarly unsatisfying experiences.
Well things may be about the change.
Fleetwood Town FC is an emerging English club. Promoted six times in ten years from well down in the lower leagues, 2011/12 saw their debut in League Two before a win at Wembley in May of 2014 graduated them to League One for the following season.
Much of the success has come off the back of the significant financial investment of Chairman Andy Pilley and after a sixth place finish in 2019/20, the Championship is no doubt well and truly on his mind.
In 2019, the club broke the mould of academy structures in the UK, with the establishment of the Fleetwood Town International Football Academy (FTIFA).
What defined it, was an intent to locate hidden talent around the globe, bring it to Lancashire and nurture it under the EFL’s development guidelines.
Players commit to either four, 12 or 24-week residential courses and receive UEFA-qualified coaching; all under the curious eye of scouts representing clubs in the UK.
The first intake of players hailed from as far afield as the USA, Bermuda, Canada and Iceland and five young Australians are now full-time residents and following their football dreams.
The @ftifauk Pro Experience is an elite player development programme based at @ftfc’s training complex, @PoolfootFarm…
Posted by Fleetwood Town International Football Academy on Tuesday, September 8, 2020
An example of the Fleetwood Town International Football Academy (FTIFA) callout on Facebook.
Australia has rather fortunately become a potential beneficiary of the new endeavour. James Boyle is a UEFA, Football Australia, FNSW and NPL coach and officially recognised by the English FA as a Talent Identification Scout.
His son ventured to Fleetwood Town FC in 2019 to follow a dream that Australian coaches had always suggested was nothing more than that, based on his lack of height.
Pilley and Boyle struck up a business relationship, through conduit and Academy Director James Ward and the Australian hub of FTIFA was born, with one unique difference.
Massimo Luongo of Australia (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
The Sydney-based hub hosts identification camps and offers places to successful candidates in either its Development, Gold or Elite programs.
Once selected, the ongoing charge to parents and guardians is zero, with Fleetwood FC and Boyle holding the altruistic view that identified talent should not be charged; a stark variation from the current domestic situation where parents are effectively paying for their children’s right to compete at a higher level when their talent may actually demand it.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the first camp in Sydney’s north west and the talent on show was astonishing.
Over 50 players from right across the Sydney basin and as far north as Newcastle came to show their wares, with an all-girls camp set out tentatively for June destined to determine the second intake of players.
Boyle is an impressive individual. Successful in the business world and after watching his own sons work through the frustrations of Australian junior development structures, he formed a view that the fundamental flaws in the system required a shake-up and addressing.
Offering free UEFA standard football tuition has and will not make him many friends in the Academy sector, with some having already expressed frustration and anger about Fleetwood’s Australian hub.
Yet Boyle told me that he will continue his FTIFA work most mornings and afternoons, determined to improve Australian talent and set them up for a professional life in football more thoroughly than they have ever been before.
People often talk about career pathways and the lack of them in Australian football has been clear in recent times.
In the not too distant future, three young Australian boys will graduate from FTIFA into the lower English leagues and over the course of the next five to ten years, further players of both genders will probably do the same.
It is what so many have craved in Australia; a definitive destination for talent needing top level play in order to reach its potential. That can only be a refreshing positive and a potential model for other international clubs to embrace in Australia.
The fact that it is being done free of charge is the most refreshing thing of all.
Abdul wahris
Guest
Hello How can I join
StevefromNewie
Guest
The NNSW Youth NPL is not so much for player development as fundraising for the senior teams. Age squads with 16 players to maximise funds, and selection often based on what a parent can do for the club (think groundskeeping, canteen, working bees) to minimise costs are not unheard of. One successful club even reminds parents that their son's playing time depends on their ability to find a personal sponsor. A cynical observer might even suggest the fees were the main reason the clubs wanted to disband the zone representative system.
Adelaide Andy
Roar Rookie
all the sydney fc posters on here were quick to shoot down my controversial views on sydneys recruitment of youth players lol. Its well known what "type of player" they prefer to sign to the academy as well as 'the type of players' who there current coach prefers to sign. There is a big problem at that club, that continually gets swept under the rug
FootballParent
Guest
How are the kids getting past the restrictions of FIFA Article 19, though
Adelaide Andy
Roar Rookie
Rodger: we don’t want any more pretentious eastern staters in Adelaide, there’s already too many as there is. Even the lingo, “gronk” is now becoming a normal word here and the ‘eshay’ culture has infiltrated our state as well. It’s all part of the east coast mafias plan for total domination of australia, next time you go to get a coffee and a sandwich from you local cafe they’ll charge you $20+ like in sydney and a $10.00 toll charge to cross south road
Adelaide Andy
Roar Rookie
sorry misread your post, i thought you were talking about 18+ kids here. yeah you're right, a lot of boys develop later and can grow several inches
Buddy
Roar Rookie
AA - bear in mind I was talking junior players and he was 12 trialing for under 13’s. At that age prior to puberty (although some have already gone through it) it should be about ability and not just picking the biggest kids surely? I have seen kids picked as goalkeepers based purely on size. I have seen kids 3 or 4 inches shorter rejected when they were far more talented and who knows what sort of growth they will achieve over the course of a year.
A League is Awesome
Guest
Another issue is that outside of npl clubs a lot juniors get coacghd by parents that havent played nor coached. I coached u14 girls for a season and they didnt know that they have to make a wall on an opposing free kick. On the flip side I knew one coach that went through academies in europe and coached u7 and they were winning games 40.0. They were a well drilled unit. I believe if there is a national second league than a lot of the clubs coaches will have to move down to keep coaching and thats great news. The more the APL ties up leagues, the more the coaching talent has to rise to keep up or spreads out to lower clubs. I dont see a realistic strategy of getting the mini roos coaching talent up as its meant to be a non competive environment and mixed soccer with girls and boys on the same field playing for social reasons. At least at a npl juniors side the mentality is for performance (at least for the parents paying, maybe less so for the kids and some coaches). Its a fine line to tread though and this might be a long term thing that changes as our football culture becomes more professional.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Two interesting reads Nick. Not sold on the RDR take over bid of Wigan, a little bit of 'pie in the sky' feel about it TBH. However the ASEAN Super league would be fantastic. It seems FIFA is having a change of heart, I think UEFA would be starting to feel a touch nervy about it.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Love your sense of humor. Just think, if you lived over here, where it is dry and definitely the home of football, you could write about it. {The conspiracy theory, not the weather}
Nick Symonds
Guest
OTHER RECENT NEWS: Australian-based consortium 'interested in purchasing' Wigan Athletic https://www.espn.com.au/football/wigan-athletic/story/4328126/australian-based-consortium-interested-in-purchasing-wigan-athletic African events increase chance of Australia in ASEAN Super League https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/african-events-increase-chance-of-australia-in-asean-super-league
Adelaide Andy
Roar Rookie
The point im trying to make is you're not exactly going to play anyone under 6 foot as centreback. I dont care how talented you are, if you're 5'6" and under there is no team in the world that will choose you to play centreback. id argue the same for a defensive midfielder. caletti/nisbet i dont rate at all and if i was a scout i would've definitely passed on both players, i personally think they're stealing a wage. Tough job being a scout, you will occasionally miss a half decent player. goalie, centreback, defensive midfielder should all be at least 6ft. Every other position on the field height isnt a factor
Adelaide Andy
Roar Rookie
That's fine then, it's different of he was 5'2 wanting to play centreback, wingers can be short
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Already talk and plans for one in Brisbane. It will happen. These people are impressive.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
They have a good diver though.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Like you'd go up to him and say, "goodness you are short, let me measure you." They must do things differently in Adelaide. Could be a water thing.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
The "EAST COAST CONSPIRACY"..........Damn, they are onto us!
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Stuart a great article. Glad you wrote it and even happier that I took the time to read it and make a comment here and there. In my heart, this is what the future should look like for all our young players. Having a properly trained and talented 'scouts' inviting talented players to take part, regardless of race, social back ground, gender, and age. Talent is all a player should need to progress.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
I hope you aren't saying what I think you are saying. If you are, you have just proved one of AA's opinions totally correct.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Well, we now have a blue print to fix this age old problem. I suspect it isn't unique to Australia but this is our problem to solve. I am certain there are many academies which are well run, well organised and not overly expensive and I am just as certain there are profiteers out there too. This venture needs to be encouraged and expanded into all states. I'm know there are some EPL clubs who have coaching clinic that cost, but if we want to have a legitimate pathway for truly talented youngsters, then this could be it.