Australia was the first nation eliminated from the 2022 AFF U-16 Youth Championship in Indonesia.
Entering last night’s clash with Malaysia, the team had lost their matches to Myanmar and Cambodia, with seven goals conceded and four scored.
Many in Australia would hold the view that such results are completely unacceptable for a wealthy nation striving to develop its most talented footballers more aggressively than ever before.
In recent years, the obvious trend in improvement in nearby Asian opposition has resulted in concerns around exactly from where our next generation of stars is coming, whether a second Asian Cup senior title is further away than ever and exactly what the long term ramifications for the Socceroos might be.
On the surface, the poor results of the junior squad could be used to raise alarm bells amid cries of an appalling state of affairs in Australia’s youth development systems. Alternatively, one could argue that across the last six editions of the event, Australia has advanced to the semi-finals on five occasions.
Back and forth we go, with the negative voices well aware of the fact that the failure in the current campaign is the second in succession and the more hopeful suggesting that the national curriculum is producing, and that the most recent disappointment is merely a blip on the path to long-term success.
Personally, I believe the answer actually lies somewhere in between.
While the tournament has been nothing but a disappointment and Football South Australia Technical Director Michael Cooper has proven unable to gel his squad into a competitive one, blame for the results lies far beyond the players themselves and the people charged with preparing the team.
The boys who have given their all in Indonesia are blessed with skill and commitment as aspiring professional players. However, the odds of them being the most talented and best of their age in the country are slim and none.
There are hundreds and potentially thousands of players around the country more skilled, gifted and determined. Yet due to the fundamentally ridiculous nature of the youth structures in Australian football, most are unlikely to have been spotted or considered for the tournament – and many are unlikely to ever be so.
In a nutshell, the young men wearing the green and gold in Indonesia emanate from families with the means to pay the exorbitant costs associated with providing them with the best development available and subsequent selection in representative terms.
This reverberates through NPL youth play right around the country.
(Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Doing some anecdotal research involving parents of Under 14, 15 and 16 players in Sydney, families are paying anywhere between $1750 and $2300 for the privilege of seeing their children run out in the colours of NPL clubs during the winter season.
A number of parents I spoke to actually chuckled at their club’s generous offer to provide a ‘free’ uniform, knowing full well that nothing appears to come free in junior football in Australia.
Many families will also spend sums up to four times that amount to enrol their kids in lavish international or locally based academies, with promises of pathways to Europe and skill development that rarely become reality.
Youth football in Australia is like the makers of chocolate eggs at Easter and the machine that is the Christmas industry, fleecing parents of their hard-earned for fear of mum and dad disappointing a child and not providing equal opportunities to those received by the Joneses next door.
As the academies flourish and coaches and technical directors enjoy stable employment, the number of lost and unidentified kids continues to rise, with wealth and subsequent access to the game seemingly not on the radar of those supposedly attempting to find and nurture the best young players.
As a frequent attendee at matches in the north-west of Sydney, many of the young girls and boys I see are far beyond their playing depth, playing only because mum and dad can rustle up the funds. All the while, footballers in some of the less affluent areas of the city are never spotted, never believed in and destined never to represent.
I saw that reality in spades when I was asked to MC the Fleetwood Town International Football Academy’s open and free talent identification camp in early 2020. Players from right across the Sydney basin came to show their wares, the talent was simply astonishing, many took up the offer of continued free coaching and development with FTIFA, and some are now members of senior NPL squads.
Without that camp, many of those players would most likely have been lost to the domestic game and potentially distanced from football entirely.
I’d suggest that there is almost certainly a group of U-16 players in Australia right now that, if provided the same opportunities afforded to those currently wearing national colours, would play them off the park with ease.
In desperate attempts to professionalise NPL clubs, the money required is being gouged from well-meaning parents with the means to contribute. That translates to a class system that freezes out thousands of players who may well be superior to those blessed with often undeserved opportunity.
It also translates to an U-16 team playing abroad that potentially misrepresents the actual talent that exists in Australian football.
Ross Webb
Guest
Haven`t seen any mention of the women's under 20's. Out in the first round in Costa Rica. All our youth teams are performing awfully. The lack of quality is a bad omen for the future. What is FFA doing about it?
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
This has nothing to do with A-league salaries, A-league salaries are not high either for a lot of the players, it is high for old and over the hill players. The shortfall in revenues for those teams who spend big and have no crowds Western United and Macarthur Bulls in particular is made up by their owners. The NPL semi pro salaries and this where Australia has one of the biggest semi professional scenes in the world is what these overcharged kids are paying for. There are only 12 professional clubs in the country, the number of semi professional clubs you have 4 divisions of NPL in NSW, 3 in victoria, 2 in WA and SA plus ACT, Illawarra, NNSW, Tasmania. They have varying degrees of semi professionalism. some clubs might only pay one player, but there seems to be about 250 clubs in this category. Thats where the kids rego covers the wages.
Lee-Anb Cavanah
Guest
Fully agree But same technical directors and coaches being employed.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
If there isn't any change from 2k, then each of those things is the same or more expensive for seniors, so shouldn't they be paying 4k to play each instead they get paid. The big thing is there is nothing stopping someone entering a tennis tournament and beating the kid whose parents pay 25k for their tennis coaching a year. The linking of seniors performance to whether a club can compete in the top level of youth competitions.
Neil jones
Guest
This is so true. I can say that those in the bush again are disadvantaged more so than those suburbs in Sydney. I allowed my son to play in a developmental squad. Having to travel 3 hours each way to play teams from Sydney once a week in Bathurst. Im so glad that we could train in Dubbo twice a week, not as a team but a group of different age groups together. And once every three weeks travel 1 hour and a half hours each way for training as a team. Again those parents who are stupid enough to pay the fee. Yes I was one of them, but I would say my son developed and I thank the coaches who were in Dubbo. Unfortunately the coach lefty Dubbo. And this was the deciding factor not to do it again this season. And I’m glad as training now is in Orange each week. (3 hour round trip). Playing at that level you could see with those other teams that they train maybe three times a week. It was a good experience as my son learnt some valuable lessons from playing at that level. It also comes down to also coaching at a local level. I for one coach and have played my whole life. But at the basic level we need coaches to be get qualified. I’m wanting my C license. However again I have to travel 3 hours to do the course. Then I have to stay over as it’s run on weekends, so the cost increases. Having more coaches with the qualifications will also development players who can then play in the Western Youth League (rep). But sadly I find that the further west of Bathurst you are, then your the forgotten ones. Yes geographically it’s hard as of the vast distances. But having good coaches in each town West of Bathurst will improve the players as we all know that mums or dads coach, but haven’t played but know one else put their hand up to do it.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
And that is the point I'm making BT, the players have got it good at the expense of junior players.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Gate takings are you kidding me, how many get in for free, if it not a special occasion how much do they get. The clubs have rules like the kids from the last match have to stay and watch the next match. The employment in Australia is very high and well paid, so a lot of these NPL players look being able to have a job and get whatever they get from the NPL on top of that is much better than being a pro in a lot part of the world.
Mark Tyssen
Guest
Whatever happened to the FNSW Project 22 - Years ago this was setup and funding allocated and the BEST PLAYERS from around NSW were to train for around 10 years to become some of Australia's BEST FOOTBALLERS. This program failed miserably, Then FFA & States setup SAP programs and gave out licenses left right & centre and the FOCUS was on income generation and training for 9-12 year olds, This has been another DISASTER and parents getting FLEECED with the DREAM of gaining selection into the NPL system where players have to pay up to $3000 pp which includes traveling costs, fuel, accommodation etc. Then how do players gain selection for NSW & Young Socceroo Squads - This is a SECRET and no pathway advertised anywhere for players and parents to understand the so called "PATHWAY SYSTEM" Coaching in the SAP program & NPL system has coaches ( Some Dads ) and some coaches who have no clue about youth football coaching, therefore how can a player develop with average coaching. The whole SYSTEM has failed for decades, the removal of the AIS program killed off producing footballers here in Australia. Since the Golden Generation who has come through and from what system or program. It seems as though the private academies are offering their own pathways and opportunities and you hear now about players gaining opportunity through this channel. FFA & all the State Governing Bodies & Local Associations dont want anything to do with the private sector, but this is where former A League Players, Former Socceroos are all now coaching ( In the private sector ) Also more and more opportunities being provided with PRIVATE COMPETITIONS all over the Country - It really is a SHAMBLES and no one from the top being held accountable - These people also on six figure salaries to do what ???????? Wear Suits
TK
Guest
I thought the tv deal pays for player salaries, not parents of kids playing in clubs with no direct association with A league clubs? I'm sure someone more clued in on the ins and outs of funding A league clubs will chime in here. I can't see the NPL clubs making a financial contribution to the A league, but I've been wrong before.
TK
Guest
Alright, here's something to start the ball rolling. Don't pay players at all below A league clubs. I mean seriously.....your either good enough to be a professional and make a living or you aren't. Think of where else that money could go if clubs didn't feel that had to pay players who are essentially just amateurs.
Simmo
Roar Rookie
I wrote an article about this problem and its best solution last year https://www.theroar.com.au/2021/05/04/how-football-australia-can-uncork-our-talent-production-pathway/
Simmo
Roar Rookie
It's true. The best schools for talent development are the Sports High Schools. Famously, Westfield Sports High always has multiple alumni in Socceroos and Matildas squads. The kids get an education, holistic off-field talent development, as well as first class on-field training. They are excellent nurseries. But their students are predominantly aligned to AL clubs, doubling up on training etc. Which tells me that the NPL/SAP pathway is currently almost useless to developing professional football talent. A complete waste of everyone's time and money as things stands. The system could be highly productive if some tough decisions were made. But the courage is never found
Simmo
Roar Rookie
These are exactly the main solutions to the problem. Let's go back to first principles: the NPL clubs charge a motza for junior players because they can, and because there's no incentive not to. When there's genuine competition for talent between the AL, NSD and NPL clubs then, and only then, will clubs drop the pay-for-play approach to talent recruitment.
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
Would transfer fees between all football clubs in Australia not address this in part by providing an alternative revenue stream for NPL clubs? Would it not incentivise NPL clubs to charge much less for registration to try to bring in as many talented players as possible with the hope of making money on them via transfer fees once they have been developed by the club? This to me seems like the starting point. A national second division should also hopefully provide new revenue to clubs competing in it.
Bruce
Guest
I totally disagree with the premise of the article. Australia is a wealthy country with no end of petty regulations and as such it is perfectly understandable parents are charged extremely high fees for their kids to play football. The fact is that the high fees are also used to pay for the overinflated salaries paid to the A league players. A league salaries are ridiculously high given the skill level of the players and someone has to pay for it. It either has to be ticket prices for the a league which would effect the already pitiful attendances or the registration fees for kids. The FFA has decided to slug the parents and good on ‘‘em I say.
SC
Guest
Surely then the School system is key to identifying these players? In all these articles and conversations that talk about BYL/SAP/Academies no one discusses the role of schools
David
Guest
Another article stating the problem, providing no solutions. Also parts of the article is incorrect factually. I’m tired of the football community stating the obvious but not contributing to a solution. This article has been written 1000 times over the last 10 years, tell us something new!
Punter
Roar Rookie
Yet for 32 years we never made the WC. Now we making every WC. I pine for those days when we missed the WC & made the age WCs.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
maybe these semi-pro players can split the gate takings after every match as their match fee?
Buddy
Roar Rookie
To pay their 1st grade players as they are semi-pros!. That’s where it is all went wrong many years ago.