What are Manchester City doing setting up camp at a South Australian boys school?

I live in the U.K, I go to Ibrox most home games when I can get a ticket. You can’t buy a ticket online unless you’re a MyGers member, roughly £50 to join, then a ticket is between £31-£43 for a league game. I’m not sure what a season ticket costs but it’s almost impossible to buy a season ticket, the waiting list is huge. If Ibrox could hold 80,000 it would be full every week, regardless of the price, and it’s the same story for Parkhead and most EPL clubs. The difference over here is no one pays to play in club academies, EVERYTHING is paid for by the clubs. So though football has become a white collar sport in Australia to play as the model is pay for play, over here it’s only white collar prices for supporters to go watch the team every week, that money goes into running the club and I would have to assume, into the academies also. This just a thought, and I could be wrong, but If NPL football was free or vastly reduced to a couple of hundred dollars, not only would it allow financially disadvantaged players to develop in a better environment, and Australia developing the best talent for their national teams and Aleague, it would also leave extra money in the household budget to buy A League season tickets and encourage more people to attend ?? I don’t have the answers, but I know sucking parents dry via NPL/Private Academies and private schools is not the answer to Australia’s youth development problems. If the club Academies were doing their jobs correctly, there would be no need for the additional training in private academies and private schools. The private academies would be out of business and average player would be able to enjoy representing their school teams, while elite players concentrated on their academic studies.

Westfield Sports High which Lowy set up hands out sports scholarships for football has had many Socceroos and Matildas starting with Kewell as well as other sports and the Olympics. Apart from that I dont really know of any schools handing out scholarships for the sport. Rugby Union certainly they have heaps of scholarships at the wealthiest schools in NSW and Queensland. The wealthiest schools in England , South Africa its the same deal. The South African rugby union captain they not only gave him a scholarship they had to provide him with groceries as his grandmother was starving herself to feed the abandoned kids of their parents they were so poor.

The American franchise model is a million miles away from CFG. if you look at American main sports they make good profits for the owners because they put in rules to stop owners competing for the best players and restrict salaries. Instead of rewarding success they reward failure so there is no building up a club the way Ferguson did with United over a long period . CFG they took a smaller outfit City and put in billions to make them big and eclipse Man U. Glazers thought they could squeeze money out of Man U now they are trapped with Man U needing money to stay big. There is a world of difference between Glazer and CFG. Germany is a very rich country, and they have very well supported clubs, a smart football management. If it was not for that the model they have wouldn't work in terms of having teams compete at the top level with that ownership. How is the EPL blue collar anymore with their ticket prices, and top level American sports their ticket prices are even higher. I dont see what this has to do with the A-league the A-league needs to find CFG style owners because they hardly generate any revenue with the small crowds etc. Face it this blue collar talk and 50+1 ownership talk is a joke, if people wanted they would not be paying 200 to 400 to watch a big euro club here versus going to their local A-league club here. People have voted what they want 70-80k in each city are more than willing to be the lapdog of a big euro club no matter who owns it or how its run. And there are probably another couple of hundred thousand who would go if the tickets were cheaper.

Good article SS. Well written too. What is a shame is that neither the A League nor EPL have introduced the 50+1 Rule to keep out owners like CFG, Glazers etc. A League and EPL ownership are beginning to mimic the American franchise ownership model. Probably too far gone to ever get 50+1 but would be nice to see the blue collar fan have some sort of buy in to club decisions. The Glazers have taken millions out of the club. Anyway SS, well written.

Which makes it mystifying why other A-League clubs don't do the same. If there's no net cost then why are not other A-League clubs getting on the bandwagon. Is it just too much hard work for them? Why would'nt for instance Victory here in Melbourne try something with some of the colleges or even state schools here. I mean there is a State school in Melbourne, Rowville High (which my nephew went to for tennis) which is specifically for sports orientated pupils, why would you not join up with them with a football program. It's almost like MV can't be bothered with youth, although since they don't have a proper training ground I can well believe that.

@ FIL, maybe mate, I’m not privy to who was actually responsible for Jamal’s death, but this is a football forum, and the reason I comment on this forum is to discuss football with guys like yourself. Let’s leave the politics out of it and I will just respect the fact you don’t like Man City for your own personal reason mate. As for Adelaide Andy’s article, It doesn’t surprise me, it just confirms what most of us already know, football in Australia has become a white collar sport, that’s why every GPS school in Brisbane now have football programs, because all the wealthy parents with kids they believe is the next world super star will take their kids there hoping privilege and wealth will take them to the promised land.

Your comments hold plenty of validity. Respect for that. I recognise and admit that I don't like City, but aren't their owners the guys who chopped up Jamal Kashogi? Would you trust them?

@ football is life, that’s paranoid psycho patter mate. 1. The current MCFC first team is full of internationals that regularly play for their national teams. 2. No Aussie can play for another national side unless they’re are dual citizens or through their grandparents, so they’ll only play for Australia if they’re good enough 3. Most youth coming through their academy system will never get near their first team but the few who do will be encouraged to play for their national teams, it makes them a more sellable asset. Likewise the ones that graduate from their system and go onto have solid professional career’s. I could list another 20 reasons but at the end of the day, don’t let your dislike for Man City blur your reason and common sense when posting mate.

It's a midpriced college not elite at all

Its a win-win for CIty as it appears like their costs are covered by the kids parents. If they unearth a gem, well thats the cream on the cake for CFG.

Scout, great article. You have to ask the question, "has City noted the influx of Australians into the SPL, and if supported by communication from their A-League club, are they trying to get first dibs on a market that the rest of the world is pretty much oblivious to?" What worries me is that it's City, and I dont trust them one iota. You've seen what City have done to English football, do they have plans that will prohibit Australian lads playing for Australia i.e. we want to sign you, but your contract says you play for us only, you dont play for your country. The City owners are bottom of the barrel in my opinion, completely bereft of respect, morals and ethics. To me this is not a good situation, and I agree with Grem and Cryuff, what about the kids from the bush, and the low-socio-economic kids, will they be offered scholarships?

I'd go even further. The vast majority of the greatest players in the game's history have come from humble beginnings where they learned in unstructured environments - with very little funding. I guess if the schools offer scholarships to those with talent, and without money, then there may be a better chance of increasing the talent pool.

I’m happy if this helps us develop some more top class players, but as no mates said - it’s not only the wealthy that make good footballers.

So the wealthy get a helping hand at producing a football player. Rather see a kid of the streets get a shot. But yeah fish where the privilege's are I'm sure they will find the next JA.

Well the wealthiest schools are now looking at their football programs in order to attract the wealthiest parents as well. It would be nice if they were actually offering scholarships to the wealthy schools the way they offer it to rugby players in NSW and QLD but it will be probably the opposite.