Womens Premier League Results 2010 - Round 8

Round 8

Played Midweek: Canberra FC 0 v Belconnen United 0


Tuggeranong United 2 (Julie Ibarra (pen), Kate Allen) Belwest Foxes 7 (Snez Veljanovska (2), Hope Wilkins (2), Cian Maciejewski, Elizabeth Pearson, Lee Dickson)
Canberra FC 3 (Aurelia Bullot (2), Ashlea Bryant) Brindabella Blues 1 (Kate Brown-Beresford)
Weston Creek 3 (Rachel Crittenden (3)) Belconnen United 0
Woden Valley v ANU WFC – Match Postponed

Mens Premier League Results 2010 - Round 7

Round 7

Woden Valley 1 (Bensah Afiabo 84’) Monaro Panthers 2 (Goran Veljanovski 15’, Justin Selkirk 35’)
Tuggeranong United 2 (Alex Weber 55’, Mark Shields 69’) Cooma Tigers 2 (Goran Josifovski 39’, Marcial Munoz 90’ (pen)
Belconnen United 5 (Danny Macor (2), Tai Smith, Dustin Wells, own goal) ANU FC 2 (Nathan Evans, Daniel Sparrow)
Goulburn Strikers v Canberra City – Match Postponed

How To Defend - The Next Simple Step

Again, once you have the individual (1v1) movement sorted out, move to a slightly more dynamic situation - the first and second defender routine. The kids get it quick. It makes sense to them and they'll bring it to the game.

I watched a junior coach the other week bring a small laptop to training and show the kids what was wanted for a single activity. Not overdone. Clever coach. A quick couple of minutes to display the skill and on to the pitch. Back off to let the kids look at the skill again, comment on what they got right and wrong and back on to the pitch. Worked a treat.The kids are good visual learners and its a medium they are all very familiar with. Not necessary, but very helpful.

How To Defend - Lesson For Junior Players

This is a must do at training. Good basic defencive technicque seems the last to be tought and sadly, not at all in training. This video gives you all you need to know to get the kids started - then have them bring itinto their game.

Five Golden Rules To Keep Your Players Happy

Sourced from http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/

Five Golden Rules To Keep Your Players Happy

1. Play games, don't use lots of drills.

There is a place for drills in youth soccer coaching when introducing new skills or techniques. But they should be used sparingly.

The coaching sequence should be: warm up, demonstration (five minutes), then unopposed or 1v1 practice for another five minutes. If appropriate, continue with small group activities (groups of three or four players for 10 or 15 minutes). Then set up a conditioned small-sided game (SSG).

What's a conditioned SSG?

It's simply a 3v3, 4v4 or 5v5 match where you change the rules to allow your players to practise a skill or technique in a game-like situation. For example, if you've been working on improving your team's goal kicks, play a SSG where every time the ball goes out of play, the game is re-started with a goal kick.

Note: Don't forget to finish every session with a free for all match with no coaching from you. Playing soccer is what your players came to do!

ACT Under 13 Player Selected To Represent Australia - An Absolute First!

The ACT has a new Australian Football representative.

Siena Senatore has been selected as a member of the inaugral Australian Under 13 Girls team.

Well its finally happened! It can be done by players in the ACT! You can make it to the top in football. This is fantastic news for Womens Football in the ACT. It stands as an inspiration for all players - you can make the grade from the ACT. But you had best be prepared to work for it!

Siena plays for Woden Valley SC, has been a HPP squad member, Coerver Academy graduate (several times), she toured New Zealand as a 10 year old in an Under 11 Boys team from NSW, was a member of the ACT Under 13 Girls team, has represented ACT Shools at age in Football, is an ACT Futsal representative player, plays Futsal for the Boomerangs FS in the Futsal NSW Super League and is presently at ACTAS. Yes that's a lot of football and futsal - but that's what it takes in anything if you want to be as good as you can be. There are no shortcuts.

The pictures are of Siena in action at the recent Under 13 Girls National Junior Championships (courtesy of Mum), where her consistently sound performances brought her to the notice of the selectors. Siena played the Nationals in the pivotal position(s) of central defender. Siena was initially selected as a member of the Austrlian train on squad which went into camp recently at the AIS. The Australian selectors then ran the microscope over the players and selected the final Australian Under 13 Girls squad to tour overseas to Vietnam later in 2010.

Its hard enough getting selected to play for the ACT, harder again to play well enough to get noticed among the dazzling array of talent on display at the National Junior Championships, then the pressure is really turned on as the Australian train on squad players go into camp and compete for final selection to make the Australian Team. You have to be talented and you have to be willing to persevere.

Job well done Sienna.

Womens Premier League Fixtures 2010 - Round 8

Round 8

Sunday 30 May 10

2:00PM Woden Valley v ANU WFC Kaleen Enclosed 1 View

2:00PM Canberra FC v Brindabella Blues Deakin Stadium

2:00PM Tuggeranong Utd WFC v Belwest Foxes Kambah 2-1 

2:00PM Weston Creek v Belconnen Utd ANU Willows 1

Tuesday 1 Jun 10

8:00PM Weston Creek v Woden Valley Hawker Football Centre

Mens Premier League Fixtures 2010 - Round 7

Round 7

Friday 28 May 10

8:00PM Woden Valley v Monaro Panthers Hawker Football Centre

Saturday 29 May 10

3:00PM Tuggeranong Utd v Cooma Tigers Kambah 2-1

Sunday 30 May 10

3:00PM Goulburn Strikers v Canberra City Cookbundoon 4:00PM Belconnen Utd v ANU FC McKellar Park
5:00PM Canberra Olympic v Canberra FC Hawker Football Centre

Capital Football HPP Under 14 Coach Talks About Preparing A Team For The Nationals

This program was broadcast Tuesday, 25 May 2010 on 2xxfm (93.8mhz) through the Australian Community Radio Network.

The Coach of the Capital Football High Performance Program for the Under 14 Boys, and the Coach of the ACT Under 14 Boys team to participate in the FFA's National Junior Championships in late September 2010 in Coff Harbour.

Zoran has a some good infomation and observations - all from an experienced Coach's viewpoint. He has also just completed the FFA / AFC "C" class licence and has some interesting things to say about the 1-4-3-3 playing system.
Download the Podcast here:

What Happens When Your Child Is Assaulted And Injured In A School Football Game In The ACT??

What Happens When Your Child Is Assaulted And Injured In A School Football Game In The ACT??

A parent and several young players who play for a Premier League Club in the ACT told a frightening Football story at training last week. It’s a very worrying story on Junior Football for every parent with a child playing Football in the ACT, particularly when they play in schools sports Football tournaments / fixtures. This one seems a long way from resolved.

Apparently there was a School's Football tournament last week in the ACT. The players represent their school and in ordinary way of Football you would think it would be a fun thing to do.

Until something goes very, very wrong!

A young player was "king hit" by another player and sent off. The alleged offender is said to be an ACTAS squad player. Both players were registered with the FFA and participate in Capital Football competitions / fixtures. The Referee's report has been provided to the father of the victim, confirms the send off for "violent conduct" and would appear to warrant substantial disciplinary action.

But by whom? Not a question you usually ask in football.

If this were a weekend Capital Football round game, the League Manager would have already taken action. It’s a “no brainer”!

Mens Premier League Results 2010 - Round 6

Round 6

Canberra City 0 v Belconnen United 2 (Danny Macor 25’ (pen), Dustin Wells 65’)

Canberra FC 4 (Michael Spaleta 7’, 47’, Adam Spaleta 48’, Alex Castro 85’) Woden Valley 0
Tuggeranong United 2 (Aaron Cashman 50’, Matt Menser 51’ (pen) Goulburn Strikers 2 (Sam Taylor 56’, Andrew Aliffi 84’)
Cooma Tigers 1 (Jean-Pierre D’Ambrosio 28’) Monaro Panthers 0
ANU FC 1 (Anthony Bekavac) Canberra Olympic 3 (Robbie Shroder (3))

Womens Premier League Results 2010 - Round 7

Round 7

Belwest Foxes 4 (Cian Maciejewski (2), Hope Wilkins, Tahlia Stanley) Weston Creek 0


Tuggeranong United 10 (Julie Ibarra (5), Freyja Jacobsen (4), Kate Allen) Brindabella Blues 1 (Mel Reavell)

ANU WFC 0 v Belconnen United 4 (Maja Blasch (2), Caitlin Munoz, Tahlia Blackhorse)

Woden Valley 1 (Jaline Hoek) Canberra FC 1 (Sophie Kochinos)

Womens Premier League Fixtures 2010 - Round 7

Sunday 23 May

2:00PM Weston Creek v Belwest Foxes ANU Willows 2

2:00PM ANU WFC v Belconnen Utd ANU Willows 1

2:00PM Tuggeranong Utd WFC v Brindabella Blues Kambah 3-10

2:00PM Woden Valley v Canberra FC Woden Park Enclosed 

Tuesday 25 May

8:00PM Belconnen Utd v Canberra FC Hawker Football Centre

Mens Premier League Fixtures 2010 - Round 6

Friday 21 May 10

8:00PM Canberra City v Belconnen Utd Hawker Football Centre


Sunday 23 May

3:00PM Tuggeranong Utd v Goulburn Strikers Kambah 2-1
3:00PM ANU FC v Canberra Olympic O'Connor Enclosed 1
3:00PM Canberra FC v Woden Valley Deakin Stadium
3:00PM Cooma Tigers v Monaro Panthers Nijong Oval

10 Essential Rules For Effective Communication

This could apply to all age groups. Something in this for every Coach!
Coutesy of  http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/



10 essential rules for effective communication


Getting your players to understand what you want requires a bit more than simply telling them what to do! Here are 10 essential rules for creating effective communication between you and your players:

1. Keep it simple. Young children cannot remember complicated instructions. If you tell a five-year-old to do X, then Y and then Z, they will do X and stop. Older children can remember instructions with two or three components but will struggle to remember four. So keep your instructions short and simple.

2. Talk to the players on their level. Get down on one knee and make eye contact as you communicate. Don't wear sunglasses or tower above them.

3. Always be polite. Using words like "please", "sorry" and "thank you" sets a good example. It also makes your players feel important. Never shout.

4. Tell them, and then tell them again. Once is never enough. Repeat your instructions using slightly different words and check your players' understanding before you move on. One of the best ways of doing that is to ask a child to repeat what has just been said.

5. Listen carefully. Don't interrupt players when they are trying to tell you something. Show them you are listening by maintaining eye contact and remember... their opinions are just as valuable as yours.

6. Avoid inconsistent or confusing body language. Don't, for example, shake your head while telling the player "nice try".

7. Be consistent, firm and fair. No means no. Don't waver or you will become a doormat. Treat everyone equally and don't bend or break the rules for anyone.

8. Never criticise a child in front of others. This will result in resentment and hostility, and not the improvement you're hoping to achieve.

9. Focus on the behavior not the child. Make sure your player knows that it's their actions that you're not happy with, not them.

10. Make sure you know and use your players' names. Nothing is more damaging for a child's self esteem as not knowing their name.

Note: All children need acceptance, encouragement, discipline, consistency and positive attention. As a soccer coach, you are in a unique position to supply all of these. Please don't waste the chance!

Coach of Tuggeranong United FC Premier League Talks About The Victory Over Belconnen United FC

Oh happy days at Tuggeranong United FC!

They defeated Belconnen United FC and that's something not too many do in a season - in several seasons.

Darren Viskovic is a very astute Football coach. If any club had a hard start to the season, TUFC is the one. Darren perserved, as did the players through a miserable Federation Cup, heeded the lessons learned and got started again in the PL Competition. They have been getting better every game. Some team was going to loose points to them, sooner rather than later and it happened last weekend. Darren reckons it was as good as winning a World Cup Final - spot on!

Go here to Download the Podcast:

Head Coach Australian Under 13 Boys, Ante Juric, Talks About Selection and Assessment

Ante Juric, head Coach of the Australian Under 13 Boys team makes some very interesting observations about assessment and selection from the recent Under Boys National Junior Championships.

The Under 13 train on squad, comprising 30 players, held a camp at the AIS to finalise the team to participate in the AFC Festival of Football in Malaysia in about a week. They played our CF  HPP Under 14 Boys at the AIS and let me tell you, it was a terrific 90 minutes of football. The HPP Under 14 boys were commented on most favourably by Ante Juric - well done to the Coach, Zoran Glavinic.

Listen for Ante's observation of the playing position most difficult to fill in this group. Interesting!

To download the Podcast go here:

Football West Really Do Know How to Do It!

Football West seem to be a very progressive organisation, as evidenced by the standard of their teams during the 2009 and 2010 Under 13 Boys NJC and the WA NTC team in the 2010 NTC Challenge.

But this was too good not to share to it. Football West publish highlights of some of their games, accompanied by excellent commentary. Very professional effort. Its available on You Tube so you can get it anywhere there is an internet connection anywhere in the world. Very smart thinking!

Come on Capital Football, how about doing this for selected games in our Womens and Mens Premier League each week?

How Do Clubs Without A Lot of Money Stay Competitive In The Capital Football Premier League?

One of the most commonly uttered observations by suppporters, officials and players around the Men's Premier League goes something like this - "Its hard to stay competitive if you don't have the money to pay and attract a core of good, experienced players", and, "As soon as we produce good players they go because another club can offer them money to play and we can't". You must have heard them both or something like it.

The fact is that only two PL Clubs, Belconnen United and Canberra FC have their own beautifully prepared ground and licences club to underwrite football operations. They are two terrific "turn key" football operations in the ACT region. Only two! More power to them I say.

But is there another one like them on the horizon? I don't think so.

No surprise then that these well established and resourced clubs attract many of the best local players. There robustness in terms of resources and infrastructure is matched by superior performance on the field, year in and year out. Their playing rosters are usually very good and have depth. They are what we might call a "semi professional" football club in the context of football in the ACT region. What they do is good for football, but not necssarily good for less well resourced PL CLubs. That is the simple reality here in the ACT - well, everywhere football is played!

The question that arises as soon as discussion heads in this direction, is whether Capital Football should intervene by some means and make if easier for all clubs in the PL to complete. That's when things get very tricky!

So where does this apparent divide leave the rest of the PL Clubs in the ACT? Their collective profile goes something like this - No licenced club, no dedicated, owned and maintained ground and facilties; limited sponsorship, tenuous and small revenue streams, massive reliance on volunteers,very limited ability to provide remuneration to players and the ver present danger that the best of their players will be attracted to any other club in the CF competition that can offer a payment. Some of our players can come or go pretty cheaply, so cheaply in fact that its embarrassing, while club loyalty goes out the window. Many of our coaches get little for their efforts.

This financial / resource divide is a constant threat to the stability and competitiveness of the CF Premier League. In tighter financial times, locating signficant sponsors in the ACT region is more akin to searching for the needle in the hay stack. And when it comes its usually not a great amount of money, but clubs are gratefull for anything.

Canteen operations become crucial in covering off on the meagre bottom line, which is why home games are so important to Clubs. The margins are very thin indeed, a fact sometimes lost on football administrators. When a PL club is instructed to move its home game to say Hawker, moving the canteen is a huge task, usually undertaken by the precious few volunteers and just as often with their private transport. Clubs are not support by CF for loss of precious income or additional costs. money leaks quickly from Clubs that are operating on the smell of an oily rag - and that is probably more than not!

Big Clubs (by our standards anyway) can be easily mismanaged, as Club Presidents are quick to point out. And they right to do so. There is ample precedent for concern when it comes to Clubs spending beyond their means to secure players to win premierships. The A league has evidenced a procession of clubs that have become financial basket cases and required assitance to continue. Probably a good thing we never got an A League team in Canberra or it might have drained a very small pond, or wallowed in defeat - but that's another story.

Perhaps the future of Belconnen United FC and Canberra FC is beyond the ACT region PL Competition?
In the meantime, maybe its time to think about leveling the playing field in the CF Premier League just a little bit. Salary caps don't work. What does?

The following article is from the President of Football NSW, which provides a glimmer of hope. Its worth considering.

Head Coach Tuggeranong Celebrates A Big Win and Coach of Australian Under 13 Boys team Talks About Selection

This program was broadcast on 2xxfm, 98.3mhz, Tuesday 18 May 2010 at 7:00pm, through the Australian Community Radio Network.

Tonight we speak to Darren Viskovic, Head Coach of Tuggeranong United FC and review their first win of the season against the powerhouse club Belconnen United FC. What a win that was - "ggod as winning a world cup final" says Darren. Whi could argue with that!

Then its on to our first interview with Ante Juric, the Coach of the Australian Under 13 Boys team which leaves next week to campaign in the AFC Festival of Football in Malaysia. Ante is a Canberra FC product, a Socceroo, Olyroo and Young Socceroo, a professional player for 13 years and is now a teacher and Head of Football in the prestigious Sydney private school, Trinity Grammar. How's that for a start on the CV. But its about the recent Under 13 National Junior Championships that we speak to Ante, where he served as a member of the FFA's Techncial Assessment Group. We talk about coaches, the selection of players and the sort of things he is looking for at this age. Good stuff for all junior / youth coaches.

Go here to Download the Podcast

Womens Premier League 2010 Results - Round 6

Weston Creek 6 (Jessie Pritchard (2), Aleisha Tupper (2), Bridget Meli, Amanda Aurousseau) v Brindabella Blues 1 (Ellen Hearder)

Belwest Foxes 5 (Tahlia Stanley, Cian Maciejewski, Snez Veljanovska, Georgia Chapman, Hope Wilkins) v ANU FC 0

Woden Valley 3 (Grace Field (2), Ashleigh Palombi) v Belconnen United 1 (Caitlin Munoz)

Canberra FC 5 (Aurelia Bullot (2), Rebecca Kiting, Monique Solar, Hayley McQuire) v Tuggeranong United 2 (Julie Ibarra, Sophie Black)

Mens Premier League 2010 Results - Round 5

Round 5 has turned the competition on its head - again!

Belconnen United 1 (Cameron Reinhart 65’) v Tuggeranong United 2 (Alex Webber 5’, 82’)


Woden Valley 1 (Carlos Salazar 26’) v ANU FC 2 (Mohsen Ravanparsa 9’, Ryan Jones 90+4’ (pen))

Goulburn Strikers 0  v Cooma Tigers 0

Monaro Panthers 0  v Canberra FC 4 (Ian Graham 21’, Alex Castro 69’, 90’, Adam Spaleta 89’)

Canberra Olympic 0  v Canberra City 2 (Simon Gemmell 38', Rob Perry 90')

Qantas Australian Under 13 Boys National Team Announced

I got this one off the Football Federation Victoria website. Seems Capital Football didn't think this was worth announcing - why - just because we (ACT) weren't able to get a player into the initial train on squad? The game is bigger than that and people are interested!

While the Australian U13 train on squad was in camp a couple of weeks ago at the AIS, I had a chance to see them trial against our Under 14 Boys squad (which of course did not have the depth of playing strength as their opponents). Since then I have met numerous people who wuld have made the effrot to see them play. People are interested and where they acan they will attend because they know their is a real chance of seeing something a bit special. And so it was! And let  me tell this - our lads did particularly well! They played 3 x 30 minutes of football on a beautiful evening for football at the AIS on grass, against the best in Australia at theU13 age level. Itw as the place to be if you wanted to see good football, good coaching and an exemplar for the 1-4-3-3 system of play. The step up in performance from 2009 among the U13 boys was obvious. It was an evening of some of the best football I have seen for a long while. Our U14 boys seem tobe well on track for a competitive performance at their National Junior Championships.

Qantas Australian Under 13 Boys Football Team

Qantas Australian Under 13 Boys National Team Head Coach, Ante Juric has selected a squad of 22 for the tournament, which will be held in Sabah, Malaysia from the 24th May to 6th June 2010.

Womens Premier League Fixtures 2010 - Round 6

Sunday 16th May 2010


Belconnen United v Woden Valley - (Kaleen Enclosed 2), kick off 14:00
Belwest Foxes v ANU WFC - (Kaleen Enclosed 1), kick off 14:00
Canberra FC v Tuggeranong United - (Deakin Stadium), kick off 14:00
Brindabella Blues v Weston Creek - (Calwell 2-3), kick off 14:00


In addition:
Rescheduled – Round 3


Tuesday 18th May 2010
ANU WFC v Tuggeranong United  - (Hawker Football Centre), kick off 20:00

The Table (team placing and points) prior to Round 6 and the rescheduled Round 3 game is as follows:


1 Belwest Foxes 15
2 Woden Valley 9
3 Canberra FC 7
4 Belconnen United  5
5 Weston Creek 5
6 Tuggeranong United  4
7 ANU WFC  3
8 Brindabella Blues 0

Mens Premier League Fixtures 2010 - Round 5

Friday 14th May 2010


Woden Valley v ANU FC - (Hawker Football Centre), kick off 20:00

Saturday 15th May 2010


Belconnen United v Tuggeranong United - (McKellar Park), kick off 18:00

Sunday 16th May 2010


Monaro Panthers v Canberra FC - (Riverside Stadium), kick off 15:00
Goulburn Strikers v Cooma Tigers - (Cookbundoon), kick off 15:00
Canberra Olympic v Canberra City - (Hawker Football Centre), kick off 17:00



This is the table (team placing and points)prior to Round 5:
1 Canberra FC 10
2 Belconnen United 10
3 Monaro Panthers  7
4 Canberra Olympic  7
5 Canberra City 7
6 Goulburn Strikers  6
7 Cooma Tigers  4
8 Woden Valley  3
9 ANU FC 0
10 Tuggeranong United 0

Overuse injuries - what they are, why they occur and how to stop them

This artile is sourced from http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/

Overuse injuries - what they are, why they occur and how to stop them
Dr. Michael Busch, Orthopedic Surgeon, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
The [child's] body [is] a lot like a paperclip. If you just keep bending it over and over and over again, eventually that paperclip is going to break".

What are overuse injuries?

Overuse injuries in youth soccer usually result from repetitive forces that cause 'micro trauma'. Damaged tissues become inflamed, causing swelling and a loss of function. Continuing to exercise leads to a vicious cycle and the injury becomes chronic.

Occasionally, children can suffer even more serious injuries (such as fractures) as a direct result of too much coaching. Especially if it is combined with a punishing programme of match play.

Too much soccer coaching and match play (and, more importantly, the wrong type of coaching) can cause serious, long-lasting injuries to children. This is simply because a child's body is not fully developed and is unable to withstand repeated impact, even if that impact is simply from running for a long time on hard or uneven ground.

Australia’s 2010 FIFA World Cup Squad has been announced!

I looked in vain for my name, not there, no phone call or email, but I can dream! Hell, I'd carry the oranges. My son reminds me as I write, in between bursts of loud laughter, that most prefer orange sports drink. Is nothing sacred!

My colleague, Eamonn Flanagan and his side kicks, Paddy and Lucy have had a lot to say about the composition of the squad. They've come pretty close to the mark. Go to www.nearpost.blogspot.com for the Nearpost National program Podcast and tune in next Tuesday at 6:30PM on 2xxfm (98.3mhz)- they'll have lots to say about this subject.

So here it is - away the lads!!!

Preliminary squad in full

Michael BEAUCHAMP (Al-Jazira Club, UAE)
Mark BRESCIANO (U.S. Citta di Palermo, Italy)
Tim CAHILL (Everton FC, England)
Nick CARLE (Crystal Palace, England)
David CARNEY (FC Twente, Netherlands)
Scott CHIPPERFIELD (FC Basel, Switzerland)
Jason CULINA (Gold Coast United, Australia)
Brett EMERTON (Blackburn Rovers, England)
Adam FEDERICI (Reading FC, England)
Eugene GALEKOVIC* (Adelaide United, Australia)
Richard GARCIA (Hull City, England)
Vincenzo GRELLA (Blackburn Rovers, England)
James HOLLAND (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands)
Brett HOLMAN (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands)
Mile JEDINAK (Antalyaspor Kulubu, Turkey)
Brad JONES (Middlesbrough FC, England)
Josh KENNEDY (Nagoya Grampus, Japan)
Harry KEWELL (Galatasaray SK, Turkey)
Shane LOWRY (Aston Villa FC, England)
Scott MCDONALD (Middlesbrough FC, England)
Mark MILLIGAN (JEF United, Japan)
Craig MOORE (Uncontracted)
Lucas NEILL (Galatasaray SK, Turkey)
Jade NORTH (Tromsø, Norway)
Tom OAR (FC Utrecht, Netherlands)
Nikita RUKAVYTSYA (FC Twente, Netherlands)
Mark SCHWARZER (Fulham FC, England)
Carl VALERI (U.S. Sassuolo Calcio, Italy)
Dario VIDOSIC (FC Nurnberg, Germany)
Luke WILKSHIRE (FK Dinamo Moscow, Russia)
Rhys WILLIAMS (Middlesbrough FC, England)

On the 24th of May, the Qantas Socceroos will play the New Zealand All-Whites who have also qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM). This vital game is key to both teams preparation in building tactics and improving their match fitness before setting off to South Africa.

Is This the Worst Miss Ever?

I think the handball is the least of this player's problems - but then to complain to the Ref!!!

Just embarrassed I guess. Probably French!

President Goulburn Strikers and Head Coach Belconnen United Talk about the Thriller at Cookbundoon

Its terrific when important people in Football in our region are prepared to share their thoughts about the game.

Shane Wilson and Scott Colon are always willing to make themselves to us all through the NPL. Both are straight shooters!

This game was probably deserving of a centre piece article in the Canaberra Times. You venture to Cookbundoon and McKellar at your peril and you had better bring your "A" grade game to the ground! We'll all here more of these two teams in 2010 - both hghly competitive and splendly different in character.

This game was one in the 93rd minute of play. Doesn't get much closer than that.

Go here for the Podcast:

A Thriller AT Cookbundoon, No Thriller At O'Connor Enclosed, Woden Valley SC Under 15 Boys Tour Germany

This program was broadcast Tuesday, 11 May 2010 at 7:00PM on 2xxfm, 98.3mhz ont he Australian Community Radio Network.

In this program we capture some of the drama of Round 4 of the Mens Premier League. Must have been something in the air last weekend!

The Head Coach of Belconnen, Scott Conlon and President of Goulburn Strikers, Shane Wilson give their thoughts on the thriller at Cookbundoon.

The President of the Monaro Panthers expresses his disappointment at the failure to play the scheduled Premier League game against ANU and rejection of the suggestion in the Canberra Times that his club did forfiet the game.

The Woden Valley SC Under 15 Div 1 boys team is off on a football tour in Germany. Its been years in the planning and fundraising. Every Club should do this every year.

Go here for the Podcast:

Science Gives Clues To World Cup Success

Science gives clues to World Cup success


Updated Mon May 10, 2010 3:57pm AEST
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/10/2895277.htm

Penalty kicks, such as Francesco Totti's in the 2006 World Cup, can make or break a team (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)
Few moments in soccer are as extraordinary as the penalty, the moment when a dream can crumble or glory is made - and a player is either cursed as a choker or enters the pantheon of legends.
In the nearly 119 years since the very first penalty kick, in a match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Accrington Stanley, the 11-metre spot determines more and more tournaments, including the 2006 World Cup final.
As the importance of the penalty has grown, so has research. Scientists see it as a duel between shooter and goalkeeper where biomechanics and psychology can give either side a critical edge.
A mathematical study of penalties at Liverpool's John Moores University puts the death nail into the "blast it and hope" approach.

Is This The Best Headline The Canberra Times Can Give Football In The ACT?

If you haven't caught up with it yet, a Men's Premier League Round 4 game between Monaro Panthers and ANU was not played on Sunday.

Why? Good question!

Quick as a flash, the Canberra Times, not exactly know for its extensive coverage and support of Football in the ACT Region, got in a good one today with this headline:

"Non-playing Panthers face punishment"

Oh that's just terrific!

Wrong in so far as it doesn't cover the situation from both Clubs' viewpoint. There are definately two sides to this story and some important differences in fact. Its by no means clear which Club will wear the blame for this debacle or who will get the points.

There is only one Football outcome that makes any sense at all - arrange for the games to be played at another time! CApital Football can sort out the Club issues.

Womens Premier League Round 5 - Results

The results or Round 5 are as follows:

Belconnen United 0 Belwest Foxes 2 (Cian Maciejewski, Snez Veljanovska)


Woden Valley 5 (Georgia Yeoman-Dale (3), Erin Clout, Jaline Hoek) Tuggeranong United 0

ANU WFC 5 (Bronwyn Tulloh (2), Victoria Robinson-Conlon, Emily Nicola, Katrina Patane) Brindabella Blues 2 (Heather Casey (2))

Canberra FC 1 (Georgia Ghirardello 45’) Weston Creek 1 (Aleisha Tupper 20’)

Mens Premier League Round 4 - Results

The results for Round 4 are as follows:

Tuggeranong United 0 Canberra Olympic 1 (Tim Ireson 10’ (own goal))

Canberra City 2 (Tim Mathas 35’, David Dexter 90+7’) Woden Valley 1 (Carlos Salazar 56’)
Goulburn Strikers 2 (Brody Willis 23’, 27’) Belconnen United 3 (Tai Smith 38’, Danny Macor 68’ (pen), Jason O’Dwyer 90+4’)
ANU FC v Monaro Panthers – MATCH CANCELLED ???????? (so how come no notice & explanation on the CF website????)
Cooma Tigers 1 (Daniel Gecic) Canberra FC 1 (Michael Spaleta (pen))

Calling All Team Coaches and Managers - Another Team Sports Communication Solution

Have a look at  http://www.schport.com/

The NPL suggested the "Teamer" solution as a possible team communication / co-ordination solution.

Well here is another one - its called "Schport". As far as I can tell its absolutely no cost to you but there is no SMS functionality at this time. It looks like a really usefull email system / central point of contact for you and your team to communicate.

Have a look and tell us what you think.

Know any others?

Wouldn't it be great if Capital Football set up one communication facility for all Club Coaches and Managers to use for their teams.

Do the HPP squads have this sort of communications support for players and parents? Don't think so. Why not?

Every Club should have this sort of facility operating for its coaches and managers right now!.

Men's Premier League 16s Fixtures 2010 - Round 4

Round 4 Fixtures

7 May 10 6:00PM Tuggeranong Utd v Canberra Olympic Hawker Football
8 May 10 1:00PM Canberra City v Woden Valley Hawker Football
8 May 10 3:10PM ANU FC v Monaro Panthers Radford College 1 
8 May 10 3:10PM Goulburn Strikers v Belconnen Utd Cookbundoon 
8 May 10 3:10PM Cooma Tigers v Canberra FC Marist (Marist College)

Women's Premier League Fixtures 2010 - Round 5

Round 5 Fixtures
(Its listed as Round 5 on the Capital Football Website)

8 May 10 3:00PM ANU WFC v Brindabella Blues ANU Willows 2


9 May 10 2:00PM Belconnen Utd v Belwest Foxes McKellar Park 

9 May 10 2:00PM Canberra FC v Weston Creek Deakin Stadium

9 May 10 2:00PM Woden Valley v Tuggeranong Utd WFC Woden Park Enclosed

11 May 10 8:00PM Belwest Foxes v Brindabella Blues Hawker Football Centre

Men's Premier League Fixtures 2010 - Round 4

Round 4 Fixtures

7 May 10 8:00PM Tuggeranong Utd v Canberra Olympic Hawker Football Ce... View

8 May 10 7:00PM Canberra City v Woden Valley Hawker Football Ce... View

9 May 10 3:00PM ANU FC v Monaro Panthers O'Connor Enclosed 1 View

9 May 10 3:00PM Goulburn Strikers v Belconnen Utd Cookbundoon View

9 May 10 3:00PM Cooma Tigers v Canberra FC Nijong Oval

Timeley Communication With The Players and/or Parents Is Everything These Days

How do you communicate with your players and parents? The technology is good these days and most people have either a computer or mobile.

Effective and timely communication is essential for Junior Football as parents are the key to getting the young players to and from training and games. Your Manager and Coach must have the Next of Kin and contacts numbers / email addresses to had at every training seesion and game.

So how do you do it right now? Do you do it at all?

My colleague Eamonn Flanagan came across a new offerring on the www that looks simple, effective, timely, accessible and may well be cost effective.

Its called "Teamer".

Go to  http://teamer.net/

Check it out and tell us what you think. If there are other products out there that do the job and don;t cost lots of money let us know.

The New Epidemic...Sideline (Mis)Behavior

We have had a lot to say about unacceptable (and anti social) behaviour on the sidelines. Parents and Coaches are the prime offenders and Referees are often the target. This is an issue that is not going away fast if my observations of an Under 13 Div 2 Boys game last weekend is anything to go by. Most of the poor behaviour I witnessed on this occassion was in the form of inappropriate commentary from the coach of one team. It clouded an otherwise good game. This coach was a model of the very sort of coach the FFA's new direction through the National Curriculum and coach education is trying to eradicate from the game at the junior levels.

The following article is from that terrific Football organisation - Georgia Soccer. It's right on the money! Why don't we see this sort of material written by our own coaches on the Capital Football website?????


The New Epidemic...Sideline (Mis)Behavior

http://www.gasoccer.org/secondary.aspx?id=976&coll_id=21

We recently received an invitation for one of our ODP teams to participate in a prestigious tournament in England and were surprised to learn, upon reading the fine print, that said tournament was a ‘scout and parent free zone’. Imagine that! A sideline without parents. Could it be that the reputation of the American parents’ sideline behavior has spread all the way across the great pond? Or is it a case of ‘parents-are-the-same-everywhere’ syndrome. Regardless, the bottom line is: The Director of the Tournament does not want any parents on the premises when the players are engaged in play. Having had the opportunity to study first hand the sideline behavior at youth games across Georgia, I can see his point.

"Loitering" or "Cherry Picking" in Small Sided Games For Under 10 and Under 11

Now this is a really sore point for many coaches and brings howls of objection from parents on the sidelines, who are otherwise silent. No one likes"offside" in Football at any level, its the equivalent of pushing in at the front of a queu. There is no provision for "Offside" in the small sided games that our Under 10 and Under 11 children play and our referees will not rule on it.
But ask any coach at these ages, they nearly all agree that its better for the players to respect the existence of offside, often talking to each other before the game to make sure each will do what they can to ensure their players don't "loiter" in an offside position. In the USA they call it "cherry picking". When young players do find themselves well forward as they do, with the game heading off down the other end of the field, the coaches usually tell them to make the effort to transition and get back on side. Near enough is good enough and a lot better than "loitering".
When a coach leaves a player down near the opposition goal, ready to recieve or pinch a ball and shoot at goal, you know one thing for certain - the coach is chasing the win and development has been abandoned. When it happens, no one of comfortable, because it feels like cheating.
There is another school of thought that says you just let them play and if they want to sit up at the opposiiton goal well let them. But that produces nothing of value is my experience and develops bad habits.

Cherry Picking

Sam Snow
Apr 26 2010, 12:00 AM
http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/Blog.asp?post_id=1020
Sam Snow is the Senior Assistant Technical Director for US Youth Soccer.

I had an interesting question from a parent of a youth player that steers us toward a piece of the player development puzzle.

Defending Corner Kicks

I watched a youth team practicing corner kicks at training last week and it looked slow and pretty much hit and miss with the only instruction being bellowed out into the night "get up to the ball"!

Defending Corner Kicks

Sam Snow
Apr 19 2010, 12:00 AM
http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/Blog.asp?post_id=1020
Sam Snow is the Senior Assistant Technical Director for US Youth Soccer.

Recently, a coach of elite female players asked these questions of several colleagues looking for thoughts and ideas…

1. In the women's game, what is your strategy and organization for defending corner kicks?

2. What are your favorite activity/activities to introduce these ideas and concepts?

Premier League Promotion and Relegation Part 1 - Have We Got The Right Formula For The ACT?

Capital Football have done a lot of work to get the current version of the Capital Football Men's Premier League in the shape that it is today. Awarding a licence to particpicate in the Premier League is a serious matter. No one wants local football basket cases in the competition. There is enough of that in the A league!

But we have a some significant points of difference between our Men's PL Clubs that raise more questions than is easy to answer or perhaps good for the game in our region.

Leaving aside all the detail, a licence may be granted if these very basic requirements are thought to be able to be provided by the Club at commencement and sustained to a competitive level throughout the season:

• Enough money to run the PL teams
• A quality ground to play home fixtures
• Ability to field competitive teams across the PL16, PL18, PPL and PL
• Suitable home ground facilties for players and referees and spectators

Now there is more to this than the list above, but without these elements there is no PL CLub. We will look at the other issues as we go forward, for a number of them can make or break a Club.

Applications are often put together at Club level, by a very willing few. Volunteerism only goes so far in most Clubs which is a pity.

Capital Football establishes a separate "committee" to evaluate PL Club applications, in order to make recommendations to the Capital Football Board. The licences are awarded for specific periods of time and Clubs must reapply when the licence period expires. Some Clubs have come and gone. Its a tricky business.

The first and most obvious observation of the current Men's PL structure is that there are several different, very different Club structures that constitute a PL Club in our current competition. At one end a Club with all the resources necessary to be thought of as a "professional" style of football Club, while at the other, the community based cash strapped local Club with bugger all by way of assets but just as frequently lots of junior players. And a couple of other soutions in between these two, some seemingly parasitic in nature and others a genuine combination of different levels of football resources (players). Its a real patchwork quilt. Reflective as it is of the fashion in which Football has grown in our region. Not a criticism, just a fact.

And remember, we are only talking of Mens PL football, not the Women's PL football, though it is important to say that not every Men's PL licence at a club is matched by a Women's Pl licence.

To kick this off, lets give this an international flavour. This article form the BBC was brought to my attention by Alan Hinde, the former President of Woden Valley FC (Mens and Womens).

People see the status of a Club in different ways and interestingly, a season of Football is not the same from one country to another. Makes you think!

Have a read and stay tuned for more on this local football development subject.

NPL Classic - The Ned Zelic Interview

By popular request, the NPL interview from 2009 with Canberra FC "old boy" and Socceroo, Ned Zelic.

When I say "by popular request" I mean that I wish I had a dollar for every NPL listener that has spoken favourably of NEd Zelic's interview. Its one of my favourites too.

Not many Australians have done what Ned Zelic has managed to do in the world of Football.


Download the Podcast here:

Women's Football In the ACT - Capital Football's Best Kept Secret?

This program is broadcast on 2xxfm, 98.3mhz, Tuesday 4 May 2010 at 7:00PM, as part of the Australian Community Radio Network.

We talk to two excellent Women's Premier League Coaches - Pat Mills of Belwest Foxes and Ed Hollis of Woden Valley FC. They know what they are doing and doing it well.

Why is Women's Football getting so good so fast? And no money in sight!

So time to put it out there!

Download the Podcast here:

Mens Premier League Round Three - Results

The results for Round 4 are as follows:

Monaro Panthers 0 v  Canberra City 0

Belconnen United 3 (David Leet 22’, Danny Macor 38’, Dustin Wells 73’) Cooma Tigers 1 (Marcial Munoz 27’)

Woden Valley 2 (Carlos Salazar (pen) 2’, Steve Bowman 38’) Tuggeranong United 1 (Martin Corrujo 53’)

Canberra FC 4 (Paul Ivanic 75’, Michael Spaleta 77’, 78’, 87’) ANU FC 0

Canberra Olympic 1 (Domenic Giampoalo 31’) Goulburn Strikers 2 (Sam Taylor 70’ Brody Willis 89’)

for the Pathways, PL18 and PL16 scores read on

Women's Premier League Round Four - Results

The Round 4 results are as follows:

Belwest Foxes 3 (Snez Veljanovska, Sophie Merkoureas, Kim Crocker) Woden Valley 0

Weston Creek 1 (Korri Chaivannacoopt) Tuggeranong United 3 (Julie Ibarra (2), Freyja Jacobsen)

ANU FC 1 (Katrina Patane) Canberra FC 3 (Aurelia Bullot (2), Nicole Somi)

Belconnen United 8 (Caitlin Munoz 7’, 24’, 37’, 80’, 87’ Sabrina Spinapolice 55’, Ilana Aitchison 85’, Katie Woodman 89’) Brindabella Blues 0