Liverpool FC Coach Makes Some Very Interesting Observations About Playing the Barca Way

Sourced form http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1365644/Kenny-Dalglish-Its-way-Barcelona-play-makes-Xavi-Messi-look-good.html

A lot of analysis of Barcelona is going on at the moment and for good reason. As the "experts" delve into this football organisation, it quickly becomes evident that it is a very elegant and socially responsible football culture. So much more than just a few extravagantly talented players. There are so many lessons to learn from Barcelona, on and off the field. All of it is directly transferable to our football environment here in the ACT.
Lets start by making the Capital Football development regime a loud echo of Barcelona's academy, then it on to Clubs, many of whom have the ordinary, socially responsible attitudes so apparent in the Barcelona Football organisation.
Barcelona's motto is "Move than A Club".  So it is. Dalglish makes that point in a very Football fashion.

It's the way Barcelona play that makes Xavi and Messi look so good

by Kenny Dalglish, Manager Liverpool FC

13th March 2011

Robin van Persie's controversial sending-off in Barcelona should not disguise the fact that the right team went through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Barcelona, not Arsenal, deserved to be there. They had 20 shots on goal at the Nou Camp and Arsenal, unusually, had none.

You can never say for certain that a team from one era could beat another from 30 years ago but the time has come when it’s legitimate to compare Barcelona with all the legends from years gone by.

There are certain teams who will always be remembered by their generation as the best ever, to be revered down the ages — the Real Madrid team of the late Fifties and early Sixties with Puskas and Di Stefano; Brazil in 1970 orchestrated by Pele; the AC Milan of the Eighties and Nineties with the three great Dutchmen Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard.

Now you can add Barcelona to that list, and deservedly so. Many years from now, younger fans will listen attentively to tales of Xavi and Iniesta, who worked in tandem and never gave the ball away, or the wizard Lionel Messi, who scored 45 goals in a season before the middle of March.

Van Persie was unjustly sent off because, even if he saw the offside flag before shooting, there wasn’t enough time between the two actions to prove it was intentional. But, despite the fuss being made about it, we mustn’t lose sight of the bigger picture. Barcelona were a class apart.

Their manager, Pep Guardiola, will watch this week’s Champions League games featuring Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan with interest but not fear. I don’t think he minds who he gets in the quarter-final draw. But I think everyone else will be praying they avoid Barcelona.

Clearly there is a way to knock them out. Inter Milan did it under Jose Mourinho last year with a supremely disciplined performance in defending the 18-yard box. But to do that, and also score three goals in the home leg, is a very tough call.

Mourinho’s Real Madrid showed that without that discipline you can get hammered, as they were 5-0 this season. Arsenal were better than that on Tuesday night but not tight enough and they couldn’t pose a goal threat either. Barcelona’s principles are world renowned. I wouldn’t say other clubs see that and say, ‘We must copy the way they play’ but, of course, we all try to look and learn.

We have two former Barcelona coaches in our academy at Liverpool and that must tell you something.

What is interesting is that, despite the incredible individual talent at the Nou Camp — they had three nominees for World Player of the Year — the team is king.

The first-team players have been educated to play a certain way since they were kids. If you went to see the B team, I bet their style is very similar to the style we saw against Arsenal.

On top of the world: Xavi, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta were shortlisted for the Ballon D'Or, with the Argentine scooping the prize

Xavi and Iniesta are rightly lauded but would they look half as good if they went to another club? I think the Barcelona players look great because they play in a system where they trust everyone around them. Maybe if you took them out and stuck them somewhere else, you’d realise that individually they aren’t quite as great as you thought.

Even Messi, one of the most talented players you’ll ever see, wasn’t quite the same when he was taken outside the Barcelona comfort zone and played for Argentina in the World Cup. It is not a criticism of him, just a compliment to the methods that they use at the Nou Camp.

Whatever ability their players have, it is tutored and doctored in the right way. And they make their team-mates look better as well. ........

But irrespective of who Barcelona face, you’d fancy them now. Youngsters today should be glad they are able to watch a team who compare with anything their fathers — or grandfathers — saw in the past.

What's Happening In the Big Picture In Football Informs How We Orgainse The Local Game.

Sourced from http://www.theage.com.au/sport/a-league/revolution-at-risk-as-ffa-reaches-too-far-20100911-1563j.html

Craig Foster interviewed Breandan Schuab (PFA) toward the end of 2010. An excellent article below and proof positive that so many issues in Football are shared at every level of the game.

Craig Foster began his Blog article with these words:

"For me the A-League's trouble's have been brewing for some years. Schwab is correct in pointing back to the Crawford report. However, it should also be noted that Crawford recommended the commitment to quality playing surfaces - which has proved costly."

Brendan Schuab, Cheif Executive and General Counsel for the Professional Footballers Association

Craig Foster, former Soccerroo, SBS World Game Football Analyst, Author

Revolution at risk as FFA reaches too far
Craig Foster
September 12, 2010


Dwindling A-League crowds and static FFA dividends have clubs like the Newcastle Jets struggling to survive.

IMPORTANT questions have been raised, or exposed, about Football Federation Australia that mirror long-term concerns in the football community.

These relate to governance, strategy, decision-making, organisational culture, the relationship of the board to events, the exit or dismissal of key executives during the past year, the World Cup bid and its impact on the game locally, and the health and future, in cases such as the Newcastle Jets and of the A-League.

Seeking clarity on the state of the game, I asked Brendan Schwab, chief executive of Professional Footballers Australia, to shed some light on the key areas where the game is vulnerable. He chose to focus on two: the failure to properly implement the Crawford report, and the A-League structure and model.

''Two documents - extensively researched with government and players' money - gave FFA chairman Frank Lowy his blueprint in 2003 - the Crawford and NSL Task Force reports.

''The late Johnny Warren shaped both reports. The emotional power of football ran right through them. They were about building a football nation, knowing that the legacy will be for the children of today's football devotees. Neither report has been implemented, and in that lies the seeds of the game's discontent.

''Crawford's recommendations demanded that FFA be run by an independent yet accountable board. The A-League would be separate, run under licence from FFA by its own independent board accountable to the clubs. The two bodies would co-operate to collectively exploit the game's key commercial assets from the professional game.
''All state and territory federations would be overhauled along the same principles to build the game from the grassroots up.

''The failure of some states, most notably New South Wales, to embrace the Crawford reforms has had a profound impact. Football's community remains alienated and fragmented, especially after being branded as 'old soccer'.''

Schwab on the A-League:


''Falling A-League crowds and financial problems have many worried about the viability of a league that is the cornerstone of the game's development.


''Quality is not the issue. The playing standard has been acknowledged by many former greats as being at its highest point since the inception of the league. Nor are player payments too high. Socceroos and A-League player payments account for less than 30 per cent of the game's revenues, like cricket, ARL, AFL and rugby.


''It is also wrong to assume crowds had to dip. According to [brand analysts] Repucom, 51 per cent of football's massively growing fan base is 'avid'. Football is also a sport of the future, with the youngest fan base of Australia's major sports.

''Football is simply failing to fulfil its primary obligation - to convert football fans into participants, crowds and television audiences.

''The NSL Task Force revealed that about 2.5 million fans would support an eight to 10 team A-League. Regular TV audiences of one million on free-to-air TV were possible. Average crowds of 10,000 to 15,000 were realistic.

''It wouldn't be easy, though. The league had to be properly capitalised and positioned. The strategic location of the teams was essential. New clubs, quality players, community partnerships, effective marketing and football's unique atmosphere would then deliver the commercial revenues through fan support.

''However, rugby's one team per city model prevailed under the protection of a five-year moratorium.

''The game's heartland - western Sydney, with twice as many registered footballers than rugby league - was rejected. Whilst the value of the league's rights required two Melbourne teams (a game every week), only one was installed.


''Despite the predicted crowds and atmosphere being a strategic imperative, key clubs were allowed to commit to big stadia. Gate receipts haven't covered expenses.

''The opportunity to deliver grassroots programs such as small-sided games through the brands of the A-League clubs is being missed.

''Yet, the annual dividend has not increased since 2007, and FFA has added about $1 million to the cost base of the clubs, which were already under financial pressure. The FFA club dividend has fallen to less than 50 per cent of the salary cap, the lowest of any major sport in Australia (the AFL pays 77 per cent, the NRL 71 per cent).

''The same capital-driven approach of the old NSL, in driving expansion into North Queensland and the Gold Coast, sees both clubs possibly lasting no more than two seasons due to a lack of fan support. FFA's bill: $12 million, enough to capitalise western Sydney and increase club dividends.

''These problems have been compounded by FFA's decision to itself run the 2022 World Cup bid. Already a stretched organisation, its four mandates - the bid, the league, fielding our national teams and developing the game - have seen governance and performance suffer.

''More money is not the answer without sound strategy. A successful World Cup will only solve the game's problems if the obligation of hosting football's greatest event brings about world-class standards of governance and decision-making.''

I couldn't have said it better myself. [Craig Foster]

The 2011 Under 13 Girls FFA National Junior Championships - Don't Miss It!

Competition draw and ACT squad list soucred from the Capital Football website.

The FFA National Junior Championships for Under 13 Girls will be held again in Canberra in the period 18-20 April 2011 (dates inclusive). All games will be held at Hawker Enclosed.

If you can, get to some of these games. The best in Australia at age is on display. They will all play the 1-4-3-3 as required by the National Football Curriculum, and National Development Plan. Its an excellent opportunity, particularly for coaches of junior teams int eh CF competitions, to watch how the various coaches have prepared their teams and how this age group is developing within the current national development regime.

The ACT representative squad is as follows:

1. Jillian Scott (gk – Woden Valley)

2. Gabrielle Risteska (Monaro Panthers)
3. Jamie Berkeley (Woden Valley)
4. Leah Carnegie (Belnorth)
5. Amelia Turner (Woden Valley)
6. Olivia Fogarty (Woden Valley)
7. Nickoletta Flannery (Woden Valley)
8. Lorna Arkell (Radford College)
9. Samantha Roff (Radford College)
10. Sandra Hill (Woden Valley)
11. Grace Maher (Majura JSC)
12. Hayley McLachlan (Woden Valley)
13. Lorena Barbaro (Gungahlin United)
14. Georgia Fogarty (Woden Valley)
15. Iesha De Andrade (Woden Valley)
16. Alexandra Cook (gk – Majura JSC)

COACH: Colin Johnstone
MANAGER: Eddie Senatore
PHYSIOTHERAPIST: Tim McNally

The scedule of fixtures is listed below.

Woden Valley FC Dominates the Elaine Watson Cup Final 2011

Woden Valley (Womens) FC completed a remarkable pre-season competition on Sunday with both the PL Pathways and PL Under 18's playing against each other in the final.

The Woden Valley Club website (http://www.wvfc.asn.au/category.php?id=1) provides this commentary on the game:

"A successful weekend for both the WVFC U18s and WVFC Pathways women was completed when both teams qualified for the Elaine Watson Cup final. A shock was on the cards into the 2nd half with the U18s holding a 1 - nil lead before the Pathways girls pulled away to win 3 -1 eventually. Both teams contributed to an enjoyable final with some good football on display. "

Womens Federation Cup Final Part 1 - Ed Hollis Woden Valley Coach

This program was broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz), through the Australian Community Radio Network on Tuesday, 29 March at 7:00PM.

If you didn't get to the Women's Federation Cup final at Mackellar last Saturday, you have my deepest sympathies.

This was a fantastic game, played by two teams who are well coached, were well prepared for this game and played with skill, discipline, flair, passion and total committment. It was everything you could want a game of football to be.

The two teams were Woden Valley FC (defending Womens PL premiers for 2010) v Belconnen United FC. The game concluded at the end of 90 minutes of ordinary time 0:0, then they played 30 minutes of Extra time, still 0:0. Both teams had played themselves to a standstill. A penalty shoot out followed and Belconnen's experienced players saw them win the game for Belconnen United FC.

The player of the match went to the Belocnnen GK and it was hard to argue with her performance. But I just can't let this opportunity pass without special mention of the two Belconnen centre backs, they were absolutely outstanding among two teams of players who were all giving their best. These two Belco players held it all together at the back and  this was clearly a key to the Belco Coaches game plan. Their individual and collective performance was the best I have seen in these two critical positions in the last few years of mens or womens football in the ACT PL. Both players have much to recommend them to ACTAS.

My heartfelt congratulations to all associated with both teams. It was well worth the $5 entry fee that Capital Football cheekly charged spectators. I hope they take the total entry fee contribution and buy every player in both teams new football boots and the two coaches oxygen recovery equipment!

And all this good Football at the end of the Pre-season competition. Amazing! Womens Football is just getting better and better.

There is only one thing I can recommend - rather than me write about this sensational match, listen to the Coaches talk about it. In Part 1 we begin by talking to the Coach of Woden Valley FC, Ed Hollis. In Part 2 we will speak to the Belconnen United FC Coach.


Download Podcast here:

If the FFA National Curriculum Inspires You To Play Like Barca....Lots of Things Have Got To Work Together.?

Sourced from http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/9033287/for-real-in-salt-lake-barca-style-is-the-model/

The challenge this season in Junior Football in the ACT is to have coahes fully implement the 1-4-3-3  at all competitive levels at each age group. A big job in a volunteer environment!

As a very capable coach in the junior ranks, a coach who has never coached any rep teams, nor does this coach seem to have ambition to do so, who usually coaches Div 2 or 3, remarked to me on Saturday, before the start of the Women's Federation Cup final:

"When I say the "1-4-3-3" , what I really mean is, getting the young players to play a possession style of game, short passing and swift movement off the ball into good space, ready to receive the ball. Keep the ball, don't loose it. When they loose possession, defend as high and as quickly as they can and win it back. Sure, I'll play the 1-4-3-3 structure or its close relative when its 7v7 or 9v9, because that encourages an attacking, possession based game. I refer to Barca because they do it better than anyone else, even the Spanish national team. I know this requires young players with lots of technical skill to play it in a really classy way, and that fact is usually used by  some others to justify not playing this system. Well, to my way of thinking, this sort of argument is just crap. Who says you have to the best to want to play like Barca? The real point of it all is that by emphasising the aspects of individual skill and group play that Barca demonstrates, triangles is the big one, and the FFA national curriculum hopes we will implement, players at every level will get better at the game, enjoy it more, get lots more touches on the ball and stay with the game longer. Its fun to play this way. In that environment we produce more of the best for the nation. If every coach in the Junior age groups gets this going, we will make a big change to the character of football over a couple generations. And it will take that long. But it starts with the local club, Div 3 team, if you get my point. Oh yeah, the one thing that Barca shows my young players is that its OK to take the initiative, be creative, assume a position in space that provides a good option for the attack - not just stand in a pre-determined position like a bloody parade. And that happens with the 1-4-3-3 just like any other playing system. But like Barca, I encourage the players change positions (accept responsibility) as the need arises for short periods, that's OK, while others drop in to to cover them. When I watched the National Youth Championships, I didn't see much of that, which is a pity because without it the team plays like a half baked cake. If they played Futsal more, this would be second nature, but there'slenty of experienced coahes who warn young players off futsal. I haven't coached one player (girl or boy) who didn't get excited watching Barca videos, they know instinctively this is the game. ..."

I wish I could remember more of what his Coach had to say, but the game started and we gave that our attention. This coach struck me as being as up to date as anyone I met in the ACT. And Football is not his day job!



My point is this - we have lots of smart people in Football in our community and the real powerhouse in Football in the ACT region is in Junior Football. It's the Junior Football Clubs in the ACT region that need the support from the FFA and Capital Football. But mostly Junior Clubs say they don't hear from or see much at all from Capital Football and the FFA is just an abbreviation.

Worse still, Club officials seem to complain all too often and seemingly with good reason, of their inability to  get Capital Footbal to take any notice of their needs and ideas for the conduct of competitions and development.

What do you do at the Junior Club if this year your Club finds itself  with a large cohort of players that are graded as Div 1 standard at age, enough say to form two teams? Well the answer is a "no brainer' for the club - enter them both in the Div 1 competition. Give every young player a chance to play to his / her abilities. What then, if you are told by Capital Football that your club is limited to one Div 1 team? A competition administrative rule decision imposed on your Club. First you realised it existed. What do you do with teh team of players that don't get a place in the Div 1 competition? Its a disaster for a Junior Club, lucky enough to find itself in this psosition. Its a disaster for Football! And this is happening right now! How does this approach coexist with the direction the FFA wished to take via the National Curriculum and National Development Plan? Obviously it doesn't and junior Clubs know it and by taking the approach they would prefer in this matter, they seem to demonstrate that they are more in touch with the development needs of young players and intentions of the FFA than Capital Football. As one Club official remarked to me last week - "who makes these decisions?" Who indeed! Good football is underpinned by tip top administrative decision making, responsive to Club needs - and Junior Clubs can't do much about that if they are not engaged in a meaningful and constructive fashion and not by a sub committee or remote adminsitrative decosion making process. However, Zone Reps can, so use them! Sometimes I think the Junior Clubs forget just how much "football muscle" they possess and several of our Junior Clubs are very big indeed.

If we get the national curriculum message across to the Junior Clubs, this pivotal component in our Football constituency, help them to get mobilised to implement it, consult in a more substantial fashion with the Clubs, give them the competition structures that enable it to happen for all players at level, things will change fast.
Coach education and training has made good ground for Football at CLub level and it makes a vital contribution to change and the quality of football outcomes. And that provokes other questions - why not find a way to fund Development officer positions?

The new Capital Football Techncial Director, Royston Thomas made it clear at the Capital Football Annual General Meeting, that he would visit / consult/ communicate/ work with the Junior Clubs. That's a big step in the right direction. We'll hold him to it.

We are not the only ones thinking of these things in Football. This article form the USA, concerning a Club called "Real Salt Lake" who are implementing the 1-4-3-3 makes an interesting read. As they say - we are not alone!

Winds Of Change Begin To Blow at the Capital Football AGM

Capital Football held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) last night.

Three Board members positions had been declared vacant (their time had expired and they had to be relected in order to remain on the Board). There were two new people who had nominated for election to the Board. A ballot would therefore, have to be held to establish who would fill the three vacant positions. As they say "game on'!

The voting is done by the current Board members and elected Zone Representatives. A small group. Clubs do not get a vote in this process. That's teh way the consitution is written.

The public can attend. You would expect some of the Football commnity to attend - few do. You would think Clubs would send a representative to attend - few do. I guess some Clubs woould feel that if they can't vote why turn up. I'll get back to Clubs.

All the Capital Football staff attended, indeed, they were the majority in the audience. Curious that, but then, they too are part of the football public, they certainly are at an AGM. From where I sat, a roll call for attendance at the AGM looked like this:

• All Board members attended (probably the best result they have had in a while given the attendance record of a couple listed in the Annual report.)
• Not all Zone reps attended (majority did)
• Only two Clubs (Tuggeranong United and Monaro Panthers) had representatives in the audience.
• The audience numbered 12 persons, 7 of whom were CF staff. One fellow left early, he was sitting next to me, there was a quiet but audible groan and he got up - the combination of the financial report and the CEO's report seemed to do him in, which is a pity because some fo the dicsussion that followed was well worth listening too. The Football public can be so fickle!

I thought the lack of represntation by the Clubs was simply very disappointing.  Now some Clubs were represented by the Zone representatives, who are themselves are office bearrers at thier club (eg Belconnen United, Western Creek, Woden Valley juniors). But the rest were conspicious by their absence. Where were the Premier League clubs and the Junior Clubs? Not good enough. Not when you have legitmate concerns in Football and express them elsewhere. This was Clubland's chance to put these matters on the table, recorded in the minutes. Make the Board, Zone reps and CEO sit and listen till you had talked yourself to a stnadstill. The role of the Zone rep is not entirely clear, Evolving" was teh word used by one Zone rep, which is true. Much more could and should be done by Capital Football to make this process work for Clubs. At the moment, it keeps the Clubs at arms distance form the orgainsation and Board. That's not good for the development of the game.

The thing that gets me is that the complaints you hear at Clubs are signficant (from their perspective) - for example -  "Capital Football" doesn't consult, they don't communicate, they are only interested in the talented players, they atek too much money and what do we get in return, never seen techncial development at our Club, the Womens' game gets too much, they don;t know what it costs to run Premier League football at Club level, they don;t listen to concerns at Club level, they keep too much secret, we they don't get much from Captial Football from one year to the next, when did you last see a Board member at  Premier League game and so on and so on..". Too many to list here. The dialogue is vibrant at CLub level. There is a remarkable pool of talent across all the disciplines / professions among players and parents at Clubs and with that, a lot of good ideas. But you ahev to have a dialogue - both ways - for things to work. AT the present time its seems to be broken both ways.

What message does your Club send to the Capital Football Board, the CEO and staff if your Club makes no effort at all to enagage in forums like the AGM? Without your input CF will definately get things wrong more often, because with the best will in the world, your lack of engagement means they get isolated. Their conversations about the things that impact on your Club are discussed among themsleves. You risk placing them in the position of having themsleves for the Football client. In these circumstances we all risk sub optimal outcomes, things stay the same, group think predominates. We get what we deserve sometimes, and sometimes we get more than we deserve - both are true around Capital Football and your Club(s). But have a good look at yourself and your Club before you hurl the next brickbat. Not bloody good enough, not by half!

But I digress, back to the AGM -  there was a wind of change in the air before the AGM opened. There was every reason to think change was afoot.

Well, this is a wind that seems to have been blowing gently since the last AGM.

The twitter around the grounds and among club officials seemed to be predominantly  one of dissatisfaction with "Capital Football", that easy phrase which captures, often unfairly for some, all Board members, CEO and staff. There are lots of opinions in Football, lots of passion, Clubs have their own view of the world and Football is currently in a process of fundamental reform through the FFA, particularly now in the areas of the National Curriculum and National Development plan. We have some hard problems to resolve here in the ACT, particularly around the provision of good playing facitlties for ever increasing participation rates in the ACT region and the development of players. The challenege is to create a meaningful dialogue with the Clubs,  as President Belconnen United and Zone Rep, Mark O'Niell, ever the forward thinker, pointed out during the meeting. A view that was clearly shared by several of his Member colleagues.

The Capital Football Annual report was tabled and it tells a tale of progress and limitation, and if you look closely, the imposing scope of the task to build our game in the ACT.  Dots points, graphs, good news aplenty, how many times did the Board members attend Board meeting that year (hmmmm!), everyone thanking everyone for all the work, and always, a financial report that is definately worth discussion for the insights and understandings it brings when words elsewhere in the report just don't seem to bring enough clarity. The Treasurer answered questions in an energetic, candid and informative fashion and that helped a great deal.

Then came the election.

Three Board member positions were declared vacant and candidates nominated for election /re-election. The outgoing members all re-nominated and importantly, two new candidates made themselves available for election to the Board.

The nominees for the Board were

• Alan Bradbury (former Director)
• John Logue (former President)
• Racheal Harrigan (former Director)
• James Selby (new nominee)
• Eddie Senatore (new nominee)

 The nominees were asked to speak to the Members at the table. To give their pitch for a position on the Board. Bradbury and Logue spoke of the past and they obviouisly had a lot to be proud of in their work over many years in Football and with CF. John Logue has a massive history in Football in the ACT, a voice of reasonableness in difficult times, and he could certainly claim to have seen much of the worst of some of Football adminstration. Harrigan spoke passionately of the future, work with the Kanga Cup and of her strategic interest going forward. Senatore and Selby were a breathe of fresh air, different, but clearly seemed to bring something new to the table. Selby was an impressive speaker and has considerble experience in sports adminstration, which seemed highly relevant to the needs of the CF Board.  Senatore seemed to capture the audience with his no nonesense catalogue of professional achievements, depth of exeperience immediately transferrable to the CF Board, strategic business and sports experience and his focuss on communication with Clubs. A formidable skill set that seemed highly desirable to the CF Board.

The wind had turned into a gust!

There were some good options on the table. The members appeared to go with an eye for the future change over the next four years. The successful candidates for the CF Board are;

• Racheal Harrigan
• James Selby
• Eddie Senatore

The position of President of the CF Board is resolved by a separate ballot among the Board members, time not yet known. Three people appear to have something to recommend for this important role. Maybury looks to be too good a treasurer to loose. Harrigan's passion is highly commendable and so necessary. But for me, they could do no better than the newly elected Eddie Senatore, who has considerable experience in this role in other important community organisations (eg St Edmunds College).

My one thought as I walked to the car. If you have a broom, might as well use it!

I suspect this is only the start of a new era at Capital Football. An opportunity for Captial Football to reinvent itself to meet new challenges. I expect it to be a very productive one in the years ahead and a lively tweleve months in front of us.. More power to them I say.

CEO Capital Football Responds to Criticisms By the Nearpost Local

As you may be aware, the Nearpost Local (NPL) has broached several topics around Football and Futsal in recent times. This has attracted criticism by Capital Football. To refresh you, the NPL has commented on the following matters:

• Advice by CF that the Canteen Services at Hawker during the Fed Cup would be retained by CF and income retained by CF, rather than allocated to Clubs on roster to generate review. (clubs a re now rostered at Hawker)
• The advice to Premier League Mens Clubs at a recent meeting that no sponsorship was in place for the 2011 season. (sponsorship has now been organised)
• Inadequacy / lack of availability of suitable playing surfaces in support of Football (and Futsal) (see explanation below)
• The decision not to register all SL mens teams to play in season 2011. (believe situation unchanged and excess teams on "waiting list")

The NPL invited the CEO to make a contribution to this Blog on the matters which we found ourselves in disagreement. The CEO accepted this invitation and responded by email. Below is the CEO's contribution and as ever, we are happy to welcome the CEO's engagement with the NPL.

For your blog Peter if you wish to publish.
Three things from Capital Football to clarify some of the statements in your recent blog -
1. CF runs the federation cup for men and women and the games are not to be regarded as club games in the same way that premiership games are played. When we are directly responsible for games at Hawker Football Centre, we reserve the right to run the canteen as this is our home venue. We fully understand the financial burden of clubs and will provide opportunities for clubs to run the canteen where possible for them to raise money.
2. We had a sponsor for the men’s premier league (Schweppes/Gatorade) and lost it because clubs didn't support it. We met with a prospective sponsor on Wednesday, as we have met with others over the past few weeks, with an expectation that sponsorship for both the Federation Cup competitions as well as the MPL will be forthcoming this year – so stay tuned for the announcements.
3. We take as much direct action as we believe feasible in a govt town where existing and new land for recreation space is scarce. The lack of space and suitable facilities doesn’t simply apply to our football code but also to other sports like cricket, swimming, water skiing, cycling, equestrian among others. We have it on sound knowledge that the new Molongolo area, for example, will have between 8 and 12 football fields and we continue to work with Woden Valley clubs and the govt on the redevelopment of land at Mawson for a new football facility. We are also working with the govt to bring back on line some grounds that went off line years ago due to the drought. We don't want to turn teams away and will do our best to accommodate all entries wherever practical, however, there may be viable operational reasons that prevent us from catering for every single team that wants to play.
I fully support the hard work and best intentions of all those people who are "capital football" – particularly at this time of year when registrations are being lodged, teams formed and expectations for the coming season are riding high.
Heather
CEO Capital Football

Its the Vision Thing You know! Its Time To Think Big About Community Football and Futsal Faciltities in the ACT

It seems that the NPL has stirred a hornet's nest in some quarters at Capital Football.

Front and centre is the issue of owning our own Football and Futsal facilities in the ACT.

Lets start by reminding ourselves that it was a long term drought that saw many ACT Government community grass playing fields decommissioned, no water, no maintenance and left to decay to the point where they now require large investments to get them to playing standard. These open spaces have become very juicy targets for developers of medium density housing ("urban infill"??)

It seems that there is a view among some in Capital Football that Capital Football is not in the business of owning and maintaining football and Futsal facilities. It's such a completely underwhelming position. No hope and no vision for the future.

Capital Football, on behalf of the ACT Football community, provided a very significant proportion (50% +) for the  redevelopment of Hawker enclosed with a new FFA standard Tiger Turf surface. And what a terrific playing surface facility it is. So don't tell me we are not in the business of investing in something we can call our own and how much better would it be if we did "own" Hawker Enclosed?

But the next "Hawker" is said to be about five years down the track! Too slow. We need another six of these facilities in the next three years!

My response to that suggestion that Capital Football does not own / maintain facilities for Football is simply this - is what we are doing now working to the complete satisfaction for the Football and Futsal community in the ACT? A community that is growing faster than we can service demand with suitable playing surfaces, even for our Premier League teams. Is it happening with the speed and frequency necessary to sustain and build the game? Are we "future proofing" our game?

When we ask questions, the answer is always the same - we are talking to so and so in the ACT Government, their are plans for new playing fields in new suburbs, we had a meeting with so and so. All that ever seems to be spoken of is "process", the sort of stuff you just expect to be happening, but not firm, detailed outcomes.

Take the Hawker Enclosed example - after a fine first effort to redevelop the ground, where is the expansion capability at Hawker for the next ground or the Futsal Facility? There is real estate in that area, but no plans. So in the end, we have one isolated playing field. If you ever go to see the HPP squads and others training during the week, you'll quickly acknowledge the limitations of a "one field site" solution.

So we look elsewhere for ideas and inspiration. Do we do that? Valentine Park in metro NSW for Football NSW comes immediately to mind. What about that fantastic community Football  development in the London, home of Barnett FC, called "the Hive", a very recent development. There's a message here for Capital Football, but are they "on receive"? Is this sort of "vision" a bit too demanding? Here's a promo video for "The Hive":



We need some visionary, bold thinking for Football going forward in the ACT, particularly in the area of playing facilities.

The FFA launched a National Curriculum and a National Development Plan that is intended to influence every level of the game, particularly in the junior and youth age groups, boys and girls. How can these wonderfully praiseworthy initiatives by the FFA be supported in the ACT Region without bold strokes across the playing facilities requirements in our region?

What we are doing, is what we have always done. Its not good enough, never was! And that seems to be the where the thinking stops! Dare I raise the matter of the $26m of ACT Gov funds that escaped to AFL (in Sydney)!

Why don't we have a Football and Futsal Centre in the ACT where we could focus the game in our community, provide a number of first rate playing surfaces, a family friendly cafe, Football / Futsal shop, medical services, swimming pools, live in accommodation for visiting teams, just to name a few elements that come to mind. A place to cater to all levels of football development from ACTAS to Capital Football and Club development training, competitions across all age groups and levels from Junior to State League to Premier League, a place to focus the Kanga Cup and the FFA Futsal Nationals.

And why not two of them? Is this something that the ACT Government would be likely to be interested in? You bet! Why? Because its a plan that stands to continue to benefit all the Football community for many, many years to come. And ours is a very large sporting constituency.

If we had the flexibility with regard to playing facilities, delivered available and up to standard faciltties, we could, if we wanted to, completely restructure when and how we play our competitions during the year, giving both games a whole of year presence, without the constraints currently limiting the conduct of games in the ACT.What a fantastic thing it would be.

Why wouldn't Capital Football, together with the Clubs and in partnership with the ACT Government want to be a proud "owner" of this type of vision for Football and Futsal?

Every time we talk of doing something different with the scheduling of our game, we are told that the grounds are not available. And they are not, because we don't own or have any priority control over them! And nothing changes. So tell me why / how our present and long standing approach is making things better for the game in the ACT? Its not good enough in 2011 going forward.

So Capital Football - tell us what the plan is in detail!

Japanese High School Nara Todaiji Gakuen To Play In The ACT

Sourced from Captial Football website

This is short notice news, but its likely to be very good news for junior / youth players and coaches in the ACT.

Nara Todaiji Gakuen arrives in Canberra today to start their five match development tour in Canberra. If they are anything like Nara Ishiju who visited last year, they will be sensational to watch. Well, half as good will get me to the games for sure!

It's tough in their part of the world at the moment, so this tour is pretty special. Get to the games and give the young players your support. Kindnesses remembered help build the future. Nothing does that better than football!

This is their school:

Canberra City and Canberra FC (PL18 and PL16) are the two lucky clubs that will get a chance to play Nara Todaiji Gakuen.

Tōdaiji Gakuen (東大寺学園 Tōdaiji Gakuen) is a private school, combined middle and high school in the city of Nara, Japan. It was founded in 1926 as an offshoot of the famous Tōdai-ji temple, and began as an evening middle school (夜間中学) for working students. Daytime education began in 1963, when the current name was adopted, and evening education was dropped in 1977. Today, most of the students go on to the national universities, especially Kyoto University and University of Tokyo, or medical courses. (sourced from wikipedia)



The fixtures are as follows:


Wednesday 23rd March v Canberra City PL18 (Hawker Football Centre, kick off 8pm)

Friday 25th March v Canberra FC PL18 (Hawker Football Centre, kick off 8pm)

Saturday 26th March v Canberra City PL16 (Hawker Football Centre, kick off 6pm)

Monday 28th March v Canberra FC PL16 (Deakin Stadium, kick off 7pm)

Wednesday 30th March v Canberra FC PL18 (Deakin Stadium, kick off 7pm)

NARA TODAIJI GAKUEN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – TOURING PARTY

Takahiro Yoshibayashi (gk), Tomo Yamagata (gk), Taisei Hirooka, Kazuya Onishi, Daichi Kato, Yoshizuki Fumoto, Toyoki Okuda, Yuki Katakami, Taisuke Matsuda, Takahiro Shigeoka, Mizuki Ri, Taisuke Matano, Takuya Hirata, Takuma Fujioka, Yusuke Nishimuta, Naoto Kawai, Shunya Asai, Taiyo Yoshida, Haruki Matsuoka, Masato Tanaka, Tetsuki Bun

COACH: Keiji Sawada

Dentist Sounds Sports Drinks Warning

Sourced from http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/18/3167749.htm

Sports drinks are used all the time these days, in preference to water, from Rooball to Masters! Do you need it? Or do you simply need to hydrate correctly - with water?

Dentist sounds sports drinks warning
By Paul Kennedy and Tim Ayliffe
Updated Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:01pm AEDT

Dr Brett Dorney says he has witnessed a huge increase in dental erosion since the Sydney Olympics (AAP: Dean Lewins)
Dr Brett Dorney says he has witnessed a huge increase in dental erosion since the Sydney Olympics, when he was the event's deputy director of dental services.
Dr Dorney says he first noticed the link between damaged teeth and sports drinks when he reviewed the cases of twenty-five elite athletes in his Sydney practice in 1995.
"We were absolutely shocked to find that elite athletes do not have elite mouths," he said.
"They were suffering widespread erosion and a lot of them had decayed teeth, which is something that we did not expect from people that we look up to in the community.
"Normally two mechanisms are involved. One is called dental erosion, which is basically the tooth dissolving. The other one is dental decay [which] occurs because sports drinks are acid, and they allow acid resistant bacteria to build up on the tooth's surface."
Dr Dorney says a product that was developed six years ago could help limit erosion from sports drinks.
He cited a scientific paper released by Melbourne University in 2005 that examined the effects of adding a calcium product called CPPACP to sports drinks.
"When this was added... they found that the erosive potential of that product was dramatically reduced," he said.
"The other important part was that the flavour of the sports drink, according to the study... had not changed."
Dr Dorney, who will present his research to an international conference in the United States, says he is not encouraging athletes to stop consuming sports drinks.
But he insists they should be made aware of the dangers.
"I think modern dentistry is about education - you must give people the information so that they can make choices [about] dental health and what dental risk they are going to be at.
"[Tooth erosion] is multi-factorial, it depends on whether the person is dehydrated, it also depends on the sport they are playing, the intensity of the sport, whether they have had sufficient fluid before they started playing."
Emma Rippon, a sports dietitian employed by the Collingwood Football Club, says sports drinks play a vital role in athletic performance.
"Sports drinks were originally designed to help elite athletes to maintain their sporting performance during activity," she said.
"They provide fluid, they provide carbohydrate for energy, they provide electrolytes, sodium and potassium so they are a really important part of an athlete's nutritional strategy."
But Ms Rippon agrees sports drinks cause problems for some athletes.

"There is a problem with tooth decay and tooth enamel erosion in athletes who misuse or overuse sports drinks. We are aware of that as a professional organisation of sports dietitians, we know [it] can be an issue," she said.
She says one way of minimising harm is by reducing the amount of contact the acidic fluid had with teeth.
"They can squirt the drink to the back of their mouth... [and] they can then follow up with some water to help rinse their mouth out as well," she said.
"And not drinking it while they have a mouthguard in their mouth as well, which would obviously hold the sports drink in their teeth."
Ms Rippon warns recreational athletes and children should also beware.
"There's a level of education for these young kids who are again drinking these things because there's a marketing hype, or they have just stopped into the milk bar on the way to school, and I do see it myself and it is a concern, because that is the misuse of these products," she said.
"Also, we are not encouraging our kids and not giving them the right messages if they are having these types of fluids instead of having proper nutritious food."
Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade play a major role in sponsoring elite sports teams and individual athletes.
Ms Rippon says it is not the role of the manufacturers of sports drinks to educate consumers about the dangers of misusing sports drinks.
"But again there is an element of education and seeking the right advice from professionals in the industry and in the area to help people get an understanding about whether sports drinks are right for them," she said.
Powerade, owned by Coca Cola, states on its website: "The combination of carbohydrate in a somewhat acidic environment can cause dental cavities and/or erosion, however sports drinks are no different to many foods and fluids".
"Minimise the contact time between the sports drink and teeth (for example by swallowing immediately and rinsing with water regularly whilst using a sports drink). also, don't wash your mouthguard with a sports drink before putting it in your mouth."
Gatorade, owned by Pepsico, said it employed a nutritionist to work closely with sports bodies, including the Australian Institute of Sport, to ensure the best use of its products.
-Paul Kennedy presents Contact Sport at 7.30pm AEST tonight on ABC News 24.

Is It The Barca Way For Football Development In The ACT? It Should be!

Well if it isn't, it should be.

They are the perfect training aide for National Football Curriculum. Who wouldn't want to play like Barcelona? The number of triangles they create in quick time, the willingness of every player off the ball to work to provide the next best option, the hunger to retain the ball and then win it back quickly if its lost, are attributes you would want in your team, every team, not just the representative teams or development programs. Every Junior coach should analyse the Barca style, Capital Football should make it their business to get as much vision of their games, edit it to provide a training resource to coaches and clubs.  If the Junior Clubs mandate the use of the 1-4-3-3 this season, the National Football Curriculum will really take off and the Football leap ahead.

Parents take note - look to have your child trying to play like this and their coach advocating and training to play in this style. Its fun! The best that Football can offer - next to the enjoyment of playing a truly beutiful game with your mates.

If you get a chance, find a video fo the recent first round game between Barcelona and Arsenal. It was nothing short of Football heaven. An inspiration for the season ahead here in the ACT at every competitive level in junior commmunity football.

The Les Murray Blog from that wonderful Football program "SBS The World Game", contains a terrific article on Barcelona - http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/les-murray/blog/1048057/Is-Barca-the-best-in-history#add

Les Murray had this to say:

Is the current FC Barcelona the best club team of all time?

"...Sorting through the images that are in my mind, and the experiences that I’ve had as a student of the game for more than half a century, I’m having difficulty resisting the supposition that this Barca is not only up there with the cream but may be as good as it gets.
It’s important that I qualify what I mean here. I’m not talking about the greatest club in the world, based on trophies won, achievements made over prolonged periods, star players paraded etc. I make reference only to the unique excellence of this current Barcelona, the one under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, which is yet to complete its third season.
Greatness in football is defined by many things. But the greatest point of distinction and respect, is when a team becomes a singular reference point for all that other teams admire and want to become. This is the Barcelona of today, in a way and to an extent one has rarely seen in the long annals of the game." ....

"The stars have aligned, creating a product that is the envy of all clubs and will be remembered and nostalgically recalled fifty years from now. By and large it has a team that was not bought but organically fashioned from within, and by a technical ideology which, though inspired by the Dutch, is now distinctly its own. This is important when making comparisons for too many great teams of the past were assembled by the cheque book.
This fact promises the greatness of the current Barcelona some serious longevity, which brings us back to the original question: is it the greatest club team of all time? "....
"What I can and will say, is that the Barca of today is the finest club team I have ever seen. I would guess that many would take the same view, including Craig Foster who I’m sure would shamelessly concur. And I’ve been around more than twenty years longer than him.

I rejoice every day at being alive to witness the infinite beauty of this Barcelona and sometimes have to pinch myself to see if it’s all real."

Here is a couple of video clips of Barcelona to inspire you:

New Capital Football Technical Director, Royston (Roy) Thomas Talks About the Task Ahead

Capital Football have appointed a new Technical Director, his name is Royston (Roy) Thomas.

In this interview, Royston speaks of his Football background / experience and describes the first steps he has taken in his new position.

The position of Techncial Director is a pivotal one in ACT Football. In past years the emphasis, almost sole emphasis has been on the very small population of taletend players at age, prior to selection of an even smaller number of players to attend ACTAS. That's no criticism of the persons who have held this position; they obviously did what they were asked to do and the production of talented players in the ACT, beyond State / Territory Federation members is necessary if the we are to see National teams become more competitive. But the truth is that community football and Clubs have got lost in the background, sometimes feeling more put upon than supported by Capital Football and the FFA in these matters. And CAPital Football is in the business of running competitions - good competitions.

Royston arrives at a pivotal time in the development  and expansion of the game in the ACT region. The FFA National Football Curriculum and the National Development Plan, together with a massive shift to the good in Coach Education are the prime drivers in relation to Football players across the nation.

The Capital Football development programs (Academy / High Performance in thier turn) have been reviewed to a standstill. The question is now all about the "what" and the "how". Royston is cognizant of this situation. Playing facilities now demand more and more attention in the ACT and impact on player development and the provision of good competitions. Royston enters at a time with as is often said "a lot of balls in the air".

Royston has a mind to widen his contact with the Football community, reaching down to Clubs and Club Coaches, starting a continuing dialogue. He is presently visiting Clubs, junior and senior and speaks of creating a Forum for Coaches. He has quickly picked up on the important connections to the ACTAS Mens and Womens programs and coaches. Its early days and a productive start on a long and difficult journey in Football.

If you see him around the grounds or have him pointed out to you - go over and say hullo. He will need all the contact he can get outside the Capital Football offices, if he is to get across his portfolio in good time and make decisions that make sense to you. He's easy to talk to and a long Football background.

As you listen to this first interview, you will quickly get the impression that this is a person with a passion for Football. He is your Techncial Director, the game belongs to everyone, so use him! Hope you enjoy this first interview - I did!

Download Podcast here:

Coerver Co-Founder Alfred Galustian Talks About the Importance of Skills Development in Young Players and the Training of Coaches In this Specialist Area of Football Knowledge

In this program we have a long "fireside chat" with Alfred Galustian about Coerver's most recent addition to its formidable Football offerings - the Coaching Diploma in Youth Development. The program just completed in Australia was the pilot program for the World!

Alfred Galustian is sort out by the Clubs and Coaches at the highest levels of the game around the world. The FFA has engaged Alfred to assist in the preparation of the FFA's Skills Acquisition Coaches, who will deal with the best of the best in Australia at age.

When asked what he thought of the world Cup, Alfred's reply was short, but said it all - based on data collected by FIFA, Australia was third most physically capable, while Spain (the eventual winners) was not in the first five nations for the same characteristic. The rest of this short form analysis went unspoken, but with a knowing grin, you may just detect in his voice. Kinda says it all. Which brings us all the way back to the FFA's National Football Curriculum and the National Development plan, and Alfred Galustian's role in skill acquisition coaching. Coerver are already there!

When Alfred Galustian talks, its always worth listening too!

Download Podcast here:

Mens Federation Cup 2011 - Round 1

Round 1

Saturday 12 March 2011
Pool A
Canberra Olympic v Canberra City Hawker  3pm
Belconnen United v White Eagles Hawker 5pm
 
Pool A & Pool B
Woden Valley v Tuggeranong Woden Enclosed 3pm
Cooma Tigers v Monaro Panthers  Woden Enclosed 5pm

Sunday 13 March 2011
Pool B
Weston Creek v Queanbeyan City Hawker 3pm
Goulburn Strikers v Canberra FC Hawker 5pm

Women's Federation Cup 2011 - Round 2

This Thursday evening at Hawker Enclosed we have two fixtures to brighten the week.

Gungahlin United FC face a stern test aginst the Woden Valley FC machine. Can't wait to see it! Then its Western Creek, premiers two seasons ago who play against Canberra FC, a team that showed some early good form last season, only to slide out backwards. Both CLubs have a mind to finish a lot higher on the table than the previous season and this game will provide us with some very early indication of the relative strengths of their playing squads. Not to be missed!

Thursday 10th March 2011



Pool A
Gungahlin United v Woden Valley - (Hawker Football Centre, kick off 6pm)

Gungahlin United squad: 1. Haley Riley (gk), 2. Cristal King, 3. Kiley Green, 4. Liana Madaffari, 5. Malin Jornholt, 6. Emily Carnevale, 7. Laura Sofoulis, 8. Joanne Lee, 10. Brittany Tulley, 11. Chloe Gash, 12. Gabby Ciardullo, 13. Grace Tosic, 14. Caitlyn Taylor, 15. Dianne Wilson, 16. Sally-Anne Tozer, 17. Celia Brown


Woden Valley squad: 1. Tatiana Curic (gk), 2. Stephanie Coates, 3. Bronte Carlin, 5. Meg McLaughlin, 6. Erin Frewin, 7. Grace Field, 10. Georgia Yeoman-Dale, 11. Rebecca Watts, 13. Emma Thornton, 14. Krista Hagen, 10. Ashleigh Palombi, 12. Ellie Raymond, 16. Jaline Hoek, 17. Siena Senatore, 18. Elle Crossman

Unavailable: Isabella Boag-Taylor (ACL reconstruction), Jennifer Walsh (groin), Hayley Hinde (ankle), Kadee Hollis (back), Sophie Kochinos, Christine Walters, Kelsey Perry, Sally Rojahn, Catherine Brown

Pool B
Canberra FC v Weston Creek  - (Hawker Football Centre, kick off 8pm)

Canberra FC squad: 1. Tahlia Davidson (gk), 2. Monique Solar, 3. Rhianna Goldstein, 4. Alice Churchill, 5. Ashleigh Sykes, 6. Najwa Allen, 7. Erin Clout, 8. Ashlea Bryant, 9. Grace Gill, 10. Connie Kanaridis, 11. Jennifer Bisset, 12. Regan Hart, 13. Sam Venables, 14. Amy Dunn, 15. Georgia Ghirardello, 19. Georgina Stewart, 20. Maddeline San Francesco (gk)


Weston Creek squad: 1. Luisa Marzotto (gk), 2. Josie Russell-Brown, 4. Jessie Pritchard, 5. Nicole Somi, 6. Becky Roche, 8. Amanda Aurousseau, 9. Rachel Crittenden, 10. Laura Jones, 11. Lauren Garrity (gk), 12. Sophie Travis, 13. Sarah Crittenden, 21. Claire Stephens, 22. Kristy Babington, 18. Eliza Borucinski, 15.Kellie Lambert, 24. Kearyn Ferguson

Children In Sport - How Much Is Too Much and What Are The Risks?

Sourced from the British Journal of Sports Medicine - Paediatric exercise specialist Denis Caine discusses some hot topics concerning children in sport.

Football is demanding more and more of our young players, particularly if they show some early ability and their parents are keen to see them do well in the game. The development programs, winter competitions, summer competitions, joined as they are for many by an overlapping Futsal season, just about covers the entire calender year these days.

The intention / desired outcome of development programs in football is to engage the young talented players in many more contact hours and games across a year, while upgrading the quality and expertise of those that conduct these programs.

But where do you draw the line? How much Football is too much? Many parents with children keen on football ask these questions.

They talk of the 10,000 hours to produce a player, beginning at 5 years of age and we have can seen just how effective these regimes are from a technical standpoint when we watch  Japanese or Korean youth teams play in Australia. We marvel at the quality of the Singot Primary School every Kanga Cup, knowing as we now do, that this school specialises in Football and the boys train every morning before school. These countries have a far more sophisticated infrastructure in support of football than we offer in the ACT at this time.

It would be interesting to know what they know, when it comes to how much is the right amount at what age and how to deal with injury at these tender ages. This information that is a bit hard to find. Parents often fly by the seat of their pants, on one hand feeling obligated to ensure their child gets the opportunity ot be as good as they might want to be, while on the other, seeking balance across life experiences and most importantly, ensuring the child does not experieence serious injury. Sadly, we see too many young players particpating with all sorts of injuries and strapping, enduring pain  / discomfort when they should not. Too oftne their time in the game is short. Coahes who refuse to play injured young players often feel the cricitism of parents, anxious for their child to be noticed and valued as a player. Adult concepts and expectations seem to impose themsleves on children in Football. It stops being fun of you get injured.

FIFA has an excellent document on injury prevention in the girls / women's game (references by the NPL  - see older posts). Elements mentioned int his study arise in tonight's program.

The children between the ages of 8 to 12 years are the target of high levels of technical development - skills acquisition. They require very specific, and carefully structured training, because so much growth occurs in this period of time and so much damage can be done that has long lasting effects. They go through a further growth spurt in the early teens, which further complicates things. The FFA makes mention of this notion in their National Development Plan, in the context of selection of talented players, which can be hindered by what is referred to as the "Age Relative Effect". But the analysis seems to stop at this point.

So how much is enough training, at what age and when?

Football is played from top to bottom of the age groups in juniors / youth by girls and boys. They often play in the same team, some play up levels beyond their age, in search of the level of resistance that coaches or parents feel will sustain their development, enhance their development or make them more competitive for selection in representative teams. Parents often become very agitated if their child is not selected in a "div 1 " team, as though this is the end of their child's Football world.

So how much is enough? What is the appropraite level of resistance. Who decides? When is the risk too great?

You would think that this sort of thing is the meat and bread of a Techncial Director at member Federation and Club levels.
In this program, we have a very interesting discussion on injury in sport among jnior and youth sport, as the Paediatric exercise specialist, Denis Caine, brings us across some of the latest research.

This program is a must for parents and coaches.

Download Podcast here:

Gungahlin United FC Womens Premier League Team Make A Spectacular Entrance to Womens Premier League!

The new addition to the Womens Premier League this season is Gungahlin United FC. And what a start it was! A Federation Cup victory!

A resounding victory over Tuggernanong United FC (6:1):

Gungahlin United 6 (Brittany Tully 18’, Marlin Jornhole 41’, 58’, Laure Sofoulis 63’, Gabby Ciardullo 75’, Dianne Wilson 88’) Tuggeranong United 1 (Freyja Jacobsen 20’)


Coach Bruce Green danced a gig, mumbling something about "margaritas" that evening, the players looked as happy as they did relieved they had got past thier first test in Prmier League and the Club delighted. So they should be, it was a terrific start to what promises to be a strong first season effort.

Be in no doubt, this result surprised everyone I have spoken to among theother clubs in the PL competition. If you had been at the game, you would acknowledge that Gungahlin United played in very good style for most of the game. simply overpowering Tuggernanong United in the second half, dominating possession and making the best of nearly every opportunity.

Their performance on debut was a much stronger effort than either the hapless Brindabella Blues FC (now defunct) or Tuggernanong United FC debuts in season 2010. On this first game form, they seem certain to improve and that couldn't be better for the Womens Premier League.

And with a certain style that points to good club admisntration, the following appeared from teh Club on the Capital Football website:

Gungahlin United is pleased to announce the Captains chosen to lead our inaugural Women's Premier League squads for season 2011.
The following players named have displayed to their coaches not only in the trials and training conducted in the WPL process, but also in previous years in the various teams they have represented - the qualities needed to Captain the 3 brand new teams that will be making their mark in Women's Premier League for Gungahlin United.
Co Captains for 18WPL are Brigette Berry and Chelsea Lemon. - Co Captains for WPR are Cristal King and Chloe Gash. - Co Captains for WPL are Kiley Green and Laura Sofoulis.
Congratulations ladies on your appointments, Gungahlin United FC wishes you all the best in the season ahead.


Gungahlin United FC is the ACT Football's "sleeping giant", with a formidable presence now in the Mens PL with PL16 and PL18 teams, and now a full complement of Women's PL teams. They are awake and starting to move!

And this is only the beginning for this club.

When Coach, Club Administrators and Players All Get On The Same Wavelength - Magic Things Happen

Sourced from http://www.a-league.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=39226

Victorious Brisbane Roar players celebrate winning the A-League minor premiership.

The Club, the Coach and the Players all have to work in synchronisation if supporters are to see the best the Club has to offer in a season. Same for us at community level.
The massive turn around by the A League club, Brisbane Roar in season 2010/2011 is nothing short of astonishing. The previous season saw them on the brink of collapse, a new and very experienced coach was appointed, a deliberate and massive turnover of the playering roster was undertaken, not a whole lot of money to be going on with and that's before a ball is kicked in the competition.

There is a lot of lessons to be learned from the Brisbane Roar campaign this season that can be applied to your club.

There have been a couple of savage blowups among our Clubs in the off- season and in particular, one Premier League club. These unhappy times usually follow a lack of success the previous season. People leave declaring the club is "stuffed". Well, how could it be any other way when these all so important people depart??? But clubs soldier on and thank goodness they do. There is always another season. When the finger pointing has stopped and no one is interested in listening to the tiresome gossip eminating from the disenchanted departees, the club repairs and rebuilds. This can be done in a season, as seems to be the case with Brisbane Roar. Other times, particularly in community based football, it may take a few years.

No one gave Brisbane Roar a hope at the start of the season - now look where they are. They are a smart bunch up there in Brisbane.

A great Football story that resonates at every level in the game.

This short article (excepts from) captures the essentail elements.

Chemistry key to Roar success

Saturday, 5 March 2011
by Liam Daly, Sportal

A quality starting 11 and proven Hyundai A-League stars certainly aren't taken for granted by the Brisbane Roar, but coach Ange Postecoglou says an all-round team chemistry has been the key to their 2010-11 success.

The Professional Footballers Association named seven Brisbane players in their team of the year, and on that statistic alone it would be easy to assume that the quality of their roster has been responsible for their record-breaking, one-loss season. ......

But for Postecoglou (Coach), the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Offseason recruitment – and the Roar did plenty, bringing in 12 fresh faces – was more than a star search; it was a calculated mission to find complimentary talent.
 "It's a little bit different (to picking a rep side)…with a rep side, sometimes you don't know if the chemistry's right. It's not just about having the best players," said Postecoglou.
 "Sometimes, in terms of your recruiting, you fall into the trap of just going for the players who are good players, but do they necessarily fit into what you're doing."
 "Our chemistry has been good all year, and that's the key to our success, it's not so much just having the quality of players we do have. And we do have great quality throughout our squad, but the chemistry's right."

"They all play our style of football and they all react well to one another, and I think that's the key for us." .........


"The big thing for us is that everyone's ready to go, and as we've proven quite consistently this year, and even in the last game, it's not just a matter of who starts, it's a matter of who comes off the bench that makes a big difference, and we've been better at that than all other clubs," he said.

"....... we've been good all year with people coming off the bench and contributing to the side. I'm sure come grand final day, we're going to have the 15 or 16 blokes who are selected ready to go and ready to make a contribution."