This program is broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network, on Tuesday 25 October 2011 at 7:00PM
In this program we speak to Heather Reid, CEO Capital Football. We cover the ongoing disciplinary matters between Capital Football and Canberra FC, the entry of the AIS (with ACTAS) in the Capital Football Premier League in 2012, Womens Premier League for 2012, Mens Premier League teams for 2012 and Futsal. And this is only Part 1 of this interview.
The changeover from Winter to Summer Football and Futsal programs is a period of high activity at Capital Football. Gone are the days of high and low periods of activity in our game. Its an all year sport(s). The administrative tail is long, participation rates large and growing, facilities stretch to capacity and no let up in the accompanying volume of operational difficulties.
The W League begins and preparation for the Futsal Nationals are but two of the premier events that demand attention and lots of it. The Boomerangs FS now campaign in the NSW Futsal Premier League and that too requires a massive effort from players, Club officials and parents, competing as they do at the highest domestic competitive level in Australia each week. Premier League Futsal is underway and will reach down into the junior age groups.
Then there is the Capital Football Technical Director's Football Centre of Excellence and Centre for Development programs, which are crucial to the ongoing development of young players for the National Youth Championships in 2012.
Which program comes first and when? If Futsal and Football are both important, then how wil it work for each player? Parents like to know that and administrators need to know.
A significant number of our good young players are training in a technically rich developmental environment at the Ceorver Academy, a program which has probably done more for the younger players than anything else in the ACT in the last few years. Parents pay for this high quality service, independent of any other arrangement they may have for their children in Capital Football programs.. Its a program that demands the discipline to attend all sessions (and rightly so).
And all this before we get to Summer Football competitions for Men and Women, or the regular senior and junior Futsal competitions. And we are only talking about out sports, not others nor any other co-curricular activity.
Effective co-ordination of competing demands is an organisational as well a parental problem. The lead must come from Capital Football, at least for Capital Football programs / competitions.
Its definitely and an all-year round business these days. But has the obvious struck you yet, when you catalogue the options in Football or Futsal that are now available to our limited player based by age?
Its a Football and Futsal smorgasbord out there! Whats the pathway for your child?
Yes, its obvious - so many things, how are the conflicts between program offerings resolved - are they resolved in advance or in a timely manner and by who, and can you be sure that your son or daughter will not be disadvantaged should they wish to represent the ACT? This is tricky business that must often be resolved on a case by case basis, but in doing so, administrators are sometimes unfairly criticized for "showing preferential behavior". Tempers flare and patience evaporates. Sometimes people are right to complain because there are genuine stuff ups or poor options selected by administrators. Just as often, some people want it all when having it all is not possible. Disputes escalate so quickly in the age of the email and text message.
Somewhere in this mix questions get asked about the quality of coaching and in Futsal that is a big question. In fact, here is a question put to me by a parent of a very good young player (football and futsal) two days ago - would you be entirely happy with a "minor" and/or inexperienced /unqualified coach being appointed to select and coach your child's team at the Nationals? (My answer was that I expect and a suitable adult to coach minors and that a coach who was a "minor" should assist only - I guess I got asked that one for reason!) And what if we are lucky enough to have a cohort of players at age who might reasonably form two ACT teams at the Nationals (usually called "Cobras" for the first ranked teams and "Colts" for the second ranked team)? Do we have two ACT rep teams where playing strength allows and if not, why not? Assuming they are relatively competitive, why not build capacity? Why one team only at age - what is the logic in this position when there are no rules that preclude more than one team? Then there is that old chestnut - let some better players, play up an age or two, it will help them develop. Now this is rubbish at the Nationals. You play all your best at age against the best of other States at age. All your best at age is the key for us here in the ACT. If you don't, you rob one age group to reinforce another age group and who says one age group is more importnat than another at Nationals. Covering weaknesses at one age group is solved before and during selection by looking for and identifying talent at age, not pilfering good, younger players. Just let the kids be good at age, they are only this age once and who are you to take that away from them. And so on. Every year its the same phalanx of questions from parents and I have heard all of them already in the last two months. Don;t we ever learn? Why have we no enduring corporate memory on these matters at Capital Football? All these issues should already be underpinned by good policy and the situation clear to administrators, coaches and parents.
Communication (effective) and flexibility are the key when operating with a small target group of players , such as the available player pool in the ACT, but there are limits all round. Common sense should resolve most things without resorting to a telphone book of rules, but after it has gone bad, talk of more rules is usually where we end up. And for what?Administrators can't make parental decisions, but they have to make decisions which advance and build the sport. This is difficult terrain and its navigated every year with varying degrees of success. Futsal is a good example of that and seems to have begun (at least at the rep level) with a higher than usual amount of concern.
This is an illuminating set of interviews. Try seeing it from the CEO's perspective. Very interesting
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