Capital Football and ACT Club Teams at the Bathurst Proctor Park Ladies Challenge

The Nearpost Local roving reporter, Simon Kravis has once again provided us with an excellent summary of this Football event. We were all well represented by the teams from the ACT. Should be more of it!

Capital Football Under 16 Girls team at Proctor Park Ladies Challenge, Bathurst Feb 2011

Capital Football (CF) and ACT Junior CLubs entered teams in the Under 14 and Under 16 competitions at the Proctor Park Ladies Challenge Cup held at Bathurst over the weekend of 26- 27 February this year.


The competitions were well-subscribed with 16 teams in the Under 14 competition and 17 in the Under 16. As well as the two Capital Football teams, Woden Valley entered a team of mainly under 14 players in the Under 16 competition as preparation for participation later this year in the Dana Cup in Denmark.

All other teams were from NSW.

The two CF teams both played in competitions above their age group, being mainly comprised of players under 12 and under 14 years old. Despite being matched with teams of players mostly two years older, both CF teams provided stiff opposition to teams of bigger and faster players and finished second in their respective groups. The tournament also exposed players to the more physical style of play found outside Canberra.

The CF Under 16 team had their first game against Albury-Wodonga, who dominated the game with speed, strength and anticipation and kept the play almost entirely in the CF half on a slow, well-grassed pitch. However, a stout defence from CF meant that Albury-Wodonga only won 1-0 after a goal from Zoe Corbett, who picked up a loose ball in the penalty area and slotted it home. CF goalkeeper Freya Brent did well to keep out a number of stinging strikes, and defender Hiwot Johnstone managed to obtain possession from attackers from all angles as though by magnetism.

Springwood used their pace advantage in the second game on Saturday and went ahead early in the first half when Jasmine Hewlett outran the defence in the centre and slipped the ball past the goalkeeper. However, CF regrouped and Springwood defence gave CF much more time on the ball. A strike from Hiwot Johnstone went just high and CF frequently had possession with four players just outside the penalty area. However, CF were unable to find the net and Springwood took the game 1-0, despite being outplayed for much of the game.

The first game on Sunday was against Wollongong team Balgownie and was slow to start with neither team taking the advantage and both playing off frequent turnovers in possession. Balgownie were the more collected team in the second half. Both teams had chances and the CF goalkeeper Georgia Doble was frequently saved from dealing from with an unimpeded strike after Balgownie breakthroughs by the speed and efficacy of CF defender Millie Mallinson and the game ended in a 0-0 draw.

CF started strongly against Griffith, their final opponents on Sunday, and were rewarded half way through the first half when a cross from Jay Williams was not cleared effectively by the Griffith defence and was tapped home by Maddie Whitall. However, Griffith had the better of the remaining play. CF keeper Freya Brent managed to keep a clean sheet against sustained pressure and CF took the game 1-0.

The Under 14 CF team first played Central Coast, who went ahead through a goal from Jaymie Fressard into an empty net after a collision with CF goalkeeper Jilly Scott, who was replaced by Ali Cook. Sam Roff equalised for CF soon afterwards and CF came out strongly in the second half but soon conceded a penalty, which Central Coast sent wide. A free kick about 30 yards from the Central Coast goal was taken outstandingly by goalkeeper Ali Cook, who floated the ball into the far top corner of the net to give CF a 2-1 lead which they held to the final whistle.

Sutherland Sharks were much tougher proposition, dominating the play from the outset. They went ahead through Rochelle Borromeo and Demi Koulizakis into undefended goals after defensive errors to take a 2-0 lead at half time, which they extended to 3-0 in the second half after Charlotte Reba trickled the ball over the line from a defensive melee. Sutherland’s Madison Farmer almost added a fourth goal after a blazing 40 yard run from the half-way line, but energetic defence from CF kept out any further goals.

In their two Sunday games, CF prevailed 6-1 over the local Cowra team, and held Griffith to a 1-1 draw in tightly fought game.

The Woden Valley team in the Under 16 competition drew 1-1 with Southern Branch, lost 5-0 to Macarthur Rams, won 3-0 against APIA and won 1-0 against Northbridge to take 3rd place in their group.

Ron Smiths Talks About the Capital Football High Performance Program Review - Part 3

In this interview, Part 3 of a three part series, Ron Smith talks about the key areas of his review into the Capital Football High Performance Program. They are very intersting and informative interviews - it's always that way with Ron Smith.

Our best performed ACT Rep team in 2010 - the Under 13 Girls. And they were very good! Some of these young players have already moved forward to the Womens' ACTAS program. Others will follow for sure.

Out of this team - our first Australian Under 13 Girls representative - Siena Senatore.  And if memory serves correctly, that's a top flight young NSW player (also an Australian U13 rep) she has to deal with and did so. It can be done! In the case of Ms Senatore, it was the product of years of work in Football, summer and winter, CF HPP, Coerver Academy (several years of it) for the high quality technical development that is second to none in the ACT region, and various other football activities that her parents got her too over the years, too numerous to list and of course, Futsal. Ron Smith's word "repetition" comes to mind. There are no shortcuts. In the end though, its the player that does the work and the harder you work if you have some ability, the more likely you are to succeed. And so it was for this young player. I can only imagine how proud her parents and brother must have been when her selection was announced. It can be done!

 Here we have the 2006 Socceross, a remarkable group of players, with a first rate coach and top class support staff - among which Ron Smith was a key person - the football analyst. One picture that defeinately belongs in the "pool room"! This is where all that "development" , all that "repetition" and an uncompromising ambition / committment to succeed, may take a talented young player. Without all this and before any other factor imposes itself, nothing is possible. It all starts in our backyard - our Clubs and ourCapital Football player development regime. That's why this review of our HPP is so important.

As I have mentioned previously, we do not attempt to tick off every paragraph of the report or recommendations. You do the reading for yourself when the report is released on the CF website.

Instead, we have a long fireside chat with Ron around the major themes or key points in his report and recommendations. The report stands as it is and how it willbe dealt with is for others. At this point, I think its far more important to listen to the author’s thoughts, underpinning philosophy and views on these matters, as it will assist us in understanding what he has recommended and why.

There are no hidden corners, what you hear is how it is. Ron’s research is thorough and he has a depth of football experience at the highest levels of the game, which enables him to bring a certainty of observation not available to most of the rest of us.

I must also again remind the NPL listener, that Ron’s not responsible for implementation of the recommendations. He has tabled his report and now its for others to decide what to do with it. In this case, it is for the CF Board to decide and the new Technical Director to undertake over the next couple of years.

As ever, now the report is done, the devil is in the detailed implementation.

So sit back, cup of tea to hand, close the door, hang the "do not disturb" sign on the door knob, put on the headphones, listen and think.

Download the Podcast here:

Ron Smiths Talks About the Capital Football High Performance Program Review - Part 2

In this interview, Part 2 of a three part series, Ron Smith talks about the key areas of his review into the Capital Football High Performance Program. They are very intersting and informative interviews - it's always that way with Ron Smith.

As I have mentioned previously, we do not attempt to tick off every paragraph of the report or recommendations. You do the reading for yourself when the report is released on the CF website.

Instead, we have a long fireside chat with Ron around the major themes or key points in his report and recommendations. The report stands as it is and how it willbe dealt with is for others. At this point, I think its far more important to listen to the author’s thoughts, underpinning philosophy and views on these matters, as it will assist us in understanding what he has recommended and why.

There are no hidden corners, what you hear is how it is. Ron’s research is thorough and he has a depth of football experience at the highest levels of the game, which enables him to bring a certainty of observation not available to most of the rest of us.

I must also again remind the NPL listener, that Ron’s not responsible for implementation of the recommendations. He has tabled his report and now its for others to decide what to do with it. In this case, it is for the CF Board to decide and the new Technical Director to undertake over the next couple of years.

As ever, now the report is done, the devil is in the detailed implementation.

So sit back, cup of tea to hand, close the door, hang the "do not disturb" sign on the door knob, put on the headphones, listen and think.

Download the Podcast here:

Ron Smiths Talks About the Capital Football High Performance Program Review - Part 1

This program is broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network on Tuesday 28 December 2010 at 7:00PM.

In this interview, Part 1 of a three part series, Ron Smith talks about the key areas of his review into the Capital Football High Performance Program. They are very intersting and informative interviews - it's always that way with Ron Smith.

As I have mentioned previously, we do not attempt to tick off every paragraph of the report or recommendations. You do the reading for yourself when the report is released on the CF website.

Instead, we have a long fireside chat with Ron around the major themes or key points in his report and recommendations. The report stands as it is and how it willbe dealt with is for others. At this point, I think its far more important to listen to the author’s thoughts, underpinning philosophy and views on these matters, as it will assist us in understanding what he has recommended and why.

There are no hidden corners, what you hear is how it is. Ron’s research is thorough and he has a depth of football experience at the highest levels of the game, which enables him to bring a certainty of observation not available to most of the rest of us.

I must also again remind the NPL listener, that Ron’s not responsible for implementation of the recommendations. He has tabled his report and now its for others to decide what to do with it. In this case, it is for the CF Board to decide and the new Technical Director to undertake over the next couple of years.

As ever, now the report is done, the devil is in the detailed implementation.

So sit back, cup of tea to hand, close the door, hang the "do not disturb" sign on the door knob, put on the headphones, listen and think.

Download Podcast here:

Capital Football High Performance Program Review - Report With the Board

CEO Capital Football, Heather Reid, confirmed yesterday (Monday 6 December 2010) to the NPL that Ron Smith had submitted his review report.

The CEO advised the NPL that the review report would be presented to the Board meeting that evening and there would follow a period of consideration and discussion of the report at Board level. Its not clear yet when the report (in full) will be made available to the ACT Football community.

In addition, the CEO made the point that the Board's decisions with regard to the recommendations contained in the report and any other adjustments to player development programs (as distinct from ACT Representative Squads / Teams), are likely to coincide with the appointment of the new Capital Football Technical Director.

On the subject of the Techncial Director's position, the CEO indicated that they had recieved a number of very good applications for the position and that the selection process, which is a collaborative effort between the FFA (Han Berger) and Capital Football (CEO), now depended on the avialability of the FFA Techncial Director. The hope is that an offer will be made and the person in place before the commencement of the next phase of what we presently call the HPP.

Oh yes, expect the name of the program to change perhaps to simply "Development Program".

This matter is discussed with Heather Reid on Part 2 of our recent interview with the CEO Capital Football.

High Performance At Other Places - Something To Learn

There is a review being undertaken by Ron Smith at the moment concerning the Capital Football HPP. The report will make interesting reading. Ron has the experience and breadth of international and domestic observation to merit respect and for his conclusions to be taken seriously. But that does not mean we all stop thinking.

Two glaring omissions from our high performance regime jump up and hit you in the face when you look at the manner in which other states are doing their work with talented players.

Communication

Communication is one thing you must have sorted out if you are going to run a high performance program in any sport. Communication between parents, coach, the Sports organisation running the training and of course, the players. Communication is more than notices on a website.

If you go back to the NPL interview on Project 22 (Football NSW HPP) you will realise just how much importance they placed on establishing a trustworthy and timely system of communication. It was a "two pillar" system. They created their own web based solutions to cover these crucial issues. One system is called an "Athlete Performance Tracking System" which serves to manage the individual player, while the other is called "Global Football Systems" which serves to enable coaches to instruct and support players on the content of training sessions. They work.

The FFA contemplated both these issues when it did the deal for the web based product known as S2S. Some of us have been trained to operate the system. The only thing it seemed to be missing when I looked last was an SMS function, but perhaps that is fixed now. It should be.

Does the Capital Football High Performance Program have anything like the Project 22 solution to communication and support, or, the FFA's S2S? The answer is no! Why? Because no one got off their backside and put it in place.

Whole of Year Periodised Programs

This is one of the Football NSW programs from one of their age group squads. Lost and lots of details. Link it to Global Football System's other support for players and coaches and you have the entire football development picture. Join it to their Player Performance Tracking System and you have a total football administrative support system. Gives you this feeling they know what they are doing. S2S provides the same functionality.

Coaches, players and parents in Football HPPs, like teachers / students / parents at school, rely on knowing precisely what must be taught and to a specified standard. They expect the resources to be provided to enable the programs (or schooling) to achieve good outcomes for all concerned.  That should be our start point - anything less is a waste of time.

Both Project 22 and Football West run High Performance programs that span approximately one year (not necessarily a calender year). Capital Football has employed a model which has separate Winter and Summer programs, with potentially different personnel and linkages between the programs that are not easy to discern, nor do they appear to be explained in sufficient detail, anywhere on the Capital Football website.

Project 22 presents its squad members and parents with  a detailed periodised program through their Global Football Systems portal. I can't show it to you here, so go and sing in for a free 30 day trial as see what I mean. That's what I did. (http://coach.globalfootballsystem.com/index.php?home ) Did you get anything like this for your child in the Capital football Program? You should demand it.

Football West provides a periodised program for the year to their players. coaches and parents. Go to this location to have a look - http://www.footballwest.com.au/resources/New%20HPC%20Calendars.pdf . This document is not in the same detail as Project 22, which is not to say they do not provide more detail, but it does provide a whole of year view of the program calender.

Capital Football appears to have something less of a solution when compared with either Football West or Football NSW's Project 22. Why?  For example:

• The High Performance section of the Capital Football website is where you find information on individual squads - by birth date
• The information provided differs between squads - why? For example, the "2002 Combined squad" has a list of squad members, coaches names, generic training times, location(s) and no calender for the entire program. Same for several other HPP squads. However, the "Under 17 Boys" and "1996 Squad" contains a complete list of the the training dates / times / locations for the program.
• There is no periodised program for any of the HPP squads (by age) published on the Capital Football website, nor does it seem to exist in the form you would receive it, if you were a squad member in Football NSW's Project 22. Why? What instructions are the HPP coaching staff given for the entire program, what information do parents have or did they have before the program began. Who does the quality control on the coaching staff and players (independent of coaches views). If the coaches have received specific instruction, are they able to be published and have they been provided with any coaching support resources - in the form you are able to access in either Project 22's Global Support System or the FFA's S2S? If not, why not?
• As to any sort of performance tracking system - I'm not aware of any, other than adhoc notices put up on the website, and presumably, coaches making phones calls / sending SMS on their phone to players / parents etc. We need much more than this and it is available.

We have a lot more yet to be done on our high performance training. Some of it is foundation work, work that others have cracked and we have not here in the ACT. In the meantime, parents pay a lot of money for their children to attend what is presently called high performance training. We have a lot of work to do and it might just be helpful if we picked up the best and most appropriate aspects of other solutions. Just one very small slice of that $26 million that went to AFL could do a power of good.

Now its up to Capital Football to find the financial resources that will almost certainly be demanded by the outcomes of Ron Smith's review, without passing the costs onto the parents, in order to  merit the term "high performance" training.

Football and Tertiary Education Go Together

We often see the path for the talented player to be entry to professional Football. Its not the only way ahead in Football, nor necessarily the most productive across the whole of life.

The opportunites provided to talented Football players to play to a high standard and gain an Undergraduate education (College in the USA) are very real in the USA. The Football programs on offer at some Colleges in the USA are absolutely outstanding. Nor does it close the door on professional football after university studies are completed. We have nothing like these programs in Australia.

Here is an interview with long term Head Coach of the prestigious Yale College Football program. Fascinating!

John Mitchell Speaks on the ANU Under 20 Elite Program and the Way Ahead

John Mitchell decided he would do something about the lack of developmental opportunities of young Football players Under 20 years in the ACT: post ACTAS and those who had not been selected for the AIS, or not made the jump into professional football after the AIS, or had not gained selection in and A League Youth Team.

This cohort of young players roughly covers the ages from 17 to 20 years of age. It was (and still is for that matter) as John has described it, "a tragic vacant space" (in terms of talented player development).

Capital football has introduced some modest initiatives to fill this space - an Under 17 HPP Summer squad and the Mens Summer 20's competition. The latter has been woefully under-subscribed by Premier League Clubs in 2010 (only five teams in 2010 and two from one Club - WVFC), which seems to reinforce John's observations on the current developmental environment in the ACT in this age bracket. The SUmmer 20s was (in 2009 and is (2010) a first rate initiative by CAPital Football, but what do you do if the PL clubs just don;t support it. What does it say about PL CLub attitudes to youth player development. In my view, quite a lot and little of it praiseworthy!

It is this second echelon of players, the ones who did not make it through first time around, that so often conceals a rich vien of talent - if only they could continue to be developed. Without it, not much happens. Such a waste! John Mitchell attempted to redress this situation through the ANU PL club. For that he gets full marks! But it was as he says "slim pickings" and as it turned out, a very hard road to travel. But then, it wasn;t really "club football" as the rest of the PL Clubs would see it to be.

John makes it very clear what it really means to coach to develop, as opposed to coach to win in the Club Premier League environment. Nevertheless, he has had his wins and positively influenced others in Football.

The ANUFC have withdrawn from the Premier League and with it has gone the ANU Under 20 Elite Program (and John Mitchell - for now). A really good idea that lasted two years. Its not been an easy two years, beset with difficulties, that started in late 2009 and continued into 2010, perhaps a few too many than was reasonable to expect, given the nature of the program.

John talks candidly of his experiences, with his customary sense of innovation and far sightedness, illustrating a remarkably good solution for the development of players between 17 to 20 in the ACT and linking the desire for an A league team in Canberra. You see he hasn't really given up on youth development. Just a bit battered and bruised. If that gives his detractors comfort, it is an unworthy thought.

John Mitchell challenges you to think, but it is hard not to miss the frustration and weariness of a passionate Football Coach, who for now, has reached his limit of endurance.

So sit back, cup of tea to hand and listen to Part 1 of this fascinating interview.

Download the Podcast here:

Interview With Ian Shaw, Technical Director Capital Football - Part 2

This program was broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz), Tuesday 28 Spetember 2010 at 7:00PM, through the Australian Community Radio Network.

In Part 2 our discussion with Ian Shaw, Technical Director Capital Football, we continue our discussion based on the Capital Football HPP and the Summer 20's. As things go with Football discussions we get into a lot of related subjects which are never far from thought or discussion. The Capital Football HPP and Coach Education has made a lot of good ground in the last year, as the FFA National Football Curriculum is implemented in the ACT Region (and everyhwere else in Australia). Clubs feature far more in the development dialogue than ever before. There is a very contructive effort being made to eliminate the age relative effect and becom more inclusive of all the talent at age as it develops, largely through the reduction  of the unhelpful aspects of "playing squads". The focus has shifted, slowly but steadily to the benefit of all those young players that wish to be developed, not just the selected few. As much "community development" as "High performance" type development. Good thing too! Its a complicated business, a job never realy completed and one that takes a lot of time, years in fact, before we see the outcomes. Some of the indicators already look very promising. This discussion is worthy of careful listening.

Download the Podacst here:

Football Is An All Year Sport These Days

In tonights program we have a Premier League Grand Final wrap (more to follow in the next week), but the rest is given to junior Football development.

We begin by continuing our discussion with Eddie Senatore and Eddie gives his thoughts on the standard of the Under 13 Open competition this season and the impact of the national curriculum. Very intersting and encouraging.

Then its on to Ian Shaw, Technical Director Capital Football. The Summer High Performance Program is the key topic for Part 1 of this interview series.
There have been huge changes in junior / youth player development over the last two years, with the introduction and implementation of the National Football Curriculum. Ian has been at the forefront of impementing changes demanded by the FFA. Its not an easy job, but it's also not above critical examination. Ian has never stepped back from making himself available to the NPL and its not always been comfortable. Everyone in Football has an opinion and in times of change, it can be hard to bring everyone with you, particularly when the change is mandated by the FFA. Waiting and admiring the problem is not an option for any techncial director and staff. So they got moving.
Change we have had and there is a fair bit to be please about. These changes (ie the national football curriculum) will take many years to embed in our football culture and practice. Clubs will increasingly become the agent of theis change. Witness the changes at clubs like Majura, Woden, Belconnen (United, West, South etc), Tuggeranong, Monaro to name a few. Summer programs and Futsal are now well and truly on the agenda. The Boomerangs admission to the NSW Supa League Futsal competition and their success is another.
The emphasis on coach education cannot be overstated, it was and is a key underpinning requirement of successful implementation of the curriculum, all the way down to the depths of junior clubs. We are now seeing many more new coaches (Senatore among others is one of those that make this change possible at the grass roots), trained in the current football thinking, developing the future generations of players - and keeping them in the game. Thats a big change. There is no room for egos in this work.
Listen carefully as Ian talks of the importance of developing as many young players as possible, not just a seleceted few. Building the player base, the opportunities, keeping them in Football, getting them better technically and so on. You might say that this is not really "High Performance" in its purist sense and you would be right - its more important than that - it's ensuring that here in the ACT region we give every young player a chance to get better and in so doing, the whole game improves, with the result that we create a Club competitive environment that nutures good footballers.
We like fast results in Football, but when did the best ever happen quickly in Football? We have made progress in the ACT and more must come, a lot more and that will take time, resolve and greater resourcing (other than from parents pockets) than is to hand at this time.
Ian and his crew have made a difference.

Download the Podcast here:

The Ron Smith Interviews - Part 3

This program was broadcast on Tuesday 31 August 2010, on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network.

Tonight's program is the third of our interview series with Football Analyst, Elite Coach, former Head of the AIS Football program (10 years), mentor to many of our finest players, specialist technical / analytical advisor to the Socceroos and football national treasure, Ron Smith.

Ron has been engaged to review the Capital Football High Performance Program.

In this fascinating interview, the third in this series, Ron speaks to some subjects that are sure to arouse your interest and are all connected to the notion of a high performance program - age relative effect, does Futsal have a place in football development, what do you do in Summer with the HPP (run competitions or a high performance program to develop players) and Coach education (something important to Ron). Ron speaks of the need to "create the learning environment" and when coaching, asks himself this question " Is the player seeing what I am seeing?" and how to ensure you get the learning across to the player.

As ever, you could just keep listening to Ron talk on Football! A remarkable fellow!

Download Podcast here:

The Ron Smith Interviews - Part 2

This program is broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz), Tuesday 24 August 2010, at 7:00PM across the Australian Community Radio Network.

In tonight's program we have the second part of our interview with Ron Smith, football analyst extraordinaire, Elite level Coach and football national treasure. Ron has been commissioned to review the Capital Football High Performance Program. In this part Ron talks of many things but all central to the development of a talented player and in the context of a high performance program.

You always get the feeling the there is one more damn good story just around the corner when talking with or listening to Ron - and there usually is!

Download Podcast here:

Interview With Ron Smith - Part 1

This program is broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3), Tuesday 17 August 2010 across the Australian Community Radio Network.

Tonight’s program is the first in a four part series of interviews with Australian Football Sage and national treasure, Ron Smith. Ron has done the lot in football and on a world stage – player, elite level coach and football analyst of world class. Some call him the “brain’s trust” – not a bad title for this bloke.


Ron has been engaged by Capital Football to review our HPP. It couldn’t be in better hands.

When Ron comes calling to speak on the HPP or you reckon you have something that needs saying, do it. You’ll have a made a contribution to our young players, present and future.

Download Podcast here:

Interview With Ron Smith - Football Coach, Analyst, Socceroos Technical Advisor and the Person to Conduct the Review of the Capital Football HPP

Listen in next Tuesday at 7:00PM to 2xxfm, or go to this Blogspot and download the podcast or listen from your PC, to Part 1 of an absolutely fascinating and candid interview with eminent Australian Football Coach and football analyst, Ron Smith.

Ron Smith has been appointed to conduct the review of the Capital Football High Performance Program.

As they say "he's been everywhere man"! An absolute treasure chest of football knowledge and experience. He was on staff at the AIS the day they opened for business in the football program. And that's just the start!
The best part is that Ron just tells it the way he sees it. He doesn't blow his trumpet - but if you ask him a question, you get an answer. This is a person really worth listening to.

I reckon they should lock this bloke away in the national archives, set up a recording facility and just let him talk, it would take a while because he knows so damn much, been right in the thick of it - what a terrific history of Australian football would unfold and so much wisdom to reflect on in future years. One of our own! I'm thinking to myself - Ron Smith "National Football Treasure"!

We sat down in the 2xxfm studio this week and the intention was to talk about the task ahead - review of the HPP. Its been a pretty mixed bag the CFAcademy then the CF HPP in recent times in the ACT. Two hours later we stopped talking, we had covered the subject, not in the predictable, boring way of things, but in a fashion that seemed to me at every turn to illustrate the breadth and width of Ron Smith's football knowledge and experience. We flagged several topics that we will speak about at a future time. My head was spinning at times - so many questions to ask of Ron.

Ron Smith understands the complexities around Football and talented players better than anyone I have met in football before and make no mistake - he wants the best we can get for young Australians and are young talent in the ACT region. The review is in good hands.

Don't miss the "Ron Smith" series on the Nearpost Local.

CEO Capital Talks About the HPP Review, Men's State League Review, Summer 20s and Women's Football and Canberra United

This program is broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz), Tuesday 27 July 2010 at 7:00PM through the Australian Community Radio Network.

In this program we have a "fireside chat" with Heather Ried, CEO Capital Football. There is always a lot going on in Football and Futsal and Capital Football has a lot of "footballs in the air"!

The subjects covered are the Review of the High Performance Program and who is going to undertake this sensitive assignment, the Review of the Men's State League Competition, forthcoming Summer 20s, and Women's Football in the ACT and Canberra United.

But that's only one half of the interview!

In the second installment, which will be made available through the Nearposl Local as a Podcast, Heather will speak on other very important matters - the broadening of the Captial Football Futsal Premier League to include youth mens and womens, together with an very innovative approach to the selection of junior age ACT Futsal teams to compete at the Nationals in 2011. There is a review in progress covering the Discipline and Disputes regulations and finally, a very interesting discussion on the key resource issue currently limiting the development of football in the ACT region - the availability of suitable grounds - all the year. No grounds, no growth and less development and a game that is expanding!

Download Pocast here:

Football NSW Project 22 - Coaches, Scouting Talent, HP Culture and Communication

This program was broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz), Tuesday 13 July 2010 at 7:00PM, through the Australian Community Radio Network.

In this program we continue the excellent interview series with the Manager of the Football NSW High Performance Unit, Paul Bentvelzen. The flagship high performance program in NSW is Project 22.

Last week Paul spoke at length on the substance of Project 22 and already you would have observed that this high performance program is truly high performance. Its well ahead of the current Capital Football HPP and well in advance of its predecessor, Capital Football Academy program.

Rumour has it that Capital Football will review the current HPP. Lets be sure that we do not head back toward the tired and discredited Academy system. Lets be sure to keep what is going well and change what is not and include what we have missed in version one of the HPP. Lets not get stuck on that old chestnut, HPP playing squads, that so fascinated a small number of the Capital Football Board, causing major delay, uncertainty and anger at Club level. Who will write the terms of reference for the review and will we, the footballing community get a chance to see the draft and comment?
The Capital Football Board could do no worse than listen to their staff, rather than employ some third party who in time honoured consulting fashion, will interview the employees for the information an ideas, serve them up as original thought, massage it to suit the outcomes really desired by the those engaging them, then present a tome akin to the ten commandments. The likelihood that you get told anything you could not find out or did not know yourself is small, but it sounds so clever to have a “consultant” tell you. We all know how it works - the good old Canberra two step!.

Importantly, lets see open consultation with the football community, not just the favoured few. Bring in expertise as required, but don’t hand the whole business over to some one else. Time is running out fast.

Benchmarking against Project 22 is instructive. Take from it what works in our environment, what we can resource, then implement it bit by bit, review it every year in open forum. Keep what works, change what doesn’t.

If your child is in a Capital Football HHP, do you have a whole of program detailed periodised program for your child? No? Well there is one change straight off the mark and the wonder is its was never there in the past. It’s a basic organisational, technical and educational requirement of high performance training. Do you need a consultant to tell you that?
Tonight Paul Bentvelzen speaks on Coaches in Project 22, the importance of continuously scouting talent rather than just staying with the original selections, some of the cultural / behavioural issues they are wrestling with and finally, the systems for coach support and communication they have implemented and underpin Project 22.

We are not close enough yet in the ACT on some of this and you don’t need an external review to work it out or fix it. There are plenty of smart people in football around the ACT and the AIS is just up the road. Why not ask Football NSW?

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The Football NSW High Performance Program - "Project 22"

This program is broadcast on Tuesday, 6 Juy 2010 on 2xxfm(98.3mhz) trough the Australian Community Radio Network.

In this program we take a look at the Football NSW High Performance Program solution – called "Project 22".

We speak to Paul Bentvelzen, Manager of the Football NSW HP unit (Project 22). Paul and his staff know exactly what they about when it comes to junior Football development. The results of the Project 22 solution are impressive at an early stage of implemetation. If you needed any proof, cast your mind back to the recent Under 13 Boys and Gilrs National Junior Championships. If you were lucky enough to see the NSW Metro teams play, you will need little convincing - and this has little to do with the fact that NSW obviously has more players - its all about how they do it!

There is a very real difference between the "Talented" and "Community" development streams. Both are as important as the other, but its very difficult to get a clear focus on "talented" player development, unless you get very specific and design the program to fit this and only this specification. I doing so, it makes it possible to give real emphasis to community development. Without robust community development, many fewer players will emerge to join the talented development stream. Community development is all too often left behind, but that’s another story and one the NPL has not forgotten.
Start with this simple, self evident fact – the talented players in each age group are a very small population of players. As they grow and get older they may not remain in the talented group of players, being replaced by others that have emerged. That is a very serious challenge for coaches and administrators in football.There is risk in getting on the talented treadmill from the moment the child begins a program. Its not a permanent selection – for player or parent or coach!

So lets begin by getting the talented player stream water tight.

If you are a parent and have a child that is showing some talent or has been identified as being suitable for talented stream development in football, you will in all likelihood, in the ACT, spend a lot of your precious disposable and scarce family resources on keeping the child engaged in the development process. Its not cheap here in the ACT! It’s a burden families find hard to bare.

Ask yourself this simple question – is the Capital Football HPP a genuinely high performance program? Use the Project 22 solution to make comparisions. What can we take away from how NSW's does business on this matter? What should be the primary elements of the football HPP in the ACT region? Don’t get me wrong, Capital Football have made a good start, but it is a long way yet from being a comprehensive talented football development package, within the meaning of the national curriculum. How to go forward?

There is no one way of doing this – the solution must match the environment. By the same reasoning, different environments are no excuse for sub optimal outcomes. Clearly, Football NSW comprehend this concept and Project 22 is a very robust response to junior football talented player development.

The interview will be broadcast in three parts, the first two cover various aspects of their solution and the final interview deals with the systems of communication they have developed at Football NSW for players and coaches in Project 22, together with the player and coach resource systems (web based) used to underpin training.

These interviews speak for themselves. We have a fair it of catching up to do. You’ll be very interested to hear how they tackle the talented stream in Football NSW.

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Training with an Eye on Detail

This is sourced from NSCAA National Standards Project

This observation caught my eye:
"The emphasis is now on the smallest of details within the individual player’s techniques. The players work on a certain technique for long periods of time. Lots of coordination training takes place, first without the ball. All the players received large doses of balance activities, beginning with the proper running styles in a very relaxed manner....
The training we observed was highly organized, realistic and dependent on the coach’s knowledge and ability to instantly see and correct the smallest detail or fault. Each player was involved in each part of the session and was constantly moving."




Training with an Eye on Detail

At Sporting Club of Portugal, coaches pay close attention to precise movements
By Roby Stahl


The emphasis in the Sporting Club of Portugal (SCP) youth program is on the identification and recruiting of players and development both athletically and academically once they are in the SCP program.

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!.

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!

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