President Capital Football and Head Coach of the AIS Talk to the NPL

This program was broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network, on Tuesday, 12 July 2011 at 7:00pm.

"Goals Soccer Center Chooses California Ultimate Turf to Install 80,000 Sq Feet of TigerTurf for 11 Fields at First U.S. Facility. Goals Soccer Centres is the United Kingdom’s largest five-a-side soccer program. The Los Angeles facility will be accessible to people of all skill levels and ages who want to play five-a-side soccer. The new U.S. Goals Soccer Center complex is situated on 3.5 acres and also includes a player-guest lounge, locker rooms, batting cages, and parking lot."

How do we get some of this for our game in the ACT? It was pointed out to me by a very astute person in Football that the O'Connor Playing Fields (including O'Connor Enclosed) is an excellent spot to set up a Football / Futsal hub for the game. Move Capital Football there too. Great idea. Maybe something like that picture above.

We need more than Hawker Enclosed right now! Our grounds are falling apart. Here is a before and after shot from Epping, Victoria. Multiple field developments are they way ahead, no more one field builds - that's the lesson from Hawker Enclosed!

President of Capital Football, Rachel Harrigan, speaks on two critical resource issues that are plaguing our game in the ACT - Grounds Facilities (playing surfaces) and Referees (recruitment and retention). Progress is slow on grounds facilities, funding required is signficant and apparently dependent on ACT Government involvement. Makes that $26m to the AFL look very exspensive for Football in the ACT in the years going forward. Is there another way ahead? President Capital Football is looking for ideas.

The Head Coach of the AIS, Jan Versleijen talks the NPL on player development, following a tour last year by a sensational Japanese High School team (12th ranked in Japan). Versleijen has come under some harsh criticism since the the Joeys were eliminated from the U17 World Cup, much of which fails to take sufficient account of the points Jan makes int his interview. We are on a change in Football (via the national curriculum and development plans) that will take generation to take effect and require some "cultural" adjustment in the game in our society. For those that have taken the trouble to observe the AIS training sessions or indeed, played the AIS (and my Club has done exactly that), there can be no doubt that these young men are as well prepared as can be done at this point in the evolution of Football in Australia. What Versleeijen can't do much about is the lost time in the many years before he gets the best we have at age. A lot has to change before the AIS gets hold of our best at age. It takes patience, time and persistence to get to the top of the Football tree at this age group. Our progress thus far is commensurate with our progress in reforming Football according to the national curriculum and development plans. Versliejen provides the answers in this interview. Patience and persistence is required. Play the possession game on the field and the long game off the park!
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Australia at the FIFA U17 Mens World Cup - A Football Development Storm in the Making

Sourced from http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/craig-foster/blog/1063007/Versleijen-has-to-g

There is so much to say when it comes to the "effective" development of young players under the age of 17 years of age.

The FFA National Football Curriculum and Development plans embrace the period from when our players start particpation in the game till the time those talented few get to play in Australian Under 17 mens team, otherwise known as the Joeys.

At the Capital Football level, all development responsibility, within the current FFA National Curriculum, stops at the age of 15 years of age. The ACTAS responsibility is really all with ACTAS, Capital Football have next to nothing to do with it (leaving aside a financial contribution). After ACTAS, it's hands off at the ACT end of things at this point in time.

But the focus of this Post is the performance of the Joey's ( Australian Under 17 Mens) at the current U17 Mens World Cup. Nevertheless, member Federations have a big input, via the FFA NAtional Curriculum) into the technical competence of the players that find their way to the AIS and Joeys squads. They are supposed to the best of the best at age.

And this is where the drama begins!

The Joeys appear to have under achieved at this Under 17 World Cup, I say "appeared" because I am not so sure this is true. I am yet to be convinced and its one band wagon I would not get on in a hurry. Depends very much on how you measure success and what you are able to articulate as teh underlying problem(s).

The suggestion that the Joeys have under performed opens up a pandora's box of Football youth development issues that go to the very core of the FFA National Curriculum and Developments plans - and then to each member Federation with regard to their respective efforts in delivering quality development programs at age, performances at the National Junior Championships and later at the NTC Challenge (ACTAS).

The raw data from the last few U17 Mens World Cups looks like this:

2003 Round 1
2005 Round 1
2007 Did not qualify
2009 Did not qualify
2011 Qualified - Round of Sixteen.

Looks to me that on the face of it, the Coach and the supporting processes got them further than anyone other effort since 2003. But is this a reliable measure of "development"?

Read on, this is an interesting story and one that should give us pause for thought in repsect of two things - what we are doing for development of all players under Under 16 players in the ACT and what we might hope to do for ACT players from 17 to 20 years of age.

Technical Development of Our Young Players and the Socceroos at the Asian Cup

This program was broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz), Tuesday 1 Febraury 2011 at 7:00PM, across the Australian Community radio Network.

The wonderful performance by the Socceroos in the Asian Cup, signalled a turning point in the development of players across the nation. We finally adopted a forward thinking approach to our opponents, what we conceded had to won from us, which utilised the best of what we have at this time. Not since Gus Hiddick have we demonstrated a style of play that seemed to match our national character. All good so far!

Importantly, it demonstrated what we are not - at this time in the process of our domestic football revolution, following the release of the FFA National Football Curriculum and National Development Plan. We are not as technically proficient as our opponents, even when we beat them on the day. We are playing a style of play that will do for now as we go forward, but it not where we need to be, if we are to challenge successfully and consistently at the highest international levels.

The introduction of the FFA National Football Curriculum and its comprehensive adoption at club level across the nation, is critical to producing the sort of players we admire in places like Barcelona, Japan, Korea and yes, Uzbekistan. Just as important is coach education and training.

In this program we hear from Craig Foster of the fantastic SBS World Game program, who sums up our situation, following our narrow loss to Japan. Then its on to Alfred Galustian of Coerver, the doyan of techncial coaches, together with the Coerver COO of Japan, Shinji Ishibashi (former J League player). The points they make should written in stone! Then we follow with the Head Coach at the AIS, Jan Versleijen and his reflections on player development, following a friendly game his squad played against the Japanese High School team Nara Ishijo. Its one coherent subject from a troika of football luminaries - we should, we must listen carefully - then take action at club level.

One thing is certain, its a point that Ron SMith made in his recent review of our HPP - we need to get this FFA National Curriculum and playing 1-4-3-3, operating in every team in Junior / youth football in the ACT region. Give it a go in the Premier League. It takes years, perhaps generations, to produce players as technically gifted as we see in other places. So get started. Get Club coaches on board with the change.

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Goulburn Strikers Do It Tough But Well and Head Coach AIS Talks Football Development

This Nearpost Local program will be broadcast on 2xxfm, Australian Community Radio Network at 1900 hours on Tuesday 30 March 2010.

The President of the Goulburn Strikers FC, Shane Wilson, is delighted with the performance of the Strikers in the Federation Cup and so he should be. They very nearly toppled reigning Capital Football Premier League Champions, Canberra FC in the final on Sunday. Coaches took notes on Sunday and not for the first time were left more than a bit concerned for their teams's prospects against the Strikers and with a few more clues about how to unravel the CFC lineup.  But the story behind the performance of the tenacious Strikers outfit is the stuff football legends are made of - have a listen.

Then its on to speak to the Head Coach of the AIS Men's Football program, Jan Versleijen, about the preformance of the Nara Ichijo FC High School team. Jan relfects on the differences in the game between Australia and Japan, particularly in respect of player development. Jan makes some very instructive points around coaching required to achieve the outcomes sort by the FFA's National Curriculum. It's a must listen for serious Football people.

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AIS Head Coach Mens' Football, Jan Versleijen Speaks to the Nearpost Local

The AIS Head Coach of the Mens' Football Program, Jan Versliejen, made time to talk to the NPL about the Nara Ichijo FC team that played several fixtures in the ACT last week, including one against the AIS.

Jan also speaks to some very important subjects including player development, coaching methodology, what you need to do to have a chance of being suceesful at the higher levls in the game in Australia, what makes the Japanese players so good, what can we learn from them and the importance of letting the game be the teacher.

Jan Versleijen talks plain good sense! Have a listen, you won;t be disappointed and have a think about just how big the challenge is in order for Football in Australia to move into the top echelons of the world game.

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Head Coach of the AIS Mens Program Gives Some Very Good Advice.

The Head Coach of the AIS Mens' Football Program, Jan Verssleijen discussed the performances of the Nara Ichijo team with the NPL.

Jan is a highly experienced and contemporary international standard Coach who is always willing to share his knowledge and experiences in Football. Jan has been involved in football development and coaching in Japan for three years. He knows what he is talking about.

In the interview to be broadcast next Tuesday, Jan uses the Nara team and Japanese football to illustrate some crucial aspects concerning the development of the game and the players in Australia. It shoul birng you back to reality and help adjust your expectations around your son or daughter in Football!

In addition, Jan makes some very interesting and informative observations concerning coaching in the modern era, consistent with the direction in which the FFA is moving with Coach Education and Development. Now this has very particular meaning for many in the ACT for those parents and supporters who are watching coaches (particularly in the Premier League and Rep teams - well a few of them) and perhaps wondering why some of these coaches are not as noisy on the sideline as was the practice (and still is for many) in recent times. You know the sort - the coach that wants to script every movement of every player and makes the mistake of thinking that constant haranguing (and abuse) from the sideline is a meaningful contribution to player development, effective performance and the game in general.

The change preferred in coaching style means that coaches have to do a lot of work constructing the practice sessions - always with a ball at the feet. That's where the effort must go. No more gratuitous fitness training thankyou. The game is for the players.

Jan's message -
Let The Game Be The Teacher

Make sure you listen to the program or get to the Podcast. It's too good to miss.