How to coach girls

Sourced from www.footy4kids.co.uk

Coaches who have girls and boys in their team often wonder about the implications of coaching the "fairer sex".
They want to know:

• Do I have to treat girls and boys differently?
• Do I need to plan coaching sessions for girls in a special way?
• Do girls want to win as much as boys? Will they work as hard?

This article will help you answer these questions. But before we look at the differences between girls and boys and the implications these differences have for youth soccer coaches, let's see what girls and boys have in common.


Firstly, boys and girls want to play soccer for largely the same reasons.
Almost 900 children playing soccer in a tournament in the USA children were asked a series of questions relating to their attitude to soccer.^[1]


Their responses to the statement: "I play soccer because I want to... " were summarised as:


                                 girls   boys
Have fun                     99%   94%
Improve at my sport    98%   94%
Learn new skills          95%   89%
Be competitive            94%   94%
Get in shape               92%   88%Be with friends            92%   87%

The same survey asked questions relating to winning. And that's where a significant gender difference emerged.
In answer to the question: "How important is winning when playing soccer?" 80% of the boys said that winning was "important" or "very important" compared to just 61% of the girls.


A similar gender difference emerged when they were asked how important playing fairly was to them. 72% of the girls said that playing fairly was "important" or "very important" while only 48% of the boys tried not to break the rules.


Of course, we don't know how much the attitude of the players' coaches influenced these responses. Could it be that the coaches of the girls' teams placed less emphasis on winning than the boys' coaches?
Interestingly for those of you who have been following the playing time debate on footy4kids, 78% of boys – but only 54% of the girls – agreed with the statement that it is more important for key players to play in order to win than for everyone to get equal playing time.


Similarly, 53% of girls agreed it was important "that everyone gets a chance to play" compared to 34% of the boys.


These results back up my own experience of coaching boys and girls teams over the years.
I have learned – often the hard way – that:


1. Girls are more analytical than boys and will not accept what a coach says at face value. They will want to know why they should do something a particular way more than boys will. If you try to be dictatorial, girls will simply switch off whereas boys may accept what you say because you're "the boss".


2. Team unity is more important to girls than boys. So if you coach girls you have to make sure that you give more or less equal playing time to everyone in the squad, regardless of their ability, even in the most important games. If you don't, the girls won't thank you if they win but they will remember that you were "unfair" to their friends.


Also, a girls' coach has to be constantly on the lookout for the emergence of little cliques. Small groups within teams are always damaging whether you coach boys or girls but they can permanently split a girls' team in a matter of days. If you coach girls, listen carefully to their conversations and watch how they interact with each other 


Girls usually place more emphasis on "fair play" than boys who are more likely to bend the rules. So girls' matches are often more pleasant, stress-free event... as long as you can keep their parents under control.
Boys are more likely than girls to blame outside factors (the referee, the weather, the coach) if they lose whereas individual female players will often blame themselves for a poor team performance, even if it is unjustified. So you need to spend a lot of time with girls reinforcing the notion that it's effort that counts, not results.


As far as their capacity for physical work is concerned, there is no difference between boys and girls until they reach puberty.


From the age of about 10 the anaerobic capacity of boys – their ability to work hard in short bursts – quickly outstrips girls and coaches who have both boys and girls in their team should be careful to plan their coaching activities accordingly.

To sum up.

If you're coaching girls you have to be:

• People oriented and democratic.
• Very aware of the relationships between players.
• Give lots of positive encouragement.
• Get player input, ask for suggestions and never lecture.
• Treat every player in the squad exactly the same.
• Plan relatively low intensity training sessions that include lots of games and several rest breaks.

To be honest, this is a good way to coach boys too. But you can often get away with telling boys what to do and not paying much attention to their relationships.


Try doing that with girls and you won't last very long, I assure you.

---

References
[1] Healy Jonas, M. "Attitude towards competition: do differences exist between boys and girls?" Melpomene Journal, Vol. 21, no. 2, 2002, p. 21-28.

Capital Football Technical Director, Roy Thomas Talks About the Way Ahead

This program is broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network on Tuesday, 23 August 2011 at 7:00pm.

Tonights program is an extended interview with the Technical Director, Capital Football, Royston Thomas. Roy is a highly experienced professional Football person, very pragmatic and refreshingly “no fuss” in his approach. The CF TD’s job is a big one, with lots of influences and never enough resources to cover the scope of the various tasks to hand. So deciding what and how it will be done and when, is crucial to success. Being sufficiently determined to pursue these objectives, bring the Football community with you, while flexible enough to change position if better ideas come along, is essential to this position in Football – Roy striked me as being all of that. Roy has been in the job six months and in this interview he provides the NPL listener with some absolutely vital information on the way ahead:


• The structure he will use to deliver the National curriculum:

o CF Centre of Excellence

o CF Centre for Development

• Coach education – quality coaches to underpin the delivery of development

• The importance of close and effective working relationships with the Head Coaches of ACTAS mens and Womens programs

• Priorities for participation by age rep teams at the NJC.

• Delivery of technical support to clubs.

And then there is the welcome news that the 6-8 age group development program(s) will be delivered by Coerver - makes perfect sense! Good decision.
As an exercise in clear thinking, Roys initial approach is sound, makes good sense and looks achievable. There is connective football tissue between the elements of his approach to technical development of young players going forward. Roy has not left the clubs behind in his thinking and that’s a big step forward. This is all something parents and clubs can understand and support.

This interview was very much like a fire-side chat about football - two people passionate about football having a good talk about a few things. Time permitting, it could have gone on for ages and I reckon I would have learnt heaps from Roy.

I start the program with a part of his discussion about the recent Womens Under 14 and Under 15 NJC, then its on to a lot more. Roys observations on coaching and recent, terrific games between Barcelona and Real Madrid, then Canberra Olympic and CFC is a delight and right on the mark. I enjoyed this interview and think you will too.

Download Podcast here:

Osgood Schlatter syndrome

Sourced from http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Osgood_Schlatter_syndrome?open

Summary

 

Osgood-Schlatter syndrome is a painful knee condition that affects adolescents. It often occurs during a growth spurt and is associated with physical activity. Symptoms include pain and local swelling in the front of one or both knees. The condition usually completely resolves. Treatment mainly involves activity modification and pain relief.

 

 

 

The knee is a hinge joint, situated between the thigh bone (femur) and shin bones (tibia and fibula). Contraction of the muscles on the front of the thigh (quadriceps) straightens the knee, while contraction of the muscles on the back of the thigh (the hamstrings) bends the knee. The quadriceps muscle attaches to the shin bone below the knee cap (patella) via the thick patella tendon. The point of attachment of the patella tendon to the shin bone is the bony bump (tibial tuberosity) just below the knee.

Osgood-Schlatter syndrome (or disease) is a painful knee condition that tends to affect adolescents. Boys are affected more than girls, although this could be due to differing activity patterns. It is thought that around 13 per cent of adolescent knee pain is due to Osgood-Schlatter syndrome. It often occurs during a growth spurt and is associated with physical activity. It is thought that the tendon attaching the quadriceps muscles to the shin bone becomes tight and causes inflammation and micro-fractures in the tibial tuberosity.

 

The tibial tuberosity swells and feels painful during certain activities such as running, kneeling, or stair climbing. Osgood-Schlatter syndrome usually resolves by itself with time. Treatment options include activity modification, ice, pain relief medications, stretching and physiotherapy.

 

Symptoms

 

The symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter syndrome depend on the severity of the condition, but may include:

 

• Pain in one or both knees
• Pain when straightening the knee joint or full squatting
• Pain on running, or going up and down stairs
• Pain that eases with rest
• A swollen tibial tuberosity
• Red and inflamed skin over the tibial tuberosity
• Quadriceps muscles that can sometimes lose strength and bulk.

 

The risk of fracture

 

The quadriceps muscles are joined to the tibial tuberosity by the patella tendon. During bone growth, the tendon may become tighter. When the quadriceps muscle contracts, it pulls even more on the tight tendon, and the point where the tendon attaches to the shin bone becomes inflamed and micro-fractures occur at the bone. In some cases, bone may become partially dislodged (partial avulsion fracture).

 
The body repairs the fractures by laying down extra bone tissue. The result is a larger than normal bump at the tibial tuberosity.

 
A range of possible causes

 

Some of the causes of Osgood-Schlatter syndrome may include:

 

• Growth spurt - the condition tends to affect adolescent children. Affected boys are often aged about 13-14 years, while affected girls are often aged 10-11 years.
• Exercise - active children, particularly those engaged in athletics and sports, are at increased risk.
• Gender - boys are more susceptible than girls, but perhaps this is because boys typically play more vigorous sports.
• Injury - around half of all children with the condition report a prior knee injury.

 

Diagnosis methods

 

Osgood-Schlatter syndrome is mainly diagnosed by clinical presentation (presenting symptoms and physical examination). However additional tests may be used to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms. Tests include:

•  X-ray
• Ultrasound scan.

 

Treatment options

 

Osgood-Schlatter syndrome usually resolves by itself within 12 months. However, the knee may remain uncomfortable until growing finishes. Treatment options include:

 

• Activity modification or relative rest - completely avoiding activities that are painful for at least a couple of weeks followed by gradual return to activity guided by symptom levels
• Frequent use of icepacks to reduce the local pain and swelling
• Stretching and strengthening exercises for the quadriceps, hamstring and calf muscles – a suitable program can be provided by a physiotherapist
• Medications, including painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs
• Very rarely, surgery - only in extreme cases and only once growth has ended.

 

Where to get help -  Your doctor / Physiotherapist  / Orthopaedic surgeon

 

Things to remember

 

• Osgood-Schlatter syndrome is a painful knee condition that affects adolescents.
• During a growth spurt, it is thought that the tendon attaching the quadriceps muscle to the knee joint becomes tighter, creating a strain on the growing bone (tibial tuberosity) particularly with physical activities that involve contraction of the quadriceps.
• Osgood-Schlatter syndrome usually resolves by itself with a period of activity modification, stretches and pain relief.

Gunghalin United FC - A Club Heading In the Right Direction - Part 1

This progam was broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Austrakian Community Radio Network, on Tuesday 16 August 2011 at 7:00PM.

In tonights program we have the first of the NPL Club series. We speak at length to the Pres and VP of Gungahlin United FC. Gungahlin United is a club that services all its football constituency, they are in an area of massive growth in the ACT region and it would be no surprise, therefore to hear that managing growth is their top priority. They don’t get much support beyond their CLub, in their service to football, but they do have to find the money to pay some pretty big bills – how does about $60k for hire of playing fields for training and games grab you? Its all hard work, but they are fortunate to have good club officials, committee, volunteers (never enough of course) and a legion of players who are doing good things.

This is community Football at its best and we have a lot of good community based Clubs in the ACT and so much of it is devoted to junior / youth Football. This is the peak body's strategic target group for technical development and structural development and assistance by Capital Football. Without Clubs healthy and well supported the game is shackled, no matter how many curriculum you produce, coaches you train or promises are made for a brighter future for the Socceross or Matildas - without good playing surfaces for all age groups, you can't play good football. Ask the Clubs!

Gunghalin United FC needs all the help it can get - they sit in a strategically important growth area within the ACT and we want those children and families rusted on to Football, not AFL!

Sit back with a restorative medicinal and listen in on this very informative fire-side chat with      the President and Vice President of GUFC. This is part 1 of the interview, part 2 will be available on the Blogspot in podcast later this week.

Download Podcast here:

Matildas Coach Talks About Football In Different Places and Social Media!

This program was broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network, on Tuesday, 08 August 2011 at 7:00PM.

In this program we hear from Tom Sermani, Matildas Coach about the characteristics of the key Womens Football zones around the world. In particular, the differences associated with preparing the Matildas for games in the World Cup and Asian Cup. These differences cannot be ignored and constitute a strong influence over how the Matildas are required to prepare and play to win. It's serious business at the Matildas, you can't sit still and the team must be adjusted to meet the differing requirements of competition.

Tom Sermani gives us his thoughts on the introduciton of "Social Media" communication 'Twitter" to the conduct of the Matilda's campaign in the World Cup. It was sensational. Another first for the Matildas! Now some of our Junior and Senior Clubs are already into the use of Social Media.

Included in this program are excerpts from Ricky Tomlinson's terrific book of Football stories - "Football My Arse"! A must read or listen. Just the tonic when your team takes a nose dive over the weekend. And what does the Fire Chief say on the phone to the Club Manager after advising the distressing news that the Clubhouse is on fire? The answer it too real not to be Football! Tom;ins is the actor who played "Mike Bassett" Manager of the England team - art imitates life!

This quote is pure "Mike Bassett":

"I know what's around the corner;

I just don't know where the corner is!"

Kevin Keegan

ex England Manager

Download Podcast here:

Woden Valley Redbacks Under 14 Girls Win the Dana Cup in Denmark!

Sourced from the WVSC website
A truly astonishing effort by these girls. Wonderful! More to follow on the NPL when they return. Woden Valley SC has campaigned at the Dana Cup on several occassions over the years and gained a Second and Third place. Now they have won it.

Woden Valley SC reports:

After 2 years of fund-raising the team headed to Europe two weeks ago.
Last week at the Gothia Cup in Sweden (the biggest youth tournament in the world – 80 teams in U14 Girls competition!), where they experienced the thrill of Opening Ceremony walking into a stadium with 50,000 in the crowd, the girls came 3rd in their group and then progressed through the B play offs only to lose narrowly in the final.

This week, they have clicked into gear big time and have gone through to the final of the Dana Cup in Denmark and won!

 Even though Qviding was awarded a penalty five minutes before the end of normal time and an Australian defender was red carded, Qviding from Sweden was unable to equalise against Woden Valley Redbacks.

The Swedish player shot the ball over the crossbar and then the score remained which the Australians had gotten two minutes into the second half.

Some Junior / Youth Development Issues

This program is broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Cummunity Radio Network, on Tuesday 19 July 2011 at 7:00PM.

This program is very much about the development of junior / youth players. Not surprising, since we have just concluded another fantastic Kanga Cup and with that has come the realisation for many young players and parents that there are lots of good players beyond the boundaries of the ACT, particularly from Asia. The Around The Grounds, grand final special edition is at  http://www.capitalfootball.com.au/userfiles/KANGA%20CUP%20-%20GRAND%20FINALS.pdf

The two Korean teams (under 12 and Under 13 age groups), based as they are on Primary Schools that specialise in Football, were as ever, a delight to watch and so well disciplined and polite in all their dealing. So much to admire. The obvious visible difference is the much higher level of individual technical skill. The Head Coach of the AIS Jan Versleign spoke on this difference last week.


It was also interesting to note the difference between some interstate teams and ACT Div 1 Club teams at age. The Under 14 boys demonstrated just how advanced the top level age teams were by comparison to the best ACT club age teams in the Cup competition. This is not a criticism, just a fact and it points out how important the Kanga Cup is, because we get a chance to play these teams. It would be good if we had more of these opportunities, particularly for our representative age teams.  This is not news, but it does underscore the development gap.

We are getting better, but again, as we observed in our last program, the changes required by the FFA National Curriculum and Development plans will take several generations, not a quick fix. So, does it look like we are making progress here in the ACT? How can we make it better?
Picture beow is the ACT 2011 Under 14 Girls team (will publish the U15 team photo as soon as it arrives)

During the Kanga Cup, most of the best of our Under 14 and Under 15 Girls represented the ACT at the FFA National Junior Championships in Coffs Harbour. This is a very important Football competition where the best at age play for their State. Important conclusions are draw with regard to the implementation of the National Curriculum and Development plans. The senior womens' coaches do take note of emerging players at these competitions. In the case of the ACT girls, several made the "ALL Stars" teams for the final exhibition match. The one thing that is gleaned by coaches and parents alike, is how much "effective preparation", and I stress the word "effective", is undertaken by each State development process. All reports thus far indicate that the young ACT players gave their very best. Well done all the players and coaches and many thanks to parents of the players for their tireless support.
Were our Under 14 and Under 15 Girls squads as well prepared as they might have been is one question?
It seems unlikely and that requires some explanation.

The other question is how we can improve for 2012?
Our preparations / forward planing should have already commenced. It would be a good thing for CF to hold a parents forum for the parents of players in these teams and glean as much information as possible for 2012, a survey would assist, but holding a parents forum would be best. Parents like to know that what they have expereienced can be of use to others, and perhaps their own children if they are in representative teams again. And do it quickly because parents are already on to the next thing with their children.

The tensions that surround the talented junior players can be oppressive for the player and confusing / frustrating for parents. Every parent wants the best for their child and so it is in Football. But it s an expensive business for a family with a talented player and much more so when there is more than one child to provide opportunities for off a tight budget. Then of course, what is the best development opportunity for the child, in the context of every other little thing that goes on at school and so one. Not simple. How much is too much training, and what is the best training at age and how and who can or will provide it and at what cost. The preparation of ACT teams for the Nationals is swept into these considerations and often not reported on well by parents (or young players). This is the landscape travelled by the parents of emerging athletes in all disciplines and Football is no exception.

With these questions in mind, I have selected excepts from two interviews the NPL has conducted with two very authoritative sources – Aflred Galustian and Shinji Ishubashi of Coerver, and George Huitker the Director of Co-Curricular of Radford College. They speak on aspects of the development of the young Football player. The starting points are different, but their points of intersection and agreement are many. They  give pause for thought among all parents of players. Draw your own conclusions.

Once again, well done to all that played in the Kanga Cup 2011 and the U14 and U15 Girls ACT rep teams at the FFA National Junior Championships.

Download Podcast here:

The High Cost of Playing the Game We Love

Sourced from the SBS World Game - http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/craig-foster/blog/1059837/The-high-cost-of-playing-the-game-we-love

It costs money to play Football. A bit too much of it.
For families, the costs associated with supporting thier children to play and more so for parents with a talented young player(s), the costs have become formidable. Say what you like, its now costing too much, even here in the ACT.
This Post on Craig Foster's Blog for the SBS World Game will make very, very interesting reading for those that have not caught up with it.
The cost of registration alone in the NSW Youth Premier League is outrageous - how do families support this?
The costs for many families in the ACT is big enough now (though not to the extent mentioned by Foster in this Post) and then its on to Futsal (or not, depending how much is left of a family's disposable income). Parents with children who they wish to see, become as good as they can be, must shell out a lot more money than the registration fee within the CF development processes.
Couple this with the leakage of valuable Club funds and sponsors' dollars to player payments for some in our Premier League and its no wonder the cost of playing Football continues to increase. It is also the reason that some big Junior Clubs are hesitant when it comes to joining and underwriting a senior club with a Premier League licence or aspirations of doing so - and with good reason!.
For Capital Football, registration fees and fees charged for the delvery of development programs constitute a primary source of revenue.

There is a lot to this subject and it affects Football in the ACT region.

I'm with Foster on this one.

The high cost of playing the game we love
07 Jun 2011
00:00-Craig Foster

Having spent a few nights at football presentations in the past week with St George FC, the famous former home of Johnny Warren, as well as St Joseph’s College in Brisbane, which is devoting great time and effort to developing a football program, there are many messages I was reminded of by those at the grass roots.

One stands out above all else. The punitive cost of playing football in Australia.

Speaking with NSW Minister of Sport and Recreation, the Hon. Graham Annesley MP, at the St George dinner, I made the point that football is such a magnificent game that has grown consistently at a participation level over the last few decades. Yet clubs continue to drastically overcharge for the privilege.

When the day comes that football is cheap or free for everyone, we will quadruple our numbers.

More participants mean more potential A-League fans, building a cycle of support for the game’s longterm success.

The excessive cost of playing must be a primary strategic area for Football Federation Australia to tackle, for both the recreational player and the elite youngster.

In some areas of the country, kids are paying registration fees of up to $400, which is ridiculous for a game that should always be available to all. Over 35 fees, by comparison, can be upwards of $350.

A family of four, who all want to play, are asked fork out upwards of $1,000 in registration fees, let alone the added costs of uniforms and boots. This simply has to stop. It’s counterproductive to football’s progress, as well as being far in excess of other codes and a huge ask for many who love the game, such as new migrants and refugees.

The irony of forking out big dollars for a game that is, by nature, accessible to all, is not lost on anybody.
A national study into the football economy is required to track where the registration fees go, assess how to streamline the system and cut the significant duplication of resources that perpetuates the current system.
We are still waiting for any progress in this regard from FFA.

While the cost of having a kick every weekend for your local club is growing, it is the charging of several thousand dollars for elite youth players that is particularly disgraceful and a common gripe among parents with a talented child.

In Sydney, a Premier Youth League player will pay anything from $1800 to more $2000, with some clubs mandating extra sessions with an external academy, so throw in a thousand on top for good measure.

Add to that the cost of trips and tournaments and the families of our brightest future stars are paying up to $5,000 per season.

The main reason for the fees is that Premier and State League clubs are paying their first team players hundreds of dollars a week and passing the cost onto the parents of their youth teams.

This is a disgraceful practice and must stop. The question is, how?

One way is to legislate a national salary cap of the senior teams. Alternatively, we could cap the amount payable by youth players, an option I favour.

Any cap on payments to senior players would be cumbersome to administer at State Federation level, with scope for a black economy in player payments without necessarily lifting the burden on parents below.
Whereas a national cap on registration fees would change the economic distribution of funds overnight.
The immediate effect would be that clubs would be financially unable to maintain current payments and the entire Premier and State League economies would collapse.

They should. It is no longer acceptable for first teams to be paid in excess of a hundred thousand dollars in player payments and for thie cost of this to simply be passed onto parents of the youth team.

Long term, the hundreds of thousands of dollars finding its way into the pockets of senior players would be redirected to training junior players, inverting the current system.

Australian football, in the medium term, cannot sustain payments to players at levels under the A-League, so those playing at lower levels must do so for love until the game grows commercially to the point where it can feed money down from the top level.

It would be preferable to legislate an age quota at Premier League level to ensure 50 percent of squads are aged 23 and below to create a talent nursery rather than leagues with aging players earning their last dollar from the game.

Of course, those State Federations charging exorbitant fees for a Premier League license should be called to account by FFA to reduce the burden on clubs and further negate the need to overcharge.

For the foreseeable future, the whole football economy below the A-League is completely unsustainable and reliant on the parents of young hopefuls forking out exorbitant amounts for the privilege of giving their child a chance to develop a football career.

It’s time to give the parents a break.

Cap the fees payable by parents at every level across the nation, and the game will be forced to restructure to accommodate a more sustainable reality.


No youth player, whether recreational or elite, should ever have to pay more than a few hundred dollars for the right to play.

The disgraceful gouging of parents must come to an end.

National Junior Championships - Girls Under 14 and Under 15 - Can We Do More For Our Talented Players?

The following is sourced from the Northern NSW Football Facebook website.

The "Nationals" are over for our ACT representative teams. They did as well as may be expected. But can we do more for our young talented female players?

The Under 14 Girls held their position in Group A for 2012 and the Under 15 Girls finished second in Group B and will remain in Group B for the 2012. Clearly the players and coaches have done well to hold the line, as it were. What will next year hold, given the steady progress in other states?

A question - Can we do better in 2012? And another - Why do we keep asking ourselves this question?

There was disquiet among some parents for the lack of effective preparation prior to (and I don't mean a few short weeks out from the championships) the commencement of the championships in both age groups, as there was concern for a continuing lack of depth in playing strength in the Under 15 age group ( a deficiency identified last year in the Under 14 age group but not remedied) and, the inability to get all the players to training sessions due to competing Club competition, Club tours and development opportunities (leaving aside the ordinary illness and other family matters that always arise).

There are a lot of competing demands on these young players and where does ACT representation sit in that hierarchy of opportunities?  Perhaps the most surprising complaint / concern expressed was the lack of preparation games / fixtures  for the squads prior to the Nationals. If true, it must have placed our representative teams and their coaches in a position of significant disadvantage, given the extensive preparation undertaken by the big junior football performers such as NSW Metro, Victoria and Queensland.

I can recall one notable exception to this pathology in recent times in junior girls football - The ACT Under 13 Girls of 2010, coached by Colin Johnston. Colin has extensive experience in junior player development, he develops good football habits among his young players, he was the coach that made all the difference at Woden Valley SC as "technical director", the very earliest practitioner of small sided games in the ACT that I can recall in community based club football, he trained lots of junior community based coaches in his methods (which were much of what is the national curriculumum is today in these age groups) and set standards that are copied by other Clubs. In this area of football, his knowledge and experience dwarfed anything resident at Capital Football in its time. The results of lengthy and well directed preparation, which included in excess of thirty matches (and they traveled to get them - all supported by parents of the players) resulted in a superb performance at the Nationals last year, high technical points assessment, several players in the All Stars and one of them subsequently selected for the inaugural Australian Under 13 Girls team, while he was awarded the task of coaching the All Stars team in the final fixture (take that to mean a big thumbs up from those that know Football). This was the standard for all our future efforts! Nothing less is required in order to be competitive among the girls and boys age groups at a National competitive level. So it can be done.

However, back to that question(s) - Can we do better in 2012? And another - Why do we keep asking ourselves this question?


The NPL Local will ask these and related questions of the CF Technical Director when he gives his promised second interview. Royston is smart football fellow - he will have answers. What is it we are not seeing or do not know on this subject? If there is a better way ahead, what is the plan and how long before it gets going? We need to know.

Here are the final table results for the Championships:

Final Report - From The Girls Under 14 and Under 15 National Junior Championships

Two parents (Eddie Senatore and Simon Kravis) of players in both teams have kindly forwarded the NPL progress reports from Day 3 of competition.

Day 5  - Competition Summary

Simon Kravis, the NPL roving reporter of previous NJC reports sent this report on both games

• ACT Under 14 Girls - third in Pool A
• ACT Under 15 Girls - second in Pool B

Fri 15 July Report




On the final day of the Championship, the ACT Under 15s met WA in an evenly matched contest that ended a 1-1 draw, placing ACT second in Pool B, behind Victoria. WA opened the scoring after 7 minutes when Leigha Bullock floated a free kick from the side into the top corner of the net. ACT strikers Olivia Gurney worked well together and individually to create chances in the next 5 minutes, but it was Natalie de Marco who levelled the score for the ACT with a well-read run into a defensive gap and a full-stretch tap from close range. Play moved from end to end with neither side containing the other for long. Sophia Stewart delivered a good strike for WA from a very tight position that went just wide and a few minutes later Leanne Pompeani did the same for the ACT.
The ACT opened the second half well, with Olivia Gurney and Thalia Backhouse rattling the WA goalposts from quick counter-attacks and poorly cleared corners, whilst at the other end a cross from Jessica Darmago was sent just wide by Laitysha Wyatt, who a few minutes later drew a good save from ACT keeper Phoebe Worth. WA continued to threaten from set pieces, but as fatigue set in, both sides offered the other long periods of possession, but neither were able to capitalise on the opportunities.

The Under 14s played NSW Country from Pool B as their final match on Friday afternoon, in a game which did not affect the ladder positions of either team. ACT made a tentative start on a damp pitch, and NSW Country were dominant from the kickoff, winning almost all of the contested balls and placing four shots on goal in the first 15 minutes, with the ball seldom in their half. As in the NSW Metropolitan game, ACT seemed most likely to spend the game in pursuit of equalisers, but the situation changed abruptly at 25 minutes when Hayley Armstrong tapped in a cross from Julia de Angelis in the first ACT shot on goal. Five minutes later Julia de Angelis extended the lead to 2-0 after a free kick from Brigette Calabria was poorly cleared, and the ball remained in the NSW Country half until the half-time whistle.
In the second half NSW Country pushed hard on the right and the ACT defence were not able to move the ball foward. Amanda Stevenson was finally successful in driving the ball home for NSW Country from a goalmouth melee after 10 minutes to take the score to 2-1. ACT keeper Georgina Worth saved well over the next 15 minutes as wet and cold conditions reminiscent of the Kanga Cup set in and all but the hardiest spectators retreated to the covered area. NSW Country had two excellent chances when Alexandra Scobie outpaced the ACT defence but she sprayed her shots wide. The game slowed as players tired and came to a scrappy end without a change to the scoreline of 2-1 to the ACT.

Competition Summary

The ACT Under 14 and Under 15 teams performed well overall, with the Under 14s coming third in Pool A, behind winners NSW Metropolitan and Victoria in second place, and the Under 15s coming second in Pool B, behind Victoria. Under 15 Pool A winners were also NSW Metropolitan. The first team in Pool B each year moves up to Pool A and the last team in Pool A moves down to Pool B. As the ACT Under 14s were not last in their pool, they will compete in the Under 15 Pool A against NSW Metropolitan, Victoria, Northern NSW and Queensland. The Under 14 Pool A for next year will most likely comprise NSW Metropolitan, Victoria, South Australia, Northern NSW and Queensland next year, based on the results of the National Youth Championship for Girls Under 13 held in Canberra in April.
In the Under 14 age group, goalkeeper Georgina Worth, striker Caitlin Cantrill and utility player Emma Bestek were selected for the All Stars team. In the Under 15 age group, strikers Thalia Backhouse and Olivia Gurney were selected. The All Stars teams were picked by a technical assessment team led by NSW Institute of Sport coach Alen Stajic. The All Stars teams played the Pool A winners in each age group in a 40 minute exhibition match at the end of the tournament.
Under 14s coach Pat Mills commented: "The team played exceptionally well, with pace and passion. The standout game was against NSW Metropolitan, where we though we might scrape a draw, but we nearly got a win. I'd love to have been able to prepare for the championships for 12 months as they do in NSW." Under 15s coach Michelle Aurousseau said: "We exceeded expectations with the girls we had. They all stepped up to the mark and played really well as a team. Only the game against Victoria didn't go their way."

Competition Overview

The ACT teams’ performance maintained their age group rankings from last year’s tournament and whilst NSW Metropolitan won both age groups, this year’s Under 14 team were narrow winners in a very even competition, with winning margins of a single goal in most games. With draws against the ACT and Pool B winners Queensland, they are no longer as far ahead of their competitors as they once were, although they are very well-endowed with talent, most notably through midfielder Alycia Macqueen, who was named Player of the Tournament. Victoria improved its ranking from fourth to second place and their 5-0 loss to NSW Metropolitan was mainly through a single defensive flaw in the first half. Midfielder Beatrice Goad and striker Marianna Anthony were always threatening. In the second half Victoria did not concede any more goals and were dominant for much of the period. Queensland will be returning to Pool A with two very fast strikers (Talitha Doro and Sunny Franco) and a strong defence. The ACT Under 14 team owes much of its success to the general athleticism of the team, which allowed it to break quickly, exploit defensive errors and disrupt attacks. The Under 14s also had very solid goalkeeping and an industrious midfield. Northern NSW remain the most intimidating team in the age group, through their size and physicality. Their powerful forwards Tulia Palozzi and Kally Ann Lewis can deliver winning strikes from anywhere in the forward third, but they did not always receive the service to make the best of their talents.

In the Under 15 Pool B, the pace of the ACT strikers Thalia Backhouse and Olivia Gurney delivered most of the goals, but often their support was too far behind and whilst generally solid, the defence was vulnerable to set-piece attacks.
The schedule of five 80-minute games over the week for each team gave good value in terms of game time, but took a toll on the players, with most teams looking in need of a rest on Friday. The pitches and facilities were very good, and the officiating was generally firm, with little rough play. The loudest cheer of the competition was for Northern Territory Under 15s when they scored their first goal. The closing ceremony was held in cold and wet conditions, with most of the non-winning teams leaving after their members had received individual recognition. It was also marked by the winning NSW Metropolitan teams helping themselves to the two trophies for photographs rather than waiting to have them presented. This detracted from the atmosphere of the occasion.

Day 4 Update From The Girls Under 14 and Under 15 National Junior Championships

Things are drawing to a close at the NJC for our Under 14 and Under 15 Girls teams. They have both performed well according to reports from up North. More on this with their return to Canberra. Final positioning will be confirmed today and while neither team will win its age group, we all hope that some of the ACT girls makes the "All Stars" teams for the final exhibition game. More to follow as soon as we get it.

Two parents (Eddie Senatore and Simon Kravis) of players in both teams have kindly forwarded the NPL progress reports from Day 3 of competition.

Day 4 Results

• ACT Under 14s - Draw 1-1 (ACT v NSW Metro)
• ACT Under 15 - Win 5-1 (ACT v Tasmania)

Simon Kravis, the NPL roving reporter of previous NJC reports sent this report on both games

Westfield Football Federation Australia National Youth Championship for Girls BCU Stadium, Coffs Harbour

Thu 14 July 2011

The ACT Under 14s drew 1-1 with NSW Metropolitan this morning in a fast, open game with strong competition for every loose ball. The ACT defended resolutely, with midfielder Julia de Angelis providing the defensive linchpin with tireless running and concentration and striker Caitlin Cantrill harrying the NSW defence with her speed and footwork.

The game opened with a period of complete dominance by NSW, who had yet to concede a single goal in ladder games in the Championship. Despite this impressive record, their performance had been inconsistent with the team failing to extend a massive 5-0 first half lead against Victoria in the second half. In the first 10 minutes NSW had four shots on goal, two from free kicks conceded in sometimes desperate defence, with NSW midfielder Alycia Macqueen orchestrating attack after attack. ACT at this stage looked as though they would be chasing the remainder of the game, but an innocuous seeming pass from Ruth Kravis near the half way line initiated a twisting run from Caitlin Cantrill that finished with a narrow-angle shot slipping past the NSW goalkeeper to give the ACT a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. NSW pressed hard in response and sent a shot over tha bar after 30 minutes, but the short-passing ACT game allowed them to retain the initiative.

The second half opened dramatically with a clumsy tackle from the ACT resulting in a penalty after 3 minutes, but ACT keeper Georgina Worth parried the kick from Hayley Evans. ACT striker Caitlin Cantrill collected a yellow card soon afterwards, and NSW drove a free kick into the ACT net but the goal was ruled offside. NSW piled on the pressure with a stab from Ruby Mosca at a well-placed cross just missing the ACT goal, but the ACT defence worked well. A fine high save from Georgina Worth kept NSW from equalising at 15 minutes, but but a few minutes later a short pass found Rhianna Pollicina unmarked in front of the ACT goal and she slammed home an equaliser. The period after this saw both teams and many spectators throw all their efforts into clinching the game, but the 1-1 score remained at the final whistle.

The ACT Under 14s will be placed 3rd or 4th in the Group A ladder, depending on the results of games played on Friday.

The ACT Under 15s faced Tasmania later in the day. The Tasmanian team this year came exclusively from Hobart, with a population of just over 200,000 people.The team had played together in the Southern Premier League in Tasmania this season, and this cohesion helped them to deflect the ACT for the first half, assisted by poor finishing from the ACT strikers, and give them a 1-0 lead at half-time when Bella Young tapped home a well-delivered cross from speedy striker Stacia Hutchinson. The second half saw ACT assert themselves with an equaliser from Eloise O'Brien from a Thalia backhouse cross after 2 minutes. This was followed by a strong solo run and finish from Olivia Gurney to take the score to 2-1, with a further two goals from Thalia Backhouse and another from Olivia Gurney. The ACT defence faced little challenge in the second half, but Emma Kirk and Siena Senatore were effective in stopping Tasmanian attacks and the game closed with a final scoreline of 5-1 to the ACT.

Kanga Cup Communication Is A Football Lesson For Us All

Among the many things to admire and enjoy about the Kanaga Cup, is the quality of timely and  informative communication across a big and dispersed competition.

There are a mountain of volunteers supporting the conduct of the competition. They are present at all the grounds where games are being played and quick to help. And you could say that every year.

But the thing that has caught my eye this year is clever and timely use of the web. The solution is as simple as it is elegant and very effective. For example:

Kanga Cup Website

It starts with the Kanga Cup website - http://www.kangacup.com/

The Kanga Cooee


Content that links off the Kanga Cup site (also published links from the Capital Football Website http://www.capitalfootball.com.au/site/index.php )

Content that is relevant to the Kanga Cup. The Official Daily Newsletter of the Kanga Cup. Issued electronically on a daily basis. A facility to submit an electronic comment on the Kanaga Cup website page that displays the link to the content.

Around The Grounds 
 Content that is relevant to the Kanga Cup. Contributed by "roving reporters" at the grounds - picture and detailed stories of interest about the teams. Different tot he Kanga Cooee. Terrific. Just go to the Day 3 issue  for an entertaining and informative read. Gives you a really good "heads Up" on the sort of teams that are competing and a chance to get to games with teams at age you would never otherwise see play - http://www.kangacup.com/wp-content/uploads/around-the-grounds-day-two2.pdf

Important Draw News

This is a very important part of the competition communication. And the competition draws can be complicated. The link to content on the Kanga Cup website is easy to read and the link to the Sporting Pulse content also useful. I have found it very easy to follow a lot of competitions this year and that's the feedback I havehad from a lot of parents and team managers I have spoken to during the competition.


The Kanga Cup always evidences lots of good work during the competition, but just as important as the in-competition activity is good forward planning. The uncomplicated, relevant and timely use of the web this year is a feature. Perhaps next year its on to some "social networking" for the teams - image how many texts and emails the players and parents are churning out this week. Something for the future. But what's happening today, particularly the "Arounds the Grounds" element is fiirst rate. Well done to all concerned.

Day 3 Update From The Girls Under 14 and Under 15 National Junior Championships

Two parents (Eddie Senatore and Simon Kravis) of players in both teams have kindly forwarded the NPL progress reports from Day 3 of competition.


Day 3 Results


For the ACT it was all hard work:

ACT Under 14s - Draw 3-3 (ACT v Northern NSW)

ACT Under 15 - Loss 3-1 (ACT v Queensland) - this was a cross over game with a very strong Group A team. ACT reported to have played well.


Simon Kravis, the NPL roving reporter of previous NJC reports sent this report on both games


Westfield Football Federation Australia National Youth Championship for Girls BCU Stadium, Coffs Harbour

Wed 13 July 2011

Both the ACT Under 15 and Under 14 teams played Victoria this morning. The Under 15 game was disappointing for the ACT team. Despite having the better of the play for much of the first half, they were unable to keep possession or mount coherent attacks for the remainder of the match and went down 4-0.

The Under 15 game started on a dew-soaked pitch under cloudy skies, and players from both sides found it hard to keep their footing. ACT started strongly, with Olivia Gurney pressing hard from the outset, with a shot from her going just wide after a few minutes, but it was Victoria who opened the scoring against the run of play after 20 minutes, when Candela Ferrerya Bas struck from a well-delivered corner.ACT responded with long-range shots from Thalia Backhouse and Olivia Gurney, but without any follow-up to collect spills or rebounds. Victoria extended their lead to 2-0 after 30 minutes when a cross found the feet of Claudis Dimosi in front of goal for a simple tap-in that seemed to surprise even her. Just before the break, Thalia Backhouse netted for the ACT from what looked like a goalkeeper spill, but the goal was disallowed.
Victoria asserted themselves more after the break, with Candela Ferrerya Bas directing a header just wide from a free kick, and Natalie Laboska looping a free kick over the defensive wall and past ACT goalkeeper Rebecca Luttrell to take the score to 3-0.ACT pushed forward sporadically but were unable to retain possession against an increasingly confident Victorian midfield, despite a nimble performance from ACT's Monica Cerro. Victoria added a further goal from Elaina Vatcky just before the end to take them to solid 4-0 victory.

The Under 14 game was very close-run, with both teams moving the ball around well, but the Victorian defence proved more solid to give them the game 3-2, with the deciding goal only coming in the last minutes.
ACT found themselves under immediate pressure from the start, with three shots on goal in the first 10 minutes, which were well handled by goalkeeper Jessica Giovinazzo. The ACT then rallied and their tenacious forward line of Maddie Whittall, Samantha Roff and Caitlin Cantrell harried the Victorian defence and netted the ball after 15 minutes, but the goal was narrowly ruled offside. Further chances from Hiwot Johnstone and Caitlin Cantrell followed, and with the ACT defence largely successful in closing down Victorian strikers Marianna Anthony and Beatrice Goad, the ACT seemed well placed to take the lead in the second half.

However, this did not transpire. ACT narrowly escaped conceding two goals in the first 5 minutes through defensive errors and then conceded a penalty after 15 minutes which was calmly converted by Jessica Pitts. ACT equalised a few minutes later when Hayley Armstrong drove home a cross from Bridget Calabria, but almost went behind again when a loose ball trickled outside rather than inside the ACT goal. A poor Victorian goal clearance was pounced on and slotted home by Caitlin Cantrell to give the ACT a 2-1 lead, but ACT were again saved from losing this lead by defender Hollie Massey sweeping the ball off the goal line after the goalkeeper was beaten. The relief for the ACT was short-lived, as Jessica Pitts struck again from a goalmouth melee to bring the score to 2-2 with 7 minutes remaining. With the tension drawing shouts of encouragement and advice from all around the pitch, Victorian substitute Lani Murdoch struck 2 minutes later to give Victoria a 3-2 lead which they maintained despite valiant efforts from the ACT.

Tomorrow, the Under 14s face up to NSW Metropolitan, who currently top the Under 14 Group A ladder, while the Under 15s meet Tasmania.

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!
Download Podcast here: