Review The state of junior football in SA

[SellarStardom]

Rubbish, the SAFC is just the overseer of the SANFL, running its revenue streams. For all intents and purposes, the SANFL and the SAFC are one in the same. Read the constitution.

Don't get me wrong, my comments are about what should happen not necrssstily about what is happening.

Unfortunately across all states football administration is pretty average

 

[marty36]

Don't get me wrong, my comments are about what should happen not necrssstily about what is happening.

Unfortunately across all states football administration is pretty average

Is it because there isn't enough money available to these entities

You pay peanuts you get monkeys


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[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

On this, I think the point is, once the kids reach u18 level, the clubs dont actually have the best u18 kids available, because they often throw their resources around a kid who is a gun at 12/13 because he is good, and discard others who are not so good, but this is often due to the varying nature of kids' physical and mental development. I coached a kid through primary school (son of an ex Norwood player) who was an absolute gun player and did some ridiculously good things as a 12 year old. The problem was, he was a smurf, very undersized for his age. As a result, Sturt overlooked him. He's now over 185cm and tearing it up for his Ammo club.

Are clubs trying to win at these U/13 and U/14 levels and focus only on the best kids? Weren't you saying before that these squads are just mickey mouse carnivals and trainings of no real consequence? So which is it - all about winning and just focusing on the best kids? Or meaningless stuff where no one really cares about the result? I'm not saying there aren't problems in the structure (quite the opposite given the diminishing returns) but I'm seeing contradictory gripes.

Just on the second highlighted bit - that's a good thing. It's not a negative. There needs to be re-entry points. It's not realistic to keep every single kid in the SANFL system, coach and develop them all well just in case one of them is a late bloomer. When squads are picked they are just a snapshot in time. From there players might improve, plateau or slip backwards. Sometimes it's easy to predict, sometimes it's not.

If a kid misses out at a younger age group and is soured by the experience and doesn't give it another crack - that's on them. It's not a fault with the system. And if one or two setbacks are enough to put them off then I daresay they wouldn't have made it anyway. I actually think SANFL clubs put too many players in their systems. They should make harsher calls rather than filling kids heads with false hope of being drafted. If a cut player starts burning it up later for his amateur club - great.

Keeping everyone in the squad to keep them happy ends up having a negative result. The complaint then comes 'they're not getting enough good coaching.' No kidding! Across metro and country there's probably 80 x 12 year olds, 80 x 13 year olds, 80 x 14 year olds....

Its not so much about winning under 18 flags. The under 18 comp is heavily undermined by the absence of college kids for the bulk of the season and is therefore a bit of a crap shoot. The issue is, the SANFL clubs want them to play a style and/or position that will suit the club at senior level. At one stage back when my kid was playing, West had a good full forward who was earmarked for a league career. So Collins had the coach play a game plan that cleared out the forward line to let this kid go one out - Pagans paddock style. Needless to say, this was a gameplan designed to suit the football club, not the development of players. (Again, this isnt a whinge about my kid - he played in defense).

Is it realistic that players should be playing under some generic, freestyle football method like an arts degree for football? Maybe it is. I did hear that there's no tagging allowed in the TAC Cup - is that right?

How to win the game based on the players you have at your disposal is as fundamental to the game as kicking, marking and handballing and is to any sport. Eg if a team has all no talls then of course they are going to play more of a run and handball game. How important is being able to play under instructions and under a structure? Bassett implemented AFL type defensive structures right through the grades at Norwood. Is there value in that? Or should they just go out and get the footy with the structure stuff only coming once they reach AFL or SANFL league level?

I doubt coaches in a dedicated, unaffiliated comp would be focussed on winning if their KPIs were draftees rather than games won.

Why can't those KPIs be applied at the existing SANFL level?

 

[marty36]

Are clubs trying to win at these U/13 and U/14 levels and focus only on the best kids? Weren't you saying before that these squads are just mickey mouse carnivals and trainings of no real consequence? So which is it - all about winning and just focusing on the best kids? Or meaningless stuff where no one really cares about the result? I'm not saying there aren't problems in the structure (quite the opposite given the diminishing returns) but I'm seeing contradictory gripes.

Just on the second highlighted bit - that's a good thing. It's not a negative. There needs to be re-entry points. It's not realistic to keep every single kid in the SANFL system, coach and develop them all well just in case one of them is a late bloomer. When squads are picked they are just a snapshot in time. From there players might improve, plateau or slip backwards. Sometimes it's easy to predict, sometimes it's not.

If a kid misses out at a younger age group and is soured by the experience and doesn't give it another crack - that's on them. It's not a fault with the system. And if one or two setbacks are enough to put them off then I daresay they wouldn't have made it anyway. I actually think SANFL clubs put too many players in their systems. They should make harsher calls rather than filling kids heads with false hope of being drafted. If a cut player starts burning it up later for his amateur club - great.

Keeping everyone in the squad to keep them happy ends up having a negative result. The complaint then comes 'they're not getting enough good coaching.' No kidding! Across metro and country there's probably 80 x 12 year olds, 80 x 13 year olds, 80 x 14 year olds....


Is it realistic that players should be playing under some generic, freestyle football method like an arts degree for football? Maybe it is. I did hear that there's no tagging allowed in the TAC Cup - is that right?

How to win the game based on the players you have at your disposal is as fundamental to the game as kicking, marking and handballing and is to any sport. Eg if a team has all no talls then of course they are going to play more of a run and handball game. How important is being able to play under instructions and under a structure? Bassett implemented AFL type defensive structures right through the grades at Norwood. Is there value in that? Or should they just go out and get the footy with the structure stuff only coming once they reach AFL or SANFL league level?


Why can't those KPIs be applied at the existing SANFL level?

Your 100% right about the SANFL junior squad sides they are enormous

There would be a couple of reasons for that, they don't get full access to private school kids so need a mix of both public and private

Also the more numbers is what SA footy wants to see more participation not so much pure elite talent but good numbers


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[Team DJ]

Norwood had 16 changes last weekend in the under 18s.

Last week School Holidays - College boys available.
This week. Week 1. College kids unavailable.

Result - 100 point loss to South

 

[GrommoT]

Related...

Calling out the weak SANFL development clubs.​

 

[marty36]

Norwood had 16 changes last weekend in the under 18s.

Last week School Holidays - College boys available.
This week. Week 1. College kids unavailable.

Result - 100 point loss to South

Those not knowing much about the college system have no idea of the influence of these schools


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