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Friday 25 July 2008

Canberra Youth Team: NOW!

Great great news about the Women but what about our boys!

I'm expecting a Canberra National Women's team on Monday, an A-League team in Canberra in 2010, but why can't we have a Youth team now. NOW, I said very loudly. Did anyone hear?

Here's how it works.

You advertise for a Coach..imagine the interest locally.

You trial players from Canberra and beyond..imagine the interest locally.

You contact ALL A-League Youth teams and say, "we'll play you three times in your break. Home and away"

There are only seven teams in the league so everyone has a break every seventh week when they play Canberra home or away.

Which A-League team would refuse?

The FFA don't want us!

So what, a friendly is a friendly and Tassie have already organised four.

We aim for 21 games. I publish a league table which includes all seven A-League teams plus us:)

No-one knows or cares, but our players do, Canberran football followers do.

This means our players start to get to the standard required. Oue Coaches get impressive experience. And we nick local boy Kofi Danning from Sydney FC! Taylor Beaton from the Mariners and so on.
The team plays other A-League Youth teams each week watched by Alex Tobin and Steve O'Connor and the like and playing against the odd A-League Pro on his way back from injury...john Aloisi? What experience.

It can't fail can it?

Cost?

Well if we have to reduce to just Melbourne, Central Coast, Jets and Sydney we should do that.

Come on all it takes is a phone call or two and we're in. Our own Youth team.

Let's do it.

And these guys would be fighting like crazy for an A-League contract with another club and/or be ready for the Canberra side in two years time.

The time to prepare our players is now.

We're not in the A-League Youth League officially, but we can be.

Just do it!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

eamonn
I know of a canberra club that made their intentions felt about this very idea when the Wellington Team was talking about going in with Canberra.
The powers that be, made us think that Canberra/Wellington was the go (with the intention of never going ahead with it) and the whole Canberra Youth Team died.

We have only 200 out of 5,000 memberships at this stage for the A League (I have one) unfortunately at this rate we will be in the A League no sooner than 2020

However the Youth team idea is still a good one. If you can guarantee some support this club is still interested in making it work. How hard would you lobby us.

I would be intersted in your reply.

john said...

I went down to Canberra for work a while back. The guy I had to meet had a photo of himself playing football on the wall. So I asked him about football in Canberra. Turned out he had played for the Arrows in the national comp of the day (a long time ago). He didn't Canberra would get an A-League team.

Later I met a guy at work who knew Frank Farina. It turned out he had come to Australia to play as the experienced player for the Arrows when Frank was just starting out. This was when Frank had just taken over from Miron and he was very optimistic about the Roar under Frank. We still are....

john said...

By the way, I have been wondering what the economic structure of the womens league is going to be. I have been asking a range of people whether they woud watch the games. Interesting responses sometimes.

Eamonn said...

I have already mentioned the Youth Team idea to Ian Shaw at Capital Football, he was very interested/enthused.

Reckon more people/clubs need to encourage Cap Football to push this one ASAP if clubs/players and people are interested.

Anonymous said...

eamonn,
i can safely say that you have erred in your first step there. That was the wrong button to push.
Read the last Cosmos report again if you already havent.

Recommendation was that in future Socccer Canberra (now Capital) had no invlovement in future Canberra teams. It was only to provide support.
The FFA stance is the same.

The first shot you fired was a blank. See if you can see past the trees and get intouch with the right people.