New Zealand Men's U-17s

I'm confused - is he trying to make the switch to the French system or is he trying to secure a contract and has a trial somewhere, or is he another Ole kid joining Declan in Sweden?

If he is looking to make the switch, ballsy at his age, with no guarantee of anything... at least with Boyd he was established as a pro and proven himself to be worth looking at before committing. Unless this Garbutt kid has already had this indication (no idea on his quality) why would you risk it?

Matt joined Ole academy when he was <10 years old. The Fr. thing just makes it a bit easier for dispensation. 

I think you should press button C.

Its not about him switching Nationality, but getting dispensation for an International Transfer to another team whilst under the age of 18

I don't think he will be playing for France any time soon :)

got ya!

right - this really pisses me off.  Why are the schools named for Auckland based players?  The schools refuse to come under the umbrella of NZF so why recognise them - just list the club and federation.

Meanwhile in Wellington, the entire Phoenix ( Lower Hutt ) contingent, with the exception of Henry Hamilton (injured) and Oskar van Hattum, who was there last 2 years but has left 'school' and gone to NZIS, go to Scots college...because it is the only boarding school in Central Wgtn. 

Mostly they are non Wgtn raised, and never have, never will, play for the college.

However, it should be acknowledged the college has an arrangement with the Phoenix, without which it would be difficult (well, more difficult) for some of these upcoming footballers to get the opportunities the Phoenix Academy gives them. In fact Scots have given kids across a wide range of sports, not just football, opportunity to get a quality education as something to fall back on should their dreams not come to fruition, which is more likely than otherwise. I'd consider that a valuable contribution, and from that perspective don't begrudge the mention here.

He should be the benchmark, he trains and plays every week in a shark tank. I checked their website, they tell the kids straight away that only a few will make it to the top.

Most places tell them that.

Phoenix Academy tell them that.

The only place I know that doesn't tell them that is Ole, who tell them that if they do 10,000 hours of genuine football training they will make it.

Incorrect. For the most part we don't talk about the odds, but we tell them that things like 10,000 hours are necessary if they want to make it. When we do talk about the odds we tell them that they're not good.

It looks like at Ole they tell kids to call the opposition ‘Fudgeing Midget’ and ‘Fudgeing Cod’ happened this morning, my son refused to shake hands after the game. Their whole ‘Let them play’ is a joke. I always get angry after each game because of their anti social behavior.

Bunch of bad behaviour from both teams i think, at least one player in blue referred to wests lads as 'fudgeing cods' and after all, the player sent for language, was also wearing blue. TBH, think it was partially a coll thing; most of Miramar from Coll, and 2 lads from Wests also attend; keen to get one over their mates.

I would like to apologise on behalf of those players. We definitely don't tell them to do that and I think it's very uncharitable to the coaching staff to suggest we do.

"Let them play" is about basing training around play, not about coaches being silent on the sideline if that's your problem with that.

sounds like good mates

Sadly there is a huge gap between LHAFC & Wests and the rest in U17. Todays 10-2 to Wests v Mar has been a not-uncommon scoreline. As you can probably imagine, frustration mounts, and fouls and cynical play their part when teams are that much under the pump.

And yes- we're talking about immature 14/15/16 year olds, who no doubt have bantz all week at school in the lead up to games.

maybe mates was the wrong word. Miramar begged to come up from div B (and the A teams voted yes) so it is not like they didn't set themselves up for the walloping and the frustration that brings.

New Zealand U17 Men's National Team thread 

This way ---> to Regional football....

My sincere apologies @ClubOrange but this cannot be allowed to go unchallenged and I didn't really know where else to post a reply.

I take it this is the same Miramar team which had a parent hurling abuse at a goalkeeper for 90 minutes a couple of weeks ago in the B grade for daring to come out of his box to make a few passes ?

Is it also the same Miramar team which saw a parent run onto the field to confront the same player when he was 12 a few years ago for doing the same thing ?

There was embarrassing behaviour from a FEW individuals on BOTH sides yesterday (two of your players used the exact same words you're complaining about to the referee by the way) so maybe you should look at your own behaviour before you start throwing stones.

This isn't true either, but then stories > facts when it comes to Ole.

As a South Islander, I note that only one player in the Identification Squad of 30 is still based in the South Island.

(Billy Check of Nelson Suburbs)

Are any of the Scots College boarders from the South Island?

I do wonder if the coaching staff have been looking hard enough for talent in the South Island.

On another note, it surprises me that this is the first time Brazil have ever hosted a FIFA youth tournament (according to Wikipedia).

Draw to be made July 12 NZT

First game October 27 NZT

Qualified countries:

https://www.fifa.com/news/fifa-u-17-world-cup-brazil-2019-to-kick-off-on-26-october

AFC: Australia, Japan, Korea Republic and Tajikistan
CAF: Angola, Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal
Concacaf: Canada, Haiti, Mexico and USA
CONMEBOL: Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Paraguay
OFC: New Zealand and the Solomon Islands
UEFA: France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain

"Guinea were removed from the competition by CAF for age fabrication. The CAF Executive Committee will meet to approve of Senegal's entry."

Solomon Islands were reinstated after an appeal to OFC.

They join Senegal and Angola as debutants at the FIFA u-17 World Cup.

I'll always remember our boys' good efforts in Chile in 2015 when we finished second in our group behind France and ahead of Paraguay whom we beat in our last group game.

We only went out in the Round of 16 due to a Brazil penalty in the sixth minute of injury time and caused Brazil a lot of worry when it was 0-0 until then.

Of that side, McCowatt, Singh, Bell, Mata, Sinclair, Schnell and Woud were all in this year's u-20 side. 

It's a good question, I think since the AP academy moved to be with the Phoenix in Wellington there aren't many academies in Christchurch so the best players are going elsewhere (ie Auckland or Wellington)

Quite a lot of the Ole and Phoenix kids come from outwith Wellington eg McCowatt is from Auckland originally

Joe Bell is from Canterbury but tends to get listed as Wellington due to his time at the nix, Matt Garbett is another from Canterbury but is at Ole 

I know that Blake Driehuis is from Alexandra.

As a promising young footballer moved to Scots College as a boarder and joined the Phoenix acadamy. 

Its not unusual in the rural towns down here for kids to go to boarding school from year 9. Alot of them for sport opportunities as much as educational. We loose alot of our talented juniors mainly to Dunedin colleges for Rugby and Netball mostly but also football.. Makes it harder for those left to be identified which limits there progress. Although things have improved over the last few years with Football South making a big effort to include rural kids in there football acadamies and pushing coaching courses in the rural areas.

Still it doesn't compare to having your kid at a top notch football acadamy in Wellington. Not many can afford that luxury though.

The bigger concern is that even though the coaches are in Wellington they don't appear to necessarily have selected the best players in the age group in Wellington let alone the rest of the country.

Are the current U17's as good as those from 2015?

any squad selection is debatable.

.

Spoke to a work client few weeks ago. His eldest son had moved from ChCh to board at Scots, and join up with the Weenix Academy. Not in the U17s preliminary squad I note.

Sounded confident that his younger son would go up as well.

Great grandson miss out?

I accept this was a flippant comment unfair to Ole. The comment was partially based on promotional material from an organisation based in the Waikato region some years back, where there was certainly a _suggestion_ that was the case.

Edit:

Although this article  also claims a similar line, apparently after talking with Ole.

"Every player selected is told when they pass through the doors that if they work hard they will be a professional footballer. It's the Ole guarantee."

Adam Hillis. Was at Nelson before Phoenix Academy. 

Pretty sure Robbie Sabo spent some of his youth in Ashburton or thereabouts before going to Ole

And as noted elsewhere, Blake Driehuis Alexandra 

Unsure on claims re: Matt Garbutt

Of the Scots boys, Paulson, Drake, Old, Bark, Naicker are all ex Auckland, not sure on O'Conner.

#U17WC Group A:
Brazil
New Zealand
Canada
Angola

— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) July 11, 2019

#U17WC Group B:
Nigeria
Ecuador
Australia
Hungary

— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) July 11, 2019

#U17WC Group F:
Mexico
Italy
Paraguay
Solomon Islands

— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) July 11, 2019

Good draw for us, terrible one for the Solomon islands. Not sure what to make of Aussies group.

Brazil is alway a prestigious team to play, and as hosts will likely have 20000 in the stadium (The other 310 being NZ, press and neutrals ;) They actually failed to qualify (came 5th) so overall best S.American side to draw.

From a ‘get out of group’ POV favourable draw I would say. It is good we don’t have a European or African traditional powerhouse.

From a ‘who would you like to meet’ POV it’s a pity we don’t have European or African traditional powerhouses. But, hey, we can just meet beat them in the later rounds.

good draw for us!!

You would expect that Canada will be a very winnable game. Angola, who really knows, and obviously big underdogs against Brazil. Overall, knockout rounds appear reachable again.

Pretty perfect draw - big tentpole game against Brazil and then two winnable games.

Wouldn't be surprised if the locals got behind Angola as their 2nd favourite team. Portuguese speaking brotherhood and all that.

New Zealand U-17 Identification Camp Squad

Goalkeepers
Alexander Paulsen (Lower Hutt City/Capital/Scots College)
Luca Taylor (Birkenhead United/Northern/Mt Albert Grammar School)
Joseph Knowles (Bay Olympic/Auckland/St Peter’s School, Cambridge)
Callum Kennett (Lower Hutt City/Central/Palmerston North Boys’ High School)

Defenders
Max Drake (Lower Hutt City/Capital/Scots College)
Bradley Wilson (Western Springs/Auckland/St Peter’s College)
Joel Clissold (Eastern Suburbs/Auckland/Sacred Heart College)
Campbell Strong (Eastern Suburbs/Auckland/Sacred Heart College)
Finn O’Connor (Lower Hutt City/Capital/Scots College)
Jackson Simpkin (Brisbane City/Queensland/Anglican Church Grammar)
Nicholas Milicich (Birkenhead United/Northern/St Peter’s College)
Kris Naicker (Lower Hutt City/Capital/Scots College)
Harry Bark (Lower Hutt City/Capital/Scots College)
Adam Hillis (Lower Hutt City/Capital/Scots College)

Midfielders
Nathan Lobo (Birkenhead United/Northern/Liston College)
Robert Sabo (Western Suburbs/Capital /Tawa College)
Sean Bright (Western Suburbs/Capital/Tawa College)
Marko Stamenic (Western Suburbs/Capital/St Patrick’s College, Silverstream)
Jackson Manuel (North Wellington/Capital/St Patrick’s College, Kilbirnie)
Hayden Aish (Western Springs/Auckland/Mt Albert Grammar School)
Billy Check (Nelson Suburbs/Mainland/Nelson College)
Ryan Verney (Onehunga Sports/Auckland/Rutherford High School)
Otto Ingham (Western Suburbs/Capital/Tawa College)
Benjamin Old (Lower Hutt City/Capital/Scots College)
Henry Hamilton (Lower Hutt City/Capital/Wellington College)

Forwards
Oskar van Hattum (Lower Hutt City/Capital/NZ Institute of Sport)
Jesse Randall (North Wellington/Capital/Rongotai College)
Riley Bidois (Tauranga City/WaiBOP/Tauranga Boys' College)
Blake Driehuis (Lower Hutt City/Capital/Scots College)
Stephanos Georgiou (SC Freiburg/Germany/Black Forest Academy)

There seem to be a lot of Lower Hutt City - pseudo - Phoenix Academy players in the identification squad - for a Central League club that is 7 of 10 in the grade. 

Where is the form for these players coming from?  7 wins 7 loses, vs 9 wins, 3 draws and 2 loses from the Ole players.

Seems like one youth system is working and the other, not so much, yet? (New club).

Lower Hutt doesn't seem to have a Reserve grade team in Capital Prem like Ole, so no depth either?

Oh - after reading the article it seems the camp is in Wellington - that might explain the overload of Wellington-based players?

My Ashburton/Ole boy, Ryan Feutz didn't get a call - so I'm pretty dark on it.

PS: Jesse Randall and Oskar van Hatrick are good players.

Ryan is a 2001 birth, so too old for this cycle.