Hasn’t the youth set up in Australia gone to crap somewhat? The A league doesn’t have a full youth league anymore yeh?
I’m NZ we’re reaping the results largely of Ole, but also the Phoenix and Wynners academies producing some v good players. Oh and Iffy with Elliot!
It’s hard to say, but it feels to me by the metric we mostly understand- players in the EPL (or Bundesliga/Serie A etc) that Australia has gone backwards.
Getting regular competition games at home is a major difference between the two teams, but it only encourages regular fandom, not necessarily the creation of top drawer players.
Where genius sports players like Tendulkar come from is a fanatical culture around the game and a lot of competitive play everyday. It’s why younger brothers often are the strongest. Throw in some individual quality and determination…That doesn’t need money, though it may help. Football is a traditionally working class game, currently very doled up. And in the UK and elsewhere some of the best players come from difficult circumstances. If your life is 99% football it’s got to help.
I’m NZ we’re reaping the results largely of Ole, but also the Phoenix and Wynners academies producing some v good players. Oh and Iffy with Elliot!
It’s hard to say, but it feels to me by the metric we mostly understand- players in the EPL (or Bundesliga/Serie A etc) that Australia has gone backwards.
Getting regular competition games at home is a major difference between the two teams, but it only encourages regular fandom, not necessarily the creation of top drawer players.
Where genius sports players like Tendulkar come from is a fanatical culture around the game and a lot of competitive play everyday. It’s why younger brothers often are the strongest. Throw in some individual quality and determination…That doesn’t need money, though it may help. Football is a traditionally working class game, currently very doled up. And in the UK and elsewhere some of the best players come from difficult circumstances. If your life is 99% football it’s got to help.
Yes some good points but I would say if we are talking about the opportunity to be professional at something there is more weight on the economic state of your neighbourhood, your infrastructure and your country, when you start playing, rather than the economic wealth of your family although that is of course a relevant factor. A poor kid in a rich country has more opportunity than a poor kid born in a poor country. Tendulkar comes from a rich family, if he was born in the slums of India, he would (if he had survived infancy) probably have got no more chance to play organized cricket than swinging a makeshift bat with a few of his mates on some Mumbai wasteland. We could also look at the NBA stars in USA most come from deprived backgrounds but in a wealthy country. If they were born and raised in Africa they are not playing in the NBA.
I like that you bring up the academies, Ole etc. Wouldn't it be good if NZ was able to identify the most talented kids and reach out to the public or corporates to pay the fees rather than their parents. I imagine this goes on to some extent but right now I get the impression you have to find a talented kid and his parents then have to be rich to go to these academies. I don't think the All Blacks would keep their best talent based on this model. Yes of course it is slightly different as the most talented athletes in NZ in general have a strong love of Rugby from their background but this can change with some good examples or role models. I remember hearing Bill Tuiloma tell a story about how his parents did not have a spare 5 dollars to give him for something to eat on a flight to a youth NZ football camp. Pretty heartbreaking but at least with a happy ending now he is earning well in the USA.
Once again I am not sticking to the topic of the thread. Apologies.