My 14r old has been playing footy in Wellington since he was 2. From first kicks which is fun to now playing U17's. I've reffed his games since he was 5 so been to every game and have seen how different kids footy is now to when I was playing.
Small ball footy 5v5,7v7,9v9 has allowed every player to gain confidence on the ball and learn some skills - the talent in just the regional U17 comp is insane. The availabily of artificial turf helps too, very few bogs to play on nowadays.
From what I've seen over the year, most teams/coaches dont like to shoehorn kids into a certain position too early. My lad loved to play defense and made it very clear to every coach hes had, but they all push him to pay in the midfield, occassionally upfront - which obviously has helped him be a better player overall.
I'm all for these kind of developments and rule adaptions (like the retreatuing line) to encourage better football across all ages.
Small ball footy 5v5,7v7,9v9 has allowed every player to gain confidence on the ball and learn some skills - the talent in just the regional U17 comp is insane. The availabily of artificial turf helps too, very few bogs to play on nowadays.
From what I've seen over the year, most teams/coaches dont like to shoehorn kids into a certain position too early. My lad loved to play defense and made it very clear to every coach hes had, but they all push him to pay in the midfield, occassionally upfront - which obviously has helped him be a better player overall.
I'm all for these kind of developments and rule adaptions (like the retreatuing line) to encourage better football across all ages.