I met the principal for a Wgtn boys school last week and got a chance to have a good chat to him and we discussed this issue. He was not a football man at all so apart from watching his school teams he had little knowledge of the club scene. I think that's the first issue, the principals do not understand the link or pathway (hate that word, overused but the right word in this instance).
The other thing is that despite my sales job on him by telling him that one of his pupils was a good central league footballer with very good potential and by standing him up in assemblies to celebrate this and use this as an example he still could not get pass the success of "his premier team". He only was only interested in telling me how they might achieve top 16 at the national tournament. Was not really interested in hearing about the 16 central league games his 17 year old pupil had played last year!
He seemed a very nice guy and I don't blame him for this focus because it's his job to have his sports teams succeeding, he uses his Saturday to see them all regardless of the level. Successful sports teams = pride at school = good environment = better learning environment.
He was not against Wednesday football so then lads could play for club on Saturday and when I asked him to float it at the next principals meeting he said he would raise it. Interestingly he bemoaned the local rugby clubs for pinching the top players but it was kind of "well its rugby and they have a pathway" he knew the pathway and sort of accepted it.
So I think we (football) need to engage the principals, give them some insight to the football scene, display the steps and potential opportunities in football (is there many in NZ?) and then work with them not against them. Its not easy and I don't have the answers but I know one thing Ole academy telling its participants that they cannot play Cricket for the school in the summer does not help!