Mainland Juniors (please play nice)

All Div 1 club coaches? I'm guessing you mean at a junior level? If so you would lose coaches if it was compulsory as some just do not have the time.... I know for certain I couldn't give up any more of my time to do such things.....

2-3 sessions per term for each coach. Why send kids to FTC then coach them the diametrically opposite for their club side? 

If FTC is better than the club programs then the club coaches need to get onboard. 

there was 3 sides going both B and G 15's and a B 17's (ish) 

FWIW regardless of results we need Inter-Fed games and badly. This is the quickest way to nip this supposed culture of entitlement.

apologies for spelling this morning. 

which will always be an issue

If Mainland actually get around to enforcing D1 coaches have the correct accrediatation how many would drop out? 

Some really interesting observations from inside and outside of FTC. All agreed, it is not perfect. I would suggest that the lack of recognition of our male players by the national selectors show the program is far from it.

The best players involved? Not above the 13 / 14th grades. Some but not all. Observing the lack of commitment of those there (as per Shushy6) is a worry. Are they just going over the same things they have done for the last few years. If so it is not surprising they are getting bored and disillusioned.  

Even more worrying is Mainland's contention that theirs is the only way. If APFA showed anything it was that they could develop players through to International recognition and get players off shore. Similarly "Up North" it is the players in other programs getting those opportunities. Cory Brown (Nelson) our sole representative in the last 17's trained and played in Wellington (Ole).

APFA moving up to join The Phoenix and Scots College will surely see our very best youngsters following.

I would rather see Mainland concentrate on organising quality playing opportunities for all club players. Encouraging clubs to develop programs to include all their committed youngsters. Giving the most promising opportunities to "Bench - Mark" their abilities against the other Federations or Provinces especially in the North.

What is the best way? APFA unacceptable, the Burnley way is apparently no good but currently they are happy to promote The Arsenal way. Heaven help Tsetso if he intends setting up an Arsenal Football School. How long before they shut that one down? One thing is certain, currently if FTC is "The Best Way" we can offer then we have real problems.

Worst of all, nothing they do seems to support their clubs efforts. For the last 5 years they have isolated our players from competition with the North Island. They really dropped the ball, literally isolating the South Island. NZ Football did not do it, they did it themselves.

A number of clubs have shown initiatives, picked up the ball, sought out opportunities and worked hard to prepare squads for such ventures. The main barrier to preparation is accessing their own registered players, as FTC commitments are once again supposed to get precedence even through the off season.

Bring on the review

Are FTC commitments supposed to get preference (as in is it part of the deal when you sign up) or is that more of a "I have paid lots of money and I don't want to screw it up" sort of a preference? I know I have seen directives from my club that it is FTC first, then team training second so you only got the boys one session a week for a full squad run out.

 Lets get all the schools on board so the top flight kids can start later and do a session in the morning, then knock off school at 4:30 instead.  A charter school run by Mainland. We could call it the School of Football...

Not sure the Coaching qualifications mean much in the real world, it's more about setting some sort of standards. (I guess)

btw  I've been to 2 coaching courses where a participant has responded to "why are you here?" with "because you won't give me a rep team if I don't have the qualifications". So it's probably unrealistic to think coaching tickets will be some sort of panacea whilst attitudes like that are prevalent. 

like the 5th paragraph Fred, and where Mainland can really help is providing enforced rules around the grading of the Saturday winter comps. The value of this competition has been diluted by clubs following their own route as opposed to all having to toe the line. 

FTC does get in the way of club programmes. But popular opinion will have it that FTC is "better" than "club". FTC also can have the ego or cred effect as well. I think it's too early to say it's a fault of FTC that we have no U-17 boys. 3 years time then yes it would have to be considered.

It has it's own set of issued but it's still miles ahead of the School of Football program. 

APFA will only get the players who can afford it. I know the same argument has been presented at FTC , Reps etc. 

Mainland's contention of their way exclusively. Well yes and no. I'm not coaching at club level to a system completely opposite to what the clubs FDO has developed. So each club will also have it's my way or the high way rules. I don;t think it's unrealistic of the governing body to have some edicts around best practice. 

as you say bring on the review, clearly there is some things that need fine tuning and others that need a good sorting out. 

SR, that is sort of what I have been getting at.

Mainland comes up with rules and guidelines, clubs decide unilaterally it's pants, ignore/reject ruling, then blame Mainland for being useless. 

Cashmere team up with Roger Wilkinson's Premier Skills Academy

Wicked, just what we need locally in football, another cash cow that promises to open the doors to professional football for all and sundry. So that's Burnley, APFA (Chelsea), Arsenal and the Ricki Herbert Academy all slicing the cake, who's next?

 is CTFC RWPSA only for signed CTFC players PT?

on stuff today: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/9467558/NZ-football-academy-moves-north

I throught the Academy was 'free' but costs for board etc for out of towners. 

You thought very wrong. Easily done though, as that's what the article states. Only those on a scholarship did not have to pay. Scholarships were aplenty in year one when they were trying to establish themselves, but few and far between (if any) in recent years. Smokes and mirrors, as these articles often are. No doubt the editor screwed up as APFA would never put a foot wrong.

No restrictions on who can take part. It is not a CTFC thing. They are just helping organise. They have and are running the same program in Auckland. It has obviously been successful up there. I have a lot of time for Roger Wilkinson and John Cartwright, real free thinkers in the game, some of their Premier Skills blogs are excellent. not frightened to question the establishment in the UK.

Mainland have been asked to put details up on their web site. Fliers to be sent to all clubs.

Only had good reports from players we have had involved. Once again, it is hard to argue with their record. Phoenix, NZS  and Oceania obviously impressed. I liked Danny Hay's observations at the weekend.

I think they have had a good look around and decided this might be the best fit. All about providing their coaches and players with the best opportunities to continue to develop.

An important issue here is and this applies to any sport or employee of a business, you are always being watched or should anyway so it is very important to be good on the side line or away from the club as it is being the best smart arse player on the field. Coaches, Scouts etc look for all this not just playing ability player attitude is very important

These academies would not happen if NZF got there shit together especially the mainland fed anyway ! parents either pay for FTC or private academies, most of these acdemies are similar in price to FTC and I know the Burnley Girls Program is being heavly subsided in Selwyn due to a sposnsor coming board, well worth checking out.

Parents send there kids to these academies for better training from way better qualified coahes and pathways than FTC and Mainland options, check the coaching profiles of the Burlney Academy Coaches at Selwyn Untied Football Club , link below. good proactive club iniative from SUFC

https://sufc.co.nz/burnley-fc-academy-coaches/

Pretty accurate summary. Once again, why do all the regions have a management structure looking after their clubs interests, (Nelson, Marlborough, Mid Canty) but no one representing the Canterbury clubs.   

Yes they did - but that is because WR is a considered an all time legend of NZ football and not a private provider. Fact he doesn't front or run these PR sessions himself (for long anyway) has escaped MF. Will be interesting to see what the approach will be when Cameron Howieson visits the home land. No doubt Burnley and their host clubs will be keen to have him fronting at their venues. Would be pretty hard to come up with a valid argument refusing to advertise that one on the Federations websites.    

If there is a problem with a member club being able to use the Mainland site to communicate details of what they are doing to promote opportunities in the sport then we all have a real problem. 

Surely our Federation's site, a federation that is there to represent our clubs, formed to replace the association of our clubs is there to benefit our clubs.

We can advertise for coaches and players, surely we can also advertise programs, pre -season training etc.

As time goes on there seems to be a greater and greater separation. A real them and us. I thought they were there to help the clubs. At present it appears they are just there to "Help Themselves".  

No Cashmere High School mentioned... very good school who finished 13th or something at this years national tournament... Very talented school with plenty of top players

As any busines should, they are protecting their own revenue streams by trying to fend off any alternatives to their own programmes. Big difference here is that their shareholders are their members who on top of paying affiliation fees are having to resort to alternatives because what MF has delivered them has been shortcoming. Not too big a hurdle for old established clubs with structures and paid roles in place to cater for this, but one can understand why newbies SUFC and Waimak have embraced the Burnley program.   

If a business can only survive by defending a monopoly instead of "delivering the goods" their shareholders should reasonably expect, then it needs to look at either changing its model or get out of the kitchen.