tomw09 wrote:
Scottie, school football has it's place but the best football development is found at clubs.
Traditionally CBHS and SBHS have been the 2 strongest schools - as you would expect because they have the biggest rolls. Just because they beat Christs, STAC and Bedes on a regular basis doesn’t mean their coaches are any good. In fact at National Schools tournament the last few years they’ve failed to make top 8; or in Shirley’s case this year - failed to get anywhere near it; finished 31st I think. Good coaching? Embarrassing, more like.
Bedes have been better this year; Shirley have been worse. STAC and Christs appear to be getting better.
The real measure is not whether they get play in a tournament for 15 years or not; it’s 1) the quality of players when they finish school; 2) whether they continue to play the game.
A good 16-17 yo will play PDL at club level - training with older, more experienced and better players; whereas the same kid in the school system will play with younger and less skillful players. Which do you think is better for that kid’s football development? At club level there are many more resources to turn to in terms of players and coaches who have been there/done that.
How many players playing 1st XI in 2013 would make their club PDL or MPL team? Not many. Off the top of my head, only the following:
Christs - Tom R
SBHS - Connor L, Ryan S
Bedes - Jo B
Boys High - Tom P, Zac G, Jayden B, Sean Z, Mitch H
STAC - Henry F, Tom M
But if all those 1st XIs had developed in the club system since they were 14 I bet there would be more who are able to play PDL/MPL club footy.
MPL/PDL coaches who get involved at junior level:
NO: Cashmere, Bays
YES: Coastal, FC20
Not sure: Halswell, Nomads, Western
What’s your point? All those clubs (well not Bays or Western because they don’t have any teams) have junior coaches at 14, 15, 17 and 18th grades - who all learn from other senior coaches around the club - formally and informally.
Oh, and by the way Scottie, the only Chch kid who made 2013 NZ secondary schools is a club player - Hamish Cadigan who has played at Nomads, Mainland School of Football and Western.
That is the stupidest argument i've ever read, partly because all of the complete fabrications in it. I'm not getting into the debate about schools football, maybe take a look at the north island schools playing before saying anything. I've been around the christchurch football scene been to 3 national tournaments with varying results. Christchurch Boys' were actually incredibly unlucky not to make the final through injuries. They were the only ones to keep a clean sheet and beat St Kentigerns with a full squad, no mean feat considering their team was stacked full of internationals. This team would have been even better had they had all the players at school available. Off my head, 5 pdl players didn't play for school, yet they still competed very highly, and without their striker breaking his arm on the first day would have done better i'm sure. Bedes also had a very good team who were unlucky to have Mount Albert Grammar and Tauranga Boys in their group who did very well. Shirley had 5 year 11s in their squad, so it was a transition year. I'm not sure Tony Ambrose and Mike Boomer count as 'embarrasing' coaches either.
My second point is about the complete rubbish about who would make pdl/mpl football next year. For one, i'd assume you just picked the boys picked for canterbury teams, as some of these boys are nowhere near this level. I'd offer my own list, which has some truth to it.
Christs - Tom R (pdl)
Stac Henry F (pdl)
Christchurch Boys - Jayden B (mpl), Tom F (mpl/pdl), Mitch H (mpl), Abdul K (already playing mpl), Tom P (mpl)
Shirley - Zac G (Yes he goes to shirley-pdl), Connor L (mpl), Ryan S (pdl)
Bedes - Joe B (pdl)
I read somewhere that Jayden Booth and Tom Fitall (midfielder and goalkeeper) were named in the tournament team alongside players like Clayton Lewis, Zac Speedy and Nick Forrester. So i'd give my congratulations to them
If you're going to make an argument slating schools football, make sure you actually know something
Shows how much you know mate.
Ambrose coaches Refs not players.
If you could read, note we had been mentioning about playing in this years PDL/MPL, 2013 season. So how many of your names played this year in the pre season Coastal or Kaiapoi tournaments for a club team? This is the point at which clubs make the pick on the players who can make the step up from what is an very average 18th garde.
If we do have to have schools let's get back to a Super Youth grade which was fo older age than just 18.
Mick Braithwaite had a Fg good Bays team the [I think] last year of this grade. I've had players opt to play club reserves over school and been going backwards yet the same school team had players the following year go into clubs MPL and win trophies.
So who was right and who was wrong? At 17 it don't matter one bit. Be loyal to your Junior club after school days, too many kids give up all sports after school. Just make sure you enjoy playing at what ever grade.
