Mainland Premier League (Part 1)

So which chch teams got knocked out of Nike cup? Who looks good?

 Coastal knocked out after losing to Waimak 0-1

FC beat Halswell and Nomads, and due to a draw in the final match Nomads also go through with FC on GD.

Tech and Coastal drew first up, then Tech beat beat Waimak who then beat Coastal.

So FC, Nomads, Tech and Waimak meet the 2 Nelson teams next weekend.

Heard the teams from up north are FC Nelson and Richmond.

 no linesman at Nike Cup. I mean really.

Yes there were.

At all games bar one apparently. 

 yes one game, but why? Seems very odd.

The five referees sitting behind me in the stand during the one game that only had one referee told me it was a volunteer based thing, and they didn't have to do the line.  Personally, in a crucial last game of the round one team is out the other is in match, you'd hope for more but oh well.

In saying that, a linesman might have spotted the goalkeeper picking up the ball, dribbling it to the edge of the box, then picking it up again!  I spoke to the referee about it after the game and he said he gave him the benefit of the doubt the first time...  Still did nothing either time tho. 

Anyways, I am not blaming that or bitter about it.   Just random that's all. 

 You'd think given the hefty entry fee MF/NZF could at least make sure there are referees at every round...

 FTC trials this week, anyone going to have a look at the process? Be good to look at that and the Burnley ones I reckon.

Was told by someone who should know that Burnley are charging $120 per term (once a week; $480 per year) and then if selected for next level, $1200 per year. Cha ching!

 IIRC FTC was $750.00 for the younger ones and $825.00 for the eldest 2 groups.

Both levels trained 2/week.

Do you know what AFPA costs are Stretford?

My info is sketchy but here's what i know: firstly, despite the website blurb, VERY FEW APFA scholars are actually on FULL scholarships (I only know of one NZ kid on a full); and they'll take anyone, irrespective of ability, who wants to fork out $700 for a week "trial". "Thanks very much", says Mr & Mrs Smith.

From what I understand there are a range of payment deals. My best guess is a range between $170 per week - $8,840 per annum - live at home (which they don't particularly encourage), up to approx $15-20K per year (which includes full board). That's 5/6 sessions per week - training/gym/sports science etc). Apparently full on-site accommodation is being planned too. 

It's a lot of money but they do seem well networked and I think that is what a lot of the parents are paying for - those "opportunities". Are they producing better players than clubs/NZF pathway? Who knows. It's certainly a far more professional environment than anything clubs/NZF offer at federation level. The kids there miss out on a lot of normal teenage stuff but that seems to be the price to pay to "make it". 

Academies - are the costs worth it? Discuss.

Easier to spread over 3 posts, hope it works OK. This is what we were told in an email sent to Selwyn members Couple of weeks ago or so. 

I Imagine this is what prospective 'Parents' will be told about at the meetings around Chch in the next couple of weeks or so. Seems to me to be 3 different pathways now pushing towards getting the best players, splitting and fragmenting things even more. FTC is the NZ Football way, APFA has the contacts and Chelsea name and there is now the Burnley way. One has to wonder if there are enough talented players in NZ to help cover all 3 options. Keep hearing that our 8-10 year olds are as talented as European kids. Maybe it is a good thing

Just because it's relevant to the Academy discussion: Football High School opens on NSW Central Coast 

What is going on?  

The Mainland site list the teams playing in the Nike Cup and includes Cashmere Technical.  However the draw states it is Cashmere Wanderers.  What the? 

https://www.mainlandfootball.co.nz/index.php?id=44&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1049&tx_ttnews[backPid]=43&cHash=19c6c591d5 

 probably a typo

maybe Rufer and Tamaki could double team on a charter school?

I know this isn't really the right place for it but, you guys are the target audience here..

WPFC have starting setting up official Members Supporters Groups in the main centres around the country and I've been given the opportunity to try and get things moving here in Chch. The Facebook page is here.

This has only just started out so I'm trying to generate interest in the local footballing community. We have a bar lined up in The Pegasus Arms, although I'm still to make any actual plans with them. Although it's technically a WPFC club membership group the idea is to get casual fans more into the game and increase the profile of the club. 

Also a bus trip is well into the planning stage for people who would like to go to the Nix game in Dunedin next month as posted on the Facebook page.

P.S. Go the mighty Hawks! :)

Congratulations to Laura Merrin, leaving Coastal Spirit for Blackburn Rovers. 

If The Peg Arms does not work out why not give Stroudy a call the O'Shea's on Marshland Road, don't think it is a DB pub, unsure if that is important.

It's the third tier of Women's football apparently. Another Coastal product!!!

Big email from Mainland today to clubs regarding where they sit with the new Burnley Academy. 

The guts of it is, if you can't attend 75% of FTC sessions, (perhaps cos you  are in Burnley Academy or any other reason) then you are out of the mix and therefore FTC and NTC rep selection.  

Mainland say they tried to work with them to 'compliment' what they have got however Burnley didn't want to. 

So it's my way or the highway.  Choose Burnley and miss out on the FTC/NTC and reps. Did state that APFA kids are eligible for selection tho which is a bit of mixed message.

What do you guys think?

Pretty blunt email, definitely Mainland's way or don't bother! Seems like kids would be ruled out of playing for national age group teams? Would this not lead to weakening of those teams if some decided to go the Burnley route? I know the locations for Burnley were picked geographically, so the 3 in Chch make sense. It's hard for parents in the Selwyn area to get kids to English Park a number of days each week. The running around, cost of petrol etc adds up. I imagine it would be just as hard if you live in Waimak region too. Whether it means that those 2 Burnley areas thrive more than the Nomads one not sure. Seems to me to be patch protection at the detriment of kids/families etc. I know I put up some pretty hopeful thoughts of all working together in NZ football, still not quite there.

 Just one thought, what happens with the kids at Wynton's academy where that is. Are they eligible for FTC?NTC? Seems a similar situation?

 FTC is 75% attendance regardless of Burnley (or whoever) is setting up.

There is sound coaching reasons about why this is so.

"Accreditation" or eligibility for NTC is a separate issue. If Chch is similar to the other main centers NZF are going to need to come up with some decisions fairly quickly. As far as I am aware Mainland do have an understanding with APFA but APFA are not taking "part-timers" for 2013. So if you choose FTC then APFA is not an option.

And while I'm on a roll 2 things screws kids sport, $ and Adults. No "private provider" has any right to whinge about higher honor selection when their intake will be defined by what parents can afford it. 1 provider with a transperant and stringent trial and ID process should cover a City the size of Chch easily. If rumours are to be believed by the end of the year we will have 4 different schools and they will all want the same kids, the high end.

All this academy talk... You'd think we were a world hotbed of football talent! Chch has produced how many world class players in the last 20 years? Apart from Ryan Nielsen, has anyone made it as a regular starter in a top league anywhere in the world? So from that glorious history of producing world class talent, with a popn of 400,000 in a rugby mad city/media, we now have "if rumors are to be believed" possibly 4 providers? Is there really that much serious talent here? I'm all for ANY national sporting body and its regional affiliates and clubs developing high performance programmes (its part of their reason for being); but that many private providers? In chch? Isn't it really that we are just the last market in the world for these businesses to reach? As a business proposition we can provide English language education and "safe" (less so after EQ) environments? Some locals have enough disposable income and are gullible enough to think little Johnny will play for Manchester United; but really, get a grip on reality folks. 

 I think this whole Burnley = no NTC thing is bullshark. especially if APFA is cleared and it is not. All or nothing is how it should be.

I know a few kids/parents in recent years have told mainland to stick FTC because ____ is the coach and that means their son/daughter gets a free run at the elite despite their potential ability or lack thereof. Other issue is if _______ is the coach of X FTC group and the coach of the X div 1 team at where ever those players get perceived preferential treatment (rightly or wrongly).

Until FTC is 100% independent and transparent there'll always be these issues.

Surely mainland should be seeing the burnley thing as a big win for them? instead of 16 or 32 kids getting developed that number is getting atleast doubled in our region. more focussed coaching for more players. ....or am I being too logical or maybe simplistic?

commen snse has no place here gings!

 well Gings, regardless of the number of players getting training Mum and Dad pay for, there is still the NTC bottleneck

perception is, or fashion dictates is that NTC is the #1 place to be. We can have whatever amount of accredited private providers but there might still be only 10 x NTC places. If young Burnley Boy misses out it's unlikely to be reflected on as " need to do better' but rather " it's a conspiracy against players from x academy". If there is not a good split in player ability across all academies that will continue.

the participants are also (for the main) completely focused on themselves , certainly no holistic/community approach to football selection needs apply. Most would not care a whit if 10 or 100 kids get training, just as long as my son is in. Whilst we as supposed coaches of young people are probably very happy to see the number of kids increased I'd suspect we'd be amongst a very few who actually give a f***.

Return on outlay is required to make academies fashionable to the paying parties. With the present lay of the land it seems that inconceivable for me to choose Burnley (or whatever) over FTC. No NTC option, it's 2x as costly , the better players are already picked/confirmed for FTC and looking at the FTC coaching line up I can't see Burnley getting within cooee. This has the potential to continue as well, because if they can't attract the best players then whether accreditation is delivered, the players still will not get picked.

 yes Gings , people have chosen to not do FTC and some of that is coaching related. However I expect this drop-off is similar in any type of "elite" junior sport program. I'd also suggest (early days I know) that this season 2013 will be better than last. Why am I confident? Because a good consultation process was entered into, the #1 coaching problem is no longer there, they have attracted some top coaching talent, and some effort is being put into including the club coaches.

Regardless it's 1000x better than the school of football program.

You might find there are quite a few deciding not to do FTC this year.  The fee, the timing of trainings, the distance to English Park, the quality of coaching.  A good friend of mine has pulled his son out of FTC for these very reasons, and also Mainland not living up to its end of the bargain regarding the sports science side of things that it continues to trumpet on about.  

Someone asked a while back as to what happens in other cities? Wellington have Ole Academy, Auckland have Wynton, are they eligible for selection in NZ teams? Or tough bikkies?

If it turns out that the best players in town are deciding to do other football, be it Burnley or their own club, will this change Mainland's mind? 

Edit: I don't know why the formatting went like that, I wasn't especially trying to make a point out of that! 

 I agree the line up is looking better for FTC, Korosh is a top quality football mind and this new French guy seems well qualified.

The NTC bottleneck is an issue but should wee Tommy Footballer from out the back of selwyn or oxford be denied NTC opportunity for picking the local academy over a long trip to and from ASB park?

I can see politics and drama popping in to this - NZF/Mainland saying they want each club involved in their own advanced development product and then sharkting on certain set ups.