Player Development - so we all agree an 'academy' style hothouse - 10,000 hrs principle and all that is good for player devt, right? Pro clubs all recognise this. Big diff here is that in a small backwater with too many clubs and not enough numbers, no club is able to offer anything like a true 'academy' experience. OK Coastal & Nelson Subs have started something - good on them - but it's nothing like the real deal. Pro academies don't waste their time playing in club Sat leagues but they do play games as part of development. Honestly don't see what's wrong with Mainland providing some sort of academy experience to players whilst the clubs catch up in the meantime. They are filling a gap. To me whether they play in Sat leagues is a question of what's best for their devt. To date Coastal and Mainland seem to think so but it's not what happens in other parts of the football world, is it?
clubs will not 'catch up' while the players they developed are then poached into an Elitist Academy. Football is a team sport not this insane concept of getting my kid signed to a pro team.
It's also arguable those sides are any better than the club teams individuals have left.Certainly the club my whanau belongs to has had teams of a higher standard than what the Academy could present. It's also clear that financial ability is as important as football ability. This perpetuates into the Rep program and directly forces good players out off the game.