More kids leaving Mainland FTC player dev programme next week (you heard it here first 
) and heading to APFA. More on the cards. Mainland have some competition and as always, players/parents vote where they think the best opportunity might be. Will be intersting to see if & how Mainland respond. Competition only raises the bar, right?
Well to be honest Mainland is not going to be in competition with APFA unless they can provide training 5 days a week, full time paid coaches (that actually have the qualifications/ability to justify being full time) + all the extras. Until such times I think that it needs to be accepted that the top 1 or 2% need to be given the sort of oppurtunity that the APFA is, with the Mainland system a lower rung on the ladder.
Its simple, APFA will prepare kids to be US scholarship material at the least, and European club material at the highest. Whereas Mainland is more of a minimum MPL, maximum US scholarship type of deal.
Its not really a relfection on the quality of Mainland as an organisation, more just a difference in available resources. It's the same deal with Ole academy in Wellington