it sure is. Pretty sure other sports don't have this problem. All I talk about is what I've experienced and that is if your serious about football you aim for a private provider . Surely the south island can conjure up something that can rival the setups in the north island because at the moment you're struggling to keep up. its a no brainer that NZ as a whole would benefit from a larger talent pool. The question is how do you upskill the south without the migration north, as this only weakens and dilutes the competition down there.
Do you YF folk think the actual quality of the coaching at a PP setup is light years better than at a club, or is it dependent on the actual coach? I cant speak because i have never seen an academy for long enough to offer an insight, but I suspect it cant be that much different. How much can you teach a 12 year old better than any where else after all?
Perhaps parents need to stop attaching value to programs simply based on what it costs. If its expensive, it must be better seems to be a common misconception.