Nix Youth/ Reserves Need To Play!

Nix Youth/ Reserves Need To Play!

Ok here's another thought from the" too much time/ not enough football " realm...

Many of us on these threads recognise the need for those on the squad who aren't required for 1st team duty to get meaningful game time.
I for one hate the thought of the Nix being hamstrung this season without reserve and youth players fully fit, match ready and able to step up to 1st team duty when required.

The Object: get a WP(Wellington Phoenix) reserves team decent play each week to keep all players up to speed,and recondition returning injured players.
If the Phoenix doesn't have any chance of a Youth/ Reserve team in the NZFC or the A-League..why don't The Phoenix create their own  mini- league?

Ideally it would involve three (?) Wellington based teams plus Nix reserves, either club-based or composite, to compete weekly.
 Nix reserves would play curtain raiser for every 1st team Nix home game at the ROF.
WP to provide reasonable costs for each team plus trophy/prize money/rewards for league winning team and individual performances...Something at stake for individuals and teams to play for.
If club-based, management personnel will already be in place.
If composite teams, would require manager/ coach per team and central core of assistant personnel, all provided by WP.

Sure this will cost WP, but so would transporting a reserves team around NZ or Australia.
The money saved from that could be meaningfully used for a mini-league, to achieve something maybe less than the ideal result... but better than twiddling thumbs and doing nothing,surely?

I don't know the politics and problems involved in doing this, nor if there is an available pool of players for composite teams (if not club based)  but those on here more knowledgeable will and may be able to tell us.

Good idea, because it will keep other Players who are on the fringe of Team welly to keep there fitness up over the summer or duration of the WP season.

Great idea in theory but not plausible with a 20-man squad...

Get a 9th team in the NZFC (East Auck?) and play friendlies against Nix Yoof in the bye round. Better than nothing.

Or (even better) get GCU in the NYL and put the Macarthur/Hobart/Nowra/Canberra Phoenix in to make 10.

I'm pretty sure GCU are already in the NYL.  AIS makes the numbers uneven again as the Fury aren't.

GCU are definitely signing players to youth league deals.

by my count, ais and gcu in the nyl makes it 9 teams

Same deal then, just consider Step 1 already complete 

<!-- Start Signature --> "Robb is a genius." - Critical Lemon and Redged

If Canberra Phoenix is still possible that would be awesome Robb, makes more sense for sure.

If NZFC was the option, (and East Akld wasn't ready),  OFC could put in and fund a combined Islands side, based in Auckland, = more exposure for those players in a better quality league..we'd also get to see more of the talented island players before the Aussies get their mitts on them.

 If not,could something like a mini series work,e.g like Porirua Stadium Weds. nights were a few weeks ago in the trial training games?
True C-Diddy, would need to add to the reserves roster for a full team to play, although could be trialling up-and-comers and new people in town perhaps? Save on bottom line costs and opportunities for new talent to be seen.

RedGed2009-07-09 13:40:30

Just from watching the games on the weekend it shows how important a youth team is with exciting young players making huge impacts for their clubs. Not only is a youth team hugely important on the playing side of things, but I see it as a hugely important on the salary cap side of things. Most of the exciting youngsters when they first burst onto the scene would be on low salaries freeing up space in the salary cap to get your stars.

We will be stuck with picking up players from other clubs once their contracts have expired and their first club dont want to spend the extra $ on the player when they have another hot shot on the way.

Since the two Auckland teams ruined it at a national level, what are the politics like at a local level?

summer league/winter league problem.

Good idea RG. Junior822009-08-10 13:12:12

Good point that Bullion. Certainly has huge impact on salary cap.
 We will no doubt identify other important reasons this season why we definitely need a youth team playing somewhere for next season.

I wonder how discussions are going to that effect in NZFC and/or FFA.

I look at Sydney with Danning, Grant, Gan and Payne all probably getting paid less than Mulligan and Ferrante. I would way rather have Grant instead of Mulligan and Danning instead of Ferrante and with the extra $ splash on some real quality. Imagine potentially having 2 or 3 Rojas's joining the squad on the cheap each season and signed for 2 or 3 years.

I may be wrong Junior82, but I recall that it was too late for this season for a youth team and the NZFC was being reviewed at seasons end, with franchise contracts up for renewal too, I think.
May be an opportunity, but no commitment given, from what I remember.

  Oska2009-08-10 18:02:48

Agreed.  It's a BIG disadvantage not having the reserve players playing competitive games.  I wonder how many places it cost the team on last years league table. It would have been significant.

Just been reading "Pignata's Plan" thread. I see it's all been discussed before by mightier minds than mine.

What we will probably see is an informal version of the first post. The Phoenix reserves plus add on's will play a bunch of friendlies against Wellington sides....when and where?. Wait and see.

Sure has.
For more in-depth discussion of the Youth Team issues
Here's the "Youth Team 09- Pignata Plan" thread link:

http://www.yellowfever.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8632

Yeah I really want it to go through but we wouldn't be able to do it with 5 players.. So gonna have to wait till next season