Youth League without Nix!!

The worst possible outcome for us (read Phoenix) is that due to the increasing ability of the young Aussies through a scheme of this type (remember that this was written by a journo for a paper so could be well off the mark), is that the Phoenix would need to bring in more Aussies as us NZers are not up to the level required and that the other Aussie clubs would turn us into a "cash cow" making money out of our misfortune in not having a proper youth setup and thus picking up their scraps / offcuts (like we already do!).

Of course another idea would be to have a Phoenix reserve team play in the NZFC but have all the players registered to the FFA not NZF.  Making sure that the Phoenix reserves would never be able to win the thing.

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/64123,ffa%E2%80%99s-unveils-10m-plan.aspx

More in the saga

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,,22714374-5000940,00.html?from=public_rss

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THE proposed national youth league will be destabilising for teenagers, according to some of Australia's leading football identities.

Former Queensland coach Miron Bleiberg and Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond have called for the state leagues to be switched to summer to align themselves with the A-League and cater for the youth teams.

It echoes the Professional Footballers Association's sentiments, who believe players will be better equipped to succeed by playing against men and open up a bigger player pool.

Bleiberg said the youth league, which will cost around $3 million, is a "waste of money" and asked "why doesn't the AFL and NRL have it?"

"They will be clocking more miles than Manchester United players," he said. "In the old national youth league, kids used to leave home at 6am, rush to the airport, play a game and get home at midnight.

"They haven't eaten and sometimes they miss school the next day because they are exhausted.

"Wouldn't it be better for these teams to play in their local state leagues against senior players where they develop street smarts in front of family and friends and they get a sense of community."

Van Egmond said AIS recruit James Holland, who scored on debut for the Jets, had benefited from playing against men in the Victorian Premier League.

"It's imperative to have something but the state federations should align themselves with the A-League competition," van Egmond said.

Players chief Brendan Schwab encouraged Football Federation Australia to continue exploring the state-based model.

I think it is more important and a better investment to build a national academy rather than shipping our kids all over Australia every week and burning them out. This would not only be for players but provide a facility for development of coaches and even administrators.

As it is an issue of youth development in Australia the onus is upon NZF to pursue a separate development plan for New Zealand youth.  The real issue for the Phoenix is one of squad depth.  I assume that the Phoenix will be allowed some concession on squad size to compensate, and this is something that will need to be worked through with the FFA.