ROB Baan’s small-sided revolution for Australian football is not being universally embraced in Sydney’s west where a fierce battle for sporting hearts and minds is set to be played out.
The AFL is looking to establish itself here and that means looming competition to net both supporters and participants. Now one local association is concerned that the round ball game could suffer if children are prevented from enjoying the 11-a-side version until they are approaching their teens.
No association wants to prevent the development of tomorrow’s stars but one has expressed concern that football risks losing out if it denies youngsters the big stage until they reach under 12 level.
Blacktown Association secretary Jack Taylor told the Hills Shire Times: “They’re (the FFA) comparing us to Europe where (soccer) is the only game. Whereas we’ve got rugby league and AFL to contend with.”
He added that by the age of nine or 10, children wanted to play “real football”.
Blacktown and Granville have both introduced small-sided games at under six level and intend expanding it by one age group every year but probably only to under 8s. Taylor said: “I think three years is enough, four years absolute maximum.”
Granville general manager Michael Briggs even warned that if the association lost young players, it might have to revert to the previous mini-soccer format.
He said: “It depends if we have a fall-away of participants, then we'll have to re-evaluate where we go. I think that's the same as a lot of other associations.”
In a recent statement on the organisation’s official website, FootballNSW president Jim Forrest said: “Small sided games are set to involve more than 27,000 young players in New South Wales in 2008. Seventeen of FNSW’s 31 Associations have agreed to take part in the trial evaluation period mandated last year by FFA. Outcomes will be evaluated later in 2008 to judge the success of small sided games both in NSW and in other football states around Australia.
After that, FNSW will probably require that small sided games replace the existing mini-soccer (rooball) by either completely or by stages, year-by-year. However, any further extension beyond the 6’s to 8’s will be by negotiation with our Associations. FFA has agreed not to mandate which ages must use SSGs. Rather, FNSW will reply on experience, discussion, consensus and cooperation with FFA. Above all, change will be staged and evaluated at each stage before proceeding.
"Because this is a trial year, participation varies. All 17 Associations are using the small-sided game format for 6’s; 12 are using it up to 7’s; and nine up to 8’s. Four Associations have extended the trial to 9’s, and two have adopted SSG’s for up to10’s in 2008.”
No association wants to prevent the development of tomorrow’s stars but one has expressed concern that football risks losing out if it denies youngsters the big stage until they reach under 12 level.
Blacktown Association secretary Jack Taylor told the Hills Shire Times: “They’re (the FFA) comparing us to Europe where (soccer) is the only game. Whereas we’ve got rugby league and AFL to contend with.”
He added that by the age of nine or 10, children wanted to play “real football”.
Blacktown and Granville have both introduced small-sided games at under six level and intend expanding it by one age group every year but probably only to under 8s. Taylor said: “I think three years is enough, four years absolute maximum.”
Granville general manager Michael Briggs even warned that if the association lost young players, it might have to revert to the previous mini-soccer format.
He said: “It depends if we have a fall-away of participants, then we'll have to re-evaluate where we go. I think that's the same as a lot of other associations.”
In a recent statement on the organisation’s official website, FootballNSW president Jim Forrest said: “Small sided games are set to involve more than 27,000 young players in New South Wales in 2008. Seventeen of FNSW’s 31 Associations have agreed to take part in the trial evaluation period mandated last year by FFA. Outcomes will be evaluated later in 2008 to judge the success of small sided games both in NSW and in other football states around Australia.
After that, FNSW will probably require that small sided games replace the existing mini-soccer (rooball) by either completely or by stages, year-by-year. However, any further extension beyond the 6’s to 8’s will be by negotiation with our Associations. FFA has agreed not to mandate which ages must use SSGs. Rather, FNSW will reply on experience, discussion, consensus and cooperation with FFA. Above all, change will be staged and evaluated at each stage before proceeding.
"Because this is a trial year, participation varies. All 17 Associations are using the small-sided game format for 6’s; 12 are using it up to 7’s; and nine up to 8’s. Four Associations have extended the trial to 9’s, and two have adopted SSG’s for up to10’s in 2008.”
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