EXCLUSIVE: Frank Farina says national youth league matches shouldn’t be played as curtain raisers to A-League games, saying youngsters need to earn the right to play at big stadiums.
“It doesn’t happen at Manchester United or Juventus where the youth team play on those famous grounds before the first team,” he told au.fourfourtwo.com today.
“They shouldn’t be allowed to play on the best surface and the big stadiums before the senior A-League team plays.
“We need to make it something they should aspire to rather than just hand it to them.”
That said, Queensland Roar coach Farina insists his newly installed youth team and seniors will train as one group this coming season.
“There’ll be around 30-35 of us training together. I’ve already appointed Rado Vidosic as youth team coach and I’ll be having an involvement too. There are some talented kids in the Brisbane league and in Queensland.”
These talented young Queenslanders will have big shoes to fill after seeing the extraordinary rise of teens Robbie Kruse and Michael Zullo last season.
The pair energized Roar’s season and, along with another youngster Tahj Minniecon, loom as key men for Farina’s side in season four of the A-League.
“We had faith and confidence in these guys,” said Farina. “But you don’t just pick them because they are kids, they have to be good enough and they were.”
Roar begin their pre-season on April 14, around two weeks earlier than most other none ACL A-League clubs.
And Farina hinted that there will be new signings following his recent trip to Brazil but remained tightlipped as to the identity. “We haven’t finished our recruitment yet,” he said.
Queensland recently signed an alliance deal with Brazilian club Atletico Miniero, and it’s expected the clubs will share players at some point.
Farina is in Sydney this week promoting a scheme to improve and educate grassroots coaches.
“It’s tied in with a DVD we’ve produced with the help of Tip Top bread,” he explained.
“Some of these coaches are just parents, or they may come from a League or AFL background, so there is a wide spectrum of knowledge of the game,” he said.
“It goes hand in glove with the small sided games revolution where we are stressing to coaches the importance of players getting as many touches of the ball as possible. It’s about educating these people at the grassroots.”
More info can be found at www.tiptopcoaching.com.au
“They shouldn’t be allowed to play on the best surface and the big stadiums before the senior A-League team plays.
“We need to make it something they should aspire to rather than just hand it to them.”
That said, Queensland Roar coach Farina insists his newly installed youth team and seniors will train as one group this coming season.
“There’ll be around 30-35 of us training together. I’ve already appointed Rado Vidosic as youth team coach and I’ll be having an involvement too. There are some talented kids in the Brisbane league and in Queensland.”
These talented young Queenslanders will have big shoes to fill after seeing the extraordinary rise of teens Robbie Kruse and Michael Zullo last season.
The pair energized Roar’s season and, along with another youngster Tahj Minniecon, loom as key men for Farina’s side in season four of the A-League.
“We had faith and confidence in these guys,” said Farina. “But you don’t just pick them because they are kids, they have to be good enough and they were.”
Roar begin their pre-season on April 14, around two weeks earlier than most other none ACL A-League clubs.
And Farina hinted that there will be new signings following his recent trip to Brazil but remained tightlipped as to the identity. “We haven’t finished our recruitment yet,” he said.
Queensland recently signed an alliance deal with Brazilian club Atletico Miniero, and it’s expected the clubs will share players at some point.
Farina is in Sydney this week promoting a scheme to improve and educate grassroots coaches.
“It’s tied in with a DVD we’ve produced with the help of Tip Top bread,” he explained.
“Some of these coaches are just parents, or they may come from a League or AFL background, so there is a wide spectrum of knowledge of the game,” he said.
“It goes hand in glove with the small sided games revolution where we are stressing to coaches the importance of players getting as many touches of the ball as possible. It’s about educating these people at the grassroots.”
More info can be found at www.tiptopcoaching.com.au
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