Originally Posted by
Alan
Hi all, my name is Alan and while I am not a coach I am involved in administering the SAP program at one of the clubs in the city. I'd prefer not to say which one as our club has a social media policy which asks club officials not to speak on in forums such as this, so I will say that all views on here are my own. I also have a son playing in U11 SAP, a daughter hoping to play in SAP next year, a niece playing in the emerging Jets SAP, and a nephew in U9 SAP. So, SAP takes up a lot of my time!
I only heard about this forum on Saturday while at Edgy to see my niece play, and yes I saw some of the 40-0 game talked about above. It was not great to see, but from the short time I watched the Broadmeadow boys were not just shooting from all angles and the girls never gave up. Both teams can take something from that.
The emerging Jets girls and Newcastle SAP girls played Saturday, and they are in the U9 SAP. Both teams are raw but each have girls who have played SAP before and you can see that. I would say the Hunter Valley girls would be much better suited to U9 age group. This is my third year watching SAP and I can tells ya a years experience makes a MEGA difference. If this is the first year for the HV and they are playing in U10 it will be super tough for them. Chances are any good players in the team will also be snapped up by the Jets or other girls SAP teams at the end of the season as well, so U11 next year would not be for them.
I don't know how it all works on here but below are some thoughts I have about SAP and wanted to hear thoughts. Please tell me if this is not how you do things on here!
1. If your team has an ambitious coach, players and the team will develop. If you have a reluctant or short-term coach your team will struggle. Coaching is very time consuming - even at this level - and my son is lucky to have a coach going through his licences - he may already be B licensed. I know boys in other teams who are not so lucky and they don't fair well long term.
2. If you are looking at SAP for a child in the future, do your research and speak to the clubs about their plans. Knowing the coaches and knowing if the coaches are in it for the long-haul is VERY important. I know at least one club which has its SAP coaches lined up for 2021 already. Clubs can make good money from SAP, but only a few clubs will provide great coaching.
3. If you are a coach, speak to clubs and understand if their ambitious match yours. Its easy to stay with a club that you have coached Miniroos with, or have some connections with, but that might not be the best decision for you or your child, assuming your child is playing SAP too. Even the bigger clubs in the city have their flaws. Be deliberate in your decisions now, as it is not a good look for administrators and committees to see a coach who jumped from club to club.
4. I see a lot of kids playing in SAP who are too young. I get parents want their kids in SAP early to get better coaching, but IMHO clubs should look at limiting the numbers of kids playing outside their age group in SAP. The club I am involved is very strict on only allowing correct-aged kids to play SAP. I believe (but was outvoted) that some exceptions should be made for exceptionally talented kids, but there are not too many of these. There are too many U8 kids playing in U9 SAP and it shows. Parents should realise there is no rush. Most clubs will happily take your money and little your 7 year old play SAP, but ask if its best for them. Miniroos teams at U8 can be graded, so that might be just as good an option as SAP for young talented players.
5. NNSWF really are trying their best. They don't always get things right with SAP, but I do believe they have the best interests of young footballers at their heart.
Sorry for the ramble - just wanted to throw out some discussion points. Just my opinions though - don't hang the DJ if you don't like the song! I look forward to interacting with you all.
A