My comment is related to next season. Have a look at the comp tables - it’s not hard to work work out where from. As BBScone said - if all NPL clubs had to lure players was the “NPL” badge - their days are numbered - when perhaps 5 clubs could find themselves playing second tier youth.
But where will they go? If they are in a relocated club and lesser team, they aren’t going to a top 4 club are they? The system and clubs have let these kids down.
Clubs who opted for first grade success as their measure of success - really need to take a long look in the mirror.
I think you are over estimating this.The kids that rate their chances of playing in the top grade will go and trial with the top 8 and if they are good enough they will get in.Or they will have already been approached its not as if the usual suspects arent already putting out feelers for next year.If not they will play down until they get a chance.The ones that give up were never going to see it through anyway so whats the big deal?They were just as much of a chance of giving up if they keep losing every week anyway.As for parents,any shame they feel of their kid having to play down will be softened by their kids winning more games than they already are,therefore giving them something to post on facebook each weekend.Majority of kids just want to do their best.Southy kids are proud to play for Southy,New Lambton kids the same.Im sure the likes of Adamstown/Lakes and Cooks Hill will survive and thrive wherever they play.
Perhaps - I hope you are right. However I am looking at this from a different angle. I am looking at the impact on a club not the kids, which then affects the kids.
You are correct on your thoughts about the individual players. What I am saying is, there will be significant impact on clubs of kids leaving a club because they donÂ’t want to play second tier - unless they deeply connected to the clubÂ’s culture and stay. This then affects a mid to lower level clubs ability to retain players and then build a strong first grade - unless they are simply happy to spend big every year for players developed by other clubs. I can see several of the existing clubs really struggle after decoupling occurs.
The feedback and concern from NPL club executives on just this matter suggests there is real concern.
Yes this is a great point,you are right i was only looking from a players perspective not the clubs.Only having 8 clubs in youth but 11 in seniors NPL will make a real fork in the road once kids want to make the jump from 16s and enter senior football.Its probably the single biggest issue that would prevent decoupling from happening.Unless they feel that kids that dont make Magic/Olympic/Jaffas 18's are happy to go to Lakes/Adamstown to fill their numbers.It would be a massive detriment to senior football not having a direct youth path.Again,a damned if you do damned if you dont situation.
Does it matter? Why does a kid chose to go to any specific club?
Club success - generally of their first grade?
Who the coach will be?
What division will they play?
Etc.
Which of these in combination affect the choices people make?
What I know is - clubs have 3 streams of revenue - player regos, sponsors and fundraising.
Unless you are developing players, your are buying players. People will not pay huge youth regos to cover a first grader, there is only so much sponsorship $ to in a regional city that is a rugby League town etc.
Decoupling will change the way clubs think and approach youth football.
They might be mid table but Maitland played them last week without making a sub the whole game - until there was an injury in the last 10. It would have been a bloodbath if they had an actual full squad. Olympic consistently had to sub players off the park for trying to start fights. Had they played the same they would have lost at least 3-4 to red cards. They are mid table because they are trying to play rugby on a football field, not because they are skill equivalent and its evident that their on field behaviour is way off the pace as well.
I’m looking forward to it especially if it means more games and more competitive games. If you had a tipping comp in NPL youth atm you would rarely get one wrong
That is the age old question though isnt it?Just keep recycling the same old players in NPL,buy a comp or develop your own and suffer the fate of kids playing against men.Adamstown and Valo can probably point to their 18s teams doing well,Cooks Hill have done better since bringing more kids through,and Magic seem to have brought through a bunch of kids too.Does anyone know if they are Magic youth or from elsewhere?Theres no doubt that things need a shake up,but for every suggestion on here theres a pretty decent counter as to why it might not be that easy.
Unfortunately this is true.
Some of those kids mentioned going to Magic from Academies had offers to stay but choose to move on. At some point it dawns on most kids and parents that chasing a pro dream in Australia is close to impossible. In Newy it’s many times harder than in the big cities too.
Look at Crowley at Maitland. Comes from the bush to join the jets, released, kills the local NPL, tries the Melbourne scene and is back again killing it here.
It’s a tough pathway. Just watch a video of club youth academies overseas to see the difference in standards. I just hope parents are being realistic with their kids because the fall can be hard.
They work it out fairly quickly once senior football starts. Just look at this forum. JDL page is full of wide eyed mums and dads full of hopes and dreams. NPL youth page starts to find the problems in the system and the conspiracies about why some kids are getting more opportunities than theirs and then by the NPL page, nobody cares anymore and the cycle continues
There is a draft proposal out there for the decoupling
Here are the key points
NNSWF have consulted widely through a decoupling working group
Failure of current NL1 clubs to field team in all age groups had undermined the competition
NNSW intends to require all clubs that wish to complete in the Premier Youth League field teams in all age groups. One in, all in. One out, all out.
Clubs that are in the NPL must have (not negotiable):
• Teams in all age groups
• An approved Youth Development Plan
• Head coaches with C
• Technical Director with C
• Budget submitted annually
• Fees submitted an approved by NNSWF
• Venue approved by NNSWF
• Level 2 sports trainer at all games
Under 18s move to youth day
From 2023 onwards:
-Pre season cup (clubs no longer required to arrange trial games)
-Revamped League season: a two part season where clubs can earn promotion / relegation once during the season. Each new level of the Premier Youth League will have a grand final
-Two knockout cups
-Summer series
1. Pre season Cup and Plate: seeding based on club championship
Cup – top 12 clubs from previous season
Plate – 13th to 24th from previous season
World cup style format
Played at home ground or, if unavailable, LMRFF (for a fee of course)
2. Premier Youth League
In 2023 the Premier Youth League will have 3 smaller leagues. All teams start 2023 in the same tier as they finish 2022 pending any clubs being promoted (hello New Lambton!) Each club will play each other once. Top 8 clubs in div 1 form League A, remainder of division 1 plus top 4 of division 2 form League B, bottom 8 teams of division 2 form League C. All points/goals etc reset. Clubs in each new League play each other once
At end of season, all clubs in League A plus the top 4 of League B will form Division 1 for the next season. The rest of League B and all League C form Division 2 for the next season.