2022 NPL Youth thread

[Bremsstrahlung]

This is always the tricky part.We need to have enough spots that every kid from 9-12 who shows promise gets an opportunity.By opening up spots all the way to a 24th team,it means that the kids at the very top of NPL(1) get constant high level games,and teams below get to build either individually or as a team and get rewarded with taking their teams up or individual kids get picked up in higher level teams.Im still not convinced that we are doing a great job capturing every promising junior playing community at clubs like Mayfield,Cardiff and teams up the Valley to name a few.If i was running a club struggling for numbers id have close relationships with any surrounding community clubs and invite their best kids into the NPL level program if they want.If its done up front and theres something in it for the community club it might be a good relaitonship that benefits everyone.Not sure who was involved with Suburbs on here but they make a great point about losing their best community kids to JDL whilst not being able to run it themselves.There has to be a way for kids to get a chance and filling these 24 teams whilst at the same time not killing community clubs who do so much great work.

Growing up, my parents didn’t know a thing about the state league or SYL and largely stayed outside of any ongoing politics with selections.
Cousin in law was a Breaker/United player that was playing for Edgeworth.
My parents assumed that he was playing All Age A grade for edgeworth.

In juniors, invitations from coach to attend Macquarie academy days. But turned up and 10-15 kids already had their shorts and socks on doing their own mini games. The rest of us just played games for the “scouts”.

Moved clubs to play 12G grade because I was new to the club and didn’t fit into the top Grade team. Stuck around for 2 years, the president of the club moved me up into some seniors ID games (zone league). At the end of the season asked me to play IDs next season, then called back and asked if I’d heard of NBN state league and if I’d be interested in trialling at any of the clubs, namely 2-3 clubs nearby.
Trialled and made it into their youth team and enjoyed many more years working way through grades.


The point…. My parents had no idea. I had no idea. My teammates had no idea. Without the club president taking a bit of an interest in me, would’ve probably played IDs and not experienced state league. Now, let’s be honest, I was never making it out of state league, I knew that, I just wanted to play the best level I could.
There’s plenty of players whose parents aren’t on the forum here, or know the inside out of the competitions. There’s plenty of untapped potential.
I’d hazard a guess and say, no NPL club scouts community games. They rely on people that are in the know and recognise these programs exist.

This could be a massive advantage to some NL1 clubs.
I used the example earlier of Warners bay. Are they entitled to enter teams into NPL youth comps if they meet criteria?
If so, this could be a bit of a game changer and allow clubs with large junior bases an opportunity.

That was the first I’d heard of state league.