Yes, the reality is that not many of these kids will play for the Socceroos or Matilda’s. That’s just facts and maths and probability and goes for almost any junior footballer in the world.

But that shouldn’t stop us trying to develop kids to the best they can be, on and off the pitch. And there are plenty of avenues to make money or be successful or get great joy from this game.

Football is a pyramid. Start off with a bunch of kids at the bottom and gradually they move their way up the pyramid or off the pyramid.
JDL should be taking as many teams as they can, accessible for any club that can provide the coaching required. At this point I don’t think there’s anything to gain by limiting numbers or clubs that can provide this.

NPL Youth should be a little more selective. But again, I think any club that can meet criteria should be eligible to apply and field teams.

I think it should be a prerequisite for senior NPL clubs. There should be a responsibility for clubs in “giving” and sharing some of their expertise to the next generation. But, not limited to. If a club like Warners Bay (just a a random club not currently NPL) have a large junior base, coaches on board with relevant qualifications and ability to field teams, they should be able to. Some clubs do development better at different stages.


How they operate the season with potentially splitting ages and promotion and relegation is ,for me, the tricky part.