2024 Jets Academies

[WOW2.0]

Div 1 Syd Boys league update (WSW and Apia had a bad week...only 3 points a piece)

1. WSW 129Pts (72MP)
2. Apia 116Pts (64MP)
3. SD Raiders 112Pts (67MP)
4. Sydney FC 111Pts (68MP)
5. Marconi 109Pts (72MP)
6. Sydney United 106Pts (72MP)
7. Jets 104Pts (72MP)
8. Sydney Olympic 103Pts (68MP)
9. Manly United 102Pts (71MP)
10. CCM 98Pts (64MP)
11. Hills United 90Pts (72MP)
12. St George 88Pts (72MP)
13. Wollongong 85Pts (72MP)
14. Blacktown City 81Pts (64MP)
15. NWS Spirit 79Pts (72MP)
16. Sutherland 66Pts (67MP)

[onlooker]

Saw GVE at Speers point on Wednesday night, from what it sounded like his China gig is over and he is back in Newcastle looking for a gig again.

[Jardelsimage]

Saw GVE at Speers point on Wednesday night, from what it sounded like his China gig is over and he is back in Newcastle looking for a gig again.

that was quick

[WOW2.0]

Saw GVE at Speers point on Wednesday night, from what it sounded like his China gig is over and he is back in Newcastle looking for a gig again.

Someone suggested he was also hanging around Lakes recently

[finzee]

Saw GVE at Speers point on Wednesday night, from what it sounded like his China gig is over and he is back in Newcastle looking for a gig again.

Crap no. Any who knows him, knows he is a cancer for youth football.

Add in his dropkick no hoper Gomez mate and you have the daily double of idiots.

[WOW2.0]

Wanted to do a slightly different analysis for the Jets position this time?

Obviously Jets has a lot of flux from season to season, and was curious to see how that fluid approach has panned out with the stats stacked up between the 2 seasons in Sydney?s Div.1 (PYLB)

Understand that the current season is still in flight so calculated averages as applicable.
(there are 47 games yet to register a result in 2024)?and the 2023 16s had an outstanding season


2023 (30 matches played)
U13s ~ 12th ~ 34Pts (9W,7D,14L) ~ GF48, GA70, GD -22
U14s ~ 9th ~ 38Pts (11W,5D,14L) ~ GF53, GA69, GD -16
U15s ~ 9th ~ 42Pts (12W,6D, 12L) ~ GF47, GA54, GD -7
U16s ~ 1st ~ 74Pts (24W,2D,4L) ~ GF101, GA37, GD +64
U18s ~ 9th ~ 44Pts (13W,5D,12L) ~ GF77, GA72, GD +5

2024
U13s ~ 7th ~ 31Pts (9W,4D,7L) ~ GF37, GA40, GD -3 (20MP)
U14s ~ 9th ~ 27Pts (8W,3D,9L) ~ GF36, GA31, GD +5 (20MP)
U15s ~ 7th ~ 30Pts (9W,3D,9L) ~ GF46, GA46, GD 0 (21MP)
U16s ~ 6th ~ 33Pts (9W,6D,6L) ~ GF45,GA40, GD +5 (21MP)
U18s ~ 6th ~ 32Pts (10W,2D,9L) ~ GF41, GA38, GD +3 (21MP)

From the above:
Last year AVG position 8th ~ this season 7th
Last year AVG GD +4.8 ~ this season +2
Last year PPG 1.55 ~ this season 1.49
Last year Win Ratio 46% ~ this season 44%



PPG by Age Group

2023/2024

U13s ~ 1.13/1.55
U14s ~ 1.27/1.35
U15s ~ 1.40/1.43
U16s ~ 2.47/1.57
U18s ~ 1.55/1.49

I think, we can see there have been some marginal improvements this season in general (the success of 2023s 16s skews results a bit).

But do we sit where a professional club?s academy should be?is the constant churn of players/staff helping or hindering? (clearly we haven?t built on the successes of 2023?s 16s)?do you think the teams have found their likely positions they?ll end the year at?

What?s your thoughts?

[ForeverRed]

If you include the grind of travelling I?d say it?s in good shape, remember it?s not about winning but improving, so it?s working.

[Eastwest]

But do we sit where a professional club?s academy should be?is the constant churn of players/staff helping or hindering? (clearly we haven?t built on the successes of 2023?s 16s)?do you think the teams have found their likely positions they?ll end the year at?

What?s your thoughts?

Thats where most people in Newy are clueless. We arent a professional academy. Go and checkout SD Raiders, Western Syd etc and see a real academy.

We do ok for a country "academy" on a shoe string budget. The players are having a good go. One of our weak points is coach education, its not the coaches fault. There are a few other weak parts but what can we expect. Were just lucky to be here.

[WOW2.0]

Thats where most people in Newy are clueless. We arent a professional academy. Go and checkout SD Raiders, Western Syd etc and see a real academy.

We do ok for a country "academy" on a shoe string budget. The players are having a good go. One of our weak points is coach education, its not the coaches fault. There are a few other weak parts but what can we expect. Were just lucky to be here.

You'll notice I said "a professional club's academy"...not "a professional academy", although they have a more privilige position then say Sydney Utd or Apia, etc

We also have far less competition to thin the talent there is available 🤷

Every business operates to a budget. But being regional our costs would also be lower...we should stop looking at ourselves as "regional"...We are the 7th largest city/urban area in the country (Newcastle/Maitland). Growing at a faster rate (16.16%) than Adelaide (14.52%)...we are larger than the Canberra-Queanbeyan "region" and our national capital.

Agree with the coaching observation, BTW

[Retired01]

You'll notice I said "a professional club's academy"...not "a professional academy", although they have a more privilige position then say Sydney Utd or Apia, etc

We also have far less competition to thin the talent there is available 🤷

Every business operates to a budget. But being regional our costs would also be lower...we should stop looking at ourselves as "regional"...We are the 7th largest city/urban area in the country (Newcastle/Maitland). Growing at a faster rate (16.16%) than Adelaide (14.52%)...we are larger than the Canberra-Queanbeyan "region" and our national capital.

Agree with the coaching observation, BTW

How do you encourage and ensure that the best kids are involved though as travelling to Sydney every 2 weeks certainly isnt doing that? The coaching isnt doing that either and the scouts only watch a game here and there then picking kids on a random good game then the mums and dads involved to fill the remainder. They need to go back to playing 1 or 2 years above there age bracket in NPL.

[WOW2.0]

How do you encourage and ensure that the best kids are involved though as travelling to Sydney every 2 weeks certainly isnt doing that? The coaching isnt doing that either and the scouts only watch a game here and there then picking kids on a random good game then the mums and dads involved to fill the remainder. They need to go back to playing 1 or 2 years above there age bracket in NPL.

The cost is also a major decision point on whether they can attract the genuine best...politics and favouritism too.

But, despite those detractors (and the travel commitment) I only know of 1 boy selected for the 13s this year, who turned around and said "thanks but no thanks" in relation to the offer, and 1x13s and 1x14s who abandoned their positions in the set up mid season.

(Also, worth noting too that the kids in Coffs Harbour (for NCF) are having to make an 8hour round trip once a fortnight too)

[Tommy]

How do you encourage and ensure that the best kids are involved though as travelling to Sydney every 2 weeks certainly isnt doing that? The coaching isnt doing that either and the scouts only watch a game here and there then picking kids on a random good game then the mums and dads involved to fill the remainder. They need to go back to playing 1 or 2 years above there age bracket in NPL.

Having watched some Academy games this year, playing in the Sydney comp is a must even though a big commitment.

[WOW2.0]

Having watched some Academy games this year, playing in the Sydney comp is a must even though a big commitment.

Curious question, what do you think makes them better specifically (I have my own ideas, but curious to hear yours...you are a coach yes, so had a lot of exposure to the varied standard from top to bottom teams over the last 2 years?)

[Tommy]

Curious question, what do you think makes them better specifically (I have my own ideas, but curious to hear yours...you are a coach yes, so had a lot of exposure to the varied standard from top to bottom teams over the last 2 years?)

Not a coach anymore, just watched a fair bit of youth football the past few years. Not taking away anything from the comp up here it is just faster, more technical and physical. Everything you would expect from one of the best youth comps in the country. More kids to choose from, cutthroat (maybe not a great thing for kids), families that live and breath it, clubs with better resources / backing. Certainly some NPL teams up here would compete but not all. The difference between the bottom and say position 4 is not much so every game is of high quality. They also play a 30 game season plus trials and finals. Just my opinion.

[WOW2.0]

Thanks for your observation...sorry to learn you're not a coach there anymore (If you're the same Tommy I'm assuming you are, I've only heard good things about your approach to coaching from people that used to play for you)

The lack of games in NNSW is a joke, 17 game season for tier 1 football, compared to 30 in Sydney...surely a big detractor!

[KITZ]

Not a coach anymore, just watched a fair bit of youth football the past few years. Not taking away anything from the comp up here it is just faster, more technical and physical. Everything you would expect from one of the best youth comps in the country. More kids to choose from, cutthroat (maybe not a great thing for kids), families that live and breath it, clubs with better resources / backing. Certainly some NPL teams up here would compete but not all. The difference between the bottom and say position 4 is not much so every game is of high quality. They also play a 30 game season plus trials and finals. Just my opinion.

I would say faster and more technical, but Newcastle football is FAR more physical - not the good type necessarily though and the refs let a lot go that you wouldn't get away with in the Sydney comp.

Playing on synthetic for the majority of the time really suited my kids play style (YL2), trained with some YL1 kids for an overseas cup and it was faster yet again, on synthetic and your touch had to be spot on - he would go back to his YL2 team and start smashing them.

It was very expensive though, almost 3k, not including all the extras like coaches gifts etc etc. plus the petrol and km on the car. all you do is live and breath football and the M1.

[WOW2.0]

Been a while since updated

Obviously some good news for the Jets being promoted to Tier II last night. With the relegation battle in NPL1 they will hopefully do battle against Sydney FC (currently in last place with 3 games to go)

Positions for the boys teams
13s - 7th
14s - 9th
15s - 6th
16s - 6th
18s - 6th

Having a strong finish to the season down there

The girls teams
1st grade - 13th
Reserve Grade - 9th

U14s - 9th
U15s - 6th
U16s - 10th
U18s - 13th
(I don't know if there is pro/rel for the girls)

[onlooker]

Been a while since updated

Obviously some good news for the Jets being promoted to Tier II last night. With the relegation battle in NPL1 they will hopefully do battle against Sydney FC (currently in last place with 3 games to go)

Positions for the boys teams
13s - 7th
14s - 9th
15s - 6th
16s - 6th
18s - 6th

Having a strong finish to the season down there

The girls teams
1st grade - 13th
Reserve Grade - 9th

U14s - 9th
U15s - 6th
U16s - 10th
U18s - 13th
(I don't know if there is pro/rel for the girls)

Jets girls can?t be relegated due to the academy rule where all players are a year younger than the competition they play in. This is also why the first grade team is capped at 20 years of age. I believe the boys first grade is also capped at that but the younger age groups play in correct age. I could be wrong I don?t know as much about the boys side as the girls. There is a change to the system for the women?s NPL next year where youth and seniors are being separated and the 1st and 2nd division aligning their age groups together. Not sure if that will change the relegation status of the jets in either youth seniors tho.

[WOW2.0]

Didn't want to distract from the youth league thread and the discussions over there (and this is related to the Jets academy as well)

A study was sent to me in relation to an age assessment of players representing their country during the Qatar WC, and at what age they joined professional organised academy systems. (Obviously this is a very select elite: 829 players from 32 countries)

(We often hear people say if you're not in an academy by age 14 you have no hope being a Socceroo, but this paper disproves that assessment)

It found they playing group had joined professional academies between the ages of 4.2 and 22.6 years old.


By continent, the findings in general found that the median age joining an academy was:
Europe: 11.1 (England was 8.4)
South America: 12.9
North America: 14.4
Africa: 14.6
Australia: 15.2
Asia: 15.6 (which did include Australia for a slight improvement)

Their noteworthy finding was that:


The differences in starting age also emphasize the need for policy makers and sport managers to adopt a balanced approach to selection-based systems and unstructured grass roots (soccer) activities. Players? development is a non-linear trajectory, and a too strict selection-based system will result also in the deselection of many players with the potential to excel in the future too.


?our findings should reassure players from all soccer nations that an early start in a professional soccer academy is not a prerequisite for participation in FIFA?s World Cup.

Thoughts?

Link to research paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publica...wnNJoxc6Zty8tg

[djjones]

The differences in starting age also emphasize the need for policy makers and sport managers to adopt a balanced approach to selection-based systems and unstructured grass roots (soccer) activities. Players? development is a non-linear trajectory, and a too strict selection-based system will result also in the deselection of many players with the potential to excel in the future too.
our findings should reassure players from all soccer nations that an early start in a professional soccer academy is not a prerequisite for participation in FIFA?s World Cup.
Thoughts?

Jets Academy is dodgy at best. It a results driven cattle truck so the tracksuits can keep a job and an ego to wear it on. Lets not mention the corruption that went on recently. Jaffas had better lock the apparel cabinet from greasy fingers
Technically its quite average and not good for the kids to mature into good footballers. There's a bit of neppo thats well known around the town anyway, but what Academy hasn't got that. The comp itself is quite good if you like the fees & travel.