Know who this is? He had a pathway! The rest as they say is history.
As I walk this land of Football dreams,
I have visions of many things.
Football happiness is just an illusion,
Filled with sadness and confusion.
What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had dreams that are now departed?
I know I've got to find
Some kind of opportunity
Maybe.
An NPL adaptation of the Motown classic by Jimmy Ruffin
"What Becomes Of The Broken-hearted ".
How many ACT young male Football players, post ACTAS, or never got to ACTAS, those in the 17 to 20 age group, have had their Football dreams squashed through lack of opportunity here in the ACT. Too many is my guess , but we will never really know. What a shame.
There is one problem, one glaring deficiency in player development in the ACT - talented male players between the ages of 17 and 20 years of age. The dissatisfaction expressed on the sidelines among parents with young men, for whom the football dream is still burning bright, is getting pretty savage and for good reason.
And what are people saying?
While ever there is a Canberra United team for our most talented women players (and lets hope the import list does not grow any larger), financed by the ACT Football Community (through Capital Football), the question will continue to be asked - "What is Capital Football doing for our most talented male players between 17 and 20 years of age?" What indeed! Why is it happening for the women and not the men? Why indeed!
No one in their right mind would want anything to be taken away from the Women's game here in the ACT. What the young talented women players have here in the ACT is fantastic. It could use a bit of polishing at times, but otherwise, there is a pathway to a National competition opportunity resident here in the ACT. As long as the focus for Canberra Untied is firmly and heavily biased toward a ACT developed player roster, it is a golden opportunity for all young ACT female players who dream of being part of higher levels of competition.
The Football Community in the ACT wants the same opportunity for the talented young men. They should have it!
Capital Football had done nothing to this point of any note to bridge the developmental gap for men in the Under 17 to 20 age group. Everything comes to a dead halt for talented young players in this age grouping who are past ACTAS eligibility, not in then AIS or at an A League Club! Nothing is on the horizon.
What's the option for these talenteed young male players - leave the ACT and seek a playing opportunity in another State Premier League Club and hope you will get noticed? Go overseas? Both are high risk very low return options. One thing is certain - our Premier League is not of a high enough standard to develop talented youth players and nor is particularly noticed by anyone outside the ACT. ACt Premier League CLubs are generally doing all they can do with little financial means to build a greater opportunity. Sad but true for the talented young player between the ages of 17 to 20 years and looking to go a lot further in Football. To move they generally require substantial family support and that is just not possible for many families.
And what are people saying?
While ever there is a Canberra United team for our most talented women players (and lets hope the import list does not grow any larger), financed by the ACT Football Community (through Capital Football), the question will continue to be asked - "What is Capital Football doing for our most talented male players between 17 and 20 years of age?" What indeed! Why is it happening for the women and not the men? Why indeed!
No one in their right mind would want anything to be taken away from the Women's game here in the ACT. What the young talented women players have here in the ACT is fantastic. It could use a bit of polishing at times, but otherwise, there is a pathway to a National competition opportunity resident here in the ACT. As long as the focus for Canberra Untied is firmly and heavily biased toward a ACT developed player roster, it is a golden opportunity for all young ACT female players who dream of being part of higher levels of competition.
The Football Community in the ACT wants the same opportunity for the talented young men. They should have it!
Capital Football had done nothing to this point of any note to bridge the developmental gap for men in the Under 17 to 20 age group. Everything comes to a dead halt for talented young players in this age grouping who are past ACTAS eligibility, not in then AIS or at an A League Club! Nothing is on the horizon.
What's the option for these talenteed young male players - leave the ACT and seek a playing opportunity in another State Premier League Club and hope you will get noticed? Go overseas? Both are high risk very low return options. One thing is certain - our Premier League is not of a high enough standard to develop talented youth players and nor is particularly noticed by anyone outside the ACT. ACt Premier League CLubs are generally doing all they can do with little financial means to build a greater opportunity. Sad but true for the talented young player between the ages of 17 to 20 years and looking to go a lot further in Football. To move they generally require substantial family support and that is just not possible for many families.
What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had dreams that are now departed?
They often give up Football or simply drift into the local competitions, all forgotten, unless they have strong links to Premier League Clubs who keep them playing. But the dream is gone. Sad.
This is not a new problem. That also what makes it so unacceptable. We are simply admiring the problem!
John Mitchell, that far sighted Football Coach and former technical Director of Capital Football describes this "gap" as a "tragic vacant space". Absolutely correct. Mitchell tried valiantly to construct a solution to this problem here in the ACT through our loacl Premier League, with his "ANU Elite" proposal for the ANU Premier League licence. Capital Football approved his proposal, then seemingly did nothing to support and as a consequence, it withered on the vine in its second year and ANU departed from the Premier League. Mitchell seemed to have precious little encouragement from Capital Football, PL Clubs knew little of the detail of his ANU Elite proposal, Capital Football did not speak of it and did not own it, and in the end it collapsed leaving good Football people worn out. Whether it was the best solution is another matter, but one thing is certain, it was the only one in the ACT. From this initiative, Mitchell did have a large hand in producing several Football success stories that were not repeated anywhere else in the CF Premier League or indeed by Captial Football. Good ideas die hard in ACT Football, amid petty jealousies , a lack of vision and administrative treacle.
It was Mitchell, who in an interview with the NPL some time ago, came up with the best solution I have heard to fixing this matter. This is the same fellow that championed small sided games in Australia, first implemented in the ACT during his time and with great success and which are is the bedrock of the National Football Curriculum. But is anyone listening? Go back into the NPL archives and find his interview if you need a few ideas.
Many (including myself) put their hopes in an A League for Canberra bid, that, had it succeeded, would have provided a potential pathway for our most talented players, assuming it also included a Youth League team. It has not materialised and until such time as Capital Football can construct a business solution that is cost neutral to the FFA, no A League Youth team for Canberra will come into existence. Football has moved on and with it the FFA. But remember those words "cost nuetral to the FFA" - because that is what the FFA will be looking for from us in teh future given the procession of failed or financialy crippled A league franchises. We must move on.
There is a modest but significant pot of gold in the bank collected from ACT Football fans for the A League for Canberra bid. That would provide a good kick start to a Football development solution for Under17 to 20 talented players going forward. There must be a way of putting this proposition to the donors. How and who gets this rolling?
Let me put this proposition to you - if Capital Football could construct a viable, cost neutral (to the FFA) youth team for the Under17 to 20 age group, Give it a Canberra name or perhaps Canberra United also (pity Deakin was allowed to take Canberra FC - never understood that one!), place it in the most appropriate competition outside the ACT, pay the players no more than is paid to Canberra United women's players (and that is next to nothing), restrict it to ACT players, have it well coached and supported in the same fashion as any other professional team (I am thinking of the AIS squad here), set up a separate entity to run this proposal (perhaps combine it with Canberra United Women's and have it run by a separate, truly separate organisation), be prepared to campaign this team for a minimum of two years ......
Is this proposal or something like it, something you could be interested in and support?
Yes or No?
Start pushing your Regional Representatives (they are CF Board Members), Club Presidents get the pen going, CF Board members take up the issue at the next Board meeting, anyone out there that wants it to happen should let the CEO Capital Football know by letter or email that you want something done - and some time this side of the next Men's Under 17 or Under 20 World Cups!
A Canberra Fans Forum on this subject - it would be a cracker!
Its time for discussion and action.