This program was broadcast on Tuesday 31 August 2010, on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network.
Tonight's program is given to the Premier League Women's and Men's Grand Finals to be held this weekend.
We speak to Darren Viskovic, the Head Coach of the Tuggeranong United Men's Premier League Club. His analysis of the two teams is instructive and he makes a fearless prediction.
Then we speak to the two Head Coaches of the the two Women's Premier League teams that will contest the Women's Premier League GF - Ed Hollis of Woden Valley and Pat Mills of Belwest. The two best coaches and the two best teams in 2010. Makes sense to me! They are both confident of victory and so very different in playing styles.
The 2010 season has brought change to the Football landscape at the Premier League level.
The Men's competition has seen three new teams admitted to the competition. All did well for their first season. The ANU has withdrawn from the Premier League leaving a nine team competition for season 2010. The ANU Under 20 Elite program was a bold, commendable local initiative by John Mitchell, Head Coach, to assist young players post ACTAS, an initiative that made other PL Clubs (and perhaps Captial Football) sit up and take notice in a postivie fashion. Job well done! If Capital Football has any sense at all it will leave it this way and find a way to construct a season that has three rounds instead of two. ACTAS continues to play for points (but not for finals), ensuring that these young talented players, so well coached at ACTAS, remain remote from Premier League Clubs during the season. This is in sharp contrast to the Women's ACTAS program. The ACTAS fixtures midweek at the PPL level were of considerable assistance to many clubs. Perhaps there is a way to see these players play at Club and train / play fixtures at ACTAS in season 2011. Lets hope so, but of course, the requirements of ACTAS Head Coach for his players must come first. The two best teams this season will contest the GF - Belconnen United and CFC.
The Women's Premier League of 2010 has been terrific, it has seen two new teams in Tuggeranong United and Brindabella Blues. Its been a big step forward from the entertaining season of 2009. Both new teams have campaigned gamely and will be far more threatening in 2011. Western Creek have been steady performers, gaining a place in the semi finals, while Belconnen United started poorly, finished strongly, and perhaps the big improver in 2010. CFC was disappointing, producing some really good football at times, but seemed to disintegrate in the second half of the competition. This is one club that simply must persist with the Womens game at the PL level. With time to plan and recruit for 2011, CFC could be a formidable adversary. Belwest took the competition at top speed and got so far ahead early, they guaranteed themselves a PL semi final spot long before the competition rounds concluded, however, the gap did close. Woden Valley took up where they left off in 2009, but with some very important changes - a new coaching staff and a determination to implement the 1-4-3-3 in compliance with the FFA's new direction. Woden Valley have prospered, getting closer to Belwest each time they played them, ending a win in the final round. I guess that's the virtue of having three competition rounds (the men have two). Both teams fielded ACTAS and / or W League players under new and far sighted management by the Head Coach ACTAS Women's program (and Canberra Untied Coach) Ray Junna. The return of these very talented players to the Womens PL competition has been sensational. This works! So now its the two best teams to contest the GF - Belwest and Woden Valley - and it will be as much a clash in systems and styles of play as it is between the players. You just couldn't ask for anything more!
The availability of quality playing surfaces, remains a severe limitation for most Premier League Clubs (excluding Belconnen and CFC). Some no better than a cabbage patch. Training surfaces are worse. The Hawker Enclosed Centre, with its Tiger Turf FIFA standard surface is nothing short of outstanding and the more it is used the more it is used. We must have several of these surfaces available to be used within the next three years,and one south of the lake (Mawson or Kambah), enclosed and with facilities for players and spectators before the commencement of the next season. Its that critical and that necessary.
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