Some feedback from thse that have spoken to me in the last few days (and there has been plent of it!):
One thing is clear thus far, from those that have approached me to discuss the matter (on this Blog and on the sidelines - futsal and football) - many, many people resent the idea of having to work hard in a voluntary capacity to raise money to pay players for players who train twice a week and play on Sunday. These same people see it as a waste of time and effort, something that does not "develop" the game. Most of the same people, seem to also be of the view that once you get into "serious" football (they use the Canberra United players and a representative Mens team from Canberra in the NSW or Victorian Premier League as examples), then we should expect to give players some remuneration. Our local Premier League doesn't qualify they say, for that sort of consideration. They have been unanimous in one comment thus far - Capital Football doesn't do enough to "develop" football, they make Clubs and players pay for just about everything to be part of Football and playing Football is an expensive business now for every player at every level of the game and by that they mean parents as well as young adults with full or part time jobs.
However, its worth remebering that when we talk to "Clubs", that is club officials with their "Club" hat one, they are more cautious. Every Club wants the best players they can get and most club officials are hard headed enough to know that players will shop around to get what they can by way of match payments - if they are on offer.
Its importnat in this discussion not to demonize the players - if some one offerred you $150 a match to play what you love doing, in good company, with a better chance of a premiership, you'd probably take the money too. Players wont change this situation - only Clubs can do that.
Some further observations on player payments by me:
This is a tough subject. I admire Belconnen United and Canberra FC because over many years of effort by many, many people, they have built an incredibly solid structure to support football. They are where the rest of us want to be. And they do demand good football as an outcome.
I have no interest in any Club that get a big handout from a large sponsor every year and have nothing to show for it and no interest in Junior Football. A Club official in a junior club a few weeks ago told me that he had been approached to allow a PL CLub to store equipment in the off season in their shed. "This Pl CLub didn't even have a shiiping container to their name to store their gear and they are going to help us?" he said in disbelief. They have no place in Premier League Football.
The status of "Premier League Club", should be held in high regard, because with it goes some serious community football responsibilities - not just the winning of a Premiership. Both Belconnen United and Canberra FC have the football power to do great good for Football in the ACT - they are / have been involved in some terrific community / charity works. And so they should. A much better use of funds than sticking dollars in players pockets at our level.
My difference of opinion is over the need to pay players to play at the Captial Football Premier League level. It brings a lot of unpleasant stuff with it. I guess the explanation for its happening is simple enough - if you have the money to spend on player payments, to secure a stronger playing roster and win a Premiership, then its an easy step to take.
But its still a very dumb thing to do in my opinion.
Better to have players who want to play, because they want to play, and want to play for your Club and stay with your club. Money, by way of player paments gets in the way of everything - most importantly - Club loyalty. Once it starts at community level football, you can never be sure that the players are with you because you pay them or because they like football at your Club or both. Players' attitudes change and not for the good.
If you want to pay anyone, pay the Coaches a little something and the person in every PL Club who does what might be called the PL manager / Coordinators job - you can bet this will be a net positive investment, because they never stop working for the Club and players, and nearly always put their hands in their pockets to cover off on little expenses and cost during a season. They are worth every penny you pay! There are equivalents in every football club at every level. They are the real football heroes in my book.
As I watched the Boomerangs FS play a NSW Supa League Futsal team from Sydney on Saturday (fantsatic Futsal I might add and the Boomerangs are on top of the NSW Supa League CLub Championships table at the moment), I saw something that made me think - The President of Belconnen United was coaching the Boomernags FS U12 Boys team, and the President of the Canberra FC attended to watch one of his young players play int he Men's Open game (having already had an oustanding game in the Youth Mens game earlier). That's committment and a Professional outlook and I'll bet that niether of these gentlemen get paid anything. They do it for the love of the game. Hats off to both of them I say! I might add, not one of the Boomerangs players is paid and they are playing in the NSW Premier League competition!
How much better would the entire game be if the money used to pay players was kept by all the Clubs to develop football. And I mean in every way possible, here are a few ideas:
- set up scholarships for talented players to play for a season or part season overseas (over 18 years of course).
- recruit talented young players from overseas, to add to the footballing environment, to play a season here with our young players and support it with homestay. Set it up with overseas Clubs to work it the other way. Build football communities at the communtiy level. (think Monaro Panthers and Shingot Primary School U12s, or Nara Ichijo etc or Woden Valley PL O/S players in 2010)
- send more PL16, PL18 and Pathways teams overseas on short tours to Asia,
- make sure no-one pays these horribly inflated registration fees to play our game
- set up development "no cost" or "very, very low cost" development programs with high quality technical coaches (eg Coerver) for our junior players in the off season and in season at your Club
- assist talented players with good academic achievements secure sports scholarships at Colleges in the USA or elsewhere
- Get your Club together (or act individually to) and collaborate with the ACT Government to build / improve grounds and playing surfaces (including more artificial surfaces, Clubhouses - and stop waiting for Capital Football to muster the energy to do so.
- Identify local charities that can use a bit help on a regular basis and integrate this into the playing ethic in your Club.
- and on and on
But you can't do this if the precious disposable income is frittered away on player payments at community level, so that someone can buy the next milkshake, Ipod or whatever.
So when is it a good idea to pay players?
If a Club does get around to making the next step up from the Capital Football competition, for example, to the NSW Premier League - then we have collectively crossed a boundary that does invite player payments. Players that train every day and play at a high domestic level at the State level, need some remuneration. Our best players will be attracted to this level of football. A development of this nature is desperately required for the development of players from 17 20 years. It follows then that this requires some support from the football community through Capital Football. A club should not be burdened with this venture, reliant solely on its own financial resources. It would be a "football community" resposibility because it would serve the best in every Club going forward.
But until then, keep the player payments money in the bank and develop the game through your Club is my view. Demand more of Capital Football not less.