New academy!!!!!!!

[Bex]

I agree with those sentiments, but there are two sides to every story. There are limited places and if its free then whats stopping flash in the pan people who aren't committed to a footballing career from taking valuable spots?

Surely, schools and/or clubs near each location would be able to offer a limited number of scholarships per year. Its not big money for business and its a great community service. And, to be honest, $750 isn't that much if you compare it to other sports. My family has always been involved in motorsport starting with karting at the age of 7. Even in karting, $750 is lucky to buy one set of tyres, which would last two meetings. The hard truth is that we do live in a capitolist society and there will be haves and have-nots. Compared to most other sports, Football has the massive advantage that it is actually very accessable to people that aren't cashed up.

 

[Paolo]

I agree with those sentiments, but there are two sides to every story. There are limited places and if its free then whats stopping flash in the pan people who aren't committed to a footballing career from taking valuable spots?

Surely, schools and/or clubs near each location would be able to offer a limited number of scholarships per year. Its not big money for business and its a great community service. And, to be honest, $750 isn't that much if you compare it to other sports. My family has always been involved in motorsport starting with karting at the age of 7. Even in karting, $750 is lucky to buy one set of tyres, which would last two meetings. The hard truth is that we do live in a capitolist society and there will be haves and have-nots. Compared to most other sports, Football has the massive advantage that it is actually very accessable to people that aren't cashed up.

lol, comparing a football academy to motorsports does not seem like a fair comparison to me.

 

[bikinigirl]

. but the point is valid nonetheless - it could be music lessons or private school, nippers, anything really

. the scholarship idea probably has merit here if it is genuinely needed. i know in the past community-based clubs have offered scholarships for a range of things whether they be sporting or academic endeavours but financial hardship must be established.

 

[Jorome Alexander Bennett]

I heard the rumours about this going back a few weeks.
I was well excited.
This does not live up to my expectations. This is a football clinic. Not Mariner's academy.
This will help the development of young players in the region and these players would probably sign for the mariners before other teams. But cannot be as helpful if it was a fully developed academy system.

I like this academy that they have come out with, from the viewpoint that it will make the Mariners money, raise brand recognition and affinity and it will get some more quality training out on the scene.

But I hope to see in the future Mariners running clinics for paying customers and an academy for the elite players, free of charge.

What it is now is ok, but what it could be should be worked towards as soon as possible.

Let's become the Australian talent factory. The Australian Sao Paulo. Let's aim to have every player in Sheffield United and three in Chengdu Blades an Aussie from the Central Coast. Let's set record transfer fees out of our club instead of paying one legged oldies wage records. Let's have every player on the central coast pitch well versed in joga bonito, total football and razzle dazzle. Let's become the centre of football excellence in Australia.

 

[Rowdy]

I agree with those sentiments, but there are two sides to every story. There are limited places and if its free then whats stopping flash in the pan people who aren't committed to a footballing career from taking valuable spots?

Ummm....Exactly what I suggested, POLITELY show them the door! Thats the luxury the club would have by NOT charging fees for this specific situation.  :

Surely, schools and/or clubs near each location would be able to offer a limited number of scholarships per year. Its not big money for business and its a great community service. And, to be honest, $750 isn't that much if you compare it to other sports. My family has always been involved in motorsport starting with karting at the age of 7. Even in karting, $750 is lucky to buy one set of tyres, which would last two meetings. The hard truth is that we do live in a capitolist society and there will be haves and have-nots. Compared to most other sports, Football has the massive advantage that it is actually very accessable to people that aren't cashed up.

As for the rest of your post, i'm sorry BUT its just full of contradictions.

"There will always be have's & have nots" BUT "Football has the massive advantage that it is actually very accessable to people that aren't cashed up."

I'm sorry to inform you BUT 'Have-nots" are NOT cashed -up, thats why they are "HAVE-NOTS".

Yeah Football is accessible at $180 a year to play in the local U12d's. But who this 'academy' (which others are now starting to see it as just another clinic) is aimed at is the 'kids of the future' who would/should be playing Rep Football already.

"And, to be honest, $750 isn't that much if you compare it to other sports".  :  Looking at it as if its "just $750" is being rather uninformed.

Rep Football costs $950 in registration to play at Lightning for just one season, add in fuel (avg $45 per away trip), maintenance on your car which is going to clock-up the km's, accommodation/meals for the longer trips depending on which teams are in your division. Then couple that with Branch State Titles costs of around $600, a pair of boots each season at $80-100 and it really starts to add up.

I reckon your looking at a minimum of $2,000. maybe more? To then come up with another $750 for the Mariners Academy, I reckon some are going to say 'nay, think we'll give it a miss'. A lot of kids from Lightning this year (& in the past) snubbed their noses at going to Branch/State Titles based purely on the cost, which was only $100 odd dollars cheaper at $500 for them because they already had Lightning gear (which they had worn all season) unlike other kids that came from local clubs who HAD to buy Lightning gear and pay the full $600 to go. This was a smack in the mouth to Lightning players & parents imo.

The REAL hard truth is just because we live in a "capitol"(sic) society DOES'NT mean we have to have the "Haves & Have-Nots". Making this Academy a 'Fee-Free' one would show that, like the rest of the world, it just comes down to making the DECISION to charge people for something (then it would be an 'Elite-Academy') OR making it available to ALL. 

 

[midfielder]

Just did some sums.

5 locations, 6 age groups, 16 players per age group, $ 750.00 per child.

Assuming all places fill thats ....5*6*16*750 = $ 360, 000.

Plus when they travel overseas my guess is parents will have to fund this as well.

An academy to me means a place where kids compete to go too ........ only the best are chosen and certainly not 480 players.  To me its starting to look like a money making idea marketed as an Academy in Australias football centre of excellence. Not sure if this is the smartest thing our club has done ....... not the training .... but marketing it as a football academy.

I also accept training on this scale with  5 parks and 96 teams needs funding and given the current state of Australian Football it would be a tad too expensive to fund by a club so a degree of cost recovery I see as reasonable .......... I guess its were you draw the line between cost recovery and profit is the call needing to be made and at 750.00 ....... the call has been made to make a profit.

Finally and back to my academy understanding........ my understanding is a academy  has one team per age (these are the best of their age in the area) chosen from rep squads and invited players to trial, not 5 teams per age and only  if your parents can pay you get in.  So IMO what is being set up should not be marketed as our academy given you buy your way in ....... not necessarily play your way in. Elite player coaching by Mariner Academy trained coaches is a better way to explain this.

 

[Bex]

blah blah blah

Bloody hell, you couldn't have applied your preconceived notions to my post in a more inappropriate, biased way if you tried.  : : : : : :

I'm not even going to honour your post with a debate. Every point you make assumes something about my post that is just plain wrong.

If you wish to believe that the academy should be free then thats fine by me. In fact, if you noticed the first line of my post then you would have seen I actually agree with your sentiments. My post was simply pointing out a potential flip side of the debate.

Anyway, it would be appreciated if you would refrain from mindlessly twisting my post when clearly you're only interested in furthering your own agenda. If you wish to blatantly ignore opposing arguments, perhaps you should just start a blog and be done with it.

 

[Rowdy]

"Mindlessly twisting your post".......ffs

You compare a $750 set of fricking go-kart tyres that last 2 fricking races to a Football Academy fee that goes for 20 something weeks as if it's apples for apples, then THINK nothing of it.

There your words, not mine. Its an 'opinion' which is similar to others, not an agenda & as Keensy also posted, yours is a pretty big strrreeeeetch of a comparison, sorta like comparing apples with....well...er .....go-karts.

Think your in need of one your pills and 'good lie down'

 

[FFC Mariner]

Ok, so if you have a kid who is a reasonable player and able to get picked in one of the rep sides, the money is about the same???

Assuming its there or thereabouts, where do you think the kid will want to play? Too right, CCM.

It occurs to me that this initiative might:

1) Promote the CCM "brand" to a v young audience and their families.

2) f**k over the rep side and the association in the process (strangle its flow of juniors and starve it of revenue)

3) Give the club a good look at potential young players for the development squads.

 

[Rowdy]

2) f**k over the rep side and the association in the process (strangle its flow of juniors and starve it of revenue)

I just "phoned a friend" of mine called Pete and I want to lock in (B) thanks Eddie, yeah lock in (B). 

 

[FFC Mariner]

and if you were thinking of building a training complex of your own why wouldnt you make it hold 2 or 3,000.

clever people running this club

 

[dibo]

2) f**k over the rep side and the association in the process (strangle its flow of juniors and starve it of revenue)

I just "phoned a friend" of mine called Pete and I want to lock in (B) thanks Eddie, yeah lock in (B).  

what if the academies were set up in such a way as to dovetail with the lightning programs (particularly in the area of scouting and recruitment)? with appropriate year round support from the mariners could it provide the sort of expert coaching and resources to push lightning's junior program to the top of the PYL? could it even set up lightning's senior program as a NSWPL capable outfit?

and if you were thinking of building a training complex of your own why wouldnt you make it hold 2 or 3,000.

clever people running this club

there's your NSWPL standard ground too.

 

[FFC Mariner]

There's only 1 organisation on the CC capable and financially able to run a NSWPL side and it aint the Association.

 

[goingtoadisco]

For a start i agree that it should be free, but see it from the mariners point of view. As people have pointed out the mariners are a business that needs to make money however as even more people have pointed out a major part of that busness is going to be youth development. So do they sacrifice a large portion of there turn over for this sector of the business by running free academies to improve junior development ? or do they charge for the academies, improve talent and break even at the end of the day ? coming from a grass roots football perspective i think the mariners should choose the first option, but if i were working i administration for the mariners i would without doubt choose the latter.

you can ramble on about the standed of coaching at junior academies as much as you want but if a kids training with an academy that has A-league and potentialy premeir football at its top tier then its a good academy to be enrolled in.

Rowdy beleive me i understand where your coming from if you think that football coaching is expensive and in the scheme of things it is !! but believe it or not football is a relativly cheap when compared with other sports . to use an example thats not motor cars If your a junior surfer yout looking at upwards of 1500 dollers a year just for equpment no coachign or development. Any coaching is around 40- 80 dollars an hour and for a  deceant 2 day camp your looking at about 600 dollars.

 

[Rowdy]

I dont have a problem with the Mariners charging $750 and making money. What I do have a problem with is the notion that this "Academy" is perceived by sundry that its 'great, new & going to develop football on the coast'.

Sadly this IS and ALREADY has been happening on the CCoast for quite a number of years by half a dozen other "businesses" (Football Clinics). The Mariners are just replicating the format on a larger scale & unfortunately in todays economic climate there's only so much money in a families budget to get to the end of another week.

Programs like this, I'd suspect have been put on the backburner by many a family, many a rate rise ago.  :'(

 

[Kareem]

maybe look at models overseas?
EPL?
Whats sheffields situation...+ can they help us out (I mean if they have dibs on any stars to come out of here maybe they could give us a hand?)

 

[goingtoadisco]

Well hopefully with the cuts this weekand with more over the next year it will be back on the agender

I dont think we can judge the coaching untill we see it. I agree that previous coaching clinics may not have been worth there while but from what i have heard the mariners holaday camps had a good program and maybe with the mariners academy only selecting A grade players they wil be able to produce a more technical based program.

the thing that worries me is that there starting at under 8's. way to young to have academies !

overseas models are a good idea. EPL is not however as they have a very different funding basisand very different circumstances, and do we realy want our junior development to resemble the english national team lol ? 

i think the answer is proabaly asia, japan have great youth development structures in place but they cost more money then you can imagine !

 

[dibo]

i see this as a good thing, simply because the mariners are the only thing on the central coast that can tie the whole setup together from juniors to A-League. there's a degree of what might appear to be something approaching colonial conquest on the way through as the structure supersedes or subsumes existing setups, but for the resulting top to bottom progression path it's arguably worth it. omlettes involve cracking some eggs.

 

[Rowdy]

i see this as a good thing, simply because the mariners are the only thing on the central coast that can tie the whole setup together from juniors to A-League.

Only if they get a 'club' for Juniors in the State League, preferably the Prem.

 

[dibo]

fair enough, and if they're serious they need to get that up.