Blackjack\’s Blog

This blog has been going for close on four months now and has picked up pace over the past 3-4 weeks. I want to continue to give a quality product to the readers (that’s you lot…the peanut gallery!!!  :-D) but I need your help and advise.

I welcome your suggestions on how to improve things be it discussion topics, services to offer, etc.  I would dearly love some idea on how to get some discussion topics going for the most rapidly developing area of the game, that of Women’s Football. Also some of the youngsters that we so often talk about. I would love to have their input, afterall what we are trying to do will impact on their future so it’s only right for them to have a say.   

Please keep in mind I work full time. I’m also a father (teenage son & daughter), husband, have a mortgage, etc. So my time is valuable and I don’t really want to be tied to the computer, just want to fine tune things.

I also want to thank people who have offered support and thanks. Your words are most welcome.

Keep the ideas and creating juices flowing folks.

I draw your attention to a new proposal for the Victorian Football League.

   V-LEAGUE

Rather than open any discussion on who should play in any Tassie squad, I ask you to read this document Application Criteria  and then judge if Tasmania can meet the requirements set out.

Is it a realistic goal for Tasmanian football to aim at (as a State) or should it be a Hobart (Sthn Tas.) initiative?

Can we afford to be involved in such a venture? Can we afford NOT to be involved in such a venture? 

Boy, you lot really do enjoy a great story…

All your rumours, innuendo & gossip in here. It just helps to keep all the topics small enough to be manageable.

Keep the gossip coming guys but try and keep it creditable and try not to pick on the Knights so much, they don’t need any excuses to play better and most of them don’t need any excuses to get send off either!! HAHAHAHA

Just wanted to get some feedback from the clubs on how they are coping with the new player regulations. I am especially interested to hear what people are doing to manage the extra paper work but also any contingency plans in managing player movements in and out of the clubs. Are all clubs enforcing the ‘No pay, no play’ (full rego payment before getting on the park) regulation or are you managing in other ways.  

I have received this from two seperate sources (Lionheart & another who wishes to remain anonomous) & I put it up here for discussion.  This is not an FFT plan (at this stage) but could easily go a long way to avoiding so many of the current hurdles associated with junior & youth development.

I welcome your input.

PREMIER YOUTH SUPER LEAGUE

This structure may best suit clubs to survive, provide pathways and move forward over the next 3-5 years;

Competition Format

We need to have a format that is structured – organised and were ever possible played at club grounds to ensure that players are part of the club – not teams just wearing a club shirt.

Therefoe;

1. A premier league Youth team competition

2. Age groups -  Boys 13-14-15  (year 2 could expand to include 16/17)

3. Age group girls 15 (year 2 could expand to include 13)

4. Clubs be invited (obviously through FFT) to enter teams in this competition     format as per suggested in year 1

5. MUST have teams in all age groups to compete (in year 1 it maybe 3 boys age groups 1 girl ie Boys 13-14-15, Girls 15)

6. Games would be played on Sundays (this would allow players who must participate for Schools on Saturdays to be available)

7. Games would start say 10.00am – 11.15am – 12.30pm -2.00pm.

8. Games on a home and away basis

9. Looking at numbers playing now it is believe you will get at least 6 but possibly 8 clubs who could fulfill these parameters

10. Could now – South Hobart- Kingborough- Clarence- Zebras- Eagles – Metro – Taroona (Metro- have 13/14/ girls team would need to recruit a boys 13 and Zebras have 13-14-15 boys would need to recruit girls 15)   

11. Would not allow school teams to enter they can still play in Saturday comp and also club based Sunday comp (this would satisfy the club v school issue)

12. Clubs can and should be encouraged to field other teams in Saturday comps

13. No State – Regional rep teams in this league (in actual fact players should be released to play for their clubs – train with the reps one night,  club on the other)  

14. Clubs would be allowed to register 15 only in each age group and those 15 would not be allowed to play in Saturday club comp

15. Have a final series based on finishing positions 1 v 4 ; 2  v 3 to winners play off in Final

Advantages for clubs

1. Clubs now have a structured program leading into senior football

2. Players – parents are being brought into the club ethos thus allowing for those participants to be involved with the whole club not just 1 team ( as is current set up)

3. Teams playing at same ground same day creates a football family club atmosphere.

4. Allows clubs to generate funds through kiosk and sponsorship

5. A structured coaching set up came be brought in , individual team coaches plus head coach who sets up program oversees delivery

6. plus allows interaction between senior players and juniors .

Football Tasmania State Rep teams

Would encourage these squads to continue to train but rather than having them compete in rosters have Wednesday nights at KGV as the game time ie 14’s v Club 17’s

15’s v Club 19 ‘s on the same night.

Clubs would then be able to field proper 17 and 19 teams as these games could be used for training and match practice for players – my quick observation of the 19 comp in Hobart is a league filled with fair to good 15-16  year olds but all the better 17 plus are playing seniors – reserves – these players would be a much better challenge for the 15 boys and if clubs had to say commit for two Wednesday’s during the season I don’t believe this would be a major issue.

This is YOUR game, if the above is the answer, the clubs need to drive it. It’s not going to suddenly happen. Take it to your club personnel (development coach, committee, senior coach, etc.), from there clubs need to take it to FFT.

I think the above is a reasonable start point for a revolution in junior/youth football in Tasmania.

Blackjack

I was going to put up all the individual fixtures but it’s going to be too big and take up too much space so I’ll just post a link. Follow your desired division according to the link…

GROUPS

MEN’S FIXTURES 

Premier League 

Premier Reserves

Division One

Social

WOMEN’S FIXTURES 

Premier

Division 1 & 2

Fasten you seatbelts folks, I get the feeling this could be a very interesting year.  

The Football Federation of Tasmania has a DUTY OF CARE to the players participating in their development programmes. I question the value of injecting a team of 14-15 year old players into a senior mens’ competition in the hope of preparing them to participate in National Championships.

A comparison might be to give a hoon a more powerful car so that he can be understand the handling of the vehicle and therefore be better prepared when on the national highways. Most of us in society would say this would be plainly idiotic. I would suggest putting a team of kids into a highly competitive mens’ competition would have similar value. It’s at best, highly risky, if not extremely dangerous.

14-15 year old bodies are not built to take the physical & psychological rigors associated with playing the game at this level. Last year they played at U/19…this is far more acceptable than in a competitive senior mens comp. If the State U/15 team dominated the U/19 comp we could reasonably say, “Ok, these boys are way above this standard”, but they’re not, and they didn’t. On too many occasions they were found wanting especially in the physical aspects of the game. It’s going to be 10 times worse at Div.1 level. These guys are used to throwing their bodies into tackles. They have the physical capacity to do so for the entire season. My 14 year old son doesn’t so to expect him to do so is plainly unreasonable and I would suggest contradicts FFT’s duty of care. 

To now raise the bar of expectation is just too much. The idea might be reasonable but the practice will cause far too much stress & strain on young developing bodies over a prolonged period of a full season. There are some 14-15 year old players who are nowhere near their physical maturity to stand the demands that will be required. The whole purpose will negated if at the time of the Nationals 3-4 players are incapacitated. Tasmania does not have the depth of talent to tolerate these losses as any one who has been a member of the coaching team of past squad will attest. Once you get past the first team (12-13 players) the standard starts to drop off. So the entire concept will be defeated.

Winning isn’t everything Mr Abela & Co. these lads will want to go and form senior teams of the future. Don’t cripple them before they have the chance to do so. 

People obviously love to hear what’s going on, and in some cases, even if it’s not true. Ah, you can’t help human nature.

All your rumours, innuendo & gossip in here. It just helps to keep all the topics small enough to be manageable