Under19, Under18, Under17 ??

[whatever]

What I heard on the weekend by one of the parents at the norwood game is the u/18 players will not be allowed to go up in a higher grade until after half way through the season. If this right the afl is trying to stuff up the sanfl if we have an elite u/18 comp.

This is going to be pushed quite strongly along the same lines as the WAFL (mind you it will be pushed strongly if the system remains the same)

They wat the same as the WAFL. The under 18's must play colts until after the national championships. Players are allowed to play league prior to the championships if they played League the year before, these kids must play league or colts, they are not allowed to play reserves.

[redandblack]

Is that a problem?

[spell_check]

Why shouldn't they be allowed to play League if their form warrants it?

[am Bays]

Is that a problem?

Its not if your club policy is not to play your best players in the league team....

Learnt more about this tonight it appears not everyone in the Development unit at the SANFL is in agreeance on this move....

Is being driven by two individuals.

[redandblack]

Is that a problem?

Its not if your club policy is not to play your best players in the league team....

Learnt more about this tonight it appears not everyone in the Development unit at the SANFL is in agreeance on this move....

Is being driven by two individuals.

They seem to be doing well, then

[am Bays]

Serious question R&B can you see any advantage in having an U/18s as opposed to an U/19s?

The U/19s proposals gives you the best of both worlds:
1. only one junior team to field
2. gives you the flexibility to look after the late developers especially those from the country.
3. allows for our elite U/18s to compete regularly against their peers (the talented 17 yo) and players one year more developed (18 yo) - which compensates for the increased talent pool (population) Vic metro, WA and VIC country have compared to SA.

[redandblack]

Tassie, I think that it gives a stronger, unified competition at an age where players are developing into league players. Leaving it until Under 19's just delays the benefits and puts us out of step with the rest of the country.

Currently both 17's and 19's are playing in a pool of about 100 players per Club. With an 18's comp, the better players will learn to play against better competition at the right time. Young players are making their league debuts earlier now and even drafted players are playing AFL the year after they're drafted.

I'm not concerned about 18 and 19 year old players being lost to SANFL under this concept, as there is a provision for some 'overage' players to be included. In addition, the Reserves will become a type of Under 22 comp, in my opinion, except for some regular league senior 'fringe' players.

The figures for recent years show that the average number of players making their debut from U17 and U19 ranks was only about 4.5 per season. (as it happens, this is about the same as those debuting from interstate).

It's pretty hard to argue that this small number would actually reduce from one squad per Club of about 30, who would be the better players, than the current 2 squads of 30, which includes a lot of very average players who would never be a remote chance of playing league football.

I think the U18's concept is much more exciting and positive. I'm usually a traditionalist in these things, but my Club has been through a very successful junior era and I haven't seen much benefit over that time for Westies or for the State.

[MagareyLegend]

Too many scrubbers play U19s to make up the numbers - even U17s & Ressies for that matter.
This will help push them back to where they belong - amateur/disctrict/country level where they are most needed and best suited.

It is as simple as that! Who can not see that?

[am Bays]

Too many scrubbers play U19s to make up the numbers - even U17s & Ressies for that matter.
This will help push them back to where they belong - amateur/disctrict/country level where they are most needed and best suited.

It is as simple as that! Who can not see that?

When to athlete development or any form of development (technology) nothing is ever produce first time every time.

No one wakes up at the age of 17, 18, 19 or even 20 having made it...and all athletes develop at different rates. In team sports you need "scrubbers" to provide a team environment so those that will make it, do.

If you go back through the draft and and even before that pre AFL the number of kids that would progress from each age group at each SANFL club would be 2-4, in fact I reckon over the 20 years of the AFL draft the average numebr of palyers drafted from adge SANFL club would be 2 per year.

That means there are arguably 18 "scrubbers" in each age group however as long as those draftees ar5ehole's are pointing to the gound they wouldn't have made it without that critical mass providing the team environment for them to show their skills

The strength of any sporting team is its weakest link the longer you can keep them in your system the more chance you have of success

I mean using the logic above there are going to scrubbers still under the new system - F*** it lets go to an U/17 grade...

That will work for those that are going to go to the AFL, the guns like Bryce Gibbs and Adam Cooney but those that are going to be the good SANFL players - the ones that will form the core of the SANFL for years to come they are the ones who need more time - hence why the age group should be U/19.

If it was U/18 five years ago, Sturt wouldn't have Patrick Fittock now, Glenelg wouldn't have Ty Allan or Ben Mules to name a few...If I knew the other clubs more intimately I bet I could name more players fromeach club who have benefitted from having an U/19 age bracket.

If you doubt me go and read the work of Istvan Balyi and his theories on athlete development and the various phases of athlete development: training to play, training to train, training to compete and training to win.

The time periods involved in each of those development phases show the folly of setting a limit to the training to train phase at 18.

You know it makes sense, I have...

[ca]

If it was U/18 five years ago, Sturt wouldn't have Patrick Fittock now, Glenelg wouldn't have Ty Allan or Ben Mules to name a few...If I knew the other clubs more intimately I bet I could name more players fromeach club who have benefitted from having an U/19 age bracket.

...

There is every chance those players would still be at their respective clubs. Players come to and from the SAAFL or country leagues all the time. If anything this should strengthen these ties.

Also if there is going to be an allowance for a certain number of U19 players to play in the U18 competition then these players may well have fallen into this group anyway. As I have said before plenty of players develop in their early 20's, does that mean we should have an U23 competition? You are always going to have some fall outside of the age bracket but there is no reason they can't come back in.

There are a lot of good arguments to keep the current system but in my opinion this really isn't a strong one.

[TigerBoss]

Boo this decision.

SANFL ANNOUNCES NEW

UNDERAGE FOOTBALL STRUCTURE



At a special meeting of the SA Football Commission last night, the Commission resolved to adopt and implement the key recommendation of the independent underage structure task force, namely that as from the 2009 Football Season the SANFL will:

1. Establish Centres of Excellence at all League Clubs

2. Establish an elite under 18 competition and a condensed under 16 competition to replace the existing under 19 and under 17 competitions

3. Establish metropolitan and country academy programs



The Commission also noted that at a special meeting of the SANFL League Directors on Tuesday 5 August 2008, it was resolved by a majority vote that the SANFL endorses the above key recommendations of the task force.



The independent task force under Chairmanship of SA Football Commissioner Dion McCaffrie was established over twelve months ago to review the total underage structure of the SANFL.



The task force conducted an exhaustive review which included detailed consultation with all key stakeholders including nine SANFL Clubs, Affiliated Leagues, SA Amateur League and both the Adelaide and Port Adelaide Football Clubs.



In addition, a detailed study of both the Western Australian and Victorian models was conducted with valuable input provided from the AFL’s Kevin Sheehan and Jason McCartney.



Its findings clearly identified significant change was required in order to maintain and build on SA’s status as a heartland of Australian football.



SANFL Executive Commissioner Leigh Whicker described this decision as one of the most significant to be made by the SANFL in recent times.



“The structure of underage football has been a topic of discussion for many years which ultimately led to this comprehensive review,” he said.



“The new elite-focused under 18 competition, underpinned by the Centres of Excellence, aims to shore up our status as a football heartland and to re-energise football in this state.”



Elite under-18s competition details



· Coupled with a condensed season for under-16s, will replace the current under 17/19 model.

· Will carry similar levels of prestige to that of Victoria’s TAC Cup, but with the added advantage of being linked to the SANFL’s current club structure.

· Rules will allow for a provision for up to six under-19 aged players to play each week thus allowing for late developers.

· Will commence in parallel with round one of the 2009 League season.



Under-16s competition details



· A condensed under-16s competition will be established.

· This abridged model has been adopted to reduce scheduling conflicts with college and country football clubs that struggle with numbers – a move supported by a majority of affiliated clubs.

· An extra 21 players per club each week will be returning to schools and local clubs with SANFL clubs maintaining training squads and regional academies.

· Players in this program will have access to development programs through the Centres of Excellence.



Centres of Excellence



· Each SANFL League club will become a Centre of Excellence – a training hub where talented players will be able access to sports science, personal development programs, high performance coaching, career education and links to the AFL/Australian Institute of Sport curriculum.

· Each player’s development will be measured to ensure they get the maximum from the program with their progress monitored and benchmarked using a centrally managed database.

· Clubs will continue to monitor player progress in regional centres through talent spotters.



SA Umpiring Development



· The introduction of the under-18 competition will provide not only the best opportunity and career paths for future players of the SANFL/AFL, it will also provide Umpiring in SA a developing area where the next elite umpires will be coached to develop their skills and knowledge.

· The under-16s will be an ideal talent identification ground and the under-18s umpires will be the elite umpires in our successful Umpiring Academy.



The SA Football Commission is committing $400 000 per annum to support this new structure and will be seeking a corporate partner for the naming rights to the new elite under-18 competition citing TAC’s (Transport Accident Commission) success in Victoria.



Adelaide and Port Adelaide Football Clubs have thrown their full support behind the new-look competition which will be launched for the 2009 season

[am Bays]

I'm heartened by the fact that there are allowances for up to six over age players...

[Wedgie]

Sounds fantastic, well done to all involved for helping take footy forward in this state and not see it gradually go backwards.

[redandblack]

Well done SANFL and Commissioner McCaffrie.

Agreed to by the majority of the Commissioners and the majority of the Clubs.

This is a step forward and we'll reap the benefits if it's properly done.

[am Bays]

Undoubtably there will be some improvements - most likely in AFL draftees - which will make some people in the SANFL development unit look good in the eyes of the AFL with their KPIs (Having sat around a table with the AFL on the other end of the phone evaluating U/18 programs I know that is all they really care about )

And hey ho, we might even win an AFL U/18 Div 1 title woo hoo!!!

I still have grave dounts on how it will benefit the SANFL clubs with their ability to retain the kids the next level below and turn them into consistant league footballers....

Time will prove if I am wrong or not.

Will a club who is interested in the long term development of their club risk forfeiting U/18 games by playing more than six overage players....

[whatever]

**** it, no longer will I be able to go along and enjoy my Under 19's football sitting in the stands in peace on a saturday afternoon.

Now I will have to be at football at 9am, pay to get into the ground, pay to sit in the stand to watch an under 18 game. then go home or sit around for 2.5hrs watching a game I have no interest in before watchin a game of league footy ( I can smell the divorce coming already)

[redandblack]

TM, no club will have to even think about forfeiting by playing too many overage players. as I keep saying, have a look at most teams' Reserves sides - they're full of 18 and 19 years old players.

whatever, you'll be pleased to know that there will be many games not played as an early game at the League venue.

[mighty hounds]

School footy should be the one that should be forced to go what purpose does it serve other than bragging rights at intercol clashes.

League clubs would be able to create much better footballers than some teacher that doesn't give a shite

That's something that has long puzzled me. No one except the schools know the scores from these matches, but everyone can have access to the 17s scores. I don't think the Indepedent Schools comp is actually a proper competition (or it doesn't seem that way).

spelly of what I can gather playing for an OS side in the Ammos and not being and OS myself is that the independent schools comp during the year is only trial matches for Intercol games

i was forced to play school footy otherwise i would be threaten with saturday detentions and to make matters worse we had no intercol game then and we would get beaten by the top schools by massive margins, real confident boosters they were

[ca]

whatever, you'll be pleased to know that there will be many games not played as an early game at the League venue.

I kind of like the idea of a triple header but not really sure how the times will work. I wouldn't like to see the league pushed back as I like the 2pm start but I also don't think you can start the first game before 9am. Perhaps they need to be a bit quicker in the change over of games to save some time.

I am guessing some could be played as AFL curtain raisers, some as double headers with other U18 games and some as stand alone, so I'd be interested to see how many will be played as part of a triple header.

[PhilH]

I feel heartened that there is a provision for up to six under 19's to play under 18.