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Post by narko on Apr 21, 2013 17:39:56 GMT 8
If we are talking about homegrown players that will be good enough to make our national team internationally competitive, at what level are we talking about? Regional such as Southeast Asia, perhaps competitive homegrown and local based players could be quite competitive there in time. However, if we are talking about World Cup and Asian Cup levels of competitiveness, I think we should first take a look at the prevailing models around the world that have been successful.
Developing countries from Latin America and Africa (the Asian powerhouses don't count as they have enormous resources at hand) that are internationally competitive compete with a corps of players that are based in Europe. That is the benchmark for homegrown players that we should be looking at, for our country to be able to produce homegrown players who by the time they are in their mid to late teens or early 20s are going to be considered good enough to be recruited by top teams in Europe where they will further their development under a highly competitive environment but will have access to the most advanced and modern training infrastructure, knowledge and techniques available.
So far, only Sandro Reyes fits the bill and the PFF can't take any credit for that. It's Sandro's parents and the coaches who worked with him that have been responsible for what he has achieved as of now. Under the current set-up, one way we will be able to gauge the success of the PFF grassroots program and what they are doing with youth development when we start seeing top clubs coming over to scout and recruit our young players.
The objective the PFF should be looking at isn't about fielding a team of homegrown players, it is about developing homegrown players good enough to move on to the top leagues in Europe. There are not that many Southeast Asian players playing in European leagues, how many Southeast Asian teams have made it to the World Cup or the final four of the Asian Cup in recent times? Contrast it with the number of African and Latin American players playing in Europe, how many times have countries from those regions qualify for the World Cup? Sure Africa has it own confederation so an African country will always get into the World Cup, but those that have showed they could mix it up with the big boys and give a good fight.
It would be argued that we have Europe based players in our line up. Exactly, and that's a reason why tremendous gains have been made in a such a short time. However, this approach must be complemented by a solid grassroots and youth program to enable us to move to the next level. That's because a major difference between our situation and that of African and Latin American countries is that their Europe based players grew up playing in their home countries and only moved to Europe in their teens or early 20s. Their players grew up playing football under a homogenous football "culture" or identity before moving to Europe. What they learn playing in Europe complements a strong foundation they have already developed before moving there. The best ones would have also been playing together In their youth teams. On the other hand, our Europe based players grew up learning the game in different football " cultures" and identities, and haven't played together in the youth teams. That's the disconnect in our model as opposed to the model predominantly found in many internationally competitive national teams from developing countries.
That should be the focus of the PFF, bridging that gap not trying to field a team of "mostly brown" players.
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Post by benzgm on Apr 22, 2013 9:43:12 GMT 8
That is the benchmark for homegrown players that we should be looking at, for our country to be able to produce homegrown players who by the time they are in their mid to late teens or early 20s are going to be considered good enough to be recruited by top teams in Europe where they will further their development under a highly competitive environment but will have access to the most advanced and modern training infrastructure, knowledge and techniques available. Exactly! Why, instead of obsessing about having the national team composed of homegrown players, why not concentrate instead on uplifting the quality of football to the level where our players would generate interest from Euro Clubs? Until such thing happens will this dream about a mostly "homegrown" team be realized. That is, unless we don't intend to be competitive outside the ASEAN.
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Post by kikomatsing on Apr 23, 2013 14:24:17 GMT 8
and with the UFL youth league being delayed because of politicking well we can say that grassroots is still far away competitive to our ASEAN neighbors ( competition in the youth level should be continous for them to gain experience). Club football youth program is going to be the fubdamental bloodline of our national team
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Post by athrunzala on Apr 23, 2013 16:30:04 GMT 8
kaya nga dapat alisin na yang mga Football Associations. Tayo lang ang bansa na may ganyang setup. Dapat talaga club level ang setup. Pang red tape lang ang mga FAs, naghihintay lang ng cash dividends from the PFF!
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Post by stellarboy on Apr 28, 2013 8:57:39 GMT 8
kaya nga dapat alisin na yang mga Football Associations. Tayo lang ang bansa na may ganyang setup. Dapat talaga club level ang setup. Pang red tape lang ang mga FAs, naghihintay lang ng cash dividends from the PFF! Are you serious about that? England and Spain, and every other nation have regional FAs of their own, but what separates them from ours is that it's too bureaucratic and centralized, and the top-flight leagues and the collegiate competitions not being a member of the PFF board, as recommended by FIFA and the AFC. Admit it, there are still inept leaders controlling the regional FAs, especially the NCRFA, na ang habol lang ay kwarta.
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Post by jaygee20gensaya on Apr 28, 2013 11:09:49 GMT 8
^ maybe i can try to ask my dad how they run regional FA's. He's an FA president himself.
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Post by teddyandtimmysdad on May 17, 2013 8:28:29 GMT 8
I applaud the concept and goal of trying to get more home grown players on the national team within 8 years. Whether or not it can be achieved is not really the point. It is all about process and getting the right systems and infrastructure in place so that the goal is ultimately achieved. Still, people like to shoot for tangible goals, so the 8 year thing is good. However, there seem to be some real problems in the way this is being implemented, which may be linked to this issue of "browness". Let me tell you my story.
I am American. My wife is Filipina. My two boys, now 13 and 11, are born in Manila. Except for the first few years of their lives, they have been raised here in Manila. They have attended school here continuously since pre-school days, they speak Tagalog, they have sung the Lupang Hinirang every day at school since their pre-school days. They are a footballing product of the private school system (RIFA for football) and the fine coaching found in several great clubs in the area such as Futball Fanatics and the Global Football Club, to name just a few. They have both been playing since they were 3 years old, and love the sport. My oldest son has declared his goal to be a professional footballer. He works hard to improve, and has had success by being invited to several elite teams amongst the clubs. He successfully tried out and was admitted to first team status on one of the leading UFL Youth League teams. In the varsity arena, he has become well recognized by the opposing coaches who never fail to place one, two, and sometimes even three defenders on his shoulder to inhibit his scoring potential. Nevertheless, he continues to improve and the results show. In the last Rifa midgets match yesterday, he scored 3 goals despite having the opponents place defenders in his face. In the last UFL match, he scored four. He is not Bakaw. Over the course of the first two UFL matches, he has far more assists than goals, and is known by our varsity coaching staff for his solid passing game. He is not mayabang, and is known by the coaches for his good attitude, which I think would also be confirmed by other parents on here who know him like Narko.
A few weeks ago, my oldest son attended a "national team tryout" for the NCR regional team, staged by the PFF. It was a two day affair. At the end, the coach with the clipboard took down his name and phone number, which was done for only a very few players that day. We were excited to think that our oldest boy might have a chance. However, as the days stretched on, we were not called. The footballing community is small, and we began to hear that team selections were already made and practices had started. We did call one of the PFF officials, not to complain but rather to clarify what had happened since on the day, it seemed that our son was "in". Other parents who know our son were also quite surprised that he was left out. The other parents made some quiet inquiries on our behalf, and were told something quite astonishing. Apparently, the tryouts were supposed to help promote players from the Kasibulan program. Now, I am on record praising the Kasibulan efforts and those organizing this. I myself have worked among the parent community I know, to promote this program and try to get as many kids as possible involved. The results of Kasibulan are a very strong first effort to get new coaches and public school kids into the sport at a grassroots level to grow the sport at its most fundamental base. And, we have seen the results in the latest Palarong Pambasa matches as our varsity team went up against several new public school and local community select teams. I truly applaud these efforts and am very very happy to see the progress made. However, these boys and coaches are just starting out, and their skills are a long way away from our boys who have for the most part been playing for 8 or 9 years already since their pre-school days.
So, I am now confused. Sport in general, and football in particular is supposed to be about getting the best players selected. Many people on this thread have said this should be the case. I completely understand the need to promote Kasibulan and its results. However, shouldn't national team selections be made based on merit, not on other aims to promote a specific program? I hope and trust my son was not selected because there were better boys out there, and not because of some programmatic priority that potentially steals an opportunity from a deserving player. I hope and trust my son was not selected because there were better boys out there, and not because my son's skin was not dark enough or because his last name doesn't sound Filipino. I have never made a complaint to anyone at the PFF about this experience, because I trust the process and the people involved. I have told my disappointed son, who works so hard to fulfill his dream, that it is more important to talk with his feet and not with his mouth. I have told him to continue to work hard and if he is good enough, someday he will be recognized. Still, even after all this, I have lingering doubts that my son may be collateral damage from decisions not made with performance at heart, but rather socio-political agendas to try and promote a program rather than getting the best players in. I will not complain to anyone. I will continue to trust the process and the people. I will continue to encourage my son to achieve. But, if in the background there are problems such as I have alluded to, I would just urge those involved to rethink the strategy carefully if indeed the goal is to get home grown players on the national team within 8 years.
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Post by stellarboy on May 22, 2013 16:47:37 GMT 8
Thanks for bringing this up teddyandtimmysdad. I feel for you with this issue. I hope that somebody from the PFF can read this and bring it to the attention of PFF management - or at least the heads of the regional FAs. If this issue persists on selecting players on the youth teams based on being "brown" and "homegrown", or due to politicking or manipulation from the highers-up from the PFF or the regional FAs, then this will look really bad. By the way, if this was just from hearsays, have you confirmed it so far?
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Post by athrunzala on May 22, 2013 19:39:47 GMT 8
may KKK din dyan siyempre... anak ng Kaibigan, Kamag-anak, Kumpadre
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Post by athrunzala on May 22, 2013 19:43:23 GMT 8
that is why it is better if we get a foreign director like the German Technical Director who is coming this July. I hope he himself goes to the countryside to see the players. He should not rely on his filipino staff to do the scouting themselves because for sure they would only get players from their "connections."
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Post by jyapjoco on May 22, 2013 20:50:42 GMT 8
one more K....kababayan from their province or town/city.
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Post by benzgm on May 23, 2013 9:54:31 GMT 8
For those who have been following youth leagues/tournaments pre and post the Hanoi miracle. Are there noticeable differences in the quality of competition (and players)? Perhaps this would help us gauge how relevant our grassroots program is.
As for the "politics" mentioned by teddyandtimmysdad above, these have to stop, it doesn't help in the development of football and sports in general. I remember a classmate way back 1997 who was dropped from the SEA Games Judo team to make way for a "K"'s at the POC who got so disgusted she vowed not to join any POC event anymore.
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Post by teddyandtimmysdad on May 23, 2013 21:56:00 GMT 8
My boys have been in competitions throughout the NCR area, and many in other regions over the course of about 7 years of youth football here. During this time, there has been a very noticeable improvement in the quality of the teams in the many competitions they have participated in. In addition, the number, size and magnitude of the various competitions has improved. Interestingly, the last year has seen a very important turn... we are seeing far more teams from public schools, foundations, mayors, etc who are sponsoring new teams without a long history of experience. I suspect the Kasibulan program has had a big influence in bringing these new teams together - a great accomplishment. In many cases the teams are still very new (read inexperienced/unskilled), but heaven knows what they lack in skills they more than make up for in enthusiasm. This is a terrific development, a tribute to the PFF and the Kasibulan program, and exciting stuff to see.
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Post by Caz on May 23, 2013 22:37:16 GMT 8
I have to agree with teddyandtimmysdad. My son also started football before the Hanoi miracle (also at 3 years old). There were hardly any football academies to choose from. Competitions were few and far between. Now I can hardly keep his schedule together with all the trainings, competitions, and camps! And yes, the tournaments are HUGE now. It lightens my heart to see so many kids interested in football and some of them are true prodigies who would probably never have been discovered if it weren't for December 2010 (no, my boy's not one of them, but I believe in him).
If this keeps up, more homegrown heroes will definitely arise. We have a league for our best and brightest to aspire to and even leagues abroad aren't an impossible dream anymore.
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Post by teddyandtimmysdad on May 26, 2013 5:48:00 GMT 8
Interestingly, I am good friends with a dad who has brought his son away from Bacolod because he believes there are far better opportunities in the NCR for his son to play. What he means is that there are far more clubs, far more tourneys, etc etc. He says football has so much more happening here... so Caz and I must be identifying something others see as well... well, for sure my golf has suffered as a result! Can't remember the last time I got out to play! Attending the matches is just so exciting tho, something happening every weekend!
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