Based on international research of best practice from football associations around the world, the National Talent Development Framework focuses on increasing the number of hours players spend in high-quality environments, while ensuring the net is cast wider at the younger age groups.
New Zealand Football’s acting Director of Football Development Bev Priestman says the first stage of the pathway will provide talented youth players with a systematic development programme that will help realise their potential and allow those with the ability and commitment to be world-class players move on to the more elite pathway which will be rolled out in stage two.
“This pathway has been developed over the past 12 to 18 months with a dedicated group of federation development managers, many of whom have been working with our most talented players for many years here in New Zealand,” Priestman says.
Federation Talent Centres (FTCs) will be introduced in each of New Zealand’s seven federations, offering an extended training programme for 12 to 16-year-old players primarily outside of the club season and exposing them to a national curriculum taught by specialised youth coaches.
“The next step for the working group is to finalise the progression pathway for players beyond the age of 16 outside of our national teams, linking into the ASB Youth League or USA scholarships etc. We’ll also create a national tournament for FTC players where the best can be pitched against the best.
“It also fits well with the grassroots elements of the Whole of Football plan helping to retain players in the game for longer and improving the overall quality of our sport.”
Darren Bazeley, a former English professional who has been an assistant coach to two New Zealand U-17 teams that have made the knockout stages of their FIFA World Cups, is on the Waitakere United coaching staff and is a development officer for Northern Football Federation and is thus well placed to judge the potential impact.
He says consistency of approach and an increase in both quantity and quality of football activity will pay dividends for talented youngsters and also raise the tide for all aspects of football in New Zealand.
“It’s something that our federation has been doing to a lesser scale but the Federation Talent Centres are part of a nationally-aligned plan so it means every area of the country is working to the same age groups with the same standards and exposing kids to the same content,” Bazeley says.
“The country won’t overlook anyone, and everyone will have had the opportunity to make the most of their potential and motivation. The pinnacle goal is creating better All Whites and Football Ferns but if the ASB Premiership or the Northern League and the Southern Leagues all get better as a result of the process then that’s perfect.”
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand football go to www.nzfootball.co.nz

Share