Blooding youth the key to Australia having international success at all levels, says players’ union

DON’T think that more Asian World Cup spots guarantees Australia a place. Here’s why there’s a crisis in youth development emerging. Recap David Davutovic’s chat here.

The Young Socceroos in 2013.

AUSTRALIA’S young football prospects’ need earlier senior exposure but the blame can’t lie with A-League coaches, ­according to the players’ union that conducted a huge player study.

An analysis of the 2489 Australians who’ve played home and abroad since the National Soccer League started in 1977 found the top 100 players racked up double the games in their formative years (18-21) compared to the rest.

Australia’s youth coaches have lamented their players’ lack of first-team exposure and the Professional Footballers’ Association research supports their case.

>> Scroll to bottom to recap David Davutovic’s chat at the foot of the page.

PFA chief executive John Didulica commissioned the study and said the junior pathway needed to be analysed.

“To be internationally successful we need to produce world-class footballers. Our ­research shows that playing regularly between the ages of 18-21 is critical to this,’’ ­Didulica said.

“It’s not the responsibility of A-League coaches to run a ­development team, their job is to select the players on merit so that team can win a game.

“Responsibility rests with the sport, it needs to be able to develop players that can play at the highest level at a young age.

“The PFA research mapped every match played by an Australian over the past 40 years.”

The PFA ranked each player and found a strong correlation between the top 100 and the number of senior appearances ­from ages 18 to 21.

John Didulica.

Australia’s first Asian youth qualifying failure was in 2006, when Young Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou was savaged for claiming youngsters weren’t ­playing enough.

Little appears to have changed with the most recent Olympic and Young Socceroos teams, who failed to make their respective major tournaments, having an almost identical correlation with players outside the top 100.

Australia has advanced from the group stage of world youth tournaments only twice in the past 13 years — at the 2011 and 2015 U17 World Cups.

The PFA’s findings echo those of respected world sports research group CEIS Football Observatory.

“The key issue is talented players must play as much as possible in adult ­leagues,’’ CEIS football chief ­Raffaele Poli said.

YOUTH CRISIS: 2026 WORLD CUP HOPES LOOK BLEAK

DAVID DAVUTOVIC: AUSTRALIA’S WORLD CUP ARROGANCE IS UNFOUNDED

EARLY EXPOSURE

Australian soccer products’ senior club games

APPEARANCES BY AGE (Games)

Top 100 players*

18 years: 8

19: 16

20: 19

21: 22

Outside top 100

18: 3

19: 7

20: 9

21: 13

Australian U20s & U23

18: 3

19: 7

20: 11

21: 14

*Based on a PFA ranking of 2500 Australian players analysed over the past 40 years

THE GREAT ASIAN RACE

Australia’s youth decline since joining Asia

WORLD YOUTH CUP RESULTS

PRE-2006 RESULTS

U17:

Best result: Runners-up (1999)

Did not qualify: 1997

U20:

Best: Semi-finals (1991, ’93)

DNQ: 1989

U23*:

Best: Semi-finals (1992)

DNQ: Nil

POST-2006 RESULTS

U17

Best: Round of 16 (2015)

DNQ: 2009, 2013, 2017

U20:

Best: Group stage (2009, ’11, ’13)

DNQ: 2007, 2015, 2017

U23*:

Best: Group (2008)

DNQ: 2012, 2016

* Olympics = every 4 years

RISING ASIAN POWERS

Asian teams who’ve qualified instead of Australia:

Iran

South Korea

Japan

Saudi Arabia

Uzbekistan

UAE

China

Qatar

Jordan

Iraq

North Korea

Myanmar

Vietnam

Originally published as Blooding youth the key to Australia having international success at all levels, says players’ union