Soccer Laduma Blog: Boys Amongst Men...

Last week we handed Ernst Middendorp the Editor's column in what was a Soccer Laduma first. The reason being was that his message was so strong that it demanded a platform where Soccer Laduma readers expect to see powerful thoughts and opinions about the beautiful game in this country.   What is encouraging is that a respected PSL head coach came out and said that PSL coaches need to work harder, and that PSL players need to dedicate themselves more to the game if we ever hope to see the standard of football improve in this country. What is maybe somewhat disappointing is that it's a German coach who seems more concerned about the future of South African football than most South African head coaches or PSL clubs. For the most part it seems that head coaches in the PSL look only as far as winning a league title, staying in the top eight or avoiding relegation. Very few are concerned with improving the state of the game or looking at ways to see an upswing in years to come.   It got me thinking about the future of South African football. Why every foreign coach who comes to South Africa continually tells us how much natural talent we have at a very young age but continue to fail to improve as each new generation comes through… Why the gap seems to be widening between us and the rest of the world in terms of quality, despite the fact that the 'money gap' between us and other top leagues in the world is getting smaller…   In the past I have written about SAFA and that, as custodians of the game in this country, they should be doing more to improve youth structures. Looking at their mandate and their vision, their job is to ensure that amateur soccer thrives in this country and that the game is available to all. That is happening to a large extent. The number of top amateur clubs in the country and the number of people playing amateur soccer is massive. SAFA have ensured that there is a base level in the South African soccer pyramid that is extensive. They've created enough amateur soccer that should result in talented players being spotted by the professional ranks in the country, who are then funnelled up to the tip of the pyramid where professional soccer resides – the elites of South African soccer. The real problem in terms of creating better generations of South African players lies with the professional set-up in this country.   South Africa should have 16 professional academies in this country every year. Each club in the PSL is a breeding ground for young talent. Each PSL club has the time and resources to be fulltime instructors to talented youngsters. It's their job! Yet, when you have a look at the 16 teams in South Africa, for the most part there is clearly not enough happening when you consider how few teenagers there are in PSL first team squads in the country.   If you look at any of the top professional leagues in Europe, each and every one runs a proper youth development team. Hell, even the smaller second and third division teams in England, Spain and Italy have proper youth structures with dedicated academies.   The only way youth players get better is through high-level competition, week-in and week-out, to take the things they learn on a training pitch and implement them in game situations.    That's not an opinion – that is a fact!   How many top tournaments do U19 teams of PSL clubs actually play in? They don't play each other very often on a regular basis. There is no Youth FA Cup like in England. There is no reserve league up and running in South Africa for young players to be tested against each other like there is in almost every other football-loving nation. So what do PSL clubs actually do for their youngsters? Heck, there is now even a U19 version of the Champions League running where the senior teams that qualify for the UEFA also automatically see their youth teams playing in a mirrored tournament at youth level.   Yet when South Africa fails to qualify for a World Cup, when our national team gets hammered 5-0 by Brazil, we are up in arms as a nation because our senior team does not deliver. What chance is professional soccer in this country actually giving us?   Orlando Pirates, one of South Africa's biggest clubs, still does not have a youth programme up and running. How is that possible? The Mamelodi Sundowns youth programme continues to stutter. When last did we hear about Kaizer Chiefs youth team winning an African youth tournament or travelling overseas and wowing the world? To an extent clubs like Wits, Ajax and SuperSport do develop some great young talented players, only to have bigger clubs sign them because of their potential. These players then frequently see their soccer careers die because many don't get the opportunity to play in the first team and, with no reserve team football, the learning curve dives in comparison to players the same age in clubs overseas.   It's time for 16 PSL club owners to come together and decide if they are in it for the long run, if they are in it to build South African soccer into a superpower. Or if they are happy to play in their little bubble that is the PSL, turning a blind eye to what the rest of world football is doing to improve standards, and instead continue to think up clever marketing campaigns to sell the PSL as one of the best leagues in world football.   Take the smoke and mirrors away and we still have a league that continues to fail to draw in crowds, looks quite amateur if not beamed to your television through the rose-tinted lenses of a SuperSport camera and fails to produce players that can compete at international level.   Ironically our lack of attention to our youth means that when it comes to international standards, we'll continue to be boys amongst men.   Shapa Clint