Welcome

Welcome to the 2008 season - another exciting year.

Souths United seeks to ensure that the appropriate environment is provided for all our Junior players, many of whom are just beginning to learn team sports. We seek to achieve this by providing high quality facilities and equipment for the players and by providing excellent coaching for the coaches.

Souths prides itself on the way it provides for the coaches and ultimately, the players. Coaches can access a variety of training aids from videos, CD-Roms, magazines and coaching courses. These coaching courses are subsidised by the Club. The Club’s Coaching Structure incorporates our Junior Coaching Co-Ordinator, Russell Hicks, and a team of Head Coaches. This team is charged with providing support through a variety of methods for all our junior coaches from Under 6 to Under 16. The Club also provides specialist goal keeping coaching.

This year sees the implementation of small sided games for the Under 6 to Under 8 age groups. A progressive rollout to Under 9 to Under 12 will occur over the next few years. This new direction for the way football is delivered to children will be implemented throughout all states and territories of Australia under Football Federation Australia’s National Football Development Plan. This is an exciting new era in football however the bottom line is and always will be to enjoy the experience!

Junior football is about learning skills. These skills are not all specifically just for football. Many skills are in fact, essential life skills. Socialising with other children, accepting decisions, making decisions are just a few skills that are not always obvious but are nonetheless important to life and also to the game of football. The ultimate goal of junior football is to learn while having FUN!

Football in Australia is undergoing large-scale change from the method of delivery, introducing new age groups in the senior ranks, changes to the structure of the A-League, implementation of a National Curriculum and Skills Test, to looking at player development, referee development and recruitment etc. We’re a part of a very exciting phase however with change, there are always elements of doubt, concern, apprehension and sometimes even confusion.

To help parents understand some of the changes and the impact they will have on their children, there will be a series of Parent Meetings. These will be conducted prior to the start of the season and attendance by at least one parent/guardian will be compulsory. Dates and times are listed in the Club Handbook.

So by the time the season kicks off, we’ll all be able to sit back, encourage our children., appreciate their efforts and enjoy the season. Let the fun begin!