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Our Plan
Benefits for Boys
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Our plan for Academy boys

Our plan is driven by the Sydney market and football culture. Our research shows that boys start playing AFL later in Sydney when compared to Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. There are also many more influences in terms of winter sports, as well as less coaching experience.

We want to prepare boys to play AFL at senior level sometime after the age of 18, not just peak for annual state carnivals. Our development plan will therefore be based on the following foundations:
  • Development will be prioritised over early “success”.
  • Opportunities will be provided to as many youngsters as possible.
  • It will be a flexible system to allow for variations in physical development.
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Benefits for boys
 
The benefit of undertaking sessions in various locations across the week is that boys will be able to train locally. The same program will operate across all locations, as well as the same standard of coaching and feedback.

We would like boys to attend as many Academy sessions as possible. However, we understand that boys may have other commitments, for example with representative teams in other sports. Our program will be sufficiently flexible to accommodate this.

In addition to training sessions, we will provide an elevated playing environment for boys. Each age group will have one practice game per month where boys will get the chance to play with and against the best boys in our Zone. These games will also allow us to match boys of similar developmental age (not simply chronological age).

Even if boys attend every Academy session from the age of 11, practice undertaken away from the Academy will still be important. Kicking the football at lunchtime, after school and at the weekends is the only way that boys will be able to fully develop their skills. One only needs to look at the intensive youth development programs in sports such as swimming and gymnastics to understand the level of dedication, commitment and time required to reach the highest standards in sport.

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Upcoming Trials

Assessment days for future intakes will take place in the 2012 April school holidays. Dates will be confirmed in due course and registrations will commence in February.

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