Southern club options

[soccer_2015]

Relatively new to SA as a State and very new to the Adelaide soccer scene... been involved for just one season here with my son in Mini Roos... Living south of the city, and it seems our club options are limited compared to the north and western suburbs. Cove appears on the expensive side, Panthers are Premier League, Noarlunga sits in between and Seaford is closest to our home. Sturt Lions I don't know much about. That's it for clubs down this way, right? I want to make the right decision for my son, does anyone have an opinion on the junior programs being offered, or can advise which southern club is known around town as having the strongest junior program? Why is Cove more expensive than Panthers, when Panthers are Premier League? Am I missing something? It may be well known amongst those involved in the sport here for numerous years, but not so apparent for a newbie.

[bulldoggooner]

My opinion might be a little bit biased but Noarlunga United have a good junior setup any questions don't hesitate to send me a private message
Cheers

[admin]

What age group?

[Iron hammer]

We currently have our two children at Seaford rangers football club. We have been apart of Seaford for 6 years and have found the club fantastic. All clubs have pro and cons, but we know that Seaford have steps in place for junior development. They run teams in every age group and follow the national curriculum. If you need more details look at there website seafordrangersfootballclub.com.au.
Trials and contact details are available on the website. Hope this helps.

[soccer_2015]

Thanks for your replies. I guess I'm just trying to get a feel for people's thoughts and experiences because I'm missing the advantage of local knowledge/friends with kids who've played before etc. So all replies/information help.

Age group is Under 8 or 9...

[Temperance]

As mentioned in an earlier post, every club has their pro's and con's. If results are important.......every club in the south has a stronger than normal junior team, which you can check on the 'foxsportingpulse' website. Some clubs do-not have a team in every age group, which begs questions. What you need to do is speak to the Small Sided Games Delegate from each respective club and quiz them regarding what you find important, ask to speak with the club's technical director and again ask him/her questions regarding their club's junior program. Gather the info and make an educated decision based on facts......but equally important...... don't forget to ask your child what they want

[Toffeefox]

Hi Soccer_2015

I have some experience and knowledge of four of the five clubs in the south.

Currently SA Panthers are probably the best placed to develop very young footballers (6-10) year olds. The club has some good coaches supporting that age group, they also have the PASS academy which is run by their First team coach and is an exceptional coach with young players.

Cove has Tom Ballantyne as their head coach, very qualified but I think his focus is on their older players at the moment and they have a lot of work to do to develop the young age groups.

Noarlunga really havent got a clear program at the moment from what I can see, some very good people working hard to develop and grow the club but very difficult for them at the moment

Sturt Lion - great people really focussing on their young teams and I think are improving every year.

Seaford - sorry I don't know much about them.

[magnet]

I know Sturt Lions have a fast growing Junior program. 2 x U12's this year and looking at 3 x U12 teams for the 2015 Season. All the clubs in the South can offer something different.

[soccer_2015]

Hi Soccer_2015
Cove has Tom Ballantyne as their head coach, very qualified but I think his focus is on their older players at the moment and they have a lot of work to do to develop the young age groups.
.

Just seen on Cove website that they have announced a Junior Director- Mark Curtis.

[tradelink]

Depends what your looking for.

The pick of the southern clubs are South Adelaide and Sturt Lions. South Adelaide would have stronger teams, are more exclusive, more results orientated and have some good coaches. Sturt Lions teams are not as strong, they are more inclusive, are more individual player development focused rather than focused on team results and have some outstanding coaches.

Seaford can be hit and miss depending on the age group. Still have teams that dont play the ball out in MiniRoos but getting better.

Cove is a good club if you like running without the ball. Strong teams, lots of competition for places.

Noarlunga is ok if all your after is a game.

No matter what club your look at, there will be variations between the age groups because of the quality of individual coaches.

[redfred]

move north

[soccer_2015]

I appreciate the info. But I'm still not sure why South Adelaide are considered exclusive? Cove $680 for U8/U9 age group, which is $200 more than South Adelaide... I guess I'll need to figure this out come trials/come and try.

[OldGold]

At this moment in time if I had a 8 or 9 year old and was looking for a club down south I'd steer them towards South Adelaide, they are premier league for a reason.
They are a lot more professional in their set up/outlook than the other 3 southern teams (I don't consider Sturt south!).
Seaford are the cheapest for a reason, you get what you pay for and they haven't progressed from the 70's british based game... they have the most potential for growth though with their huge catchment area of young English immigrant families.
Cove were very strong in a few age groups but VERY poor in others.
Noarlunga Utd is going through a transition period which they may not recover from.

Ive been involved with 3 of those clubs, still have ties to 2 of them... I'd choose South every day.

[Iron hammer]

At this moment in time if I had a 8 or 9 year old and was looking for a club down south I'd steer them towards South Adelaide, they are premier league for a reason.
They are a lot more professional in their set up/outlook than the other 3 southern teams (I don't consider Sturt south!).
Seaford are the cheapest for a reason, you get what you pay for and they haven't progressed from the 70's british based game... they have the most potential for growth though with their huge catchment area of young English immigrant families.
Cove were very strong in a few age groups but VERY poor in others.
Noarlunga Utd is going through a transition period which they may not recover from.

Ive been involved with 3 of those clubs, still have ties to 2 of them... I'd choose South every day.

I urge you to stop being so negative towards Seaford rangers football club. If this is not the club for you or your family that is your choice. We have strong systems in place towards our juniors and our coaches are drilled by our junior coodinaters and our senior coach/ technical director, who currently holds a B licence each week. As for fees we may be the cheapest but we don't believe that buying each child a strip to keep at home is worthwhile. We also have many kids who have been through The FFSA pathways this year, with one who has been selected to trial for the skillaroos. This is due to our vision and adaptation of the national curriculum. Please do not be so negative to our club, as a club we don't allow any of our members to be negative towards other clubs via media. Express your opinions, but consider the negative remarks you are making.

[justus]

Unfortunately there will always be some who post negative/untrue statements about other clubs, these are usually people who have not made the grade and then fly from club to club looking for a tree or nest that suits them. You're best option is to go to trials, meet the coaches, players etc and see if you like it there. Seaford Rangers and Noarlunga Utd are the oldest clubs in the south, I have grandkids playing at Seaford and they love it there, the people are friendly and welcoming, and the coaching setup is excellent. Fees are always a bone of contention, Seaford try to keep theirs as low as possible so do not include "extras" as compulsory, however polo shirts, bags, replica strips etc are all available at a reasonable cost, NOT compulsory!!!

[Ctrl-Alt-Del]

If only clubs would focus on players in their immediate surrounds in these younger age groups rather that try to assemble the best squads they can from all over the place. Maybe they might create a more loyal group that not only might play for the club at a higher level, but might actually feel like they belong with the Club even if they don't. In my eyes, development is about developing the players you have rather than assembling the best there is around,