Australia Need To Develop 'Messi & Ronaldo'

[TOPGUNJIMMYAUFC]

Exclusive: Australia Need To Develop 'Messi & Ronaldo' - Han Berger

It's an ambitious claim from the country's technical director...

18 May 2009 03:35:27

Roma Finale 2009: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) vs. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Related LinksAustralia will need to develop a "Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo" if they are to achieve their goal of competing at the highest level of football by the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, according to Australia's National Technical Director Han Berger.

In an exclusive interview with Goal.com, Berger outlined Football Federation Australia’s (FFA) plan to take the nation to the top echelon of world football within the next 10-15 years.

The Dutchman’s ambitious claim has coincided with the release of a new National Football Curriculum, which sets the standards by which youth development as well as elite - and community-level football – for both coaches and players – will be now be governed in Australia.

Central to this doctrine is a focus on skill development as opposed to strength and conditioning at young ages.

“This is a long-term project and as I said, there are goal settings to take Australia to the highest level of football in the world,” Berger told Goal.com

“Australia are not only organising to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup but also to compete at the highest level and so that we are able to do that, we need to develop high-level players that are able to fulfil these goals.

“If you put too much emphasis on the result at too young an age then you tend to choose strong players instead of skilful ones and you forbid players to take risks and initiative instead of encouraging them to do so.

“At the end of the day you get punished for that because at the top level the game is not decided by the strongest and the fittest players because all players are strong and fit.

“At the top level the game is decided by players like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – the skilful ones – and if you want to go this high level you need players like that.

“That’s more or less my message and why we should put more emphasis on skill development as opposed to strength and conditioning at a young age.”

Berger’s goal to have Australia developing world-class players such as Messi and Ronaldo might be considered unrealistic, but the former director of youth teams for the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) says it is an achievable goal.

He continued, “I know one thing for sure – Australia doesn’t have to change on my behalf but then it will be very difficult to go to the next level.

“If everyone wants to keep it at the level that it is currently on then we should just continue doing what we are doing.

“If we want to improve and go to a higher level – and again, that’s the goal-setting of Football Federation Australia – then there is no other option than to make changes.

“Absolutely there will be arguments, people resisting, people disagreeing and I hope I can convince as many people as possible.

“Yes, it’s a big challenge but if I had a feeling it was impossible I wouldn’t even begin on this project.

“We will go for it and time will tell.”

Chris Paraskevas Goal.com

[rooboy1986]

I'm sold... ring in those changes...

[Napoli]

Any one that says this isn't good really doesnt know anything about the sport and should probably go elsewhere.

[rooboy1986]

Echoes of the late great Johnny Warren here...

[Bresciano]

Fantastic. Absolutely the right direction for Aus. But the problem is that the junior set up does not encourage skill development. Its all about winning. Players are taught to play hard before they are taught the basic skills of the game. There's way too many injuries at junior level and way too much thuggery. Skillful players are taken down from behind and brought back to the pack. Team relegation also does not encourage kids to take risks, nor does the egos of coaches.

[REDS]

Lets hope that the introduction of Small Sided Football helps to bring about these changes.

[Killa Pass]

Fantastic. Absolutely the right direction for Aus. But the problem is that the junior set up does not encourage skill development. Its all about winning. Players are taught to play hard before they are taught the basic skills of the game. There's way too many injuries at junior level and way too much thuggery. Skillful players are taken down from behind and brought back to the pack. Team relegation also does not encourage kids to take risks, nor does the egos of coaches.

Lets hope that the introduction of Small Sided Football helps to bring about these changes.

Yes.... Yes..... YES..... bring in the changes lets develop that Messi type player.

Bresciano and Reds you are right, FFA and Australia hopfully is heading in the right direction.

SSF is part of the picture, the FFA roll out of a coaching curriculum, more and more education of clubs, parents and coaches, changes to private academies, changes to hopefully Roo-ball up to age 12. Also with a culture change in parents and coaches relaxing and not to win at all costs. FFA state base Technical Directors... it's all good and developing the game.

They will get resistance to change as we see with...(no I'm not going to say who) but lets move on.... and good on FFA for moving forward...