Developing talent is key

July 15 2014

Shepparton News

As I watched yesterday morning’s soccer World Cup final, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have an emotional investment in one of the competing nations.

An extra-time goal from Mario Goetze handed Germany a 1-0 win against Argentina in a enthralling match awash with technical quality and tension, watched by billions of people across the world.

Call it a pipe dream, but I dreamed of one day seeing Australia’s Socceroos grace the sport’s biggest stage and having the world’s eyes fixed on our nation.

Australia has enjoyed success at international level across a whole host of sports — recent examples include the cricket (2007) and hockey (2014) world cups, golfer Adam Scott at the US Masters, cyclist Cadel Evans at the Tour de France, tennis player Samantha Stosur at the US Open, Patty Mills and Aron Baynes in the NBA and various Olympic gold medals — but nothing compares to soccer’s showpiece in terms of a global event, sporting or otherwise.

The Socceroos did themselves proud with brave performances in the group stage against high-calibre opposition, but ultimately lost all three games with a goal difference of negative six.

It led me to thinking about the development of the sport in this country and the role of regional clubs in producing players capable of reaching such heights.

This ultimately, and somewhat inevitably, brought me to Goulburn Valley Suns and the Goulburn North East soccer community.

The recent appointment of Shepparton-based Suns senior coach David Davkovski was a step in the right direction and hopefully more opportunities for local players will follow.

Call me idealistic, but success should be measured not by goals scored, games won or trophies lifted — those are welcome bonuses along the way — but the number of players that go on to play at a higher level.

That is the true mark of achievement.

The same should be said of any regional club in any sport.

It could be players simply taking the next step to NPLV, VFL, SEABL, Victorian Netball League or Victorian Premier Cricket.

Or it could be the elite level of AFL, A-League, NBL, trans-Tasman netball or Sheffield Shield, let alone pulling on the green and gold.

If every regional area provided one international quality player every decade the national team would benefit immensely — and the Goulburn Valley has the capacity to be a leader, not a follower, in this area.

The talent is there and now the pathway, the only question is mentality.

Spend more money on coaches than players, put more time into development than winning and maybe one day we can see the Socceroos go toe-to-toe with the world’s best, as Australia does in so many other sports, instead of seeing the fevered passion of other nations as they vie for world sport’s most sought-after prize.

Maybe be not in my lifetime, but some day.

Damen Francis is The News’ sports editor.