Shire players put through the national skills test

Just over 12 months ago the FFA launched its National Football Development Plan aimed at ?Making Australia a World Leader in the World Game.? As part of that plan, was the development of a National Skills Test for junior players which can be downloaded online.
Having conducted a number of tests in different regions, Mr Baan selected the FIFA 2 star standard synthetic turf and home ground of Men?s Premier League team the Sutherland Sharks, Seymour Shaw, as his next location. With the help of Kean Marshall, Regional Participation Manager for the FFA, the aim of the testing is to help set a benchmark for junior player skill levels that up and coming players can compare themselves to. They can then analyse what areas of their technique which needs work.
Twenty-two players, both boys and girls, from teams in the Shire including Bangor, Bosco FC, Gymea United, Lilli Pilli FC, and the Sharks Representatives were on hand to help Mr Baan collect more statistics. The players ranged in age from U7 to U17s.
The age groups were split into different levels of skills and as the age group got older the harder the tests became. All age groups started off with simple juggling skills, moving into the more difficult combination juggling with the seniors U15, U16 and U17s juggling with a partner. Time limits were set, so it was a race against the clock. Notable standouts in the juggling stakes were Michael Neill and Anja Cherry.
After juggling, the players were put through various activities on dribbling, sprinting, passing, shooting, and heading. The older age groups followed similar testing pattern but were tested in pairs, using combination plays on crossing, shooting and heading. The players were closely observed by Shire coaches who were allocating points for each time a player achieved a certain goal. The points were tallied at the conclusion of each task. Most players were glad to know they met the criteria of data that Mr Baan had already collated, although we won?t mention the effort of the girls in the pairs running heading exercise!
Mr Baan, said the philosophy behind the different tests was to make them practice related, so that coaches could use them as a ?warm-up? to working on game centred sessions.
For instance, with the simple long passing drill between two players (10-25m apart, depending on age) where one player passes the ball to the other using accuracy to get the ball through a 1m goal before returning the pass, could then be progressed into a drill with passive defenders or coaches could create some movement off the ball by adding in another player for a 1-2 combination practice, then adding it to the finishing with an accurate pass to the next player.
 Each session lasted at least 1 hour and all players felt they had worked pretty hard. The boys showed great competitiveness in all the drills trying to beat each others? scores, while the girls showed their enjoyment for the game and smiled continuously through the experience. When asked how she felt about being watched by the many coaches and FFA instructors, U16 Sutherland Sharks representative player Elizabeth Grey said ?it?s very nerve wracking, especially having to compete with the boys?. Although the girls can be very modest about their ability they performed particularly well.
The players that participated on the day included:
U7: Taj Temana – Gymea United, Karlee Hildebrandt – Gymea United
U8: Rohan Montgomery – Bosco FC, Emily Wein – Bosco FC
U9: Ben Ross – Lilli Pilli FC, Gabriel Peak – Lilli Pilli FC
U10: Thomas Papa – Bangor FC, Demi Koulizakis – Sutherland Sharks WPL
U11: James Markovic – Sutherland ML, Anja Cherry – Sutherland Sharks WPL
U12: Jarrod Benham – Sutherland ML, Amy Harrison – Sutherland Sharks WPL
U13: Nicholas Olsen – Sutherland Sharks, Liana Danaskos – Sutherland Sharks WPL
U14: Michael Neill – Sutherland Sharks, Elizabeth Grey – Sutherland Sharks WPL
U15: Mitchell Reed – Lilli Pilli FC, Jasmine Hitchen – Sutherland Sharks WPL
U16: Martin McGuire – Lilli Pilli FC, Nick Gulbrandsen – Sutherland Sharks, Patrick Savor -Sutherland Sharks, Brittany Bultitude – Sutherland Sharks WPL
U17: Callum McGoldrick – Unanderra Hearts Soccer Club
Sutherland Shire Coaches Committee member Gary Lockwood was ?delighted to be asked to help out with the skills test, it has given some players a unique opportunity to be tested by the best in the business? and it?s great to see the governing body, the FFA, getting out amongst the clubs.
Report by Sally Paterson
FNSW High Performance Unit