St Kilda Football Club s Next Generation Academy Partners with the South Metro Junior Football League s Interleague Program in 2018. Background In late 2017, the St Kilda Football Club (St Kilda FC) and the South Metro Junior Football League (SMJFL) signed an agreement to partner on a single development and talent pathway program in the SMJFL region. St Kilda FC s Next Generation Academy (NGA) for 11 to 15 years in age will partner with the SMJFL s interleague program. This exciting partnership will see AFL expertise collaborating with the existing interleague program to provide SMJFL players the highest level of coaching and personal development in their journey as a player. The St Kilda FC s NGA will be the sole pathway program for SMJFL players 11 to 15 years of age to participate in, in the region. A transition to the SMJFL TAC Cup club partners Sandringham Dragons, Oakleigh Chargers and Dandenong Stingrays - will commence at the completion of the U15 Interleague program. The purpose of St Kilda FC s NGA is to identify and develop talented players both male and female and will have a focus on players with Indigenous and multicultural heritage from ages 11-18. St Kilda FC s NGA region covers a large area from Port Melbourne to Frankston. SMJFL are within the northern part of the region, known as the 'Northern Hub' with the remaining region known as the Southern Hub. St Kilda FC have been given the responsibility by AFL Victoria to oversee the programs from 11-18 in the region and will work with SMJFL to deliver its Interleague program (ages 11-15), and TAC Cup Clubs (ages 16-18). In previous years, SMJFL operated the Intraleague Under 12 programs as well as the Interleague program for Under 13 through to Under 15 s with great success. TAC cup clubs have previously operated their own Under 14 and 15 development programs at the completion of interleague each year. The new St Kilda FC NGA collaboration with the SMJFL Interleague will replace the TAC Cup U14 and U15 programs and will be the only talent development pathway program in the region. At Under 16 s, the St Kilda FC NGA, SMJFL Interleague and TAC Cup clubs will be represented on a talent and selection committee to identify and transition players to TAC Development programs. At the end of the Under 15 program TAC Cup Clubs in the your region will make contact if you re successful. Players are recruited to TAC Cup programs based on their residential address, in the SMJFL region this is predominantly the Sandringham Dragons, however a small number of SMJFL players will be in the Oakleigh Chargers or Dandenong Stingrays zones. From 2018, TAC Cup clubs will modify their programs and focus on Under 16-18 development and talent programs only within the Northern and Southern areas of St Kilda FC s NGA region. The graphic below demonstrates the new pathway for SMJFL players dependant on age group. St Kilda FC NGA players in the Under 14 or 15 programs may be selected to represent SMJFL at AFL Victoria s annual Victorian Metro Championships. This selection is a fantastic opportunity to compete against peers from other leagues. A high percentage of SMJFL players competing in interleague have been successful in being selected into TAC Cup club programs as a pathway to being drafted to the AFL and AFLW. 1
Program Details The NGA collaboration with the Interleague program for SMJFL players will be offered via nomination from their respective clubs for eligible boys and girls. Talented Indigenous and Multicultural players may be selected outside of the nomination process into the NGA program but would be ineligible to elevated to the interleague program. Under 14 girls will be an exception as this age group is introduced and builds over the coming years. Each age group program is specially designed to develop players in football skills, game development and off field personal and leadership skills. Under 12 program A free four-week program that offers both girls and boys exposure to additional coaching and skill development. SMJFL clubs can nominate two players each - boys (2) and girls (2). At the completion of the 4-week program, players will participate in an Intraleague representative match - SMJFL players vs SMJFL players. This match is known as the "Community Cup" and is sponsored by both St Kilda FC and Melbourne FC with opposing teams wearing one of the AFL club's guernseys. The U12 program begins in August and concludes with the "Community Cup" at the beginning of September. Under 13 program A 13-week program offered to both boys and girls. Both on-field and off-field skills are focused on in this development program. 6 weeks into the program, 50 players will be selected for each of the Interleague squads (boys and girls) and will train to compete in a one-day carnival held on the Queen s Birthday long weekend in June. The carnival is a series of round-robin matches between three representative teams from junior leagues in metropolitan Melbourne. The program begins in February and concludes in June. At the completion of the Queen s Birthday carnival the full group will return to complete a 4-week training program for transition to the Under 14 NGA program. 2
Under 14 Boys program A 14-week program commencing in February providing participants the opportunity to develop their football skills, training ethics and off-field skills as well as providing insight into playing representative football. A 50-player Under 14 boys Interleague squad will be selected to play in the AFL Victoria Metro Junior Championships held in late-may (Round 1) and on Queens Birthday weekend in June (Round 2 & 3); if successful a Grand Final would follow the carnival. The championships are played against junior leagues from metropolitan Melbourne. complete a 4-week training and testing program for transition to the Under 15 NGA program. Under 15 Girls program Designed for female players in both the Under 14 & 15 age groups. A 14-week program commencing in February that provides development opportunities in football skills, training ethics and off-field leadership for girls aspiring to play football at the highest level. 50 players will be elevated from the NGA squad to train for the Under 15 girls Interleague squad to compete in the AFL Victoria Metro Junior Championships against junior leagues from metro Melbourne. The championships commence in late-may for Round 1, with Round 2 & 3 held on Queens Birthday weekend in June and the potential of a Grand Final shortly after. complete a 4-week training and testing program for transition to the TAC Cup Girls program Under 15 Boys program A 14-week program commencing in February that encompasses all aspects of skill development and training at the highest level in readiness for TAC Cup club selection to the U16 Development squad. 50 eligible players will be selected from the NGA training squad to from the Under 15 s interleague squad, training to compete in the AFL Victoria Metro Junior Championships against junior leagues from metro Melbourne. The championships are held in late-may (Round 1) and on Queens Birthday weekend in June (Round 2 & 3); with the possibility of a Grand Final to follow the carnival. Players not selected for the Under 15 interleague squad will continue to train in the Under 15 NGA program, working on complete a 4-week training and testing program for transition to the TAC Cup Under 16 development squad. The Under 16-18 Sandringham Dragons development program - compliments and runs in the older age groups following the integrated St Kilda FC NGA/SMJFL Interleague program. Sandringham Dragons will partner with St Kilda FC in the delivery of this phase of the talent pathway ensuring continuity for participants. TAC Cups teams are regionally based, as such this program is for players 3
residing in the Sandringham Dragons zone only. A player's residential address determines which TAC Cup club a player can train with. The SMJFL region is predominantly a 'Dragons' zone, with a smaller number of players located in the Oakleigh Chargers or Dandenong Stingrays zones. If unsure, the St Kilda FC NGA Manager or Coordinator will be able to clarify which TAC Cup club is appropriate. Official Communications Under 11 U15 St Kilda FC NGA/SMJFL Interleague Program One of the important developments of this new program is to streamline communication to parents and players. Previously parents and players may have received multiple communication from different organisations - SMJFL, St Kilda NGA, TAC Cup Clubs and other third-party providers representing themselves as the talent pathway lead in the SMJFL region. This partnership, verified by AFL Victoria will mean there will be only one official line of communication. Communication relating to the NGA/Interleague collaboration will be signed by both the St Kilda FC and the SMJFL. Only Communication delivered by the following channels can be deemed to be official and representative of the message of the combined parties: The St Kilda website (saints.com.au) and social media SMJFL website (smjfl.com.au) and social media Email correspondence from St Kilda FC NGA (nga@saints.com.au) Email correspondence from SMJFL (interleague@smjfl.com.au) Communication from other parties may be disregarded as not representing the official St Kilda FC NGA/SMJFL Interleague program partnership Frequently Asked Questions: St Kilda FC Next Generation Academy/SMJFL Interleague Who is eligible to participate? Players must be the appropriate age (depending on date of birth). No player can play "up" (or "down") in any NGA/Interleague program. The Under 13 program is for players born in 2005, the Under 14 program is for players born in 2004 and the Under 15 program for players born in 2003. As per the Elibility Rules for SMJFL Interelague Program, players must have played exclusively with his/her SMJFL current club (as per nomination) for the current and previous season. If the player has not exclusively played with his/her current SMJFL club for the current and previous season, then the preliminary position of the SMJFL is the player is ineligible for Interleague. This is a league initiative designed to enable clubs to retain their better players at all levels of competition, enabling players to remain with their local club, whilst at the same time those players can be provided with the opportunity to train and play at a talent pathway level through the program. Exemptions may be applied in some circumstances on a case-by-case basis. How are players selected to participate? Players are nominated by their club, in November/December of the previous year. The number of nominations per club varies depending on the number of teams a club fields in the appropriate age group. SMJFL and St Kilda FC determine which players are invited to join the NGA/Interleague program. Additional players may be invited individually if they meet certain criteria. 4
Players have previously been automatically invited to join Interleague the following year if they have represented the SMJFL in Interleague the year prior, however automatic inclusion is no longer the process in place. This change provides SMJFL clubs greater control over (a larger number of) nominations in 2018. How does the NGA/Interleague Under 13-15 program operate? The Under 13, 14 and 15 NGA programs operate for 13 or 14 weeks commencing February 2018. From week 7 up to 50 players will be selected and elevated to train as an Interleague squad. Interleague squad training will be held at a separate location and will have dedicated interleague coaching and support staff. Players not selected and elevated to interleague will continue training in the NGA development program through to the commencement of the Vic Metro Championships. Eligible NGA players may be selected to represent the SMJFL in the interleague program right up to week 13/14. Who coaches the program? NGA/ Interleague program coaches are carefully selected for their commitment to developing young players. A diverse group of coaches will be involved in each age group of the program. Some individuals will be at the start of their coaching career, others will be very experienced. The program is structured to provide support, mentoring and development opportunities for coaches at all levels. The head-coach for each age group will lead his/her coaching group in as both a mentor and with a hands-on approach. Coaches all have a minimum AFL Victoria Level 1 coaching qualification. What are the program costs and what is included? Under 12 Intraleague program - No charge Under 13 NGA program - $200 fee + $150 Interleague uniform (if selected into the final team) Under 14 NGA program - $300 fee + $180 Interleague uniform (if selected into the final team. Fee includes Victorian Metro Championship costs) Under 15 NGA program - $300 fee + $180 Interleague uniform (if selected into the final team. Fee includes Victorian Metro Championship costs) St Kilda FC NGA players will receive a St Kilda FC and SMJFL co-branded kit inclusive of: Training top Shorts Drink bottle Cap In addition, players that are selected for the Interleague squad will receive: Training top Playing short Playing jumper Playing Socks Hoodie Bag 5