For years now, we’ve seen the same players jump from club to club in a bid to revitalise their careers.
It’s common place for an A-League player to start at one club, but to then find themselves at other A-League clubs throughout the years. But as great as it is to see these quality footballers continuing their careers, is it harming our youth and their development?
Furthermore, are clubs to dependent on bringing in proven players, as opposed to giving youngsters and new players a chance to prove themselves?
Journeymen players have traversed the A-League through a smattering of different clubs ever since the inaugural season, forging reputations as proven players in the competition.
Brendon Santalab and Mark Bridge are two great exponents of this very concept. Santalab, who only recently finished his professional career last season with Perth Glory, bided his time with the Western Sydney Wanderers, the defunct North Queensland Fury, Sydney FC as well as last season’s runner’s up in the Glory.
Whilst not being the greatest player to ever grace the league, his longevity in the league saw him given opportunities almost everywhere he went, regardless of who else was on the roster.
Brendon Santalab has announced he intends to hang up the boots at the end of the @ALeague season.
Congratulations on a fantastic career, @BSantalab.
Enjoy retirement! 👏🇦🇺
READ MORE: https://t.co/DEnhMbv0ae pic.twitter.com/OfkxwUInXR
— FOX Sports Football (@FOXFOOTBALL) April 4, 2019
Bridge also plied his trade with various different A-League sides such as Sydney FC and the Newcastle Jets before ending his professional career with the club he made his name with, the Wanderers.
In fairness, Bridge has represented Australia as a senior and at junior level, so his ability in the A-League, combined with him being the Wanderers highest ever scorer, is unquestionable.
But the question must be asked. Have clubs perhaps neglected the talent at their disposal, instead preferring to reuse players who are only in the short-term plans of the club?
What makes it all the more frustrating is that in Australia, we have such a keen group of youngsters, both male and female, who want to play soccer. And if we neglect the current crop of talented youth, what kind of message are we sending to them and their parents?
Enough has been said about the exceptionally high participation rate for junior soccer in Australia, but we can’t neglect the interest in the sport amongst kids and parents.
But there is one rebuttal clubs could use for this argument. That it’s not a good plan for trophies.
Yes, growing from the ground up doesn’t guarantee immediate success. But it does guarantee success, both off and potentially on the field, for the club. It’s one step backwards so that down the line, you can go two or three steps forward.
We see it all the time in the Australian Football League, where clubs will voluntarily go through a tough period on-field, so that they can secure the future of their club.
Most of the time, it results in championships. The evidence speaks for itself. Hawthorn’s dynasty that begun in 2008 and ended in 2015 was built on going to the National Draft each year with a strong hand.
Sydney, Geelong, West Coast and Collingwood also fall into this bracket as teams who, knew their position in the league’s landscape. Instead of fighting it, they followed a long term plan and brought success to their clubs.
A-League clubs should be willing to do the same. Because if you get stuck in the past, you’re blinded as to what you can do in the future. And often, there is no ceiling.
