Wasted...

...Youth

It is good to see many football fans in Terengganu are still willing to lend the support to the two Terengganu teams competing in the 2011 President Cup tournament. However this season saw both teams are in the bottom half of their respective group's standings.

PBDKT T-Team (T-Team) are in Group A while Terengganu are in Group B.

The former only managed a single win from four outings and yesterday's 3-1 defeat at home to Sabah left them in eighth place of the eleven team group. Their fortunes seemed to mirror their senior side's performance in the Super League, which incidently also managed to just a single win and a draw so far this season.

Terengganu on the other hand recorded a 4-1 win over Pahang at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan to register their first win of the season. The victory saw them placed seventh in their group.

The tournament is effectively a reserve league championship for Malaysian League sides and all players are restricted to a certain age. These players also are eligible to represent their senior side without having to be registered in the senior squad.

However, the quality of football on show so far has not been at the best level in relation to their age.

Perhaps reverting back to the practice a few seasons back when a maximum of three senior players were allowed to play in President Cup matches. It could increase the quality of the play on the field and at the same time players who do not play regularly for the first team will have the opportunity to play competitive football in order to maintain their match fitness and sharpness.

This is being practiced in top leagues in Europe and the young players will benefit from playing with senior players who should lead by example in terms of technical ability and also leadership skills.

But the thing is in Malaysia or in this case in Terengganu, the pyramid of football is not really a pyramid at all with the lack of football played at the much lower age groups means children are not equipped with enough basic skills in football, thus when they progress through the age groups, we could always see improper control of the ball, lack of positional sense and making the wrong decisions.

With the number of schools in each districts there are enough to create a school league for the under-12s, under-15s and under-17s which could see these children playing football competitively during the weekends for six to eight months of the year.

During the week they would be training with proper coaches and with experience gained through match exposure they would be progressing well in relation to their age group, and by the time they are in their mid-teens we should be able to determine whether these players have the quality to succeed or not.

Furthermore, these matches will give ample opportunities for scouts to keep an eye on any talented players that show potentials to become good players in the future.

Of course this is only a wish of someone who does not have any authority to make these changes. His only wish is someone in authority share the same vision and together we could work to make this a reality.

Until then, we will just have to make do with the usual fare dished to us, just like the one on the 'C' Pitch yesterday.


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