SAPSASA??? :-/

[Jeda]

poor kids, cold down here & horrible football

[Mad_Max]

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Image removed by mods

[rabbit]

poor kids, cold down here & horrible football

As long as they are wearing their skins, they'll be fine

[Jeda]

poor kids, cold down here & horrible football

As long as they are wearing their skins, they'll be fine

some coaches need skins around their head, might help nah, I'm being a bit harsh it's not their fault the organization doesn't bring in people that know the game

[Big Mac]

poor kids, cold down here & horrible football

How about just letting the Kids have a bit of fun eh instead of over analyzing and criticizing EVERYTHING you see.......as you often write "not playing for sheepstations"...(insert your own smiley).

[Jeda]

poor kids, cold down here & horrible football

How about just letting the Kids have a bit of fun eh instead of over analyzing and criticizing EVERYTHING you see.......as you often write "not playing for sheepstations"...(insert your own smiley).

are you watching the games, or just happy with your little inner circle as usual it's all messed up, kids playing for different zones, teachers that never follow the game but are now coaching a team, teams running around like kindergarten kids yeah great fun but what's it for only the elite get anything out of this good coaches & players but even there it's not much because they come across a poor team & run amok

[harrycripps]

poor kids, cold down here & horrible football

How about just letting the Kids have a bit of fun eh instead of over analyzing and criticizing EVERYTHING you see.......as you often write "not playing for sheepstations"...(insert your own smiley).

are you watching the games, or just happy with your little inner circle as usual it's all messed up, kids playing for different zones, teachers that never follow the game but are now coaching a team, teams running around like kindergarten kids yeah great fun but what's it for only the elite get anything out of this good coaches & players but even there it's not much because they come across a poor team & run amok

I watched a few games yesterday. The standard was fine. The kids are loving the whole carnival atmosphere. They are mixing with kids from other clubs, having a week off school and most are not that worried about results, ladders etc.

I wish I could say the same about some of the parents. Heard one from the ‘best’ fed club, scream at the linesman from the same club to raise his flag every time the opposition attacked. I didnt realize Sheepstations was part of the acronym SAPSASA,

[Big Mac]

poor kids, cold down here & horrible football

How about just letting the Kids have a bit of fun eh instead of over analyzing and criticizing EVERYTHING you see.......as you often write "not playing for sheepstations"...(insert your own smiley).

are you watching the games, or just happy with your little inner circle as usual it's all messed up, kids playing for different zones, teachers that never follow the game but are now coaching a team, teams running around like kindergarten kids yeah great fun but what's it for only the elite get anything out of this good coaches & players but even there it's not much because they come across a poor team & run amok

I have just spent the last 5 minutes reading your post over and over, sorry you've lost me.
Inner circle??, if you call a 30 sec conversation with a coach who approached me (as he did each Parent), 2 x 1min. conversations with soccer mums, and a 2 minute conversation with the hot dog man over a 6 hour period...(yes I am in the inner circle).
As far as your other points, well quite honestly I think you just make these up.
Refer to my earlier post.......

How about just letting the Kids have a bit of fun eh instead of over analyzing and criticizing EVERYTHING you see.......as you often write "not playing for sheepstations"...(insert your own smiley).[/

[Big Mac]

I watched a few games yesterday. The standard was fine. The kids are loving the whole carnival atmosphere. They are mixing with kids from other clubs, having a week off school and most are not that worried about results, ladders etc.

I wish I could say the same about some of the parents. Heard one from the ‘best’ fed club, scream at the linesman from the same club to raise his flag every time the opposition attacked. I didnt realize Sheepstations was part of the acronym SAPSASA,

I am sorry Harry but these Kids should not be enjoying themselves, or playing with different team mates, nor hear a different coaches perspective on the game, nor socializing with Kids from other Zones, or buying a commemorative top to proudly wear in front of Grandpa and Grandma...NO, No, No...they should be judged and assessed on every waking minute of every day, each time they get near a ball someone should be grading it and sending a report through to the FFA and Hans.
Non compliance should be severely punished.
Ps: do you know how valuable a sheepstation is???
Had to lock my Kid in the car for an hour when he said to me " Dad I take Sundays seriously, down here I just want to have some fun"
Can you believe that!

[harrycripps]

I watched a few games yesterday. The standard was fine. The kids are loving the whole carnival atmosphere. They are mixing with kids from other clubs, having a week off school and most are not that worried about results, ladders etc.

I wish I could say the same about some of the parents. Heard one from the ‘best’ fed club, scream at the linesman from the same club to raise his flag every time the opposition attacked. I didnt realize Sheepstations was part of the acronym SAPSASA,

I am sorry Harry but these Kids should not be enjoying themselves, or playing with different team mates, nor hear a different coaches perspective on the game, nor socializing with Kids from other Zones, or buying a commemorative top to proudly wear in front of Grandpa and Grandma...NO, No, No...they should be judged and assessed on every waking minute of every day, each time they get near a ball someone should be grading it and sending a report through to the FFA and Hans.
Non compliance should be severely punished.
Ps: do you know how valuable a sheepstation is???
Had to lock my Kid in the car for an hour when he said to me " Dad I take Sundays seriously, down here I just want to have some fun"
Can you believe that!

The boy is obviously losing perspective. Extra training for him I say, what!

[rabbit]

[Big Mac]

As for you Rabbit...multiple laughing emoticons will NOT BE TOLERATED!

[Big Mac]

I watched a few games yesterday. The standard was fine. The kids are loving the whole carnival atmosphere. They are mixing with kids from other clubs, having a week off school and most are not that worried about results, ladders etc.

I wish I could say the same about some of the parents. Heard one from the ‘best’ fed club, scream at the linesman from the same club to raise his flag every time the opposition attacked. I didnt realize Sheepstations was part of the acronym SAPSASA,

I am sorry Harry but these Kids should not be enjoying themselves, or playing with different team mates, nor hear a different coaches perspective on the game, nor socializing with Kids from other Zones, or buying a commemorative top to proudly wear in front of Grandpa and Grandma...NO, No, No...they should be judged and assessed on every waking minute of every day, each time they get near a ball someone should be grading it and sending a report through to the FFA and Hans.
Non compliance should be severely punished.
Ps: do you know how valuable a sheepstation is???
Had to lock my Kid in the car for an hour when he said to me " Dad I take Sundays seriously, down here I just want to have some fun"
Can you believe that!

The boy is obviously losing perspective. Extra training for him I say, what!

Dont worry about that, I had him outside juggling a medicine ball till midnight yesterday.

[Jeda]

a week of school learning nothing just before school holidays should do it :?

[harrycripps]

a week of school learning nothing just before school holidays should do it :?

They are learning a lot about social skills, interaction with others, in other words life skills. That is an important part of school curriculum. In fact my son's school Principal has gone today to watch him. She thinks its educational and worthwhile. But what does she know.

[rabbit]

S tudents
A nd
P arents
S hould
A lways
S mile
A t

JEDA and don't take his comments too seriously.

[Sacred Noodle]

poor kids, cold down here & horrible football

How about just letting the Kids have a bit of fun eh instead of over analyzing and criticizing EVERYTHING you see.......as you often write "not playing for sheepstations"...(insert your own smiley).

are you watching the games, or just happy with your little inner circle as usual it's all messed up, kids playing for different zones, teachers that never follow the game but are now coaching a team, teams running around like kindergarten kids yeah great fun but what's it for only the elite get anything out of this good coaches & players but even there it's not much because they come across a poor team & run amok

.. have only closely watched games in the boys div 1 and most of the coaches I have seen are JPL Club coaches some of them highly regarded ... the standard has been pretty good with some good talent ... in the games I have watched the teams have been fairly even with most of the teams both winning and losing so so none of them .."running amok" ..dont know what games you are watching Jeda..?

By the way the kids seem to be enjoying mixing with boys from other club teams and so as well as getting to play good soccer/football make new friends, forget about school work the gain new experiences for their game..

[Jeda]

S tudents
A nd
P arents
S hould
A lways
S mile
A t

JEDA and don't take his comments too seriously.

[Stitch This]

S tudents
A nd
P arents
S hould
A lways
S mile
A t

JEDA and don't take his comments too seriously.

[tobisaiah]

.. have only closely watched games in the boys div 1 and most of the coaches I have seen are JPL Club coaches some of them highly regarded ... the standard has been pretty good with some good talent ... in the games I have watched the teams have been fairly even with most of the teams both winning and losing so so none of them .."running amok" ..dont know what games you are watching Jeda..?

By the way the kids seem to be enjoying mixing with boys from other club teams and so as well as getting to play good soccer/football make new friends, forget about school work the gain new experiences for their game..

I managed to get down there today to watch my lad play 3 games. OK gotta agree some of the standard isnt great..... in fact my sons team had some very blown out wins, but then its Div 3 I was watching. But most of the time teams looked evenly matched on other pitches around us, and you could see top players standing out sometimes.

Thought the atmosphere was very positive for the kids, looked like a lot of kids mixing together. Couple of perhaps overzealous coaches and parents... but not many from what I saw today. Only disappointment for me was that a lot of people choosing to buy food there for the kids. I know its a choice, but cant say it seemed like a good idea to see players munching down on a bucket of chips and a can of soft drink prior to a game.

Gratz to those involved and running it.... for something with so many participants and schools, it comes across as very well organised and running on time. Well done.

[johnydep]

The kids love SAPSASA, it's like a holiday camp for them.

I haven't told my daughter, but I am disappointed in the way her team has been run. No trials, and more than half the experienced squad went off to the West. Not sure who the coach is, they've swapped and luckily a parent has stepped forward to help.

Best to just let the kids enjoy their time together, for some it's their last year in Primary School and so last year of SAPSASA http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/sport/pages/s ... /?reFlag=1

ps. thank you to all involved in organising, running and volunteering to keep this tournament going every year for the kids.

[On The Pine]

I have been involved in the Sapsasa soccer carnivals for a number of years and if you ask 95% of the kids down there it is the highlight of their school year. I would say 100% except I am conscious that a few of these kids also make it in their districts team for other sports too and that may be their number 1 choice. It is an extremely well set up and well run carnival and each year a few more bugs are ironed out.

The division system isn't perfect (with relegation and promotion of bottom/top 2) but it is probably the best fit. The problem lies in that one team can be strong one year and take out a division but then their dominant year 7's move on and their 6's coming through aren't quite as strong. Then of course the opposite can happen and a strong team may find themselves in a low division based on the previous years results. It will ebb and flow a bit but usually they are around the mark. Division 3 is made up predominantly of the rural districts and up to 3/4's of the team will be made up of kids that have never played for a club. So to the original poster let me ask you this, should we stop these kids from having a go and inflicting this "horrible football" on the world?

A few years ago it was feared that the death of billeting would be the death of the country districts (and maybe even all of Sapsasa) but the participation from these districts has actually grown. The families now treat it as their family holiday and stay down for the week and sightsee around the carnival. Sure some of these teams cop a hiding or two here and there, but they have an absolute ball.

Division 1 is, and has been for a long time, of a very good standard. Keeping in mind that there is minimal time to prepare (most hit the carnivals with little practice as a team) and that there are 10 games (so to keep the kids mentally and physically up and playing their best is a significant challenge and their output will vary). The majority of these kids are playing Feds (with some squads padded with kids from non-fed clubs) and the coach/managers tend to have a much stronger football background. On their day any of these teams can beat any other and going into the last day the gap from 3rd to 8th was 2 points (and the team that was leading had lost to the 3rd bottom and got out of jail with a 2-1 win over the bottom team).

If you would have had the good fortune I have had to spend the whole week down there every year you would see the kids buzzing and hear how much they love it. With increasing pressures on the "elite" kids it can be a welcome relief that they get to play some football under a different coach, with different kids around them, in a competitive but much less serious environment. Two years ago there was even a kid in the Young Socceroos squad that played in Malaysia who was still desperate to play. Sure he had bigger fish to fry but that is not the point and I guess that some people may never understand that.

My advice to any parent would be don't hesitate to get your kids involved. You won't regret it. Oh and to Jeda: complaining about the carnival at lunchtime on the second day? Mate it sounds like you might be the type that had his mind made up before he even got there. Just saying.

[rabbit]

Well said

[Jeda]

maybe in previous years it was 95% but no way now, same with state id champs I spoke to a group ofkids & they're not impressed, some refused to return obviously something not right with an increasing number of kids

[harrycripps]

I have been involved in the Sapsasa soccer carnivals for a number of years and if you ask 95% of the kids down there it is the highlight of their school year. I would say 100% except I am conscious that a few of these kids also make it in their districts team for other sports too and that may be their number 1 choice. It is an extremely well set up and well run carnival and each year a few more bugs are ironed out.

The division system isn't perfect (with relegation and promotion of bottom/top 2) but it is probably the best fit. The problem lies in that one team can be strong one year and take out a division but then their dominant year 7's move on and their 6's coming through aren't quite as strong. Then of course the opposite can happen and a strong team may find themselves in a low division based on the previous years results. It will ebb and flow a bit but usually they are around the mark. Division 3 is made up predominantly of the rural districts and up to 3/4's of the team will be made up of kids that have never played for a club. So to the original poster let me ask you this, should we stop these kids from having a go and inflicting this "horrible football" on the world?

A few years ago it was feared that the death of billeting would be the death of the country districts (and maybe even all of Sapsasa) but the participation from these districts has actually grown. The families now treat it as their family holiday and stay down for the week and sightsee around the carnival. Sure some of these teams cop a hiding or two here and there, but they have an absolute ball.

Division 1 is, and has been for a long time, of a very good standard. Keeping in mind that there is minimal time to prepare (most hit the carnivals with little practice as a team) and that there are 10 games (so to keep the kids mentally and physically up and playing their best is a significant challenge and their output will vary). The majority of these kids are playing Feds (with some squads padded with kids from non-fed clubs) and the coach/managers tend to have a much stronger football background. On their day any of these teams can beat any other and going into the last day the gap from 3rd to 8th was 2 points (and the team that was leading had lost to the 3rd bottom and got out of jail with a 2-1 win over the bottom team).

If you would have had the good fortune I have had to spend the whole week down there every year you would see the kids buzzing and hear how much they love it. With increasing pressures on the "elite" kids it can be a welcome relief that they get to play some football under a different coach, with different kids around them, in a competitive but much less serious environment. Two years ago there was even a kid in the Young Socceroos squad that played in Malaysia who was still desperate to play. Sure he had bigger fish to fry but that is not the point and I guess that some people may never understand that.

My advice to any parent would be don't hesitate to get your kids involved. You won't regret it. Oh and to Jeda: complaining about the carnival at lunchtime on the second day? Mate it sounds like you might be the type that had his mind made up before he even got there. Just saying.

On the pine, please keep your intelligent and well balanced views to your self. On this forum we will not tolerate comments that undermine the negativity that we want to hear. Long live Jeda, prince of light and hope.

[Stitch This]

maybe in previous years it was 95% but no way now, same with state id champs I spoke to a group ofkids & they're not impressed, some refused to return obviously something not right with an increasing number of kids

Jeda you you must have bumped into these kids

…..Too many parents telling their kids how good they are when the facts are they are blatantly lying to their own childrens faces. Why lie to them for goodness sake. Its one thing giving them some confidence, and quite another giving them an inflated ego that comes with that ego an attitude which shows a total lack of disrespect for their own parents let alone other adults. ……. people wonder why their kids cant make it past a 19s or ressies continually blaming the coach as having no idea when the real problem, is and has always been.........those parents Unbelievable

You gotta luv the irony

[On The Pine]

maybe in previous years it was 95% but no way now, same with state id champs I spoke to a group ofkids & they're not impressed, some refused to return obviously something not right with an increasing number of kids

Firstly 5% of 840 kids (60 teams x 14 kids) is 42 kids. Assuming you managed to find “a group” that were so unhappy that they would rather not hang out with their friends in a relaxed carnival atmosphere for a whole week, they would still be covered in my 5%.

Over the course of the week I would have spoken to hundreds of kids and their parents and I only encountered positivity. Between my teams games, in food lines, at harbour town, in the caravan park, etc they were easily identifiable in their districts colours (as was I in mine) and I was constantly talking to them. I was also regularly in contact with around half of the manager/coaches and, once again, it was all thumbs up.

There were a few minor grumbles about referees (when isn’t there?) but it needs to be taken into account that about half were newly trained/qualified from the Unley soccer school and there was always going to be fluctuations in their performance/standard. A sensible solution here would be to allocate these referees lower division games (where the play is generally not as fast and free flowing and the pressure not so intense). The managers could score their performance and after a few games a better picture would start to emerge of those that could be moved to some higher division games. Regardless there is a huge shortage of referees and this is the perfect opportunity to give them some exposure/experience and I seriously doubt a few bad calls is going to make a kid refuse to have a week off school playing the game they love.

All that said, you can’t please everyone all of the time and there may be a few that were genuinely unhappy. As I mentioned Sapsasa are always trying to build and improve on the previous year and as a manager/coach and big believer in it I am very proactive in this process. I am going to write my managers report in a few days, maybe you can detail the specific reasons “the group” that you spoke to were so unimpressed and I would be more than happy to include it in my feedback. Better yet, PM me the particular district and I will also personally call their manager and raise the concerns directly.

Something tells me you have “forgotten” who they were though.

[Big Mac]

maybe in previous years it was 95% but no way now, same with state id champs I spoke to a group ofkids & they're not impressed, some refused to return obviously something not right with an increasing number of kids

Yeh right ..so you spoke to some Kids and they weren't happy with the way things were run and wont be back.
Maybe you and YOUR inner circle should just stay away from Kids football altogether.

[Jeda]

maybe in previous years it was 95% but no way now, same with state id champs I spoke to a group ofkids & they're not impressed, some refused to return obviously something not right with an increasing number of kids

Yeh right ..so you spoke to some Kids and they weren't happy with the way things were run and wont be back.
Maybe you and YOUR inner circle should just stay away from Kids football altogether.

I was talking about the stic kids but since everyones having at go at me over the sapsasa tell me the benefits a week off school has when the there's nothing but a game for a minority of kids & nothing else hey, come on no one gets picked up for any elite squads, only the club kids that happen to get into a squad with a decent coach get any football out of it, the rest have a good time nohing wrong with tha t, but don't make a big thing out of it just because your kid is in it or your running it you want to make a proper tournament plan the football properly, make sure all teams have a licensed coached, maybe get some accademies involved, giventhe kids some training for a decent time if it's all about fun then make it on the school holidays

[Big Mac]

maybe in previous years it was 95% but no way now, same with state id champs I spoke to a group ofkids & they're not impressed, some refused to return obviously something not right with an increasing number of kids

Yeh right ..so you spoke to some Kids and they weren't happy with the way things were run and wont be back.
Maybe you and YOUR inner circle should just stay away from Kids football altogether.

I was talking about the stic kids but since everyones having at go at me over the sapsasa tell me the benefits a week off school has when the there's nothing but a game for a minority of kids & nothing else hey, come on no one gets picked up for any elite squads, only the club kids that happen to get into a squad with a decent coach get any football out of it, the rest have a good time nohing wrong with tha t, but don't make a big thing out of it just because your kid is in it or your running it you want to make a proper tournament plan the football properly, make sure all teams have a licensed coached, maybe get some accademies involved, giventhe kids some training for a decent time if it's all about fun then make it on the school holidays

Tell you what...how about you give us a list of the things you are doing for Junior Football in this state so we can get along and judge your efforts?