Words: Michael Flynn, Football Queensland
Image: Emily Wilson, Sunshine Coast Fire

It’s been an up-and-down season for Brisbane City in the NPL Queensland top flight, however the club remains adamant they will not buy first team success at the expense of the NPL player pathway.

Brisbane City are back in form with four straight wins in the Senior Men’s competition, however, while Technical Director Mark Boyd admits winning remains the bread and butter of senior football, the club will ultimately judge its success on the number of players developed through its NPL ranks.

Speaking after City’s impressive 2-1 win over local rivals Brisbane Strikers, Boyd said: “We try not to buy a first team, and we want to try our best that the overriding philosophy within the club is that there are going to be opportunities for players to get into senior football.”

“The objective is to try and encourage players to join us at a young age, work with them and get them through our academy programme and into the NPL, and then from the NPL juniors into the senior ranks.”

Boyd explained that while the development philosophy is fundamental, it must be a staged implementation and the club’s NPL path is still a few years from delivering a completely home grown senior squad.

“In regards to the senior playing base we currently got a lot of those players have been brought into the club, although we still have a sprinkling of 18 year olds who are now in our Under 20’s and our first team.”

“The current crop of Under 16’s is actually going to be the first group that have come through the system from say Under 12 and we should see a majority of those in our Under 18 programme for next year.”

“I think what you’ll find is that over the next three to four years, the average age of our first team is likely to be around 24.”

He conceded the club has learned lessons in its first two seasons of NPL football, but it will only serve to strengthen the club’s development programme moving forward.

Boyd explained, “Our crop of Under 16’s from 2012 wasn’t our best age group, but as a club we didn’t show enough loyalty in retaining those players as well.”

“As a consequence what happened was we attracted players from other clubs to come into our Under 18’s this year and then, after we finalised our squad, a lot of them actually returned to the clubs they came from for whatever reason – whether they didn’t like the commitment level required of NPL or whether it was too expensive or whatever.”

“That’s our fault as coaches and we have to take that on the chin,” he added.

Defender Kai Smith is one of several players that has risen through the ranks at City, progressing from the Under 18’s last year to this year’s senior squad, making 12 appearances so far this season.

He explained City’s coaches made the transition to senior football as smooth as possible by employing consistency across the top three age groups and instilling confidence in the players.

“The coaches like to play the same formation as the top team, so that when the players are coming up they know what to do. The tempo is a bit faster in the first team, but that’s the only real difference.”

“I’ve made a few mistakes in the past and been moved back down a few times, but they keep giving me chances and that’s given me confidence.”

He said compared to previous clubs he had played at there was a marked difference in the approach from the City coaching staff.

“They probably give you a bit more opportunity here - the coaches believe in you,” Smith said.

Following the loss of several key players from last year’s Grand Final team, Senior Men’s Coach Glen Volker explained that providing opportunities for younger players was part of the reason for his side’s inconsistency this season.

However, he added that the recent run of form is reflective of the development of the club’s young crop including Smith, Nick Buckley, Jordan Loy and Chris Toovey.

“There were some important positions to fill and we were looking at some of those young guys to really step up,” Volker explained.

“It probably meant that, after a good start to the season, we went on a run where we weren’t getting the results and I think that was partly because some of those young guys weren’t experienced in how to manage games.”

“We’re on a bit of a run now and these guys are learning how to manage their way through games, they’re learning how to make themselves dangerous, they’re learning how to scrap games out.”

Volker said the continued development of younger players in the senior ranks will be paramount to ensuring City continue to deliver a good standard of football on the pitch.

“The idea was always to have a lot of those young guys coming through, getting minutes, and having a core group of City players who know the way that we play, the way that we train and the expectations on them both on and off the field.”

“I think it’s standing the club in good stead for the future if we can keep giving these guys these minutes,” Volker concluded.