At the Sharks we pride ourselves on the football pathway that we have in place starting at the Grassroots level all the way to the NSW Premier League First Grade squad.
The same football philosophy is used from the bottom tier all the way to the top ensuring that players are being shown the same skills, techniques and style of football from the very beginning of their playing career. This is a critical step in the early stages to assist our grassroots in being ready to move through the programs.
The future of football is about creating the best environment possible for any member of the club. This is done by several means -facilities, curriculum, attitude and staff.
The Sutherland Sharks pride themselves on the club facilities with the state of the art field and stadium. We have enjoyed the benefit of the synthetic grass for almost 12 years being able to train and play rain, hail or shine. This is then backed up by the curriculum that is put in place by the coaching staff inline with the requirements from FNSW and the FFA. It is vital that within this program the key areas are outlined and enforced at the basic level and updated as football evolves on the field.
For any program to be a success it has to be backed by the coaches and staff. A lot of time is taken when creating the program, schedules and selecting the coaches that will participate and guide players in the Academies. To the Sharks it is imperative that our youth are taught the basic skills early to maximise their potential in the future and put them on the front foot when competing at any level.
All of the coaching staff are fully qualified with the required coaching certifications and requirements to participate in their respective roles. It is not though just having the coaching ability but also picking the coach that suits the age of the teams that they will be running that year. Each coach has a specific goal targets to be strived for and is reviewed throughout the year.
All of this would not be possible without the players, the Sharks run a strict trial process for selections for any of our SDS, SAP and Youth programs.
A large portion of what is passed on is about attitude and behaviour expected by the club, the team and by the player themselves. Most times wanting to be there and wanting to be better is half the challenge.
Structure:
SSA - Sharks Skills Academy - open to ages 5yr-12 years
SDS - Sharks Development Squad - U7, U8, U9, U10, U11, U12
SAP - Skills Acquisition Program - U9, U10, U11, U12
NSWPYL - Premier Youth League - U13 to U16
NSWPL1 - Premier League - U18, U20 & 1st Grade
The ability to be identified within this structure gives the player the opportunity to be promoted as required to speed up his development or also focus on specific areas of need.
The Sutherland Shire and football community is a large demographic. While there is high demand for coaching it is important that any Football Program, Camp or Coaching received is by a qualified supported program. The Sutherland Sharks do not affiliate themselves with any other programs run within the Shire and do not give any priority to players coming from outside programs.
