Y-League Pathway and Workplace Conditions Report 2020 Foreword
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PATHWAY AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS REPORT SUPPORTING THE PLAYERS BUILDING THE GAME PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS AUSTRALIA FOOTBALLERS PROFESSIONAL 2 Y-LEAGUE PATHWAY AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS REPORT 2020 FOREWORD A review of the Y-League, or National Youth We have a competition that churns through At the moment, the Y-League is nothing League, may be trite amid the uncertainty of players (with the average Y-League career more than a cost centre. It is a cost centre football at the moment. being 1.9 seasons), provides limited exposure because the competition – and by extension to a long-term football career and asks each club – does not allocate its investments Equally, though, its timing may be perfect. significant sacrifice from its players (almost 2 strategically enough to enable it to build the out of 3 players miss school to attend training value it needs. For many years, a national youth competition commitments). was the fundamental pillar in the career More matches, more sessions and greater trajectory of Australian footballers. Many The most powerful determinant of a player’s opposition. Raise the age, lift the level of Australian footballers who would go on to future success as a player is the amount of competition and give players the time they light up the global stage for the Socceroos football they play between the ages of 18 need to turn into the footballers we all want now look back fondly on having cut their and 21. With the Y-League stagnating at 8 them to become. footballing teeth in the NYL, playing as a matches per season and the inconsistent curtain raiser to an NSL match or hosting an standard of competition across the NPL, We thank the over 100 players who contributed elite team at their suburban soccer club. we are not building a platform for the their time to help shape this research report development of players. and trust we can use this pause in the sport to In the recently released PFA study, Culture reflect on how we can most effectively design Amplifies Talent, many players spoke to the As we reconfigure Australian football, our sole the Y-League to produce the best possible transformative impact of the National Youth focus needs to be on “building value” in our players for club and country. League on their career. Players were able players and clubs. to pin-point one match, one moment, one Warm Regards, experience, that was central to their drive to Building value means increasing your worth climb the summit. in the global football economy. Building value means making decisions today that are likely The current Y-League could not be further to pay off in the years ahead. It’s the young removed as a source of inspiration. player who opts to sign for a club where he’ll play more matches rather than pick up Through a combination of historical analysis a bigger pay-cheque. It’s the club that signs John Didulica and current player surveying, we have a Trent Sainsbury and not William Gallas. Chief Executive competition that does not meet the needs of the players, A-League clubs or Australian The evolution of the Y-League is fundamental football. to Australian football building the value it needs. PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS AUSTRALIA FOOTBALLERS PROFESSIONAL Y-LEAGUE PATHWAY AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS REPORT 2020 3 Photography by Joe Janko (Adelaide United) Jamie Castaneda (Sydney FC) Daniel Sproule (Newcastle Jets) PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS AUSTRALIA FOOTBALLERS PROFESSIONAL 4 Y-LEAGUE PATHWAY AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS REPORT 2020 06 About the Report 08 Executive Overview 09 Where Are They Now? 10 A Professional Career Pathway CONTENTS 16 Balancing Education and Work with Football 18 Building Football Careers 19 Y-League Competition Structure 20 Workplace Standards 21 Pitch Ratings 24 Workload (Hours of Work) 25 Financial Position PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS AUSTRALIA FOOTBALLERS PROFESSIONAL Y-LEAGUE PATHWAY AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS REPORT 2020 5 ABOUT THE REPORT The National Youth League was restructured in 2015, branching out to a dual-conference system comprising five teams in each conference. Furthermore, each A-League club entered its youth teams into their respective National Premier League (NPL) competition, in effect, providing competition for participants all year round. For the first time, the PFA has analysed the progression of every Y-League participant, spanning the five-year period upon the competition’s restructure. This report provides a snapshot of the fledgling careers of over 700 players, paying particular attention to those who have graduated from the Y-League and progressed to senior football, be it in the A-League, at a club overseas or with a semi-professional football club in the NPL. The PFA have engaged the current crop of Y-League players, conducting a survey with 110 respondents upon the conclusion of the 2019/20 season which sheds further light on the expectations and experiences that our youngest athletes are faced with as they attempt to build a professional football career. PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS AUSTRALIA FOOTBALLERS PROFESSIONAL 6 Y-LEAGUE PATHWAY AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS REPORT 2020 The PFA conducted this report with the primary objective of gaining a clear understanding of the working conditions of Y-League players, including: The Professional Career Pathway Education and Football Building Football Careers Competition Structure Workplace Standards and Conditions Financial Position PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS AUSTRALIA FOOTBALLERS PROFESSIONAL Y-LEAGUE PATHWAY AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS REPORT 2020 7 OVER THE PAST FIVE SEASONS OF THE Y-LEAGUE: 20% 9% 1.9 SEASONS 146 63 is the average Y-League Y-League players have Y-League players are career played in the A-League currently in the A-League OVERVIEW 11% 6% EXECUTIVE 78 42 Y-League players have Y-League players are played overseas currently overseas 45% 49% 323 355 Y-League players are Y-League players have currently at an NPL club returned to an NPL club PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS AUSTRALIA FOOTBALLERS PROFESSIONAL 8 Y-LEAGUE PATHWAY AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS REPORT 2020 OF THE PLAYERS WHERE SURVEYED: ARE THEY NOW? Percentage of players currently in the A-League 19% 20% 15% 10% 59% 84% 5% of players missed study of Y-League players are because of Y-League living at home training commitments 2017/18 2018/19 2016/17 2015/16 7% 67% 8 21 19% 7 109 7% 51% 18% 73 of players were in their of Y-League players first season of Y-League have had National Team Representation A-League NPL Overseas No Longer Playing At the conclusion of season 2018/19, there were 109 Y-League graduates. Where are they now? Y-League graduates are a diminishing breed at A-League level. Only 21 of the Y-League graduates from 2018/19 transitioned to the A-League. These players remain contracted with an A-League club, but history suggests 90% that their lifespan as a professional footballer is short, with only 7 per cent of graduates of players believe the from 2016 remaining in the domestic Y-League season needs to be longer professional system. The vast majority of Y-League footballers move to an NPL club upon concluding their time with an A-League club, with very few moving overseas. PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS AUSTRALIA FOOTBALLERS PROFESSIONAL Y-LEAGUE PATHWAY AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS REPORT 2020 9 A PROFESSIONAL CAREER PATHWAY Given the turnover, it is little surprise Players in their first Y-League season that more than 40 per cent of the 59% players in each season are making their 60% Y-League debuts. This peaked at 59 51% per cent in 2017/18, with a little over 50% half of the players in the most recently 44% 44% 42% completed campaign appearing in the 40% Y-League for the first time. 30% 20% 10% 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 Few players move onto the A-League Players in their first Y-League season at the conclusion of every season. Of 31 those players that graduated from the 30 Y-League in 2015/16, a mere 31 have 26 24.7 25 played in Australia’s premier domestic 25 competition and average 19.8 matches per player as of March 2020. When 19.8 20 20 19 you extrapolate this over the course of the past four seasons, that’s barely 5 games a year of senior football. 15 13.8 While fewer players are transititiong to the A-League at the conclusion 10 of each corresponding season, their average appearances per season have improved, with the class of 2017/18 5 currently playing an average of 10 games per season. 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 Number of players Average number of games PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS AUSTRALIA FOOTBALLERS PROFESSIONAL 10 Y-LEAGUE PATHWAY AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS REPORT 2020 Number of players per seasons played 42% The vast majority of players in the Y-League play a single season (42 per cent), with almost half playing between 1 2 to 3 seasons for a single club. Another 6 per cent appeared in four 2 seasons, with seven players playing in 3 all five seasons of the sampled period. 4 5 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Number of Y-League players that have played in the A-League When you explore this dynamic at club level, Western Sydney Wanderers 30 have produced the most number of professional players, having seen 25 of 25 25 24 their youngsters play at least one match 22 in the A-League, with Adelaide United 20 (24) and Melbourne City (22) not too far 20 19 behind. 17 16 16 15 11 10 10 5 0 FFA CoE Perth Glory Sydney FC Brisbane Roar Central Coast Adelaide United Canberra United Melbourne City Newcastle Jets Western Sydney Melbourne Victory Percentage of Y-League players that have transitioned to the A-League vs overseas When this is correlated in terms of percentage conversion, those clubs 30% are joined by Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar.