With Football seasons up and running in most regions of the State, it's timely to look at some of the information around the Youth Age Group as they are obviously critical to the future health of Country Football. 

Ensuring Youth continue (transition) into Senior Football was a major theme of the WAFC's new Strategic Plan 2017-2022 and something all Country Leagues are aware of and need to focus on.

The WA Football Family was recently invited to talks from a world renown expert on Youth Retention in Sport (all the way from USA) John O’Sullivan.

John gave an informative presentation on some of the best and worst practices happening around the world to address what is a global issue. It was interesting to hear what other codes are doing which challenges some of our traditional mindsets. 

John's presentation also ties in with reports recently released by the WAFC around Player Welfare and Youth Football. 

Player Welfare is particularly important for the youth age group who are often asked to play and train in numerous formats of the game (Senior / Junior Club, School, Talent Academies etc) whilst their bodies are maturing at different times.  What is the ideal amount of Matches in any one season for a teenager? - This report tries to address this question and will be implemented by the WA State Academy Programs from 2018 onwards.   

Those interested in helping keep youth in the game in their local area can click on the WACFL website http://wacfl.com.au/resources/downloads   to download the following two documents. 

1. WAFC Player Welfare Protocols

2. WAFC Youth Football Working Group Recommendations 2017-2020

Additionally, for those that missed John's recent presentations in Perth, they are welcome to watch the recorded version by clicking on the following links. 

https://www.facebook.com/WAFootball/videos/3534582903218512/

https://www.facebook.com/WAFootball/videos/3534654416544694/