academy system in other sports?

Discussion in 'Other Sports' started by olckicker, Nov 12, 2003.

  1. olckicker

    olckicker Member

    Jan 30, 2001
    How often is the academy system used for rugby, ice hockey, cricket, basketball, aussie footy and gaelic?
     
  2. Craig the Aussie

    Craig the Aussie New Member

    May 21, 2002
    Sydney, Australia
    For Australia...

    Acadamies really only happen in non-club based sports.

    In Aussie Rules, players come up through junior clubs. The ones with talent get picked up by one of the semi-pro state league teams (eg Sturt in the South Australian League), where they play in the Under 15 & 17 (or in some states Under 18) teams, and then the seniors or reserves. At 18 players can then put their names in the draft, and can be drafted by the national league clubs. Unless they are amzingly good, they will most likely be sent back to play with a state league club's senior team for a year or two before making their pro debut. Rugby and rugby league are similar (except they don't have drafts)

    In cricket there is a national academy. It was based in South Australia, but is moving to Queensland. Young players are invited to attend, and live in full time while receiving intensive coaching. The Academy also sends touring teams overseas, and plays against international teams when they tour Australia. The head coach, ex-International player Rod Marsh has now gone to England to head up their academy. After their time at the Academy, players will go back to play for their home states in the interstate competition until they manage to get into the national team. The bulk of the current national team are Academy graduates.

    For lower profile and Olympic sports, such as swimming, athletics, netball and so on the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra operates live-in academy type training, either on a full time or periodic basis.
     
  3. skipshady

    skipshady New Member

    Apr 26, 2001
    Orchard St, NYC
    I'm curious about how youth rugby players are developed in Britain. I imagine that before the Union game became professional, young players came up through the public school (in the British sense of the term) system. Of course, I'm just guessing here and I wonder if professionalism has changed things at all.


    As for basketball, I really believe an academy system would be beneficial. The current system of travelling AAU teams give AAU coaches, agents and shoe companies too much influence and there is very little emphasis on teaching players. An academy system would remove most of the outside influences - shoe companies would still be involved, but there won't be the courting of individual players - and allow players to concentrate on basketball and academics.
     

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