The Newcastle Jets could arrest their consistently poor Hyundai A-League performances by expanding their junior player development program.
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With the Jets on the verge of scoring another own goal by claiming its second Hyundai A-League wooden spoon in three years, Football Mid North Coast general manager Bruce Potter has some advice for the maligned Newcastle-based Jets.
“The crux of the development issue is that the junior systems at the Jets are based in the Hunter Valley,” he said.
He says this leads to a sole focus on Newcastle for junior development rather than bringing the Jets back to the grassroots areas, including the Mid North Coast.
“We have a good number of talented players (on the Mid North Coast) who have been selected in the Emerging Jets programs,” he said.
“But some of them fall through the cracks because they just can’t afford to travel three times a week for training and then play of a Saturday.”
Potter says the Jets need to do more and should start by delivering more youth system programs outside of Newcastle.
That could start by simply hosting training camps which worked for Brisbane Roar coach Miron Bleiberg when he took the Roar to Coffs Harbour.