1. THE MANAGEMENT OF SELECTED YOUTH FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN GAUTENG PROVINCE C.S.FORTUIN NOVEMBER 2012

2. “ OUR CHILDREN ARE THE ROCK ON WHICH OUR FUTURE WILL BE BUILT, OUR GREATEST ASSET AS A NATION” Nelson Mandela

3. BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH Football is a Global Phenomenon that transcends all fabrics of Society, i.e. class, race, gender, religion, 270 Million players and 5 million referees and officials (FIFA Big Count 2006). Therefore the biggest sport played in the world. The economic demands of professional football has forced professional clubs and national Football Associations to invest in Youth Football Development Youth Football Development Programmes(YFDP) has become an integral part of the growth of football Internationally Football has become a national interest and priority C.S.FORTUIN SASRECON NOVEMEBR 2012

4. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of the study was to assess the management of selected structured youth football programmes in the Gauteng province in South Africa with respect to:  The Management of the programmes  Leadership (Human Resources)  Physical Resources (Facilities)  Financial stability and sustainability  Strategic positioning of the programmes

5. METHODOLOGY The study was descriptive by nature A cross sectional study of mixed methods Qualitative and Quantitative Data was gathered from interviews and observation Documentary analysis such as reports, budgets and development plans were interrogated. Eight structured youth football programmes in the Gauteng Province were assessed C.S.FORTUIN SASRECON NOVEMEBR 2012

6. DISCUSSION Youth football has become an integral part of professional football Countries such as Spain, Brazil and the Netherlands are successful in football due to their intense youth football development programmes Large sums of money is invested into youth football development programmes by International football clubs to maintain success (Barcelona, Manchester United) Recent Research in South Africa (Mistra) reflects that poor management and a lack of scientific support in youth football development can impact negatively on football development in South Africa C.S.FORTUIN SASRECON NOVEMEBR 2012

7. DISCUSSION (cont.) Management is defined as a process whereby financial, human, physical and information resources are optimally utilised to achieve set objectives (Gouws, 1997) Sport Management Principles of Planning, Leading, Organising and Control are important for success in sport Success and economic benefits for Professional football clubs requires proper management Professional football clubs have realised that there is return on investment in youth football development Strategic Planning and long term strategy is therefore important elements in ensuring success C.S.FORTUIN SASRECON NOVEMEBR 2012

8. DISCUSSION (cont.) Highly trained and skilled Human Resources contribute to the success of any organisation (Coaches) Control, accountability or a monitoring and evaluation system is a critical management principle for organisations to reposition themselves Financial invest into any organisation is important to ensure objectives are achieved Physical resources (facilities) contribute to successful development C.S.FORTUIN SASRECON NOVEMEBR 2012

9. CONCLUSIONS The selected structured youth football development programmes (YFDP) lacks sufficient and effective management structures to support proper football development Financial support is insufficient and lack of adequate football facilities hinders youth football development Qualified personnel i.e. Coaches, sport scientists, managers and administrators are not utilised There is no strategic vision and long term planning which results in reactive implementation There is no monitoring and evaluation systems in place C.S.FORTUIN SASRECON NOVEMEBR 2012

10. RECOMMENDATIONS Corporate governance principles should be prioritised (Kings Report) in youth football development programmes Management principles should be adhered to ensure that objectives are achieved Proper football specific facilities should be developed to enhance youth football development A uniform system of youth football development benchmarked against International standards should be implemented Reskilling of coaches to focus on youth football development instead of results C.S.FORTUIN SASRECON NOVEMEBR 2012

11. THANK YOU C.S.FORTUIN SASRECON NOVEMEBR 2012