Third SAP festival held last weekend

Photo:  Glenorchy Knights and Kingborough Lions United kids in action [PlessPix]

The third Skills Acquisition Programme (SAP) State-wide festival was held at Prince of Wales Bay last weekend

All nine SAP licence-holder clubs were represented at the festival.

Eight versus eight games were played on pitches measuring 60 metres by 40 metres.

Results were unimportant and Football Federation Tasmania’s technical director, Spencer Prior, said that it was all about fun and demonstrating football technique.

“This is the third SAP Festival,” Prior said.  “We’ve just completed cycle three, so it was a State-wide SAP festival.

“There are no results, no competition, but just a good day of fun and football to see where they’re at with their skill development.

Photo:  Action from the South Hobart versus Olympia game [PlessPix]

“It’s not for me to say how it’s going.  I think the proof is in the football and in seeing the standards raised, technically, within the kids.

“Yesterday [Saturday] we did under-12s and it blew me away, actually, in terms of the number of talented kids we’ve now got starting coming through and the way that the programme has developed from Cycle 1 to now and to see how the standard is improving is significant.

“We’ve still got another cycle yet to go this year.

“The ball doesn’t get put away.  I really want to see this keep building as a real foundation for youth development within the State.

“The next cycle begins next month.  The kids are now finished and will have a bit of time off for the holidays and then they come back in mid-October and then away we go again and do another eight-week block and another festival in December.”

 Photo:  South Hobart score against Olympia [PlessPix]

Photo:  Devonport City in action at the SAP festival [PlessPix]

Photo:  One of the SAP festival games on Sunday [PlessPix]