Program of Excellence - Football

​​​​The Program of Excellence—Football at Albany Creek State High School will offer an opportunity for students who excel in football, to develop their performance skills and knowledge of the game, under the guidance of experienced senior teachers and elite coaches; in alignment with FFA xurriculum guidelines. The program is built around a solid academic framework that enables students to achieve their sporting and academic goals.

The core values of the school 'Respect, Responsibility and Resilience' will underpin the high expectations and standards of behaviours, work ethic and performance that the students of this program will be expected to adhere to.

Overview

The Program of Excellence—Football will be conducted as a lone subject under the Health and Physical Education curriculum area. During the junior secondary years (Years 7–10), students will cover all strands of the HPE National Curriculum, with the practical focus being the development of performance skills in football. Students will be able to continue their pathway in football during the senior years, focussing on advanced development of performance skills and through the completion of Vocational Certificate III in Sport and Fitness (football elements).

The senior program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop their football skills and to use the study of Football to improve their academic opportunities and provide pathways to tertiary study.

This program allows students the opportunity to complete junior coaching licences, refereeing certificates as well as developing specific football conditioning, technical and tactical skills.

Course participants will also be expected to represent the school in both football and futsal aligned competitions and have opportunities for higher representation honours through school and outside channels.

Future prospects for students include: football and futsal representation to regional, state and national level as well as tertiary studies in sport, fitness and recreation, human movements, sports administration and management.

The program has established tertiary links with ACU School of Health Science's High Performance Coaching faculty.

The program will also allow students to complete accreditation in the following areas:

• Coaching
• Refereeing
• First Aid and CPR

Goals of the program

• To provide unique learning opportunities for students skilled in football and to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills in the sport.
• To open pathways for students into vocational education and training through integrated programs in health and physical education that use football as a vehicle for curriculum delivery.
• To develop football players capable of representation at state and national level.
• To contribute to the whole school improvement agenda by having a positive impact on academic outcomes.
• To enhance the school’s social capital, community profile and its academic reputation.

Costs

Information regarding specific program fees is available on application. Costs will include all in-school coaching sessions by partner coaches, conditioning sessions and on-site weekly physiotherapy. All extra-curricular activities will incur an additional charge. Please contact the Program of Excellence—Football coordinator on (07) 3325 6333.

Football philosophy

To be successful in football, students need to play the game correctly and develop good habits from an early age. Our aim is to develop players who are situation responsive and proactive. From Year 7, students are taught the importance of 'seeing and understanding' the game.

We at Albany Creek State High School focus our student learning on sound principles of play and effective, attacking, possession based football coupled with intelligent and well organised defensive actions. Underpinning all of the above, are the following key elements:

1. INSIGHT (the ability of the student to know what to do, when to do it and why to do it)
2. TECHNIQUE (the ability of the student to control and use the ball effectively)
3. ATHLETICISM (the student's ability in the areas of speed, power, agility and endurance)
4. COMMUNICATION (the students ability to effectively pass on information, both  verbally and non-verbally in game/practice situations)

The above elements are taught in 'game adapted' practical lessons with quality and diverse learning experiences. 

The focus of these lessons includes:

• Fundamental core skills (SAP)
• Game sense
• Individual and team tactics
• Mental strength
• Physical conditioning: Years 8 - 12

Program outline

The practical elements of our program adhere closely to the guidelines set out in Football Federation Australia's Curriculum, relating to the development of youth footballers.

Year 7 and 8 (SAP)

Focus is on developing and refining the 4 core skills.

• Striking the ball
• First touch
• Running with the ball
• 1 V 1

and in Year 8

• Further introduction to team tactics/formations through game training
• Technique training combined with small sided games
• Principles of defence (BPO)
• Principles of attack (BP)
• Video analysis

 Year 9

• Increase knowledge and understanding of player roles
• High focus on continuation of refining of techniques
• Focus starts to incorporate specific aspects of individual, group and team tactics - game training (FFA team model)
• Positional roles within the team
• BP, BPO and transitions

Year 10, 11 and 12

• Continuation of technique practice with increased resistance
• Specialised roles and positions within the team
• Practice now focusses on increasing the demands on students through functional practice with increasing resistance.
• Attacking play (BP)
• Defensive play (BPO) and transitions
  
• Video analysis of performance
• Increasing knowledge and understanding of the game (insight)
• Introduction to and development of football conditioning 

The Program of Excellence—Football is embodied in the following six beliefs about learning to play football:

1. Learning is imperative:

• Measured by a permanent change in behaviour
• Increased learning leads to increased success and motivation

2. Lessons are student-centred:  

• Without students/players, there is no game or lesson
• Learning environments are built around the needs of the children
• Students are encouraged to solve problems

3. Game​s p​rovide measure of success:

• Principles and structures of the game are followed using in small sided games and football related exercises
• Evaluations are made by students’ abilities to meet the needs of the game
• Through guided discovery & divergent teaching styles, students are encouraged to take risks and gain knowledge through solving football problems

4. Student learning is graduated:

• ​Learning takes place over time with progressively increased resistance
• Basic activities are repeated with adjustments to obstacles

5. Students learn about football through playing football or ‘football-like- activities’:

• Learning activities mirror the game of football and are mostly ‘game-oriented’
  
• Lessons mostly comprise of variable performance settings where students are challenged to make game-like decisions.          

6. Responsible actions are everyone’s responsibility:

• The need to think of oneself as part of a team is emphasised
• Students, in game situations, have a role; and with that role comes certain responsibilities
• Every player, with or without the ball, has a job to do

Student entry requirements

Successful applicants will need to demonstrate:

• A good level of football ability
• A positive attitude and eagerness to learn
• A willingness to work with others in pursuit of their football development
• Excellent levels of behaviour and effort in all academic subjects at school
• A willingness to participate in competitive games, training sessions and clinics organised by the school
• A strong sense of school spirit through participation in the athletics, cross-country and swimming carnivals, to the best of their ability

Honour boa​​rd

The school’s Football and Futsal teams have achieved considerable success since the program’s inception. Some of our past achievements include: 

• Jessica Dillon: National Women’s Under 16 Asian Cup Squad (Young Matilda)
• Tahlia Dickinson: National Australian Open Schoolgirls Squad 
• Daniel Bowles, Mitchell Bevan: A-League representatives 
• Daniel Bowles, Mitchell Bevan, Brent Holden, Tahlia Dickinson: QAS 
• Sam Dickinson: Qld School Football
• Jayden Morse: Qld School Football
• Rory Lemke, Rylee Lemke, Julian Jackson, Sarah Nisbet, Chloe McDougall: Australian Futsal Representatives