
In season 2021, Macarthur are introducing MFA Local SAP (Skill Acquisition Phase) League.
The Bears is glad to announce David Coates as our Inaugural SAP Coach and Paul Atkinson as our SAP Coordinator.
Starting with U8 only then expanding to U11 by 2024. The SAP league is open to boys and girls as a mixed team. Bradbury Bears has been successful in be-coming one of the ten foundation clubs for this league. This is such an exciting opportunity for our Club.
The background is SAP refers to the Skill Acquisition Phase of player development, defined at the ages 8 – 12.
Football NSW have established ‘SAP Leagues’, which requires NPL Clubs and Associations to hold a license to participate in. The MFA and Macarthur Rams currently have teams within the Football NSW SAP League, while the Macarthur Rams Women are also represented in the Football NSW Girls-SAP League (fulltime program).
The recent review of Representative Football identified the need to provide more young players across the region with high quality development opportunities via the establishment of a new development League for SAP-aged players. This ‘SAP League’ would act as the top tier of local football for such age groups, commencing at U8.
The simple goal of the new ‘SAP League’ is to improve development opportunities for more players and coaches within the local clubs of Macarthur. As with other local Leagues, this new ‘SAP League’ will be managed and supported by the MFA. This initiative aligns to the following MFA Strategic Objectives:
- Enhance the Participation Experience
- Raise Standards of Youth Football
- Provide a quality youth development environment.