With four games yet to play this season, Otago United is already preparing for next year, and it is confident that improvements can be achieved.
United has been a poor performer in the New Zealand Football Championship over the past two seasons, and has had a high turnover of players.
In the latest mid-season upheaval, American imports Terry Alvino, Kevin Taylor and Chad Severs left Dunedin last week, allowed to end their contracts early because Otago was well out of the play-off race.
Player recruitment is a high priority for United manager Marc Chidley and coach Terry Phelan as they prepare for next season.
Confirmed as United coach for another year year, despite his poor results, Phelan will attend an intensive 10-day UEFA B coaching licence course at Keele University, near Stoke on Trent, from May 26 to June 5.
Both he and Chidley will then spend 10 days visiting clubs and meeting previously arranged contacts with a view to signing players for next year.
‘‘We tried the American model for a couple of years, but arriving just before the season starts, and this year, leaving with several games yet to play, suggests that we can do better,'' Chidley said.
‘‘We are opening up the areas we can recruit from and are looking at the Pacific Islands, Europe, Australia and even Brazil as possible sources of semi-pro players that will fit in with our organisation.
‘‘It's a real change of policy. Ideally, we would like to create a player base of people that have skills or trades so we can help them settle permanently in Otago - or for a couple of years at least.''
Closer co-operation with Southern Premier League clubs could mean that imported players will be farmed out to play or coach in the winter league, lifting the quality of that competition and helping the imports get acclimatised to local conditions.
One reason for United's present plight, according to Chidley, is the poor standard existing in the 11-team SPL.
‘‘The SPL has slumped in quality in recent years. There are maybe four strong teams and this results in some pretty poor quality matches in the lower regions of the table.
‘‘We have suffered since the South Island league was disbanded because of travel costs, and now that there is no relegation, the trend is for clubs just to coast along.''
Contact with Canterbury resumes this year, with the top two sides in Otago and Canterbury being involved in a championship play-off series, which opens the door for more matches
in future.
‘‘We are keen to help SPL clubs. We have recently farmed out a new United player, Colin Falvey, to the Mosgiel club, and he is a good example of the sort of player we feel can benefit Otago in general,'' Chidley said.
A bricklayer by trade, Falvey played for Kilkenny City in the Eircom League first division, and his arrival is keenly awaited at Mosgiel for its first SPL game against Roslyn-Wakari on April 5.
If every SPL club included at least one experienced imported player, the standard would lift and a very handy pool of players would be available to Otago United.
But what about local youngsters, and their place in Otago's future?
At SPL level, talented youngsters would have the advantage of playing alongside imported former professionals, and there is no better coaching than playing and training alongside high calibre players.
Throughout the junior ranks, Soccersouth runs hundreds of matches each week, and has a formalised coaching structure, headed by Johan Koutstaal.
Teenage players have a steady progression of interprovincial tournaments and attractive tours against high-class opposition.
The National Youth League exposes under-19 players to stiff competition against other New Zealand Football Championship franchises, and that competition has clearly been set up as a springboard into the NZFC.
Otago has blooded more than its share. In recent seasons, Hayden Gunn, James Govan, Tommy Connor, Tristan Prattley, Calum Flaws and Morgan Day have had a taste of the big time in the national league.
Immediately below that level, Soccer Otago's Youth Development scheme has sent players to the Pacific, South America and Europe and notably in recent years, Northern Ireland for the Milk Cup.
Chidley said the structure in Otago was ‘‘not bad''.
‘‘The steps are there for youngsters to move up, and the prospect of returning to a South Island League will make progress to national league a bit smoother".
‘‘Our main task at United - and it is far from easy - is to attract a stable group of players and find and sign a striker or two who can convert some of our consistently good play into goals, wins and points on the board.''
