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Financial:
We are about to enter the new 2016/17 football season and the financial stakes are widening between the PSL and the National First Division (NFD). PSL clubs enjoy a monthly grant of R1.5 million compared with NFD clubs, which get R350 000.
As it stands, PSL clubs are looking to get R8 million between now and August, whereas NFD clubs stand to receive R2.175 million.
These financial limitations hamper the NFD’s club structures – technical support, investment in players and branding. Sponsors are reluctant to offer newly promoted NFD teams big deals for fear that they will be relegated straight away.
This affects how much clubs can invest in players of PSL quality, preseason training, team-building, facilities and modern technology to help the technical team, as well as incentives for the technical staff and players.
Tactical:
NFD clubs go through a season where they adopt a two-pronged approach. Either they play a game to defend and catch their opponents on the counter, or they attack as much as possible. This approach could win you the NFD league.
NFD games are not televised, so technical teams usually track their opponents via reports or results, or knowing the philosophy of the opposing coach or the culture of club. They cannot track their opponents visually unless they are stable enough financially to pay for scouts with cameras.
A good example is the 2016 Nedbank Cup semifinal between SuperSport United and Baroka FC. SuperSport changed their tactical approach in defence halfway through the first half after realising that applying high pressure wasn’t working in their favour.
They retreated into their own half to wait for the opponents. That showed tactical awareness from the PSL club, whereas Baroka had no appropriate response.
Pitch sizes matter a great deal in the PSL. Take Tuks, who thought it a great idea to play Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at Loftus in their first season in the PSL. They did not realise that this would be a disadvantage to them in terms of their style.
The pitch at Loftus is wider and longer than at the Tuks stadium. As a result, they resorted to route-one football (the long ball), while their opponents put the ball down and exposed them by running at them. After learning from those mistakes, Tuks staged all their home games at their home ground.
It has a smaller pitch and allowed them to squeeze their opponents, not giving them the space they had at Loftus.
Promoted clubs also tend to sign players with PSL experience without ensuring the type of football they want to play or if the player fits the coach’s plans. Agents bombard these clubs with players’ history and they often fall for it without establishing their own plan or approach for the PSL season ahead.
Overhauling the playing staff breaks the momentum in the team’s approach.
Promoted NFD sides tend to employ “old and experienced” coaches. However these coaches tend to use outdated training methods in the misguided belief that they will be safe and survive in the PSL.
Newly promoted clubs do not prioritise aspects like early recruitment of players and off-season programmes.
Organisation:
Tactical organisation on the field is at another level in the PSL compared with the NFD. In the PSL, the media gives attention to off-the-field conditions like training facilities, player contracts and how the club is run. Many NFD clubs have only one team.
In the PSL, however, you are expected to have developmental structures. This puts a strain on the club. NFD teams know only in May whether they are promoted, giving them little time to prepare for the coming season.
While management in the PSL is stable, it is often erratic in the NFD. Club owners do not have short-, medium- and long-term plans, or set goals and objectives.
Staff overhaul:
Newly promoted teams tend to overhaul their playing and technical staff, claiming they are looking for experienced staff. This results in inconsistency.
They also lack a balance between experienced and young players.
The quality of the players in the NFD is obviously not the same as in the PSL and is further hindered by the Under-23 rule.
This rule compels NFD clubs to field five players in that age group. Most of these players will be dumped if the club is promoted. It can take a team two to three seasons to attain consistent, positive results and this calls for a 70% to 75% retention of players.
Singh is a member of the SA Football Coaches’ Association technical advisory board
