Sydney FC’s PlayStation 4 NPL 2 Men’s U20’s and First Grade Head Coach Rob Stanton believes the Sky Blues maiden Club Championship has set the foundation for future success.
The Sky Blues secured their promotion to NPL 1 following a clean sweep over Marconi Stallions in the U20’s and Men’s fixtures at the weekend.
The architect of the title wins was confident that the development shown on and off the field by his players would bear fruit for all levels of the Sydney FC NPL, NYL and Hyundai A-League programs.
“I think we’ve gotten into a good rhythm with developing players, but at the end of the day we have to build competition and make options for Graham to choose from down the track,” said Stanton.
“The major win is that we’ve got two or three players with a chance to be part of the first team next year and other players looked upon for the future with succession plans.
“From day one I’ve seen a massive change in the players in the way they conduct themselves on and off the pitch and it’s in line with the way the Hyundai A-League clubs are doing things.”
A lot of Sydney FC’s success in its maiden NPL 2 season can be attributed to Stanton and his staff. Their commitment to development and personal growth amongst the players and themselves has laid a robust foundation for future years.
“We’ve learnt a lot this year, from the games we’ve played and all the training sessions, how much to work and when to ease off,” said Stanton.
“We have to improve what we’ve done in the key areas, tactical, technical, mental and physical, both collectively and individually.
“That should be our goal. To increase the playing pool of our current players which will in turn make them better.”
Stanton maintained the NPL team’s objectives were to create a platform for future years, rather than focus on short-term success.
“We can’t approach games and be concerned with results like the other NPL 1 clubs.
“We will play the same style of football in NPL 1 as we did in NPL 2, we’ll just try to do it eveb better,” he said.
“It’ll be a big challenge, but the Foxtel National Youth League is another opportunity to further educate the players and develop what we’re doing.”
Sydney FC travel to face Perth Glory at Dorrien Gardens on Tuesday 30 August (kick off 8:30pm AEST). Catch the match streamed live on foxsports.com.au
Sydney FC’s Memberships are on sale now! Click here to see the range of Membership options for the Hyundai A-League 2016/17 season.
