Thank you SHP for bringing this up. Here is an overview on the U21 and my plans:
Background of the U21Currently, our U21 acts as a stepping stone to the NT. As most of us are aware, not long ago, our senior NT were filled with veterans. Our senior NT lacked continuity, hence apart from several young talents here and there trained by experienced trainers, most of the senior NT featured players who were aged 30 and above. Finally, a few seasons back, I managed to form a solid partnership with the current NT coach, LDS, and we started to kick off the NT development plan, which can be found here:
(307639.1).
Where we are at nowOur U21 pool is split into two categories: future NT players and U21 players. Future NT players are those which have a potential of MVP and above, while U21 players are those with superstar potential and below. It's necessary to split the database into two categories because they both have different training aims. Players who fall in the U21 player category are trained in a way that they peak at 21 years old. Hence, it mainly consists of training up primary skills as high as possible to create more single dimensioned players. The players in the Future NT player group however, while they are trained in ways that allow them to qualify for the U21, but once they hit 21, their training plans will be more focused on allowing them to have a smoother transition into the senior NT. This way, we can prepare high potential players for the senior NT without compromising the quality of the U21.
Moving forwardWhile I still prioritize the transition of future NT players from the U21 to the senior NT, I have not forgotten the U21. I'm pretty sure the community knows that at the end of the season, I will always call up a provisional U21 squad. The main reason for this is to monitor the progress of players more closely, and also see how well their managers communicate with me. As Tiger mentioned, some managers don't even read BB-mails. Hence one of the aims of the provisional squad is to gauge how responsive the manager is. This has helped our team maintaining good game shape throughout the season for the last few seasons, which was a problem that plagued our U21 when I first stepped up to take the job. Just to put things into perspective: the current U21 roster is slightly different from last season's provisional squad. While some players were dropped due to other players having a better fit than them and me looking to trim the squad, there were also players who were dropped because their managers were not communicative enough and fell behind the target in terms of minute management and training. Hence, communication has rarely been a problem for me, be it with local or foreign managers.
What I will be doingThe way I work is simple:
1. Extensive scouting: I actually have a database of all the active Singaporean players aged 21 and below, and keep track on their progress from time to time, more extensively before/after off-seasons, where I discuss with their managers on their player's training plans. A micronation like us can't afford to leave any stones unturned, and there is where I excel at (also recently with the help of LDS in locating the Utopian draftees).
2. Personalized training plans: Training is my forte. While generally I do not interfere much with the training of experienced SBBL managers (unless their training plans aren't good enough, which rarely is the case) and managers who are currently training 22 year old or older senior NT prospects, I have training plans set up for the players in the database. These training plans are all tried and tested formulas, as I have done a lot of reading on training. All that is left is to monitor their progress and make sure they stay on track.