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...where they are Asian champions and generally in the mix for a WC spot? Seems like move to Asia is going ok really.
As to Aussie junior teams, I don't think anyone is re-thinking their move out of Oceania for the much tougher and longer qualifying cycle through Asia; Aussie have invested in qualifying preparation tournaments.
The key difference (apart from confederation issues) between Aussie and NZ kids is that per capita more young Aussies are playing at higher levels than young Kiwis. Our problems in the youth game start at home. Age group WC qualification through Oceania doesn't do a lot for the game here.
Sorry but that simply isnt true.
I agree with a lot of stuff you post Alf (in AW and ManU threads); in this case I'll have to bite though. I'd argue Asian competition is better for age group development than Oceania/WC qualification. It's a longer competitive match cycle, tougher competition etc - the benefits seem obvious. (Also it is a moot point as change will never happen until Oceania is absorbed into a modified East Asia/Western Pacific confederation).
Conversely WC qualification at age group level via Oceania doesn't benefit young player development as much. The only positive might have historically been the 'shop window' argument, ie, it's a well scouted tournament, but less so these days; and European clubs place more emphasis on European U19 and U21 tournaments. The last U17 Kiwi male player who was scouted from U17 World Cup was Jack Pelter I think; and he lasted less than 12 months at Sunderland - presumably because he wasn't ready for the transition to a pro environment. The only other player in recent time may have been Bill Tuiloma, but I think he had already trialled at LA Galaxy when he played U17 WC.
Why do you think WC qualification for U17/20s via Oceania benefits the game here more than tough regular competition in Asia, hypothetical as it is?
We wouldn't necessarily get more matches qualifying for FIFA age group tournaments as a member of AFC and it would cost us way more. We could get dumped out after as few as two qualifiers and travelling many thousands of kilometers.
AFC qualifying at age group level is complicated and very expensive compared to participating in one tournament in an Oceania nation as at present.
Take the last AFC u-19 Championship whereby even Australia failed to qualify for our 2015 FIFA u-20 World Cup in NZ after costing them a lot of money to participate in two tournaments thousands of km's away.
Qualifying for FIFA age group finals through Asia requires playing in both qualifiers for the Asian finals and (if you make it) then the Asian finals themselves.
Take the AFC qualifying process for our FIFA u-20 World Cup in NZ last year as an example.
First there was the qualifying round to make the AFC Championship Finals:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_AFC_U-19_Champi...
Only 36 AFC countries entered qualifying, ten countries did not (mostly due to the expense).
If NZ joined AFC, then the whole of the Oceania Confederation probably would have to as well . (FIFA wouldn't see OFC as strong enough to exist without NZ) And Pacific Island countries wouldn't be able to afford to enter AFC qualifying for FIFA tournaments (even many AFC countries currently can't afford to enter the age group qualifiers).
Making up the groups for the 2014 AFC u-19 qualifying round was an erratic process, bringing together teams many thousands of km's apart. Each group played its games in one country.
Two groups had five countries, five groups had four countries, two groups comprised only three countries.
It's a complicated process determined by geographical position and relative strength of teams:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_AFC_U-19_Champi...
Every group required teams to travel thousands of km's to the host country of their qualifying group.
Australia had to travel 6622 km from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur to play their group matches in October 2013.
I was in Kuala Lumpur in October a couple of years ago. It was 30 degrees and extremely humid. The heat hit me as soon as I stepped off the plane from Christchurch and I felt weak.
It could just as well have been held in another country of a group member, say Vietnam (6853 km from Sydney)
If NZ joined AFC we could be drawn in such a group.
Distance from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur: 8736 km
Distance from Auckland to Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam): 8864 km
Some of the qualifying groups had five teams but some had only three.
So NZ could be faced with travelling many thousands of km's for only two games if drawn in a group of three.
e.g. Group C was held in Iraq (Erbil: 15,682 km from Auckland) and comprised only three teams.
NZ could have to travel 15,682 km to a hell hole like Iraq just to play two matches.
And then be knocked out after only two matches....and then goodbye until the next qualifiers two years later.
Because in some groups the top two sides qualify for the AFC Championship Finals - but in others only the top team qualifies.
And this is not determined by how many teams make up the group, but by a complicated array of factors:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_AFC_U-19_Champi...
So in every two year AFC age group qualifying cycle, it is far from certain that NZ would even get past the qualifying round for the AFC Finals.
Some years we might travel thousands of km's for just two games (maximum three in a group of four teams).
And not necessarily quality games: we might play one decent country but also someone like Bangladesh, the Maldives or Brunei.
Australia only finished second in their qualifying group in Kuala Lumpur behind Vietnam who thrashed them 5-1
Australia were lucky to qualify for the 2014 AFC u-19 Championship Finals as the second-placed team in their four team group because in Group D (also four teams) only the top team qualified and strong Asian country Saudi Arabia in second place failed to, with the same two- win, one-loss record as Australia.
If NZ did make the AFC Championship Finals, the there is a lot more expense playing in the Finals and in difficult conditions (the 2014 edition was in Myanmar).
Australia in Myanmar 2014 could only scrape a 1-0 win over Indonesia and draws with UAE and Uzbekistan in their group and then were on the plane home.
The Olyroos last week crashed out at the group stage of the AFC u-23 Olympic qualifying finals, finishing third in their group behind UAE and Jordan.