Harry Ngata: National league can provide opportunities

The ASB Premiership can provide a good stepping-stone for young players in New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images

My dad always said to me 'boy, if you want to play football for a living good on you. Go for it. It will kick you down many times but you're ability to get up again and again and have another crack will be the defining test.'

Our domestic game has certainly had its challenges. It's been kicked and hacked like a bad centre half for many years. The recent World Cup in South Africa this year has undoubtedly paved the way for potential success.

The framework and standard was set by a group of players determined to leave a legacy for future generations. Opportunities for our domestic competitions have been significantly increased due to this.

We now have the resources to implement programs and strategies to enhance the environment of our game and more importantly the people within it. But this is just the start.

Commercial partners now see the potential within their respective markets to grow their brands within the fabric of our game and that's fantastic to see. We cannot fail this time round. In the short term the next four year cycle is so important to the success of our All Whites which in turn will flow through our next generation of grass roots football.

The ASB Premiership is the flagship of our national game and it's pleasing to see a number of local talent that have come through our national league getting recognised. For many years you had to be playing overseas to get the call up for the national team.

The national league had deteriorated over a period of time and with it so too the standard of football, players and fans. To play professionally or even close to a similar level locally was definitely one of those challenges.

It's fantastic to see home grown kiwi boys making the most of their opportunities. Quite often just hard out graft isn't enough. Being at the right place at the right time helps immensely too.

It's certainly a lesson for our young aspiring professionals to keep working hard because sometimes you only get one chance. Some of the current crop I've been impressed with have all come through the national competition and overcome adversity at some stage in their careers.

Ben Sigmund came to the Football Kingz in the early years. Fresh faced and a ton of energy. He just wanted to play. Things didn't work out for Ben and he found himself searching for that break. Spells at Canterbury, Fawkner Blues in the Victorian Premier League and Auckland City where pit stops on the way to his recent success at the Phoenix. The rest is history.

Likewise with Aaron Clapham. Like Sigmund a product from the south, his journey took him to university in the US, club football in Australia and Canterbury United where he excelled last season and found himself a bolter in Ricki Herbert's World Cup squad.

Costa Barbarouses is another one. He found himself going from an amateur Wellington team to the professional one. He left the Phoenix and is now a regular starter and scoring goals at A League table toppers the Brisbane Roar.

And more recently, what about this kid from Waikato FC Marco Rojas. Agreed, doesn't sound too kiwi but he's already displayed his potential after patiently waiting his turn, waiting for his break.

At the other end of the scale someone like Ivan Vicelich can only nurture and educate our young players coming through.

We're still going to experience some up's and downs, there's no doubt about that. Football can be unpredictable at the best of times however direction and foresight from the top is imperative.

I'll put my house on it that there are more Costa's, Marco's, Aaron's and Ben's out there just waiting for the chance to shine.

- Herald online