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Football Focus
Football Focus is Lugarno Football Club’s initial player development program, the most comprehensive player development program across the Football St.George Association. The program covers the under 8 to under 11 non-competition age groups and gives players the Skills Acquisition Program (SAP) experience for a fraction of the cost.
Football development in Australia should not be costing what it does today and the focus at Lugarno Football Club has always been on player development. The club strives to make this an affordable experience by subsidising a lot of costs that you would be paying at SAP. It is run by our Technical Directors xxxxxx and xxxxxx and their team of trainers.
The development programs are going into their eighth season in 2026 and have seen our junior Lugarno FC teams performing at a high level in the A (Advanced) competitions of the Football St.George Association. The club has a long-term commitment to ensuring our junior players have the greatest opportunity to succeed and the program provides them with the environment to become the best player that they can possibly be.
Further illustrating this long-term commitment to the development of our juniors, at Lugarno FC we also have our accompanying program NextGen for the U12-U14 age groups, as well as offering a wide range of support to Advanced teams within the U15-U18 age groups. This allows our junior development players to continue and maintain their development as they progress through the age groups, playing in the Advanced competitions within the Football St.George Association.
The Program
Lugarno Football Club’s Football Focus program offers an opportunity for our junior players to develop their football skills in a structured environment run by our Technical Director and their trainers.
Key focus areas:
- Games and exercises for improving ball skills.
- Additional games and exercises improving agility (Running, Jumping)
- Motivating games and exercises for kids to learn the basic aspects of technique (Dribbling, Passing, Shooting)
- Small teams playing on goals 2v2, 3v3, 4v4.
- Exercises improving kids motor skills.
At the completion of the season, Football Focus trials for the following season are advertised and are open for all to attend. Players are selected to be part of the program after a multiple week trial selection process is conducted.
Players successful in gaining selection into the Football Focus program will receive a formal digital offer of acceptance which includes a code of conduct detailing the expectations of both players and parents as part of the program. Players will also select their uniform sizing as part of the acceptance offer.
A player’s position in the program is secured only when the code of conduct has been digitally accepted by the player and his parent together with the payment of the acceptance fee (illustrated in the costs section below).
The required training commitment is twice a week starting in early February and continuing that way until the completion of the regular season.
What you get
Football Focus is a grassroots development program on par with any SAP program provided to junior players but without the extensive costs involved.
As part of the program, you receive:
Training (Complete Season including Pre-season) – Twice a week training starting early February and continuing that way for the entire regular season. Training sessions will be at least an hour duration and conducted by our Technical Director and their team of trainers.
Season Launch – Prior to the start of the regular season, the club will host a Junior Development Season Launch where Football Focus and NextGen teams will all be formally announced and the players are presented with their uniforms for the upcoming season.
Uniform –
- Personalised Umbro Hoodie and Pants.
- Umbro Club Playing Jersey.
- Umbro Club Playing Shorts.
- Umbro Club Playing Socks.
- Umbro Development Training Jersey.
- Umbro Development Training Shorts.
- Umbro Development Training Socks x 2.
- Personalised Umbro Backpack
Supporting Details
Cost - $320 Acceptance Fee ($270 after Active Kids Voucher) + FSG Registration Costs. Approximately $500-$520 total. Equivalent SAP cost - $1,700 and above.
** Please note - Football St.George Registration Costs above were for 2025 and may be slightly adjusted for 2026. Use these as a guide.
Teams Part of the Football Focus Program for Season 2026:
8A GIRLS
8A
9A
10A GIRLS
10A
11A
Coach/Manager Selections - Once Football Focus teams have been selected, the Technical Director and club representatives will select a Coach and Manager for each of the development teams. This will likely be parents within the team.
The Coaches and Managers will receive on-going support from the Technical Director including a weekly check-in at the start of each week where plans are made for upcoming training sessions tailored for each development team.
Coaches and/or Managers are also required to be active assistants to the Technical Director and his team of trainers at all training sessions during the week.
Footnote - Once Football Focus teams complete their U11 season, all players are eligible to try out for the following season’s U12 NextGen team which is the natural progression once teams/players graduate from the Football Focus Program.
Disclaimers:
- All Football Focus teams will be submitted as Advanced teams playing in the Advanced (or highest equivalent grade) competition within the Football St.George Association.
- FSG Registration costs are unknown until such time that FSG notifies Lugarno FC of registration fees for the 2026 season.