Roars of outrage as junior teams cut

THE Brisbane Roar has been labelled an “absolute shambles” after scrapping its junior academy program and withdrawing four underage sides from competitions.

Former Socceroo Alex Brosque, who began his ALeague career at Brisbane in 2005, called for a change in club ownership after the Roar decided to “focus on the development of players from the age of 16 and up”.

Brisbane Roar is owned by The Bakrie Group, an Indonesia-based conglomerate that has had at least a 70 per cent share in the club since 2011.

On Tuesday, the Roar announced it would pull under-14, 15 and 18 teams from next season’s National Premier League competitions, while the under-13 side had been removed under the new Football Queensland (FQ) model, with only an under-23 outfit remaining.

The Roar’s under-14, under-15, under-18, and under-23 teams all made finals last season, with the 15s and 23s claiming titles.

“As the only A-league team in Queensland, Brisbane Roar are proud to support a pathway for the junior players in the state to have professional football opportunities,” a Roar statement said.

“Brisbane Roar also recognise that Football Queensland works with NPL clubs and players across the state and that these clubs are the backbone for development, particularly for junior players.

“Therefore, Brisbane Roar have made the difficult decision to focus on the development of players from the age of 16 and up that are eligible for the under-23s and NPL men’s squad.”

Brosque said he wasn’t surprised and lashed the owners.

“It’s not surprising. I feel sorry for (coach) Warren Moon, the players, the club ... absolute shambles,” he told SEN. “The owners there are doing nothing for the club.

“We need to get some new owners…”