9-12 years of age is the golden age of learning technique which Football Federation Australia call the Skill Acquisition Phase (SAP). The focus at this age is on the development of game-related functional skills.
South East Queensland
Football Queensland awarded five year licences (2018-2022) to 24 clubs to run full-time SAP boys programs in South East Queensland.
FQ has also issued a five year licence (2018-2022) for 13 clubs to run full-time SAP girls programs in South East Queensland in Under 9/Under 10 and Under 11/Under 12 age groups.
FQ introduced its SAP rating regulations for quality assurance to ensure licence holders are delivering their services at a consistently high standard. Dependent on the qualification of coaches, coach mentoring, and the level of program and session planning, clubs can earn a gold, silver or bronze rating each year or fall into the non-rated category.