A-League side Sydney FC has "hit back at fans who say it lacks a long-term strategy by revealing plans to build a centre of excellence, providing a path from the grassroots through to the A-League," according to Dominic Bossi of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Sydney FC Chair Scott Barlow "issued an open letter to the club's members on Thursday night outlining its long-term goals, headlined by a state-of-the-art training centre for youth development" from the U12s upwards. Sydney is "weighing up several different locations to build the centre of excellence and Barlow confirmed it is at the stage of negotiating with councils." Barlow said in the letter, "We also have plans to invest in the coming years in the creation of a football centre of excellence to house our elite junior teams and our community programs." The letter provides "strong insight into the club's long-term goals but does not address any of the concerns relating to the performance of the Sky Blues over the past two seasons." It falls short on "clarifying their short-term future, strategy and the status of the two most influential members of the football department" (SMH, 2/21).
