Football Federation Australia will unveil the "biggest overhaul of youth development in more than a decade." FFA is "effectively scrapping the existing format of the National Youth League to give clubs streamlined and exclusive control of the development of their young talent." For the first time since the collapse of the National Soccer League in '04, all top tier Australian football clubs will be able to "tailor players for the senior team from the age of 12." A renewed competition format will make the National Youth League the "shortest elite competition in Australia." The previous structure of an 18-round home and away draw between A-League youth teams "has been scrapped in favor of an eight-round competition plus finals" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 9/23). ... Barcelona had its "request to register" Arda Turan turned down by FIFA. The club had approached the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) about making use of Turan as "emergency cover for Rafinha, who has been ruled out for at least six months with a cruciate-ligament injury." Any such move "had to be signed off by FIFA," which has "refused to budge" (MARCA, 9/23). ... The draw for the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2015 took place Wednesday in Zurich. The opening match of the competition will be played between Oceania's representatives, New Zealand's Auckland City, who took third place in last year's competition and the top team of Japan's J.League. The winning team will then face the CAF Champions in the next stage (FIFA).
