Well actually Hull City didn't decide anything about my younger brother, they didn't decide anything about most of the kids that played. My brother gave up football not long after and has now become a qualified electrician. 01482 it's not a surprise you will defend it as a coach for the club but As NFU pointed out, the sessions have been farcical at times, often unorganised and very much so that they don't really want to be there. Hopefully they have improved? And then surely this sometimes accounts to the lack of talent coming through at the top end? If you have only one great youngster, compared to ten great youngsters, with ten, there is a much greater chance of one of them breaking through. It's like with the Hull Schools 5 a side tournaments held at the bonus arena each year. Well all the finals are played under on one night in Ferbruary time and the children in the Year 5 finals (like us last year) are told there are scouts there watching from Hull Boys looking for new players in there team. Now surely these kids in the finals of their year across the whole of school (or most of, depending on some schools who didn't pay to enter) are some of the best at their age. Yet speaking to the teachers last year, nobody on any of their teams or mine heard anything back. Wasn't any of the children in the final eight teams good enough? :s
Somethings going wrong, as I said in my lads U8 team there are a couple of players at Donny and one at Leeds. One of the lads has been offered a Scholarship at Donny and City but looks like he will choose Donny cause the treat him better. Why? Surely we could put more effort into the training of potentially very good young players at a young age.
Oh and the point of the thread is to have a discussion with our experiences. It's hardly coincidence it's occurred to more than one person. I'm not launching some personal tirade against the club with the vow to bring it down .
Your argument was that you need to know someone high up at the club to be looked after and that isn't true. The fact that no one got scouted from A 5 a side competition is a different argument though I will say if players are good enough they will be picked up.
It's not my argument. It happened. It was pointed out to my father during the session why my brother wouldn't be picked because of the other boy competing for the same position when he pointed over to who his father was. And the other boy had a nightmare of a game, at one point was too tired he sat down to play everybody onside and yet he was still selected. This isn't my opinion. It happened. But like you said, and I hope, these experiences/sessions might have improved.
I'm sorry but I don't think that's true - but hey, that's the whole point of a forum. Having been involved in grassroots football for some years now I have seen a couple of fantastic footballers both physically and technically (unfortunately they were normally playing for the opposition!). I am absolutely gobsmacked they haven't been picked up by a pro side.
On the basis that I have never seen, or been made aware of any scout being in attendance in the 200+ HBSFL games I have been too. That's not to say they haven't been there but I would have thought I would have heard a whisper, or they would have approached one of the managers pre/post match. From someone who has been in local grassroots for a while, CIty's scouting appears shocking, but I think this is going a little off topic
I'd say it's in and around the same topic. I don't know about you 01482, but if I was a coach at hull city and saw these "claims" I would at least try to see where they are coming from, rather than disregard them. After all it is a forum and people post their opinions on their experiences/findings and who knows, we might have all got the wrong end of the stick, but it is starting to look pretty alarming that alot of people are giving up on our clubs youth/scouting system, for whatever reasons posted on this thread.
These "claims" are unfounded I was at every tournament in hull and surrounding areas again this summer and I'd be surprised if more than 10 people knew that I was a scout. If you had a number of examples of players in the last 5 years from hull who have made a living out of football and city missed them you might have a case. Can you name even 1?
It's hardly an alarming amount of people! You've started a thread with a pre conceived idea and no proof at all and 4 people have had a say? Still no one saying they know someone who got picked because of who they knew?
I think that wherever you look the opinions of players getting overlooked for one reason or another will be the same more or less. Its not something just happening here, there will be thoughts along the same lines all over the countsy - but only the best players get through. Like it or not there are a lot of young lads into Rugby League in this City, probably why we have only had a small percentage of Hull born pro football players through the years.
Highly doubt it would go on "who you know" exactly, however does help to have someone putting a word in for you! With regards to the training sessions ect, I had a mate who worked on coaching staff a few years back and was often involved in these community sessions. He played football for the same team as me and he was useless!! He had no technical ability, positional sense was poor, tactical knowledge non-exsistant and a poor communicator!!!! With "coaches" like that you would get poor sessions (this was about 8yrs ago so hopefully better now). With regards to youth scouting, I dont know Citys policy, but know it was poor around 20yrs back! My mate was offered a contract at Man Utd, Leeds, and Spurs, my PE teach rang City up (his family didnt want to leave Hull for personal reasons) and they said "who"!!!! Top teams (then anyway) knew him but his home town club didnt!!!! Modern day, again dont know much about City set up but do know a guy who does a bit for Arsenal. They have a good set up, they have several youth team managers at well performing local boys teams around London working for them on a small retainer. The club managers report on there opposition (eg, the left winger for X was quick, skillfull and had a footballing brain when they played us), they are not allowed to promote there own players, these reports then are collated by Arsenal youth set up who look for reoccuring names then watch them for themselves. In return local clubs get community training sessions to develop there teams.
Out of interest does anybody know anything about Hull citys youth scouting set up? Always been interested in how it works at our team. Also what grade is our youth academy/facilities?
The Hull Boys Sunday League, is, or was the largest junior Sunday league in the country. There may be a lot of youths into Rugby too, but the ratio of grassroots teams to those which turn pro is shocking.
I was at the COE from the age of 9 until I was 16. I'm a goalkeeper, and let me tell you this.... the standard of goalkeeping coaching was abysmal. When we were kids (as in 14 downwards) Steve wilson used to come down once a week to 'train us' the poor **** didnt have a clue, he couldnt even get a game at Macclesfield at the time! It got slightly better as we got older and got involved with the youths and reserves. Rod Arnold wasn't the best coach, but he was a step above stevie boy! Main point I'm trying to make is, that although out COE is/was ****e. I never ever met anyone who didn't get in oj merit. Once you was in there maybe was a slight bit of favouritism but thats human nature/ ****e coaching. Most the kids on trial had been put forward, but not because of favours but because of teachers/ sunday league coaches put they forward.
It was years ago, I would think others have caught up. The point I was making is that most City's of our size don't have the distraction of another sport rammed down there kids throats. Some Hull schools don't even bother with a footy team, as they see themselves as "Rugby" schools. If we didn't have the two RL clubs would our percentage of players reaching pro level increase?
We are a level 3 academy which means we spend £200000 a year on running costs and youth development Minimum 4 full time staff and are able to have teams from u9s-youth team who train 6 hrs a week and play Sundays. We also have a development night on Monday's for 6 to 13 yr olds.
