http://www.theoriginalcoach.com/#!are-academies-too-structured/cvhm Luis Suarez and Diego Costa been two of the most influential players in the English Premier League over the last two seasons. Neither player graduated through the traditional academy models in Europe and have always had something to prove. It makes me wonder if we are now at a point, within academy systems, where we are developing players the same way in a very scientific and structured manner – but not able to develop the ‘diamonds’ who can offer something very different. Suárez and Costa, in my opinion, provide that something extra that has separated them from other players. Both have been recognized for their desire, commitment and ability to find different solutions on the field of play. They have both been criticised for crossing the fine line between being competitive and reckless. However, for their managers and teammates they are proven goalscorers who have been important in helping both Liverpool and Chelsea challenge for the league title. Last season, Suárez was the Premier League's top scorer with 31 goals. He also shared the European Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo. This season, Costa is the leading goalscorer. It is fair to say that youth development can be a mysterious process. Football may be the world’s most popular game but truth be told it does lag behind other sports with respect to the application of science and the importance of psychology. That is changing but it is still playing catch up. England, for example, which hosts the world’s most successful league, has only within the last few years completed the first review of its youth academy system since 1998. In fairness, though, the academy system under review in England is a massive one. There are 9,000 youth players in England’s professional club academy system; all competing for a career at one of the 92 professional clubs and very few of these players will become professional players. Well-known clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United start looking at players as early as 5 and will assess thousands of players before they make decisions on signing player at the under-9 level. The review of the academy system by the Premier League led to the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) being implemented in recent seasons. It’s a long-term strategy designed to take Premier League youth development to the next level. The EPPP is the result of consultation between the Premier League and its clubs, representatives of the Football League, the Football Association and other key football stakeholders. It has six fundamental principles: Increase the number and quality of home-grown players gaining professional contracts in the clubs and playing first-team football at the highest level. Create more time for players to play and be coached. Improve coaching provision. Implement a system of effective measurement and quality assurance. Positively influence strategic investment into the academy system, demonstrating value for money. Seek to implement significant gains in every aspect of player development. The plan focuses on four main areas: coaching, classification, compensation and education. In the past, many have seen youth development at academies in England as a process of attrition and “survival of the fittest” to unearth players, rather than following a systematic process of development with a high percentage rate of success. But with so many players competing for so few spots, it is true that clubs can afford to be picky. I’ve seen things change a great deal recently, mind you. In 2003 I spent ten days at one of England’s most successful youth programs: Crewe Alexandra Football Club. The coaching and training was first class, but I did not notice much attention being paid to non-football development. That was simply the way things were done ten years ago. However, on recent visits to England with our partner club, Wolves, I recognize a much more holistic philosophy towards development. The education of young players has now become a focus, assisting the families with travel arrangements to training and matches is much more prevalent, and the young players are surrounded by a support staff which include nutritionists, video analysts, fitness professionals and welfare and educational officers. Wolves received its Category One designation from the English Premier League in an audit of academy operations. The club now has much more contact time with its players and takes them out of school for one full day a week. Each training hour is logged and performance development is monitored on a much more frequent basis. With the increased investment come higher expectations of success. A greater percentage of the Wolves’ first team players every year are being developed from within their own academy system, as opposed to recruiting players from other clubs in England or overseas. Currently, 25 percent of their young players within the U18 and U21 academy teams have received first team opportunities, and the goal is to increase this to 40 percent. Top clubs now have an increased awareness that not all players are the same in terms of their physical, mental and emotional needs. They go through different stages of physical and emotional growth and all these factors do impact their development. There is now a greater realization that professional academies have a responsibility to the players and their families in overcoming life’s obstacles to becoming a professional footballer, rather than sitting back and waiting for the strongest to survive and come out the other side. Many have referred to this outdated process as the “sausage factory”. This progress is underway at professional clubs throughout the world. But what does it mean for young players and their families that are currently outside this environment? Suárez did not join his local side Nacional's youth team until the age of 14. Costa played street soccer and never believed that he would turn professional due to the remote location of his hometown in Brazil. At age 15, he left Sergipe and moved to São Paulo to work in the store of his uncle and received his first experience of being coached at Barcelona Esportiva Capela. Did their late experiences with professional club academies hinder or help them? Would they be the players they are today if they had have come through an overly structured development system? It makes you wonder. Are we developing lots of players the same, who will act and make similar decisions on the field, and how do we ensure that players like Suárez and Costa thrive within these types of environments? It will be many more years before we can accurately assess if the EPPP program is successful. In the meantime, enjoy watching players like Suárez and Costa; they have a deep passion for the game, and are skilled and focused on how best to help their teams and the teammates they play with. They play like they were still playing with their friends in the street and as English Premier League defenders will confirm, they are two of the most successful and dangerous players in recent years. The question now is: how can we help support and develop a greater number of players who think and act differently, and bring something else to the table?
i think personally there has to be an acceleration process and not mollycoddle players too. for me the article uses examples of what i'd call street thugs. suarez and costa and sewer rats who'd gnaw off your toes... literally. no pro academy in england is going to produce that... a street game in rough area would. the probelm is time and emphasis.. england is still chosing the "best" 12 year old.. the best 14 year old on the basis of power. they usually never take a 12 yea rold rb and make him a pro they take the 12 year old striker and move him back. it is quite hard to be the extra special player and come through but say you are harry wilson... wales for some reason decided to cap him.. lfc were in shock. now he is go to headline in u21s.... we are not accelerating him though. we have looked at ojo and sent him out.. we tried to play him lwb in u21s and he was poor. so we are relying now on wigan to teach him how to play football. In short you need hard competition and pressure to make a player and i'm sorry but academy life doesn't cut it. I think b teams was the way to go and i think until england realises that having a b team come to town will boost your crowds and the other team benefit then whats the point?
