Football Academies

I don't agree firstly we are talking UK academies, so Lukaku and Aguero aren't of relevance. I'm specifically talking about the UK, which seems to have a huge failure rate, by failure, look at the player success rate into the first team from the academy, I know very well it's a pyramid, but the whole idea is player development. I don't see any evidence of player development. It could be argued in most cases players are worse off for the experience. Then also look at the national side who are to all intents and purposes an abject failure. I would literally rather watch paint dry than watch England play, some/most of these players come through academies and there's lots that they lack having been pampered or not developed coached sufficiently.

Football academies are failing for English clubs.

 

There was an old saying in my industry, 'you won't get fired for buying IBM'. I can't speak from experience but I wonder if the existence of academies might encourage scouts to be a bit lazy and only scout the academies on that same basis thus missing out on promising youngsters playing grass roots?

 

I think so. You look at academies in other countries - who seem to be doing a much better job than us. Examples being Belgium, France, Germany, Spain. All countries churning out players that are much better prepared at club and country level.

This is demonstrated by PL clubs buying rather than developing players properly. Symptomatic of SKY money and our academies not doing proper development work.

If you had of asked me a year ago, I'd have had a different viewpoint. We're in a league now, where we're coming up against academy players (I think it's the last year they can play outside of the academy) they are no better than some of my none academy players. That's where development is going to decline in my opinion.

 

To be fair this is exactly why Huddersfield binned their junior academy the other week.

They felt they couldn't bring talent through from 8 and the kids would be better off in grass roots teams locally. They felt it was better to concentrate on fewer older teen age and early 20s players.

They were given pelters for it by most people.

 

Mainly the person who started this thread wasn't it ?

 

I feel it would be better for clubs to invest in the local coaches for the grassroot teams.

If Huddersfield now spent some of the money saved from closing the academy, on improving the coaches of the local teams, they could then sign them at 16. They'd be at a similar level but without some of the negative side effects mentioned in the article.

 

Excellent post.
There was a lad at wyke college a few years back, got in the England college team, I think, I spoke with a coach at city about him.
No not interested, too late for him. He won't know how we like to play, were invested in our youth set up. This was about ten years ago. I was amazed.

so they should be, the Allams certainly would be if they closed ours.

its how,an academy is run and how they are coaching/training them that's the discussion.
Is it fun or too serious. Are they preparing them for real life.

You got any comments on conns article.

 

I don't think they should to be honest. They're planning to spend the same amount of money on grass roots local teams. However, now instead of playing endless and meaningless internal academy games the youngest players will now play blood and thunder local derbies week in week out. Then, without getting their heads turned by thinking they're at a professional club, the kids who have what it takes will be picked up as teens.





In all honesty I don't know which is better but it seems to me what ever we aren't doing is the ideal. Ray Parlour and Brazil we going on this morning that the demise of street football ( 20 aside Dawn till dusk) and sanitised academies was harming young players. 20 years ago everyone was saying foreign kids focused on skills not full scale games and chasing the ball......

 

We'll the answers simple.
Go to Germany,Spain France etc and replicate what they do!!

 

Stop bothering with English lads??

 

Eh!!
You not understanding my logic???

 

Makes some good points

Howard Wilkinson, the architect of English football’s modern youth development programme, has called for the system to be reviewed and overhauled, accusing the top clubs of failing in their “moral responsibility” to give young players opportunities. Wilkinson, who as the Football Association’s technical director in 1997 designed the current system, in which 12,000 boys are being trained by clubs from the age of eight, said he recognises that the very high release rate causes mental health difficulties to some, which can endure for years.

“What is needed is a serious reasoned review and a commitment from the whole game to commit to the implementation of recommendations which are designed to give these boys a morally deserved crack of the whip,” Wilkinson said. “Change has to come from the top.”

Wilkinson was responding to the Guardian’s report that highlighted depression and other mental health problems suffered by young men in academies, and particularly after they are released. One 2012 academic study of scholars, the smaller elite groups taken on full-time into clubs’ academies aged 16 to 18, found that 99% did not progress to have professional football careers.

Premier League and Football League clubs recruit dozens of young boys locally and nationally, many running development centres even for five- and six-year-olds, yet first-team managers often have little commitment to playing them, clubs preferring instead to sign ready-made overseas stars. Wilkinson cited as exceptions Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, whose youth development systems are run by the former senior FA coaches John McDermott and Les Reed respectively, and operate more of a policy than most clubs to field young English players.
“Current youth coaches in England are as good or better than anywhere in the world: they are highly qualified, overworked and underpaid, highly committed experts,” said Wilkinson, who published his blueprint for the system, the FA’s Charter for Quality, 20 years ago this month.

“The facilities of academies are second to none; the ingredients are fantastic. One huge problem is the lack of opportunity. If you send your child to a school, you expect the school to give them every opportunity to develop their talent. It is their moral responsibility. For me, football also has that same responsibility. Lack of opportunity is a very serious problem, which can affect the boy long term and is already affecting the senior England team.”

Referring to the hundreds of boys released every year, Wilkinson said: “These are young people and many are not getting what they have been promised and a number naturally feel genuinely let down. They are adolescents, some can and do become depressed.

“There clearly isn’t the commitment to playing the players. The fault just isn’t taking too many boys in; it’s clubs not really committing to giving them the opportunity.”



Wilkinson said a thorough review is needed. “It seems the FA and leagues are choosing to ignore the facts; do people care about a strong England team? People [at the FA and leagues] should care; their success has come off the back of the English game, its history and heritage. Germany has shown that World Cups and Champions League success can be achieved through looking after their own.”

 

We've certainly stood still for awhile .we should be looking at a proper training complex now. Unfortunately it would have to be out of town. Which I'm not in favour of.

 

Has to be out of town for ease of access. Indoor and outdoor facilities 4G etc. Melton area would be ideal for a bespoke training ground with indoor and outdoor pitches.

 

Ye I know but I don't like it. I didn't want them to go to Bishop Burton. We have a college in hull, we have the Uni.
The council let cooper and Schultz go to ruin. It would have been ideal there.
After bombing OPE obviously.

 

Stadium is in town. Training facilities it doesn't really matter as long as they are accessible and have all facilities to cater for all teams rather than the dysfunctional split set up we have at present. All of which seem completely unsuitable.

 

No for me it's got to be in hull.
Agree about the rest though.

 

Our FA spent millions on the new Wembley
Icelands FA spent millions on football pitches in schools