Football League clubs have voted in favour of changes to the academy system-Why?

[JJB]

This isn't going to have much of an effect on us (southampton).

The academy 'grading' is also about to change so Palace will no longer category 1, but category 2. There will only be a handful of category 1 academy's in the country (City, Utd, Chelsea, us and another northern club likely to be Liverpool). The best players will probably be at these academies, but there is nothing to stop them staying at a category 2 or 3 academy if they don't want to move. Every academy pinches players, from somewhere else. We have a 15 year old in our youth system expected to be the next big thing after Sinclair, Ward-Prowse and Shaw that we took out of chelsea's academy.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Are you a category 1 though? I think it takes a lot to get there (not boasting but even we aren't there yet, and rivalry aside it's obvious our academy is more successful than yours) and it's more than just the amount of staff and whether you have overnight accommodation.

Our acadamy will be state of the art, lecture halls, accommodation, full-sized infoor pitch but I have no idea how they grade academies so meh.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

It seems Albion voted for the changes.

From Naylor's twitter:
"In 2morrow's Argus Gus on Wayne Bridge, Tommy Elphick + Hungarian trialist Zoltan Liptak + Ken Brown on Alb voting for academy change #bhafc"

A majority NO vote overall would have seen League 2 clubs and some from League 1 having to close down their youth set ups. When Grimsby Town got relegated into the BSP they received the £70k as a parachute payment which kept the youth training funded for a season , now they get nothing its all run on a shoestring budget.

 

[tonymgc]

I would be amazed if Brighton didn't have plans with Bloom at the helm to try and get an academy with a similar success rate as ours (and Watford's, etc).

The Premier League is screwing everyone. The FL is supposed to be proper football for proper fans, but at the moment it seems as though we are just there to feed the Premier League with nothing in return.

Yep we are, Think if all goes to plan it should be ready for 2013. However its absolute folly to invest the money, time, effort & patience if Man United can send a scout like one of our players & pay a pitance to thieve him from us.

Exactly. This on the back of the 'no relegation' bullshit. And you ask any football fan who's not blinkered by the Murdoch league & they'll tell you the championship is a far better watch. Much less predictible, Far tighter & overall a better product. It hasn't been sanitised like the premier league which is only interested in profit margins & how many people in China they can get to watch football.

 

[Chrystal Palace]

Yep we are, Think if all goes to plan it should be ready for 2013. However its absolute folly to invest the money, time, effort & patience if Man United can send a scout like one of our players & pay a pitance to thieve him from us.

Exactly. This on the back of the 'no relegation' bullshit. And you ask any football fan who's not blinkered by the Murdoch league & they'll tell you the championship is a far better watch. Much less predictible, Far tighter & overall a better product. It hasn't been sanitised like the premier league which is only interested in profit margins & how many people in China they can get to watch football.

Agreed.

I was arguing this on twitter earlier. Somebody said I was just jealous because Palace were too shit to play in the Prem (from a Chelsea following mate) and I was on the verge of saying that I would much rather be in this league than the Greed League, but the amount of times I have tried to explain to him but to no avail I just couldn't be bothered, and he just doesn't see how bad football has become.

Funnily enough he used Sky's favourite "best league in the world" bullshit line while slagging off Palace.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Reform football.....Top teams play in Europeon league,take the rest and top teams from Championship make them the top division.Have one club one vote....go back to 7 subs for all teams in all leagues in all games...we as Albion fans know that big business destroys the sport....return the game to the fans!!

 

[The Wookiee]

Any point in us now investing millions in our new training centre ?

 

[Tooting Gull]

This is going to prove a very, very misguided vote by the Football League.

I'd like to say I understand why they felt forced into it - but I don't. Sure, the Premier League said they would withdraw important funding of £5.5million a year, but that's what bullies do.

The loss of the tribunal and far smaller compensation payments could see that figure blown out of the water in a single season with three or four good prospects from the FL, let alone every season.

I'm afraid it was a time to stand firm, call the PL's bluff, chuck it back in their court, go for massive PR, shame them into a climbdown, and maintain the compensation arrangements which undoubtedly keep some clubs afloat. Without it, you have to think some will go to the wall in the medium term.

I, too, would like to know how Albion voted on this.

 

[Exiled in Exeter]

Removed. Should have read earlier pages!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

How corrupt. Where is the fans say in all this?

I think it's assumed that "the fans" are sat at home, in the armchair, with a six pack of lager, watching Sky TV and feeling pleased with the fact that "their team" has picked up a promising 15 year old from Crewe Alexandra.

If, of course, you are so disloyal to "your team" that you have failed to switch the TV on to watch their Saturday lunchtime match, because you've opted to go and see a bunch of muddy hoofers actually play for Crewe Alexandra, then you can do the other thing.

 

[tonymgc]

Interesting the way the only chairman i've heard speaking out pro this decision is the odious toad that is Pete Winkelman.

Sure he won't be so happy when the next Sam Baldock is snapped up by a Premier League club for a pittance. In the meantime his franchise team continue playing in a half empty, half finished stadium in a town where 90% of the people don't give a shit.

Him speaking out has all but confirmed my suspicions that clubs are being held by the short & curlys at the promise of an instant cash injection that will help them keep going short term.

 

[Brovion]

Hmm, I'm going to break ranks a bit. It IS bad in some respects, but it's not all doom and gloom. The other '90 minute rule' that's being scrapped is the one that says the youngsters can only have 90 minutes of coaching a day. Aren't people on here always complaining that English footballers aren't skilful enough? At Barcelona coaching of kids is virtually full-time, now the same can be done here.

I don't see anything fundamentally wrong with concentrating the best young prospects (because that's all they are) and the best coaches in a handful of academies nationwide. The clubs running the academies get first pick of whom they wish to keep (as reward for funding the Academies), but they can't sign all of them and the best of their rejects, like Liam Bridcutt, can easily find a home in the lower leagues. Also when they're kids you can never tell who is going to go on and be an international superstar and who is going to be the next Rod Thomas. The list of players who have played for England at both Schoolboy and Full international is very very small as the most of the promising youngsters don't 'train on'. And don't forget when Gareth Barry went to Aston Villa he was very much the makeweight, only going to keep his mate, the future England striker Michael Standing, company. We could easily get a 'reject' and make them a star - a bit like we did with Gary Stevens as older posters will remember.

These changes may mean that we'll never win the FA Youth Cup, but it really isn't the end of the world as we know it.

 

[Rookie]

Hmm, I'm going to break ranks a bit. It IS bad in some respects, but it's not all doom and gloom. The other '90 minute rule' that's being scrapped is the one that says the youngsters can only have 90 minutes of coaching a day. Aren't people on here always complaining that English footballers aren't skilful enough? At Barcelona coaching of kids is virtually full-time, now the same can be done here.

I don't see anything fundamentally wrong with concentrating the best young prospects (because that's all they are) and the best coaches in a handful of academies nationwide. The clubs running the academies get first pick of whom they wish to keep (as reward for funding the Academies), but they can't sign all of them and the best of their rejects, like Liam Bridcutt, can easily find a home in the lower leagues. Also when they're kids you can never tell who is going to go on and be an international superstar and who is going to be the next Rod Thomas. The list of players who have played for England at both Schoolboy and Full international is very very small as the most of the promising youngsters don't 'train on'. And don't forget when Gareth Barry went to Aston Villa he was very much the makeweight, only going to keep his mate, the future England striker Michael Standing, company. We could easily get a 'reject' and make them a star - a bit like we did with Gary Stevens as older posters will remember.

These changes may mean that we'll never win the FA Youth Cup, but it really isn't the end of the world as we know it.

I thought the 90 minute rule was that a young player could only travel 90 minutes (or 60 miles?) to training? Nothing to do with the amount of contact time, expect I'm wrong though. If it is as you say then that is a good thing but not 100% sure it is

Edit: just read it properly I see you said the 'other' rule

 

[Bakero]

Hmm, I'm going to break ranks a bit. It IS bad in some respects, but it's not all doom and gloom. The other '90 minute rule' that's being scrapped is the one that says the youngsters can only have 90 minutes of coaching a day. Aren't people on here always complaining that English footballers aren't skilful enough? At Barcelona coaching of kids is virtually full-time, now the same can be done here.

I don't see anything fundamentally wrong with concentrating the best young prospects (because that's all they are) and the best coaches in a handful of academies nationwide. The clubs running the academies get first pick of whom they wish to keep (as reward for funding the Academies), but they can't sign all of them and the best of their rejects, like Liam Bridcutt, can easily find a home in the lower leagues. Also when they're kids you can never tell who is going to go on and be an international superstar and who is going to be the next Rod Thomas. The list of players who have played for England at both Schoolboy and Full international is very very small as the most of the promising youngsters don't 'train on'. And don't forget when Gareth Barry went to Aston Villa he was very much the makeweight, only going to keep his mate, the future England striker Michael Standing, company. We could easily get a 'reject' and make them a star - a bit like we did with Gary Stevens as older posters will remember.

These changes may mean that we'll never win the FA Youth Cup, but it really isn't the end of the world as we know it.

I don't think anybody's against scrapping the 90 minute training rule; the issue is that big clubs can now take any promising youngsters from smaller clubs for a minimal fee. Whereas now they may pay 2 million for a 15 year old they can now take ten 15 year olds for that price.

You say we'll be able to get the next Liam Bridcutt but don't you also want the next Lewis Dunk?

 

[Bakero]

From the Argus:

Albion priced out in hunt for top loan stars From The Argus)

Managing director Ken Brown, the club’s representative at yesterday’s meeting, revealed: “We thought long and hard about it and in the end voted with the majority.

“It was a very difficult decision to make, looking ahead to our own ambitions but also being mindful of what is best for the Football League in general.

“We have ambitions for training facilities and academy status and will be working towards that, identifying our own talent. This just makes it a bit harder.”

He acknowledges that it will adversely affect our youth development but why does he think it's "best for the FL in general"?

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I think he should explain the thinking a little more deeply than that.

 

[DerbyGull]

I think it's assumed that "the fans" are sat at home, in the armchair, with a six pack of lager, watching Sky TV and feeling pleased with the fact that "their team" has picked up a promising 15 year old from Crewe Alexandra.

If, of course, you are so disloyal to "your team" that you have failed to switch the TV on to watch their Saturday lunchtime match, because you've opted to go and see a bunch of muddy hoofers actually play for Crewe Alexandra, then you can do the other thing.

Yes you're probably right. Those who actually attend games are in a minority compared to the those watching on tv.

 

[DerbyGull]

Especially for the League 1 & 2 clubs it's like the EPL is a loan shark threatening the poor that they'll stop providing them credit if they don't agree to the terms. The poor clubs have no choice but to accept the terms or they risk having a big financial blackhole. The EPL is rotten to the core, it does more harm than good. It's a shame that there isn't some other way these clubs can raise the revenue rather than be held to ransom by the evil empire that is the epl and sky.

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

From the Argus:

Albion priced out in hunt for top loan stars From The Argus)

Managing director Ken Brown, the club’s representative at yesterday’s meeting, revealed: “We thought long and hard about it and in the end voted with the majority.

“It was a very difficult decision to make, looking ahead to our own ambitions but also being mindful of what is best for the Football League in general.

“We have ambitions for training facilities and academy status and will be working towards that, identifying our own talent. This just makes it a bit harder.”

He acknowledges that it will adversely affect our youth development but why does he think it's "best for the FL in general"?

It's an interesting one, we voted to keep 7 subs as it suited us and we didn't worry about the affect on the rest of the football league. Why chance stance for this?

 

[Brovion]

I don't think anybody's against scrapping the 90 minute training rule; the issue is that big clubs can now take any promising youngsters from smaller clubs for a minimal fee. Whereas now they may pay 2 million for a 15 year old they can now take ten 15 year olds for that price.

You say we'll be able to get the next Liam Bridcutt but don't you also want the next Lewis Dunk?

It's a fair question and like I say I'm not exactly shouting from the rooftops "This is the best news ever!", but there are a few points I want to make. Firstly I'm glad someone else thinks that the scrapping of the "only 90 minutes training per day" rule is good news. AFAIK no one else had mentioned it, they've all concentrated on the 'bad' bits; which admittedly there are a few - especially the way it seemed to be forced through almost at gunpoint.

Secondly, yes we might lose the next Lewis Dunk to Chelsea or whoever and get a relative pittance in return. From a strictly parochial point of view it would be 'bad' as Brighton wouldn't get the benefit of having him play for the first team. (Although we would make some money if he were sold on as an automatic and guaranteed sell-on fee percentage is part of the new deal). But from the overall point of view of English football as I said before I don't see what's wrong with having the best prospects and the best coaches in a handful of academies. That assumes of course that the 'next Lewis Dunk' wants to leave Brighton!

And Lewis Dunk IS an exception. At the risk of repeating myself again, not all great young prospects become great premiership footballers. We could still get the next Gary Stevens.