[Albion] Freddie Simmonds

[brighton_tom]

Some places reporting he scored, other places saying it wasn't him.

England were 2-0 up but are now losing 3-2.

Yes looking back at the reply he seems to have scored. Got on the end of long freekick into the area from near the half way line.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Which striker did we lose?

Is it 16yrs we can tie them down to a pro contract? To stop losing them for nothing..

A player can’t sign a pro contract until they are 17.

I’m not sure what, if any, protection is given when a player leaves school at 16 and signs as a scholar. You’d hope when they reach that stage that they couldn’t just be poached.

 

[AZ Gull]

A player can’t sign a pro contract until they are 17.

I’m not sure what, if any, protection is given when a player leaves school at 16 and signs as a scholar. You’d hope when they reach that stage that they couldn’t just be poached.

Boys in the academy (U-9 through U-16) can sign academy contracts with clubs - I think I'm right in saying that for the earlier years it is a maximum of one year but can be two years for later years.
And yes, a player who has signed a scholarship can't just up and leave (without due cause).
Essentially, though, the EPPP enables any Category One academy club to "poach" a player from any other academy (including other Cat One academies).
It is obviously disappointing to lose talents such as Shim Mheuka, but I'm sure Bradford City were as disappointed to lose Sahil Bashir to us last season, etc...

 

[Bones79]

Shim Mheuka - serious talent

I think his dad was an international footballer for Zimbabwe!?

 

[BevBHA]

Shim Mheuka also got the first goal

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Sadly, at that age, he would cost them nothing. They can poach whoever they want (along with illicit payments to parents, etc).

This type of publicity for a player that age (playing up an age for England, etc) does us no favours.

Our academy already lost its biggest star to Chelsea last season - a 14/15yr old striker who was playing with England up a couple of age groups. His younger brother is still with us - for now at least.

Quite possibly the reason he was called to train with the first team - we really don't want to lose him

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Boys in the academy (U-9 through U-16) can sign academy contracts with clubs - I think I'm right in saying that for the earlier years it is a maximum of one year but can be two years for later years.
And yes, a player who has signed a scholarship can't just up and leave (without due cause).
Essentially, though, the EPPP enables any Category One academy club to "poach" a player from any other academy (including other Cat One academies).
It is obviously disappointing to lose talents such as Shim Mheuka, but I'm sure Bradford City were as disappointed to lose Sahil Bashir to us last season, etc...

Can a player we’ve got under a scholarship deal be poached by another Cat academy?

I know the EPPP means Cat 1 academies can pretty much just pick off the best talent from lower rated academies and try and take from each other too. But at what stage are we protected from that happening? If it’s not until a player is 17 and able to sign pro contact it’s going to be an absolute nightmare for even decent clubs like ours to keep hold of their best young players.

 

[Husty]

Chelsea Todd and Losestanley on the phone preparing a £750m bank transfer in 3, 2....

I believe similar to the other thread about us taking a young winger from Basingstoke, he isn’t actually under any kind of contract with us and would be free to sign for another club at any time. Hopefully he sees the value in staying out for now!

 

[AZ Gull]

Can a player we’ve got under a scholarship deal be poached by another Cat academy?

As I said, a player on a scholarship deal can't just leave and go to another club (the scholarship is a contract and the player is registered to play for that club - the FA wouldn't allow his registration to be transferred without the original club's consent). However, once the scholarship ends the player is free to move on - and that is exactly what Zak Sturge did when he left and moved to Chelsea.

It should be noted that the new club would still need to make a payment to the original club if that original club had made an offer of a professional contract to the player. @TheSecretScout tweeted in the case of Sturge that Chelsea would have to pay a minimum of 500k, as Albion had offered him a pro deal.

I know the EPPP means Cat 1 academies can pretty much just pick off the best talent from lower rated academies and try and take from each other too. But at what stage are we protected from that happening? If it’s not until a player is 17 and able to sign pro contact it’s going to be an absolute nightmare for even decent clubs like ours to keep hold of their best young players.

Ultimately, these schoolboys (and that is what they are) are human beings and can choose (along with their families) where they wish to play their football (within the constraints already mentioned, such as academy contracts and scholarships). Evan Ferguson (and his family) saw the benefit of signing with Albion, as did Jayson Molumby, Andrew Moran, Charlie Penman, Sahil Bashir, Ruairi McConville etc etc ... If some lads want to piss off to other clubs, so be it. I've no idea what the thinking was for Toby Collyer and his family, or Shim Mheuka and his family, but the grass isn't always greener. We'll be just fine.

 

[AZ Gull]

I believe similar to the other thread about us taking a young winger from Basingstoke, he isn’t actually under any kind of contract with us and would be free to sign for another club at any time. Hopefully he sees the value in staying out for now!

Brody Peart was still in full-time education and so wasn't contracted to Basingstoke Town, and was therefore free to sign with whoever once he left school. Simmonds, I'm absolutely certain, will be on an academy contract at Albion (for this, his U-16 schoolboy season). I'm sure Albion will have done everything in their power to ensure he stays (with the offer of a scholarship and professional contract) but it obviously comes down to the lad (and his family) when all is said and done.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Started for United in their EFL Trophy game last week.

Having our talent poached before they can develop is a real concern, clubs will save big fees by snapping them up early. We have to keep proving the pathway into the team for the youngsters.

I raised this with PB at last year's forum. He replied that it isn't a concern. Clubs take our players from academy's and we take theirs. He said it's not just down to money. These are young lads and it involves various influences. Money is one, but family club allegiances, friends, geography, maturity, boyhood dreams, all manner of other things outside of Brighton's control. They take ours and we take theirs.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

I believe similar to the other thread about us taking a young winger from Basingstoke, he isn’t actually under any kind of contract with us and would be free to sign for another club at any time. Hopefully he sees the value in staying out for now!

See post #14.

 

[nsclurker]

Boys in the academy (U-9 through U-16) can sign academy contracts with clubs - I think I'm right in saying that for the earlier years it is a maximum of one year but can be two years for later years.
And yes, a player who has signed a scholarship can't just up and leave (without due cause).
Essentially, though, the EPPP enables any Category One academy club to "poach" a player from any other academy (including other Cat One academies).
It is obviously disappointing to lose talents such as Shim Mheuka, but I'm sure Bradford City were as disappointed to lose Sahil Bashir to us last season, etc...

Yup. Same with the girls. My daughter signed for a year at 8 (U9) and then again at 9 (U10). Think it was/is U14s where you can do 2 years, but I'm sure someone will correct me on that!

 

[Live by the sea]

Shame a lot of academy players don’t get anywhere near the first team , hopefully this will improve . The issue is the standard is so high these days and the competition around the world is so fierce it must be like winning the lottery !

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Shame a lot of academy players don’t get anywhere near the first team , hopefully this will improve . The issue is the standard is so high these days and the competition around the world is so fierce it must be like winning the lottery !

Doesn’t change much from the old apprenticeship days. The number that actually make it is a very small percentage.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Doesn’t change much from the old apprenticeship days. The number that actually make it is a very small percentage.

At least quite a few of our drop outs tend to go to lower league clubs rather than out of the football pyramid altogether.

 

[dazzer6666]

At least quite a few of our drop outs tend to go to lower league clubs rather than out of the football pyramid altogether.

…..and we get paid for them. There are fees paid to Academies based on appearances at other clubs, obviously the higher the level, the bigger the payments.