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It all seems a worthwhile cause but if a slice of future transfer fees is one of the main funds from which the academy can continue the higher fees may not come along until these players are 25-30 so another 8-10 years.

Is there any likelihood of his academy opening in England, I hear South Africa is the next choice?

Excellent article Matt. It's good to see that young players are still being given the chance to prove themselves. Charlie Austin at Swindon Town shows that there are plenty of lads that can make the grade, they just need a bit of luck, and to given a chance.

I read a while back he got someone signed up at one of the big Spanish clubs didn't he?

I defiantly agree about players having to think about different routes into football, look at Kenny Pavey for an example. He has never played league football in England but by going abroad he is now in the AIK side that did the double in Sweden last year so he will be in next season's Champions League.

Kris Thackray is also doing the same as the Geordie boy is learning the game in Italy, he made his first start in Serie B last weekend for his loan side Ancona (he is owned by Reggina).

Also a few English players are going the route of US colleges which is a little bit closer to Hoddle's thinking down to them finishing at the earliest of 21. Going through that system you have Andy Iro at Columbus Crew who have had the best league record both seasons the big defender has been there and competed in the North American Champions League. Korede Aiyegbusi has joined Kansas City this season after doing four years in college.

It's not just players going into the MLS via the later US college development. Former West Brom keeper Matt Jones went to America to study and now plays for Santa Clara who are pushing for promotion to the top tier of Portuguese football.

If anyone is interested below is a great link to show all the players that are currently playing abroad, many that haven't followed the traditional academy path.



Hoddle's Academy and many English footballers following their own path shows that life for a footballer doesn't necessarily have to finish at 18 if they 'don't make it' with a big side.

nice blog. everyone who has played football, even if you knew you were rubbish aslways saw 23 as the cut off (when ian wright turned professional). Good to see footballers out there getting a second shot at a professional career.
Maybe though I will turn pro before i turn 29 and I will be the new benchmark! :)

#3 I guess you would mean Ikechi Anya at Sevilla

This year he has been playing at Sevilla Atlético (the b team) that have been playing in the same division as Jerez Industrial. Atlético just avoid relegation this year and Ikechi hasn't been playing as much since the side changed manager this year.

Here is his wiki -

Great article mate.

With my club, York City, being in the Blue Square Premier, I've found a few players that have been plucked from club's bins have become really good, strong footballers.

All they really needed was the opportunity. If the big clubs don't give their young prospects a chance to prove themselves, then how will they ever learn? 2 great examples below.

Clayton Donaldson - Ditched by Hull, and given a chance at York. Played in the SPL, and now at Crewe.

Martyn Woolford - Ditched by Doncaster, Barnsley and Bradford. Picked up by York from Frickley Athletic and now at Scunthorpe United.

Hoddle was a bit of a crank when he was the England boss but you had to admire him as player.

This cracker versus United was probably my favourite of any strike against us.

Great article! I've been itching to see the GHA get some attention over since it started, I reguarly check up to see who they got at the moment, how they are getting on and where they end up. But again I think what Glenn has done is fantastic and should be encouraged...by the way quite frankly having more British pros who can play like the Brazilians and Spaniards is no bad thing at all! If I were ever a footballer i'd much rather play like a Spaniard in Spain than play in the Football League or whatever. Anyway you only have to look at boys like Swindon's Charlie Austin (and there's quite a few out there) to realise you don't have to start at the top to become a top footballer...you can just as competently work your way up there, no doubt gaining valuable experience along the way.

Good article Matt. I can't see Hoddle making this work at all. He was a skilful player but also lazy as well. He also never proved much as a manager at any level. Some great ex players just can't turn that into being excellent managers or coaches and Hoddle is just one in a long list.

It's good to read other comments by people who say that English players are now moving abroad to find clubs. I always find it strange that hardly any British players play abroad in other leagues.

Some of the academy players from the big clubs think that they have already made it when they are bench warmers and act like a big star instead of keeping their heads down and training harder. David Bentley is just one example of a player from a good academy under achieving with the potential he has.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Good read, that was extremely interesting.

But isn't "earning development fees and slices of future transfer fees" a form of third-party ownership?

#1 I would think that an English academy would be unlikely as getting them out of the country is a factor that helps them work.

Now I'm not saying this will apply to all the players but I'm sure it will some; that their careers have 'stalled' down to outside distractions. Taking them to Spain takes them away from friends and home comforts so all of a player's focus is on football.

As the title to the blog is Diamond Lights and the comments discussion about English players going abroad below is a link to an amazing profile a friend of mine did on Chris Waddle's years at Olympique Marseille



Although he was obviously an already established player in England he really took his game to another level in France, getting to the European Cup final and being a game away from winning the Ballon d'Or.

To show the extent of his legacy in France last weekend fans of Marseille on their official website voted Waddle into the club's dream team of the 110 year history of the club. Chris got 78% of the vote for right wing and in second place with 12% was Franck Ribery! That shows the impact he had in the three years he was at Marseille.

Kevin Moran was 21 I think when he made his first team debut, and came in from playing Gaelic football ( nothing like English footy) after going to Uni.
I think it's nuts how early some of these guys start, I don't see how at 16 some people think you shouldn't be able to do something with a ball that you can do at 28... I know it takes skill, but it's not like a level of maturity is needed in the skill only in the decision making, and some of the mature footballers never learn that anyway.

Good article Matt. I can't see Hoddle making this work at all. He was a skilful player but also lazy as well. He also never proved much as a manager at any level. Some great ex players just can't turn that into being excellent managers or coaches and Hoddle is just one in a long list.

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I see your point here but managing a club side is very different to player developement on a youth basis. There are some excellent youth coaches who you rarely hear of but have trained some of the best players at any given time. Eric Black at Man Utd is a good example of that.

Hoddle was languid in style, lazy to some but he was so talented that it only hindered him when it came to England selection and our obsession with hard work and strength.

I think his ethos and ideas in football terms can only benefit younger players and to succeed in other leagues you need qualities aside from physical superiority and industry.

The comment above that suggests bentley was a super academy player and hasnt fulfilled that.

a ten year premiership career at the top level sure plenty of academy players would settle for that

Glenn Hoddle's eye for talent must have considerably improved since 1998 then, when he didn't pick Matt Le Tissier for the '98 World Cup squad.

As far as I can recall, Hoddle arranged an England B game vs Russia to run the rule over some of the undecided players. Fat Matt scored a hat-trick, all of them absolute belters, and our Glenn still didn't pick him. In fact, he left before the end of the game and didn't even see Le Tiss' hat-trick goal!

#18. It's Bentley's attitude that I question. He has shown that it is poor over the years rating himself above the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and also thinking he was above playing for England U21 in the Championship because he was too tired or would be too tired for the next season!! It just shows you what the bloke is like.

Also he would not be a regular in the Spurs team if Lennon was not injured. How can a footballer be out late at night get drunk and then drive home and have an accident. He is now banned from driving because of that. It shows a lack of respect for his team, manager and fans. You don't tend to see this in the young foreign players that come over here. They seem to be more professional.

Firstly, Matt - Great article.

As a supporter of a club that has a fantastic academy, I do feel that there are far too many clubs (especially some of the large ones in London) who treat other clubs with disdain and disrespect when it comes to players under 18.

There is too much focus on players being so young, before you know it - once a player has even had a first team kick of the ball, he is being touted by agents and having unrealistic dreams put in thier heads. I have seen it in the last 5 years happen to 2 players from my club, only for thier careers to stall and in the case of one, only now has he managed to find success by playing week-in, week-out.

What happened in January when several "big" clubs offered paltry sums of money for players, in the tens of thousands, for young players, is disgusting. This "raping" of teams lower down the pyramid should be outlawed. Sadly the FA does nothing to stop it and in fact rules in favour of the "bigger" club. This is wrong.


What Hoddle is doing is very good, it gives some players a chance but the list that another poster put on here about English players abroad is also a good indicator that young players can go abroad to ply thier trade. I think that too many people look down on other leagues with disrespect, especially in England. This country is not the be-all and end-all of football and for some of these young players, then they should go abroad to find work.

It works both ways with EU migration, so I would like to see more of our young players go abroad, maybe learn a new language and settle into a new way of life, it would broaden thier horizons and maybe give a future route into the game back here - at whatever level.

Many other countries do it, so English players should do the same. We may gain more good English players coming through/back into the game here, if the pool of opportunity took in Europe as well.

??? Brown (Big Blonde)centre back for Fulham late 70/early 80s i think turned pro at 25
Andy Hessentalier turned pro at 26 ish for Watford but made hes name at Gillingham including manager

TWO FOR THE FUTURE IF YOUR CLEVER AND QUICK ENOUGH:
(LIKE KENTISH BOY - CHRIS SMALLING)

JACK PARKINSON - 20 CENTRE BACK AND PRESENT CAPTAIN AT WELLING IN BLUE SQ SOUTH - RECENTLY TRIALLED AT BOURNEMONTH BEFORE INJURY

GEORGE PORTER - 17 MIDFIELDER / FORWARD : PREVIOUS 3 SEASONS AT CHISLEHURST ARROWS IN TANDRIDGE LEAGUE WINNING DIV D THEN C THEN B. THIS SEASON STARTED IN CRAY WANDERERS ACADEMY IN RYMAN YOUTH THEN QUICKLY INTO CRAYS FIRST TEAM, TRAINED WITH CHARLTON YOUTH FULL TIME LAST 3 MONTHS. PLAYED AND SCORED CRACKER FOR LEYTON ORIENT RES V MILLWALL WATCH HIM GO GO GO

So what exactly is wrong with going the Ian Wright route and dropping down the leagues to prove yourself? Plenty of players do and I'd hazard a guess that they get more development playing real games than any of these lads will.

All this is doing is taking money and players away from our clubs in the lower leagues and eventually moving it out to whoever is funding these camps. As a business model it could work, but is it really that good for the game?

Ian Wright started at the Bottom

IAN WRIGHT first Ten Em Bee - Lewisham team

Greenwich Borough - 6 games(1986/7) : Kent LEAGUE (Thankfully i stopped playing in that league the previous season)

Signed by Dulwich Hamlet - Manager Alan Smith

Then Crystal Place with Alan Smith
Then the ARSENAL

I think Chris WADDLE come into football (after the scolarship years)late having worked in a sausage factory - played for Tow ??? Lane in the North East

www.football-journo.com

Great article, youth football is a very interesting topic. I think it's a great point about the climate and the fact the Dutch and Germans are similar to us in terms of climate yet they seem to have better technique than us (especially the Dutch).

I think youth football should not concerntrate on results but on the development of players because as you said, players develop at different ages/pace.

www.football-journo.com

George Porter signed PRO today at Leyton Orient