Youth Academy Rules and how it affects leeds united

Very interesting read... i thought anyway

It goes through the category ratings

http://www.thesquareball.net/leeds-united/2011/08/29/there-may-be-trouble-ahead/?

Basically, we need a category 2 at the bare minimum to keep a decent academy because bigger clubs will just cherry pick them all. To get a category 2 we need to spend 1m a year on the youth academy and also have 17 full time staff. To get a cateory 1 we need to spend 2.5m a year and also have 17 full time staff.

We currently have 3 full time staff and who knows how much we are spending on the academy and there is a very short period of time to get this sorted as well which in my view it would be very beneficial to be a category 2

 

I can't see many clubs voting for the system to be honest. Would clubs like Stoke, Villa, Blackburn etc. agree to investing that much money and hiring that many members of staff?

 

well i think that sort of money should be invested into an academy programs (1m not 2.5m) but that amount of playing staff does sound stupid. I cant imagine anyone other than the top 8 clubs would vote for that to be honest. It should be the clubs' own decision how much they want to invest into their own academies and they will benefit the rewards if they do under the current system

 

They shouldn't be making it so the top clubs get the best talent anyway. Most of the players from the previous World Cup squad were from West Ham's academy/previous teams and lets face it, at Man City or Chelsea, young English talent won't be given much of a chance.

 

it just seems like something they havnt really thought through properly. Yes they want english talent rising through but it will sacrifice alot of clubs youth academies and not really create more english players in the game. They need to have a limit of the amount of foreign players you are allowed in the squad. This is the only way to bring english talent through

 

The FA should take 50% of each Premiership team's Sky TV money (they all get at least 40m a year) and put it into a Youth Investment Fund. League Two and Conference clubs should be given grants to get Cat D licenses, League One to get Cat C, Championship to get Cat B/A and Premiership to get Cat A. If the clubs want to invest more to go further, that's their prerogative. It would get rid of the insane transfer fees and wages which the TV money inspires as well as securing a future for youth football and the production lines of smaller clubs, whom it would give a basic leg-up onto the categories ladder.

Of course it will end up like the article says and if Leeds aren't promoted by the time it comes into effect, we'll continue to haemorrhage our bright young players who think a move to Category A Manchester or London clubs will give them a better start. Except those clubs will be signing them at en even younger age due to the abolition of the 90 minute rule.

 

Josh, you are right....the only way is to limit the number of non-English players in the Prem. If you pick an England eleven, and then put those players to one side...now pick the next eleven to start for England. Bet you struggle to get a team out capable of winning a friendly against Iceland.