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European Academy model an alternative to EPPP

The academy system is one element that gives us pride in the English football. The process of developing young talent is satisfying for everyone involved in the development.

Prior to October 2011, most academies would follow a strict rule where academy players under the age of 18 were only allowed to sign on if they lived within 90 minutes travel time of the club’s training ground.

This meant clubs had specific regions in order to fish talent from. Of course, there were exceptions like players who lived in remote areas.

The introduction of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) by the premier league in late 2011 looked to improve the quality and volume of home-grown talent produced by top English clubs.

The four-tier academy system allows free movement of young players between clubs. The grading of academies means that the best academies can receive the best fees. Categorisation is for review every two years.

Fixed tariffs for transfer of Under 18 players have been introduced where clubs can command fees based on appearances in senior competitions and what their categories.

From the offset large groups from the English Football League opposed the format as they felt this was a result of pressure from the Premier League on the rest of the Football League.

Looking at the system, it does seem like the system only caters for the elite clubs or the best categorised clubs, as they are the only ones who can confidently pay the compensation tariffs.

Category 1 academies are at an advantage of confidently being able to draw a player to them.

There were consequences to the introduction of the EPPP. Clubs like Wycombe Wanderers and Yeovil Town folded their academies prior to the 12/13 as they felt the cost of introducing of the EPPP was detrimental to the club’s finances.

Other clubs specifically in the Football League found it difficult to implement the EPPP and had to either scrap or downgrade their academy system like Bolton Wanderers and Salford City did in order to save money.

There has been talk in recent years however as to when is the optimum age to bring in talent to academies. As it stands players can join an academy set up from as early as 9 years old.

For me personally, the limit should shift into the teen years. Of course, this shouldn’t be the case for every club because clearly, we have the clubs to support a lot more age groups in their academy system.

There are some interesting interpretations of academy systems in order to relieve pressure on their finances whilst having a solid academy system.

European Models in the Football League

Huddersfield Town decided to redefine the category of their academy, going from category 2 to category 4 under the EPPP. They have removed a majority of the age groups and instead focus on higher age groups beginning with under-17s

The next age group up goes up to the Under 19s which will run behind the B team for the talented players on their books that are older than the academy age groups.

The only side to have consistent league competition are the U17s but the B team and U19s will compete in regular competitive friendlies.

Much like teams in Spain and Portugal who have top heavy investment in their ‘’B’’ sides allowing players to shadow the first team and be ready for their opportunity.

The Brentford academy was closed at the beginning of the 15/16 with their new stadium project and the cost of EPPP there was a collective decision made in order to preserve club finances.

The development squad however rebranded as Brentford B made up of players between the ages of 17 and 21. Frequently playing against existing U23 sides both domestically and internally.

It was only during the 18/19 campaign is where this side would see more competitive football when they started competing in cup competitions.  Winning the Middlesex Senior Cup and runners up in the London Senior Cup.

The recruitment model is interesting with this B team. They look to recruit players with the help of information provided by partner club FC Midtjylland, who have potential for first team football.

James Purdue strength and conditioning coach mentioned how “it is also treated a lot more like the first team so the environment isn’t dissimilar when they step up.”

Pros of the ‘’B” team format

The B team has little to no impact on club’s finances and saves money which the EPPP can’t guarantee.

The money saved by academy means more can be invested into the higher age groups allowing clubs more resources to replicate their first team environment giving them a smoother transition to the first team.

If the B team system became more popular you could see greater exposure of younger talents being exposed to more of a senior set up and compete in their fair share of senior competitions.

For clubs outside the Premier League or smaller Premier League sides they have to compete with bigger sides when recruiting. Like Brentford who compete with other big London clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham.

So, having an academy system starting around the ages of 16 or 17 means a smaller focus group receives much more attention as well as more specified coaching. Quality is prioritised over quantity.

There is little to no risk with a B team and two younger age groups. They are trained within proximity to the senior side and a strong pathway to the first team. If they don’t develop, their education means they can easily find a place on the football pyramid.

We understand that football academies are very much central to their local areas and community and are responsible for how healthy the grassroots level is.

However, the money saved can be put towards the community and the local facilities can be improved with these funds and as a result forging an ‘’unofficial’’ partnership with these grassroots, development and semi-professional clubs.

Similar to the way Barcelona forge relations with regional sides around Catalonia or how Athletic Bilbao are heavily invested in their own Basque community.

Cons of a ‘’B’’ team format

Removing a large majority of academy age groups leaves you with the potential of disconnecting with younger fans. The younger fans who aren’t able to represent the club at youth level feel alienated from the club.

The point of the B team format especially from Brentford is to emphasise quality over quantity and they recruit internationally.

Which may provide some quality first team players or sellable assets in the future but for them it means less homegrown talents have a chance.

The current existing B sides in England don’t’ belong to the EPPPs current Professional Development League so unless a significant number of teams follow suit with this model there would be less opportunities for these B sides to play competitive football.

If more and more teams neglect a large number of age groups, they are relying on local clubs and semi-professional clubs to develop local and homegrown talents which may prove difficult because they don’t have the resources these clubs do.

The domestic recruitment for these academies and B sides would mean it would be much more difficult to get noticed for young players as the mentality would be to recruit those who seem physically, mentally and emotionally ready to be developed for the first team.

Also, the ethics behind the minimum age for recruitment could become an issue. At under 17 level what would be the minimum age allowed to represent at this level 13? 14? 15?

The era that we are in we see some players show physicality, technical brilliance beyond their years.

14-year olds have played at U17 level and 16/17-year olds have played at U23 level so how do academies ensure young prodigies are allowed to flourish beyond their years.

Under the existing EPPP tariffs there are less years of development so these clubs are vulnerable to receiving less compensation if their academy players decide to move.

The current tariffs are dependent on years in the system so by limiting the academy age groups could mean less value in terms of compensation.

Final Round-up

Given the state of some clubs in the football pyramid, this approach would be an extremely attractive alternative to shutting down the academy permanently as well as saving some money.

The B team and limited academy age groups is something I am very much a fan of. The concept is very interesting and for me ultimately reduces the amount of unsupported released players.

More quality players circulate amongst the development sides in local areas. As well as, there would be more confidence about the quality of academy players that make the first team and B side level.

For this to be completely successful, the logistics would need a lot of academies to come together and agree on dynamics that also fall in line with their contractual obligations with the Premier League and the EPPP.

The EPPP however does give most clubs who aren’t  Category 1 level academies at a disadvantage. This European-style model does provide them with more flexibility and more control over their academy starlets.

There would also need to be some funding or format to ensure younger fans aren’t isolated from their local clubs.

This model used by a lot of teams in Europe creates a better atmosphere among teams.  Teams like Barcelona, Benfica, Valencia, Porto and Real Madrid have all had successful B sides where multiple players come up together into the first team set up.

Of course, this is still the case with the current academy set up but the large volume of academy players means only a miniscule amount come through and the different paths to first team football means groups of players may not all come in at the same time.

It’s not easy to say how this type of format would be received by fans and the various football committees. Huddersfield and Brentford have had to put out posts explaining the reasons behind their restructuring.

This format is clearly working for the two clubs mentioned and provides flexibility financially and a refined focus towards producing players ready to play professional football.

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