2024-2025 Minutes by academy players

[GazLaz]

Am I right in thinking this was zero this season?

[VivaRovers]

I think Straughan-Brown got some minutes off the bench in the Trophy, but otherwise yep, you're probably right.

[ForsolongaRover]

Am I right in thinking this was zero this season?

It’s a statement that invites debate and for those who puzzle over the value of academies it is difficult to understand whether there is a sufficient evidence of their worth to justify the outlay or to justify their students’ faith in what they will achieve for them.

It would be useful to trace the backgrounds of a representative or even random group of former students/graduates to find out how their careers developed in League football and compare it with non-graduates.

On the face of it, I wonder whether typically, graduates are given enough game time to assimilate them into League football. There could be an argument based around the obligation of their “alma mater” as it were, to be more generous to them than others with no such background.

[Dutch Uncle]

Am I right in thinking this was zero this season?

Sam S-Brown came off the bench twice in the Vertu Trophy, and Kasper Williams started once and came off the bench once in the same competition

[Chris Black come back]

Grand total of 33 minutes for Sam Straughan-Brown (14 minutes against Huddersfield Town and 19 minutes against Man Utd u21s) in the FLT.

For Williams it was a grand total of 64 minutes (1 minute against Huddersfield Town and both 63 minutes and a start against Man Utd u21s) in the FLT.

[GazLaz]

Am I right in thinking this was zero this season?

It’s a statement that invites debate and for those who puzzle over the value of academies it is difficult to understand whether there is a sufficient evidence of their worth to justify the outlay or to justify their students’ faith in what they will achieve for them.

It would be useful to trace the backgrounds of a representative or even random group of former students/graduates to find out how their careers developed in League football and compare it with non-graduates.

On the face of it, I wonder whether typically, graduates are given enough game time to assimilate them into League football. There could be an argument based around the obligation of their “alma mater” as it were, to be more generous to them than others with no such background.

Yes, I was instigating that debate. Then I realised how big of a debate it actually is. Lots of nuance to it.

[VivaRovers]

Within that broader debate, it's worth remembering the three lads that went from the youth team to Manchester United a few years back. They're now almost of the age where had they still been with us they might have been starting to knock on the door of the first team.

I think one of them has featured for United's under 21s and under 18s already.

For a club such as ours the sad reality of modern football and the way the Premier League sides hoover up talent is that players progressing to our own first team is probably no longer the key purpose of a youth team. Instead it's a combination of income generation from the sale of players we'll never get to see, and community engagement.

[selby]

  The system has changed within the club so should be taken into consideration with players going out to men's football on loan especially second year students.
  That has a duel effect, more of the better u16's playing up at u18s football being stretched within the academy, and those students out playing at a higher more physical level.
  It is a real test of young players ability to adapt, some take a while to adapt. the team that lost out was talented losing out big time to Covid with players like Will Hollins and Tom Henson dropping by the wayside never really having a chance, with Covid one reason there has been a shortage of lads pushing through apart from Faulkner who came to the academy from men's football and Will Flint who this year has smashed his first loan.
  Just points that have had an effect not only on us getting scholars through, most other academies have the same problems  and will do for a couple of years as the Covid generations who lost two seasons work their way through the system with fewer reaching the required standard.
  Sam Brown has done really well this season with others having difficulty forcing their way into lots of game time.

[Padge_DRFC]

Don't most decent young kids end up at Leeds and Sheffield United usually?

[selby]

  Padge naturally the bigger clubs attract more players in numbers alone, they fail many more than we and the smaller clubs do in the case of Leeds and the likes of Manchester United they have satellite training centres at such as Knottingley dotted about in different regions.
  If the lads are not at the main training centres they are just back ups hence their acceptance figures of one in a couple of hundred getting a proper contract with the clubs, the last I heard it was about one in seven trialists with us a couple of years ago.
  And of course those clubs will think nothing of raiding our best players if they think we have a better player likely to do well and be first team prospects and dumping what they have.
  In short it is a meat market with few making it through, but rewarding to the few that do, and most end up far better players for the experience and lessons in life.