George gannon

[CheeseToastie]

Nice to see one of our youngsters having the decision between Wales and England U15s promising times to come playing for the u18s at 14 isn't bad.

[idler]

The problem is which big team might pinch him. I’m sure that lots of scouts will be watching his progress.

[Rupee92ONLY]

Our youth academy has gradually got better and better over the years yet it still hasn’t impacted our first team. Academies should’ve been protected for their local communities and for the benefit of the EFL but instead the powers that be protected them for the billion pound premier league franchise, disguised as helping the national team.

One of the kids we lost to Man United is doing pretty well for them, Jariyah Shah. Who knows maybe we could be treat in the future with being able to borrow him for a year

Hope we somehow keep this Gannon and he ends up quality but more than likely we’ll make a few tens of thousands for him. Get in

[mpc123]

We need to decide what we want to do, maybe already decided, something around, yet not defined.

1. Do we bring through players to be in our first team yet get pinched by Cat 1 ( prem) ( negative response)

2.  Do we bring through players to be the quickest route to football, play early, exit.
Only select few rather than mass, get buy in from parents  early to do so, contract early, play early, sell the club as that. Money made. (Positive approach to losing player)

More like controlling a player cycle than losing one.

It seems how the system is, cant have both or too difficult to do as not in control of.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I think we have to accept we have zero chance competing with those other clubs.  I'd imagine there's a sell on % for those players going to the bigger clubs too.

I'm a huge Rovers fan clearly, but in the unlikely event my son was good at football and had the chance to go to a big academy I'd be taking him there.  That's not a slight on Rovers at all but as a parent you'd give them the best chance possible and the top clubs will have academy budgets way bigger than our first team and all the resource to go with it.

We may get lucky that we can keep a youngster all the way through but it's highly unlikely with just how much the big clubs hoover players these days.  Not many EFL clubs are selling ex academy players are they?

[GazLaz]

I think we have to accept we have zero chance competing with those other clubs.  I'd imagine there's a sell on % for those players going to the bigger clubs too.

I'm a huge Rovers fan clearly, but in the unlikely event my son was good at football and had the chance to go to a big academy I'd be taking him there.  That's not a slight on Rovers at all but as a parent you'd give them the best chance possible and the top clubs will have academy budgets way bigger than our first team and all the resource to go with it.

We may get lucky that we can keep a youngster all the way through but it's highly unlikely with just how much the big clubs hoover players these days.  Not many EFL clubs are selling ex academy players are they?

Though a lot about this being a parent of three boys. I’m not sure I’d be desperate to put a kid into an academy, especially at a very young age. Don’t like the thought of putting any expectation onto kids.

The whole environment of kids football feels an awkward one to me. The parents (not all admittedly) at the grass roots games can act atrociously. I think kids would play better and develop better if parents weren’t allowed to watch.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Absolutely agree, we're approaching our team that I'm helping with by just getting the kids to enjoy it.  A guy I worked with a few years back in Leeds used to continually have Leeds trying to get his kids in to the academy but they chose not to purely for the reason it was a factory and just disappointed the kids at such a young age.  I don't think football really cares about the kids which is a little sad.

I agree on the second point, just let the kids have fun without any pressure, it's not the champions league final.  I also find the way youth football is run at the young ages really odd for loads of reasons.

[Barmby Rover]

There is a real need to have an U21 development squad with a place in some kind of league, expensive though, it needs more investment to bring it about.

[Ho]

Absolutely agree, we're approaching our team that I'm helping with by just getting the kids to enjoy it.  A guy I worked with a few years back in Leeds used to continually have Leeds trying to get his kids in to the academy but they chose not to purely for the reason it was a factory and just disappointed the kids at such a young age.  I don't think football really cares about the kids which is a little sad.

I agree on the second point, just let the kids have fun without any pressure, it's not the champions league final.  I also find the way youth football is run at the young ages really odd for loads of reasons.

At grassroots, there's just one measure of success that I use:

How many of the kids still love the game when they leave you after U16

[Rupee92ONLY]

There is a real need to have an U21 development squad with a place in some kind of league, expensive though, it needs more investment to bring it about.

I’d be doing this too, a ‘B’ team but apparently the costs of running one are quite high so I doubt it will happen. Can take a few more punts on released premier league/championship teens then without them just never getting game time to develop.

[drfchound]

I think we have to accept we have zero chance competing with those other clubs.  I'd imagine there's a sell on % for those players going to the bigger clubs too.

I'm a huge Rovers fan clearly, but in the unlikely event my son was good at football and had the chance to go to a big academy I'd be taking him there.  That's not a slight on Rovers at all but as a parent you'd give them the best chance possible and the top clubs will have academy budgets way bigger than our first team and all the resource to go with it.

We may get lucky that we can keep a youngster all the way through but it's highly unlikely with just how much the big clubs hoover players these days.  Not many EFL clubs are selling ex academy players are they?

Though a lot about this being a parent of three boys. I’m not sure I’d be desperate to put a kid into an academy, especially at a very young age. Don’t like the thought of putting any expectation onto kids.

The whole environment of kids football feels an awkward one to me. The parents (not all admittedly) at the grass roots games can act atrociously. I think kids would play better and develop better if parents weren’t allowed to watch.

I’m with you on this Gaz.
Sometimes I watch a bit of the Sunday morning junior games on Jubilee Feild, Hatfield if I go across when out with my dog.
Some of the parents shout ridiculous stuff to the kids but often the so called coaches are worse.