It is interesting to look at the developments at the Liverpool academy over the last few years which illustrate that the academy system is not a total failure. Liverpool implemented changes to their failing youth set-up, taking on the Barcelona mould of developing talent during Rafael Benitez’s reign at the club, and it is already proving to be successful. Their academy has progressed at an astounding rate, and it shows that the academy system can work in this country successfully, if it is well run, and if the youngsters are given time and patience to develop, and are given the opportunity to transition to the senior team.
There are success stories in terms of youth development, but there should be more if we consider the widespread changes that the academy system brought in. Perhaps it is unfair to judge the academy system so harshly, as there is so much pressure and demand for instant results in the modern game, that it has never really been given a fair shot to succeed.
It seems as if the problems and the blame for the state of youth development in this country lie somewhere between the FA and the Premier and Football League’s. The FA can’t monitor the quality of academies as the league’s don’t want them to oversee clubs work, and there is also no central body that is in place to reform and run the system.
The Premier League is set to introduce the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which is the newest reform on youth development, and it will be interesting to see if the changes that are proposed can take youth development in this country from its current state of limbo.
Changes like the EPPP, show that those in charge are not averse to change and trying something new to revamp youth development. The changes will make way for the English clubs to match continental methods of training youngsters, and it will certainly be interesting to see what difference, if any, is made. Patience needs to be the key though, as the changes will take time to implement and we can’t keep relying on short term solutions and quick fixes.
It is harsh to suggest that the academy system has failed, but it is clear that certain aspects have affected the development of British youth. Despite its problems, a lot of talent is being produced by academies in this country, and perhaps the real blame lies not at the feet of the academy system, but somewhere higher up the development ladder.
Written by Lauren Rutter for FootballFancast.com
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