Academy registrations across all age groups have risen roughly 40 per cent in three years. That figure is often cited as evidence of progress, but it measures input, not output.
We looked at three seasons of data: fewer than one in ten academy players reach a first-team squad, and fewer still get regular minutes.
The difference sits at a few clubs
The data shows academy minutes are heavily concentrated at a small number of clubs. What those clubs share is not the largest budget but a defined promotion pathway and a commitment to rotation.
Developing a player is not the end of it. Somebody has to be willing to put him on in a match that matters.— A coach with fifteen years in youth development
- Registrations: up around 40 per cent in three years
- Reaching a first-team squad: fewer than one in ten
- Regular minutes: concentrated at a few clubs
- Common factor: defined pathway and rotation commitment
The coaches we spoke to broadly agree the measure of an academy should move from how many players it trains to how many actually get on the pitch.
Clearly written, and the section on the data is more solid than most coverage of this.
Clearly written, and the section on the data is more solid than most coverage of this.
I had not thought about it from this angle. It did shift my view a little.
Hope there is a follow-up. These things tend to drop out of view after a few weeks.