Academy Problems

[Stoke_Gifford_Red]

As of next season the Academy teams will be for under 16s and under 18s. There will be a under 21s tournament, but only for teams that are currently or have been in the Premiership. This will mean Bristol City are faced with having these players who would have played for the Academy playing in the Pontins South-West division. There would be the possibility of playing other teams in a similar position eg Millwall but there are few of these. Do you think this will restrict Brictol City's Academy growth and if so is there any point in keeping it.

[RedUn]

Bit surprised SGR's post got no response, the food for thought came in yesterday's BEP. So much for the academies being the child of the Football Association in fulfillment of its charter to nurture the interests of the game throughout the country ...

CITY'S FAME ACADEMY UNDER NEW THREAT11:00 - 31 January 2004

Bristol City are urgently seeking ways to improve the quality of

fixtures for their aspiring youngsters after being told there

definitely won't be an academy Under-21 league. The Second Division

club have been in protracted negotiations with Football Association

and Premier League chiefs in a bid to win the same prestigious

fixture programme for their older developing players as the club's

Under-19s and Under-17s currently enjoy.

City's desire for Under-21 soccer has been heightened by confirmation

that, from the start of next season, the 19s and 17s age groups will

be replaced by academy Under-18 and Under-16 teams.

The Robins' concern is that the gap between age group sides and the

first team will widen still further if there is not the back-up of an

Under-21 league.

While City do have a reserve team, which has become a grooming ground

for teenagers and raw hopefuls, the standard of opposition in the

Pontin's Holiday Combination, Wales & West section does not compare

to that encountered by the academy sides.

City have long claimed that an Under-21 section, featuring giants

with their own FA-licensed academies such as Manchester United,

Arsenal and Spurs, was pledged in the charter when they signed up to

form their own academy in the mid-1990s.

But their pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears at the top level

and City director Keith Dawe explained: "If you are a Premier League

team, or if you have been in it but have since been relegated, then

you are permitted to play in the Premier Reserve League.

"If you're a club like us in the lower divisions, you play in the

Pontin's League against teams in the West and Wales areas.

"When we first became an academy, we were under the impression there

would be a fixture programme for Under-21s.

"Now we have a situation where from next season, we'll have an

academy for players up to the age of 18 only, which will mean the gap

between that and the first team will be greater than it already is."

Dawe added: "My feeling is that decisions taken for FA-licensed

academies like ours are effectively done by Premier League clubs and

I suspect there was little or no appetite for anything over Under-18s

football from the bigger clubs.

"They already have high-quality fixtures for their developing players

in that reserve league, and many of them - I'm not saying all - do

not want smaller clubs like ours involved.

"At least we now know there is going to be no programme for over-18s

and we are having to look at alternative avenues."

The Pontin's Combination contains sides such as Oxford, Bristol

Rovers, Cheltenham, Bournemouth and Swansea, with First Division

Cardiff representing the biggest opposition.

Dawe said: "We are looking at joining a better quality reserve league

but that's not looking too hopeful at present.

"So we're trying to forge links with First Division clubs with

academies who are in the same position as us, to see if we can get

our own friendlies programme in place."

Chief executive Colin Sexstone added: "We have been told there won't

be any academy Under-21 football and it is unlikely we'd be accepted

into the Premier Reserve League, so we might have to find our own

Under-21 fixtures.

"That could mean playing friendlies against teams like Millwall,

Norwich, Reading and Stoke, who have youth academies. We have to try

and work around the problem to get the best standard of opposition

for our emerging players as possible."

My own feeling is that every benefit we derive from the academy is worth fighting for particularly when you see how badly the favoured clubs want to keep it all to themselves.

[Guest Eddie Hitler]

I didn't respond as I was awaiting the expert view from people such as yourself with an in-depth knowledge of the Academy.

I knew there was always a big overlap between U21s / Reserves / First team so I wasn't sure how important U21 fixtures were to the Academy.

Obviously anything that diminishes the value we derive from the Academy is a bad thing.

[Claverham_Red]

so if nothing happens city's reserve team could effectively become city's under 21's.

[RedUn]

I knew there was always a big overlap between U21s / Reserves / First team so I wasn't sure how important U21 fixtures were to the Academy.

I think that if the competitive games for the U/19 year are lost and if we are promoted then the need for competitive U/21 fixtures is greater because it gets harder to give the youngsters a run in the side; loaning them out is only a partial solution.

I've put a couple of ideas in the form of a question on the SteveL forum and it strikes me that all ideas on the subject should be welcomed - creative solutions are going to be needed methinks and this forum abounds with such thinking so fire away ...

[Guest Topbuzz]

I can see us loaning players out alot more with the Garry Owers connection at bath city i can see a few more players joining up ...Anyone familiar with a striker called Kyle Allcock whos quality on champ man for the city