CLUBS OR HUBS

I read in the Telegraph today a piece entitled "The French example that the English will never follow". This was bringing to our attention that Clairefontaine is not only the home of the France national team but also serves as the French Football Federation's Academy for the Ile de France, that is the Paris region, where 23 young, selected footballers "board" from 13 years old for two years and get an "education". At this "school" they train daily, live a controlled life and are schooled at nearby Rambouillet where they are encouraged to gain the Baccalaureat. The education is paid for. At weekends and for school holidays they go home and join their "home" clubs.

There are 11 other elite "regional hubs" serving other areas of the vast country, which is 37% bigger in area than England. The system was founded in 1988.

The article says that the Premier League would never countenance the FA hot housing our best young talent at St George's Park, near Burton, let alone in a series of regional hubs. Unsurprisingly, the idea has worked so well for the French that all 23 graduates from this year's Paris "academy" have been taken on by professional clubs. The historic list of alumni is long and impressive.

This appears to be a more grown up approach to developing our the best young footballers than the present English rapid and sometimes desperate pursuit of young talent by our home clubs.

BUT the FA had one of these academies at Lilleshall, founded in 1984, set in a stately home with appropriate conversions both to the "boarding accommodation and the surrounding landscape". It is located in Shropshire, not far from St George's Park, ironically. The academy provided a massive opportunity for the chosen few but in turn presented all sorts of issues to the young starlets, one of whom was Jermaine Defoe, who is still playing of course. Defoe is the only one of 16 "graduates" who passed out in the last year of the experiment in 1999, to play top grade football.

Living in an academy, away from home and in boarding accommodation has its challenges, though one lad was quoted, saying that the local girls at the nearby school attended by the boys, were fascinated by this intake of new teenagers, so the lads had their pick. It wasn't all bad then.

Of the 234 young footballers who passed through Lilleshall over its 15 years, few made it to the top flight. Sol Campbell, Joe Cole, Andy Cole, Jamie Carragher, Scott Parker, Nicky Barmby, Ian Walker and Michael Owen present an impressive short list, however and I suppose this select few is not a bad return, but the French appear to have done it better.

Steven Gerrard was overlooked because of his physique and of course teenagers develop at different rates, both physically and mentally, especially between the ages of 14-16.

The boys that made it had provided the best coaches, physios, food, habits, kit and equipment and discipline. They wanted for nothing.

The FA Technical Director at the time of the school's closure, Howard Wilkinson, regarded Lilleshall as too elitist and he had a vision of each club having their own academy (which has happened), trusting the coaches at each club to do the right thing. The FA trickles down information to the clubs anyway and this is disseminated to their boys and girls through qualified coaches at the FA Coaches' Association. It is not as perfect as it seems however as many clubs are more interested in rapid returns rather than naturing talent. You could name those clubs that are well known for there youth development programmes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/mihirbose/2008/02/post_10.html