NorthernWisdom

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Apr 23, 2013
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It's interesting though, isn't it, that owners that are supposedly here for the short term are prepared to invest so much time and effort in something that's a long term investment really.

If they were intending to wind the club up this summer or next, it'd be one of the first things you'd save some cash on, surely?
 

The Gentleman

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Jul 9, 2013
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It's interesting though, isn't it, that owners that are supposedly here for the short term are prepared to invest so much time and effort in something that's a long term investment really.

If they were intending to wind the club up this summer or next, it'd be one of the first things you'd save some cash on, surely?

Not really. If they are thinking that they may be here for another 2-3 years then the academy is a pool that they can keep dipping their fingers into and not spend to much or loan to much on players coming in. Might be interesting to see how many homegrown (academy) players are used next season.
 

shmmeee

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Jul 11, 2011
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It's interesting though, isn't it, that owners that are supposedly here for the short term are prepared to invest so much time and effort in something that's a long term investment really.

If they were intending to wind the club up this summer or next, it'd be one of the first things you'd save some cash on, surely?

Well, leaving aside the fact that if your overarching aim requires you to be able to say with a straight face that you are backing the club, then you'd better look like you are, I'm really not sure £500k/year to be able to save on spending the same on players is that much investment.

Remember we are playing kids in their final year or first pro year, it's not really a long term investment if the kids there now are going to be in the first team squad next year.
 

DazzleTommyDazzle

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Mar 20, 2011
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It's interesting though, isn't it, that owners that are supposedly here for the short term are prepared to invest so much time and effort in something that's a long term investment really.

If they were intending to wind the club up this summer or next, it'd be one of the first things you'd save some cash on, surely?

Perhaps comforting for those of us who hope and think that a sale is a much more likely outcome than liquidation ;)
 

NorthernWisdom

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Perhaps comforting for those of us who hope and think that a sale is a much more likely outcome than liquidation ;)

Possibly, but I doubt an academy adds much to the sale price, relative to its cost.

It is the big thing that doesn't really fit though. Academies are always a long term thing really, we just have to look at our years of Robert Betts, Ben Mackay, Tom Bates, Gary Montgomery etc. etc. to show that!

If it's all about the short term, it's an easy save - even more so given the level the first team's now at.
 

NorthernWisdom

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Not really. If they are thinking that they may be here for another 2-3 years then the academy is a pool that they can keep dipping their fingers into and not spend to much or loan to much on players coming in. Might be interesting to see how many homegrown (academy) players are used next season.

Any players that are signed up for next season, though, it won't hav any effect on them if they shut the academy down tomorrow.
 

Rusty Trombone

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I think the grant the club gets for the Cat 2 status is near £500k. It's a good effort to achieve Cat 2 status, to stay competitive we have to able to attract decent youngsters, and not lose them to the likes of Villa and Leicester.
 

Grendel

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Grendel

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Brighton Sky Blue

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It's interesting though, isn't it, that owners that are supposedly here for the short term are prepared to invest so much time and effort in something that's a long term investment really.

If they were intending to wind the club up this summer or next, it'd be one of the first things you'd save some cash on, surely?

If they were intending to wind the club up why would they wait until the summer?
 

skybluetony176

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Aug 2, 2013
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It doesn't annoy me its just a very poor attempt at humour.

Sorry I can't manage the level of witty humour that you throw at AL & AT on an almost daily basis. That joke you told about your accountant was a corker though. Still makes me laugh now.
 

Skyblueweeman

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Dec 7, 2011
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Not really. If they are thinking that they may be here for another 2-3 years then the academy is a pool that they can keep dipping their fingers into and not spend to much or loan to much on players coming in. Might be interesting to see how many homegrown (academy) players are used next season.

I don't think that makes a difference...Crewe have lived that way for decades, now Southampton are kind of similar....

WM
 

James Smith

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Nov 9, 2011
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I think you might find your 'facts' are incorrect!

Which facts are incorrect? I mean technically the Higgs didn't build us the Higgs Centre a firm of builders etc. did but that's splitting hairs surely. There were some basic run down sports facilities there before but nothing like the ones now at the Higgs.
 

Danceswithhorses

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But Fisher said at the forums last year that the facilities they were developing at Warwick University were much better than the Higgs Centre?
The genius that is Tim Fisher, didn't realise we needed a 3g pitch to be able to gain academy 2 status, and the only 3g pitch in the area was purpose built by AEHC for ccfc, whose facilities SISU had just used, abused and refused, to pay for.
Mmm...mmm...that humble pie must have tasted nice Tim.
 
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cloughie

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May 9, 2011
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It's interesting though, isn't it, that owners that are supposedly here for the short term are prepared to invest so much time and effort in something that's a long term investment really.

If they were intending to wind the club up this summer or next, it'd be one of the first things you'd save some cash on, surely?
no they receive £500,000 from the FA for this category, any investment is repaid 10 fold by that payment
 

NorthernWisdom

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Apr 23, 2013
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They have to match the grant they receive.

In other words, the club puts in £500,000.

If it didn't have a youth academy it could save £500,000.

Or put another way, the price of 2,500 season tickets.
 

cloughie

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Yes sorry you are correct,

have to assume its to add some 'value' to the club yet they still get a substantial amount back after costs' of the £500.000
 

The Gentleman

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I don't think that makes a difference...Crewe have lived that way for decades, now Southampton are kind of similar....

WM

But it does make a difference, they use more academy players then they spend less money. Problem is that if that talent pool isn't very good then we are in deeper trouble. The 2 examples you use have been doing it for years and it has took that long for it to bear fruit, yes we have to start somewhere but in the interim, we still have to sign good players to pass on their skills to the younger ones. If we don't do that then it will be detrimental to the young players.
 

Spionkop

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Seems to me, with the recent Higgs/Sisu court case, that the Academy may not be based at Allard Way for much longer.
Relations must be very strained to put it mildly.
Where does that leave CCFC - ie - the specialist type pitch required by FA guidelines?
More problems looming?
 

Rusty Trombone

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Seems to me, with the recent Higgs/Sisu court case, that the Academy may not be based at Allard Way for much longer.
Relations must be very strained to put it mildly.
Where does that leave CCFC - ie - the specialist type pitch required by FA guidelines?
More problems looming?

I can't see the Academy moving before an adequate replacement is found/built. If the club can build one then that's great, but I doubt there's money around for that when a cheap rental option is available.
 

Hobo

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I can't see the Academy moving before an adequate replacement is found/built. If the club can build one then that's great, but I doubt there's money around for that when a cheap rental option is available.

Think you are right on that, otherwise they would have stayed at Warwick Uni and help develop that. The Fisher comment "facilities are better here" was always a bit of a smoke screen for moving there.

The Academy is the one SISU success, and the way to go, I just feel they achieved it by default rather than design. The battle will be to maintain the standards. The loss of Rioch was a blow.
 

skybluetony176

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I can't see the Academy moving before an adequate replacement is found/built. If the club can build one then that's great, but I doubt there's money around for that when a cheap rental option is available.

Tried and failed with the new academy thing. It was the only true bit of information gleaned from the FOI requests. They applied to RBC for permission to build it at Ryton and it was turned down flat.
 

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