edgy
Well-Known Member
Birmingham have folded all academy teams u15 and below. Cant afford to keep it running basically.
Blues fold Academy (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter edgy
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Liquid Gold
Well-Known Member
Absolutely stupid thing to do when money is tight and there are about to be restrictions on foreign imports.
Blues are such a badly run club, could easily be the next us.
Blues are such a badly run club, could easily be the next us.
chiefdave
Well-Known Member
Educational? That sounds a good
AFCCOVENTRY
Well-Known Member
Surely we can snap up some for our academy. One of the oddest things to do.
no_loyalty
Well-Known Member
I have just checked and he is over 15, so I imagine he will be retained?
covcity4life
Well-Known Member
That's a shame. Know some cov kids in their academy. At important age where they wither make it or become does abouts because they aint got academics to fall back on.
P.s theybsay Bellingham bro is overrated but that might be jealousy lol
P.s theybsay Bellingham bro is overrated but that might be jealousy lol
Skybluefaz
Well-Known Member
My lads club have had a few players go over there. Any decent players from aged 8 up will already be known to Cov, Leicester and Villa.
shepardo01
Well-Known Member
All football and education academies are linked to an education and training provider. That provider has access to education and skills funding agency money that is approximately 4k per student per year if on a full time programme.
That money has to cover everything from kit, to teaching staff, venue hire and also coaching staff. A new start up generally needs around 20 students to get going and that will just about cover probably a couple of young coaches and a tutor.
Their education will generally be a BTEC qual worth around 3 a-levels and some will do English and Maths too depending on grades gained at GCSE.
The market for these is becoming saturated and diluting the quality at each venue.
Strachan used to be the only one about, but now there are about 12 in Coventry and Warwickshire of varying quality. Most non-league clubs have one.
As they are funded by "education " money, they are subject to all of the same quality control processes as colleges, including ofsted.
SleepyGinger
Well-Known Member
Makes you wonder how we kept ours going given some of the shit we have been through.
shepardo01
Well-Known Member
It has been on the edge a few times.
By choice and not by choice. As a cat 2 we get money from the efl and also the esfa as mentioned above because the scholars have to do education until they are 18.
At one point I think the million quid we received from the sale of GB to Newcastle kept it going at that particular stage.
SleepyGinger
Well-Known Member
One of the positives of being generally shit at some points in the last 10-15 years is we were forced to play the likes of Christie Wilson Maddison bayliss etc. They probably wouldn’t of been given a chance otherwise. Going to take a special player to break through from the academy under the current regime, I do believe Robins would give anyone good enough a chance though. Bapaga looks the most likely at the moment.
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Johhny Blue
Well-Known Member
It’s Beermingum innit
Strange decision really apart from Bellingham they sold Che Adams, who we let go at 14, a year or so ago for around £15mill. those two deals show the Acadamy works, I think Brum have a strange owner and despite those huge two transfer fees I don’t think their finances are that good.
I think we signed two or three U/18s this season products of our acadamy that’s probably as good as it gets most years. You do get the odd 16/17 year old scholars taken on before they are 18 though Bapaga being one here, but lucky if you get two or three a year taken on to full professional level it’s a tough dog eat dog world professional football.
I think we signed two or three U/18s this season products of our acadamy that’s probably as good as it gets most years. You do get the odd 16/17 year old scholars taken on before they are 18 though Bapaga being one here, but lucky if you get two or three a year taken on to full professional level it’s a tough dog eat dog world professional football.
Flying Fokker
Well-Known Member
im behind you on that paragraph.
kg82
Well-Known Member
I mean, I get your general point. But Che Adams didn’t come up through their academy, so I’m a bit confused.
Not directly I was giving an example where academies work should have explained more he was at Cov until being released at o14, then went to Oadby before being picked up by Sheffield United then moved to Brum, but he is an Acadamy product and imo makes the Birmingham decision a daft one.
Skyblueweeman
Well-Known Member
Seems like a backwards move to be honest. How many kids will they lose up to the age of 15? If there's a talented youngster who say, goes to another midlands club at the age of 10, I guess they would be less likely to move to another academy halfway through their academy journey...they'd stay put surely?
Our academy has in part, helped us stay afloat over the last 15 years. I can't imagine what would happen if it were to shut.
Our academy has in part, helped us stay afloat over the last 15 years. I can't imagine what would happen if it were to shut.
AFCCOVENTRY
Well-Known Member
To be honest less completion for us in the area. Sisu luckily realise the academy is critical to the club being self sustainable.
skybluesam66
Well-Known Member
Are you sure
If you do not have the physical stature at that age, you will not shine. The smaller players, and late physical developers would quite often not be identified until much later - unless they are exceptional
Skybluefaz
Well-Known Member
I think you are misunderstanding me. I mean players that are already in the academy at Blues. Were in the academy as it may be now.
SBchimp
Well-Known Member
It’s what Brentford did a few years back. They were fed up travelling up and down the country to the likes of Hull, Swansea, Barnsley etc when they didn’t get to play against the big hitters in London. Now they’ll play “friendly” games against Chelsea, West Ham, Spurs etc etc.
Arguably around the midlands in the Cat1 world Leicester, vile, wolves, West Brom, Derby etc will offer them the same.
Don’t think you’ll suddenly see a influx of Birmingham players to our academy, the top ones would go to the clubs above and the rest would be no better than what we already have. I’d expect most to go to Villa as most of the Villa recruitment team have all worked at Blues previously.
It’s a strange decision for me, can’t see it being money related as they’ll no longer get EPPP money from the premier league and will have to fund everything themselves, they’ve also spend a fair amount at their academy/training ground in recent years. The Bellingham sale alone would fund the academy for the next 20 years!
Arguably around the midlands in the Cat1 world Leicester, vile, wolves, West Brom, Derby etc will offer them the same.
Don’t think you’ll suddenly see a influx of Birmingham players to our academy, the top ones would go to the clubs above and the rest would be no better than what we already have. I’d expect most to go to Villa as most of the Villa recruitment team have all worked at Blues previously.
It’s a strange decision for me, can’t see it being money related as they’ll no longer get EPPP money from the premier league and will have to fund everything themselves, they’ve also spend a fair amount at their academy/training ground in recent years. The Bellingham sale alone would fund the academy for the next 20 years!
KenilworthSkyBlue
Well-Known Member
If I were Robins/Adam Bridgeford I'd do everything in my power to get Jude Bellingham's brother to the club.
Apparently he's a better player than Jude.
Apparently he's a better player than Jude.
mrtrench
Well-Known Member
I also think this is daft. For one, although privately owned, I believe that a football club has a moral responsibility to give something to the community. There must also be several intangible benefits of having kids as part of the club. For every 12 year old how many friends and family decide to follow that club?
I agree that we may struggle to get the very cream or Brummie kids, but with our record of success we shouldn't write off the idea of getting some very promising kids.
I agree that we may struggle to get the very cream or Brummie kids, but with our record of success we shouldn't write off the idea of getting some very promising kids.
SBchimp
Well-Known Member
He’ll not be leaving. He’s already playing in their u18s and so would be on their B or C team.
jimmyhillsfanclub
Well-Known Member
Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
Southampton did very similar with numerous players as well.
Now we've got back up to a half-decent level I think we'll see fewer and fewer of the academy break through, which is a shame. But arguably at this level just one every few years could be akin to half a dozen being sold on in the lower leagues in terms of fees.