Yet, across English football, professional clubs are scouting children as young as five, persuading 11-year-olds to sign contracts tied to private school education, and even offering houses to parents of teenagers who show potential.

But the big question is: are clubs doing this to genuinely develop players, or simply to stop rivals from signing them?

The Harsh Reality of Academy Football

English football academies have come under heavy criticism in recent years. Despite millions being invested, very few academy players are breaking into first teams. Instead, many clubs are relying on big-money transfers in their pursuit of instant success.

The figures are stark:

• There are currently around 12,500 players in the English academy system.

• Only 0.5% of under-nines at top clubs are likely to make it through to the first team.

• Dropout rates between ages 13 and 16 are alarmingly high, with some research suggesting it could be as high as 76%—similar to rugby union.

For most young players, the dream ends before it even begins.

From Farming to Fast Food Football

Historically, football clubs were rooted in their communities. They invested in young, local players, nurturing them through youth systems with a visible ladder to the first team. These clubs were the heart and soul of their towns and cities.

But modern football has shifted. Many clubs are now owned by individuals or groups with little connection to the local area. Instead of sowing seeds and patiently developing homegrown talent, the focus has become short-term success—a “fast food” approach to football.

Academies are packed with talented youngsters, but opportunities are scarce. Many capable players are overlooked as clubs chase instant results, often signing ready-made stars from abroad. This shift has not only stifled academy pathways but also damaged grassroots football, leaving many questioning whether the system is broken.

Are We Missing Late Developers?

The current model leaves little room for late bloomers. Players like Jamie Vardy, who rose through non-league and became an international star in his late 20s, highlight how talent can slip through the cracks.

Thousands of children are being released from academies each year, many of whom might thrive if given more time and the right environment. Instead, they are discarded by a system obsessed with identifying the next superstar as early as possible.

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Time for Change in English Football?

With foreign players already dominating the Premier League, opportunities for academy graduates are becoming even harder to come by. So, is it time for a rethink?

• Should academies focus more on developing players for the long term rather than stockpiling talent?

• Should grassroots football play a bigger role in bridging the gap to professional clubs?

• And should the scouting process be redesigned to stop overlooking potential late developers?

Final Whistle

The current academy model feels unsustainable and unfair. While a lucky few make it to the first team, thousands more are left behind, often without the right support.

At grassroots level, we believe more needs to be done to ensure every young player has a fair chance to develop and enjoy the game, not just those who peak early.

What do you think? Are professional clubs getting it wrong with kids, and what changes would you like to see in youth development? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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What exactly is Osgood Schlatters?

Essentially it is painful inflammation or irritation of the bone growth plate in the shin bone (tibia bone) which is just below the knee cap.

It generally happens in children between the ages of 9-14, when they have a growth spurt and is more common in boys and those who are particularly active in sport and exercise..

This condition normally goes away when your child stops growing and should not cause long lasting issues provided you manage it correctly.

What are the causes and symptoms?

If your child is very active with exercise and sport then this can lead to it. Pain below the knee cap is one of the most common symptoms, and it is often painful to touch and can be accompanied by a lump in the area of pain (the tibial tuberosity)

Your child may also find walking up and down the stairs hard to do as well and bending down onto their knees.

How can we help our kids?

Listen to your child and do NOT let your child play through the pain. This can only increase the amount of time it takes to recover, and lead to them to not being able to play the sport they love for a longer period of time!

Get an assessment from a therapist who can assess and treat where appropriate. Sports massage from a professional on the surrounding soft tissue can help reduce tension. REST is important for children with this condition. The tibial tuberosity should be pain free to touch before recommencing exercise.

Before a return to sport a period of supervised progression of exercise should take place to prepare the body. Make sure your child warms up correctly before exercise. When returning to sport a protective knee pad/support can help. Particular for sports played on hard ground. Correct footwear is important and shock absorbing insoles can help in some cases

A little foam rolling and stretching could help relieve symptoms and aid preventing the issue. Below is the links to a few exercises that could be used to help. There are plenty more out there so this is to give you a few ideas. If your child plays a lot of sport it is worth educating them on how to start to look after themselves. Its not hard and it can be done while they watch the TV too!

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Quad foam rolling
https://youtu.be/bCHk714PKW8

Hip flexor stretch – this is better with a cushion under the knee and would not be suitable if the knee is painful when rested on the floor
https://youtu.be/l8dlsdLqkxI

Calf foam rolling
https://youtu.be/NKD-vO0FGcs

Calf stretch
https://youtu.be/PJvrqVCtk7E

Hip strengthening exercises (one example here)
https://youtu.be/t_ZttZH7O-E

If you have any questions your welcome to email me at info@richknightperformance.com or even check out my facebook page www.facebook.com/richknightperformance which is full of useful self help videos which can be used by you and your family alike.

1) Young children are not mini-versions of adults

As much as they will be adults one day, the young players in your care are certainly not there yet. We must understand and recognise that we can’t treat them in the same way as we would our peers.  We must always have the well-being of each of the children in our care as the priority. The session must fully engage the young players no matter what the weather.

2) Get the players moving as soon as they arrive

In poor weather keeping the players busy is vital. Young children will go cold quickly – almost without noticing –  and once they are cold they will really struggle to warm up again. Telling them to run around a bit more won’t help either unfortunately – it’s too late by then.

An arrival activity is vital. The children should arrive warm and getting them active early is crucial.  Little games of tag, mini 1v1s or 2v2s, and small fundamental movement games will all do this. Make sure you have this section in your session plan ready to go whatever the weather.

3) No queues and keep all the players involved

Having queues of children waiting for their turn is a big no-no in any session let alone on a cold, wet day.  Can you find ways to make sure all the players are all involved all of the time?  If you are struggling for equipment could you set up two or three smaller areas rather than one in order to cut down any form of waiting?

4) Use games during training

Consider what the players expect football to look like. What’s the first question they ask:  ‘When are we playing a match?’  Wet and cold sessions are perfect for match time as it keeps them all involved and active. Play mini 3v3s on a couple of pitches to keep all involved and then carefully manage how you intervene to coach.

5) Work with individuals rather than stopping the whole group

Children don’t like coaches talking for ages at the best of times but on a wet day it’s even more important to keep communication concise. Can you coach individuals whilst the game plays on around them?  Could you give quick challenges to players ‘on the fly’ as they pass you?  Could you set yourself a challenge to intervene for no longer than 30 seconds?  The kids would really appreciate this.

6) Consider practice design and progression

Spend time on planning the session. Will you use a technique-skill-game format or whole-part-whole or a myriad of other templates?  Which will increase playing time the most and which may lead to times of relative inactivity?  How can you create excitement and therefore engagement?  Can you always have a scoring system in place? Can you ensure that if any defender wins the ball they have a way to attack and score too to keep games flowing?

How you progress the session needs to be thought about too.  Can you progress some players without stopping all of them at the same time?  Think about working the session with players in groups; perhaps advance the better players first before gradually progressing the weaker players later on, meaning that they’ll get the extra practice time they need.  This also means that as you talk to each group two-thirds of your team are still active and warm.

7) If in doubt: play matches

If you’re ever in doubt or get caught by the rain or bad weather half-way through a session revert back to several small matches.  Smaller sized matches promote ball contacts, in and out of possession play, transition and game craft. They also ensure that players are never more than one pass away from the ball, so engagement and activity levels stay high.

8) Have some rules about correct kit

It’s important to have some rules or conditions regarding kit. I’ve had children arriving in t-shirt and shorts to sessions in December and I’ve had to take the hard decision to turn them away. Parents sometimes feel that it’s okay because they’ll be running around at football – yes, but they will only be warm if they start warm in the first place. Perhaps having a club wet-weather policy would be a good idea?

We can take note from cricketers playing in early April or late September. They wear lots of thin layers rather than a couple of large ones to keep heat in.  Encourage your players to do the same. It’s nothing different to what my mum used to shout as I ran off to training:  “You can always take some off, if you get too hot”.

9) Safety and welfare are top priority, but each individual is different

We have a responsibility to the children and their parents to look after them and always to make decisions in their best interests.  Safety and welfare are the top priority but we also mustn’t shy away from playing just because the weather isn’t great.

In a grassroots setting I worked in previously we had a rule – if the kids turned up then we would play. It was the choice of the group and their parents if we played.  This meant that sometimes we played for just 30 minutes instead of the full hour, sometimes the session plan went out of the window and we just played little games and sometimes we led sessions with only three or four kids.

What we must always understand is that every child is different, some will love and thrive in the terrible weather whereas others will hate it. Either way, they are both likely to remember it for a life time.

We must make certain that our coaching fosters a love of the game and a love of playing it. Make sure that when you are next faced with bad weather you make decisions and plans based on the best interests of the little people that turn up each week to play the great game of football with you.

10) Find a way to use the weather to create memories

Some of my fondest experiences as a kid were playing outside in terrible weather.  I still remember my first game in snow and the excitement playing with an orange ball for the first time gave us, the sliding tackles that seemed to last a full 30 yards through the midfield mud-pit and the diving headers that gave such a splash landing that if you timed it well could soak the watching parents.

We must appreciate that we could be building memories for our players; let’s make sure they are positive ones where the kids can’t wait to play the next time it rains. Starting to implement all of the above is a good foundation to start from.

Courtesy of The FA.

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Progressions:

– Limit amount of touches once through the gate

– Have to shoot before the gate (Shooting rather than finishing)

Add a defender

– Can start without a goalkeeper (targets in the corners etc)

Key Points:

– From close place the shot in the corners with the inside of the foot

– From far away use laces

– Can use the part of the foot between the laces and inside

– If cutting inside use closest foot to goal, if going outside use furthest foot to goal

– Get to the end with as little/many touches as possible

– Go to both sides before getting to the end

– Use a certain part of the foot

– Perform a certain skill at least 3 times on the way to the end

– Beat a player (add a defender)

-Juggle as many times as possible on the way to the end

– Perform a certain turn 3 times on the way there

Key points:

– Head up (looking for space/defenders)

– Touches on all parts of the feet

– Big or small touches

– Skills and turn tech

I’m absolutely appalled by the response from some of the parents who openly said in front of other parents and players, “Your out of order, to keep things fair you should have chosen anyone but your son”

What!!!!

To keep things fair I should not even have considered one of the players!!! My own son, I wonder how anyone else would feel if I had said the same about their child.

If I had given this award to any other player, not an eyebrow would have been raised, I can’t believe how much animosity it has caused to award my son with something.

It was a difficult decision, I considered many factors:

• Attitude
• Going above and beyond
• Sacrificing for the team
• Willing to play in goal and Defence
• Virtually every game starting on the bench
• Helping me set up and put away whatever the weather
• Attending club and league meetings
• Patting me on the back when I was down

My son deserved the award, It wasn’t “Because it was my son” thats why it took me so long to make the decision.

I can stand with my head held high and say I made the right decision for the right reasons, Why does my son, also a team member not deserve to be eligible for managers player. I would love to know the general opinion on this if possible.

Progressions: 

– Open up into a normal two goal game 

– Add more players on each team/lake away the neutral 

Key Points: 

– Quick passing 

– Width and depth (movement to open up angles, options wide and pivot players) 

– Open up on back foot and play

Progressions:

– Add defenders.

– Make the middle area smaller.

1: Players can not go into the triangle and must stay near the outside. One player is the chaser while the other is trying to get away. Swap over each time someone gets tagged. Both players have a ball.
2: One player is in the triangle without a ball while the other is on the outside with a ball. The player with the ball has to try and get through the triangle without getting tackled by the defender to score. If they get tackled then the players swap roles.
3: Both players are inside the triangle with one ball. The player at the end of the time limit with the ball wins. If a player kicks it out then the other player gets the ball.

Key points:
-Change speed and direction to beat/trick the defender
– Use certain skills – Small, quick touches on the ball
– Look for space/gaps
– Use body to keep the other player away froth the ball (shielding technique: ball far side, body side on to see both player and ball, if the other player steps one way roll the ball the other etc)

Progressions:

– Defending team can go anywhere but can only fill 3 channels at a time.

– Defending team can go anywhere.

Key Points:

The fullback and wingers should get into the channels as soon as the team gains possession (quick, sharp movements wide).

– They shouldn’t fill the same channel. Depending on the situation, either the winger drives in and the full back goes wide (and possibly overlaps) or the winger pulls wide and the full back steps in to be able to play a ball down the channel to the winger.

– Communication and awareness from both the full back and winger.

– Central players look to play within the attacking princes, play forward early and if not, play into the channels. Look at which option and which channel has the most space and potential for attack.