Trent Alexander-Arnold on Premier League academies and release of players

1 year ago 46

Trent Alexander-Arnold playing for Liverpool's academy team

Warning: This nonfiction contains a notation to suicide

"I've seen their beingness shattered successful beforehand of me."

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold knows helium is 1 of the fortunate ones.

Premier League champion, Champions League winner, England international. The 24-year-old defender has dedicated astir 2 decades - since joining Liverpool aged six - to scope the precise apical of the game, with each the glory and fiscal rewards that travel with it.

But for each Trent Alexander-Arnold determination are hundreds of thousands of youngsters whose dreams falter - and the affects tin beryllium devastating.

In an Instagram post successful February 2022, Alexander-Arnold revealed helium had seen the interaction being released by a shot nine arsenic a teen tin have, having grown up alongside immoderate youngsters who did not marque the people astatine Liverpool's academy, and appealed to young players with akin experiences to travel forward.

Now, a small implicit a twelvemonth later, Alexander-Arnold tells BBC Breakfast's Sally Nugent wherefore helium is acceptable to help.

'It's clip for change'

It is estimated that of the 1.5 cardinal players who are playing organised younker shot successful England astatine immoderate 1 time, astir 180 - oregon 0.012% - volition marque it arsenic a Premier League professional.

More than three-quarters of academy players are dropped betwixt the ages of 13 and 16.

For immoderate the consequences tin beryllium devastating, with the contented brought into sharper absorption by the decease of erstwhile Manchester City younker subordinate Jeremy Wisten.

Wisten was 18 erstwhile helium took his ain beingness successful October 2020, little than 2 years aft helium had been released by City.

"I've seen first-hand the struggles and difficulties players person erstwhile they're released from shot clubs and it's gone connected excessively agelong and present it's clip for change," Alexander-Arnold says.

In response, Alexander-Arnold is launching the 'The After Academy', an inaugural focused connected providing vocation opportunities to erstwhile academy players.

The scheme, tally successful conjunction with the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), volition spouse with companies to supply occupation opportunities for erstwhile academy players, who volition beryllium supported passim the exertion process.

"For me, the After Academy is simply a imagination and successful that imagination it's rather elemental really: I privation immoderate kid oregon immoderate footballer who gets released from a shot nine to person determination to crook to."

The Premier League issued caller guidance this play stating that each nine academies should supply a three-year 'aftercare' program for each subordinate that is fto spell betwixt the under-17 and under-21 property ranges.

And it has its ain under-16 improvement programme for youngsters who are released by clubs.

A caller 10-year study into the Premier League's Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) said: "It is the unavoidable world of the pathway that the bulk of young radical volition permission the academy strategy without a nonrecreational playing career.

"Therefore, it is important to negociate expectations... the chances of progression correspond the world of elite athletics alternatively than a nonaccomplishment of the academy system."

'It near maine feeling a spot lost'

Trent Alexander-Arnold lifting the Champions League trophy successful 2019

"I wanted to play astatine Anfield. I wanted to play astatine large stadiums but astatine a young property similar that I ne'er thought it would beryllium realistic."

A young Trent Alexander-Arnold had large dreams and large ambitions erstwhile helium joined the Liverpool academy astatine the tender property of six.

Alexander-Arnold made his elder Liverpool debut soon aft his 18th day successful October 2016 and wrong 12 months had established himself arsenic a cardinal constituent of Jurgen Klopp's archetypal team.

He was won 7 large honours with the Reds to date, arsenic good arsenic earning 18 England caps.

But others are not truthful lucky.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Liam Robinson

Liam Robinson, from Preston, played alongside Alexander-Arnold astatine the Liverpool academy and is present a drainage operative astatine United Utilities.

"It was changeless football, football, football. Just dedicated. Everything I did was related to football," helium tells BBC Breakfast.

"I had a program and a imagination to beryllium a nonrecreational footballer whether that was astatine Liverpool oregon not. So I didn't program for thing other arsenic I was truthful focused connected my fig 1 dream.

"Year 10 oregon 11, I was told I was going to beryllium released.

"To beryllium honorable that was astir apt the archetypal heartbreak I've ever gone through. I tin retrieve going backmost to the changing rooms and conscionable bursting into tears. It felt similar everything you had worked for, everything you had sacrificed, successful that infinitesimal it genuinely felt similar it had each been taken distant from you and determination was thing left."

Josh Agbozo, from Liverpool, played alongside Alexander-Arnold astatine Liverpool's academy for 8 years and is present an occupational therapy assistant.

"We were truly adjacent friends from the property of 9 and up until 16 shared the aforesaid travel really, and it was a joyousness playing unneurotic arsenic kids," helium tells BBC Breakfast.

"Being an academy kid was exciting, it was challenging, but you felt similar the apical kid. It besides came with pressure, but I enjoyed it.

"I was released astatine 16, had loads of injuries truthful I wasn't capable to truly amusement what I thought I could do.

"It was tough, being fto go, near maine feeling a spot mislaid and unsure what I could bash next."

For erstwhile players similar Robinson, the feeling of rejection continues to travel them astir agelong aft they near the grooming crushed for the last time.

"I don't deliberation unless you've lived it you genuinely recognize it," helium adds.

"I get passed jokes truthful galore times, 'Oh you utilized to play for Liverpool and present you're doing this'. People walk judgement and they can't deliberation however specified a remark similar that tin really impact someone.

"My manufacture it's sewers, it's drainage truthful you bash get a batch of those broadside jokes and it's light-hearted, radical doesn't deliberation it affects you, but it takes effect.

"It makes you consciousness similar you are worthless oregon you should beryllium doing better."

The intolerable dream? What it takes to marque it arsenic a nonrecreational footballer

'We're not conscionable moving pieces, we're humans'

For Alexander-Arnold, stories similar Liam's and Josh's are sadly a acquainted tale.

After his Instagram appeal, helium was inundated with messages from different erstwhile footballers who struggled aft being released, fuelling his tendency to supply much support.

One subordinate who contacted Alexander-Arnold spoke of their "embarrassment" astatine being released. Another felt similar they had "no intent beyond being a footballer", portion different said helium and his household had gone done "hell".

Alexander-Arnold hopes his caller task volition supply a 'safety net' for released youngsters who consciousness similar they person obscurity to turn, but besides believes the strategy itself whitethorn request to change.

"We're not commodities, we're not conscionable moving pieces," helium says. "We're humans who are sacrificing a batch astatine a young property to adjacent person a tiny accidental astatine this."

What is the existing support?

Premier League manager of shot Neil Saunders said that "ensuring the academy acquisition is simply a life-enriching 1 for each young subordinate is simply a cardinal portion of taking a broader presumption of success".

The Premier League's EPPP was introduced successful 2012 with the purpose of producing much and amended homegrown players.

The Premier League says subordinate attraction is an "integral part" of programme, with 1 of its cardinal objectives ensuring "every young subordinate is amended disconnected for having been portion of the academy system, whether they go a nonrecreational footballer oregon not".

In full the Premier League says much than 150 specializer acquisition and subordinate attraction unit enactment crossed the system

In its EPPP 10-year study the Premier League said:

77% of Premier League academy subordinate parents person moderate-to-high expectations that their kid volition go a nonrecreational footballer.
Despite that, 89% of parents believed the wide academy acquisition was positive
86% of parents agreeing that clubs attraction astir their child's improvement beyond football

"The strategy does not specify its occurrence by the tiny number of boys who person nonrecreational playing careers, but the affirmative improvement outcomes for the 100% that are each academy graduates," the study said. "The academy strategy aims to educate, equip and empower boys to modulation to palmy careers beyond a nonrecreational playing career."

The EFL has a akin acceptable of regulations successful spot for its subordinate clubs, with its Youth Development Rules requiring "personal improvement and life-skills training" for young players.

The EFL added that it is "committed to ensuring that engagement successful the academy strategy is simply a harmless and affirmative acquisition for all" with "provisions successful spot which assistance to hole each idiosyncratic for a beingness extracurricular of nonrecreational sport".

The EFL's League Football Education programme, successful relation with the PFA, provides acquisition opportunities for 16- to 18-year-olds including apprenticeships and A-Levels.

If you person been affected by the issues raised successful this article, assistance and enactment is disposable via BBC Action Line.

How to travel Liverpool connected the BBC banner