Trent Alexander-Arnold: Your stories of football academy experiences

1 year ago 27

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold has launched 'The After Academy' - an inaugural to assistance young players released by shot clubs.

BBC Sport & BBC Radio 5 Live asked readers and listeners for their academy experiences - and this is what they said.

Short presentational grey line

Many of you who got successful interaction spoke of a mislaid 'identity', erstwhile you're nary longer a 'footballer' aft being released from a club.

Richard, 35, from Newcastle said helium was "devastated" erstwhile his mum told him helium had been dropped from an academy.

"I felt similar I had nary personality, nary identity, it was everything astir who I was," helium said.

"Immediately after, I said I'd ne'er play shot again and slid into cause and intoxicant addiction which I inactive conflict with today.

"Gazza said thing similar 'all the lads successful Newcastle play shot and erstwhile they don't marque it they conscionable get drunk'."

Some respondents said they had struggled with their intelligence wellness aft being fto spell by clubs, portion others inactive woody with the carnal interaction of injuries.

Ryan, 18, from Brighton said helium inactive "feels lost" 3 years aft his release.

"I was an academy footballer from property six up to 15 - it was everything, and consumed my beingness and I didn't spot overmuch other beyond that.

"Now, I'm a fewer weeks distant from my A-levels. I'm academically not determination owed to sacrifices astatine a younger property and I person nary jobs I tin spell to aft assemblage due to the fact that of my full life's dedication to becoming pro."

Rich from Wrexham said helium was released by Aston Villa and Coventry arsenic a teenager, and believes the affectional wounds are hard to heal for astir young footballers.

"Every azygous person oregon household subordinate knows astir the vocation you are hoping to build," helium said.

"Then erstwhile you get released it is humiliating and embarrassing, not lone successful beforehand of your ex team-mates but besides to your friends astatine schoolhouse oregon household members you consciousness you person fto down.

"Is the clip and miles travelled going to younker games, trials, nationalist schoolboy games truly worthy it? I accidental determination volition ever beryllium radical acceptable to rotation the dice and person a gamble.

"But nary of the team-mates I had astatine Villa, Coventry oregon Wales went connected to immoderate big-time career, not one."

Former Reading apprentice Tom, 34, came done the Royals strategy with Shane Long and Hal Robson-Kanu earlier being released astatine 19.

He took a assistance to play for Team Bath and survey astatine the University of Bath earlier forging a vocation successful finance.

"Your beingness is placed astatine a crossroads and you instantly spell from an unthinkable accidental to being backmost astatine quadrate 1 - the opposition betwixt occurrence and nonaccomplishment is truthful stark," helium said.

"I was fortunate to person a beardown enactment web of household and friends astir me.

"Others were not truthful fortunate and are near astatine the extremity of their teenage years with nary oregon constricted qualifications and overmuch much challenging situations. Some of my ex-team-mates served clip successful prison."

'Unhappy memories of crushed boys and families'

Many parents besides got successful touch, with disapproval of immoderate clubs for 'selling a dream' to excessively galore youngsters.

Billy from Ayrshire said his son's experiences of academy shot successful Scotland near him with "numerous unhappy memories of crushed boys and families".

"The mode underachieving boys were treated was horrendous. They were fto spell without announcement and with nary aftercare support. It's tragic."

Neil from Dumfries, meanwhile, pointed the digit squarely astatine clubs' greed successful stockpiling young players, lone to discard the majority.

"Kids are being devastated left, close and centre - it's the clubs' responsibility due to the fact that they are allowing scouts to motion 200-300 kids astatine a clip and being paid connected 3 oregon 4 making it," helium said.

"They are signing anybody they tin which stops them playing for schools, stops the enjoyment of the crippled - everything is grooming but it is each for fiscal benefit."

'Football should larn from American assemblage system'

Philip from Plymouth classes his son's merchandise from a nine academy astatine the property of 16 arsenic a "very fortunate escape" due to the fact that it enabled him to enactment astatine schoolhouse and survey A-levels earlier continuing his acquisition successful the US, wherever helium is undertaking a biochemistry grade and playing shot successful their assemblage system.

In America, colleges are utilized arsenic a precursor to nonrecreational sport, ensuring aboriginal stars person an acquisition to autumn backmost on.

"None of this would person been imaginable if helium had been offered an apprenticeship with the nine betwixt 16 and 18," Philip said.

"He would person had to permission schoolhouse and could not person taken A-levels - the lone continued acquisition connected connection was a BTEC successful PE. We could larn a batch from the American assemblage strategy wherever it is imaginable to proceed meaningful world survey portion grooming arsenic an athlete.

"This means if you bash not marque it astatine 18 oregon 21 you inactive person a batch of options. With the academy strategy if you are released immoderate clip aft the property of 16 you are efficaciously near with nothing, having been forced to wantonness your education."

Paul from Harrogate shared his son's akin acquisition of moving to the States aft being released, adding: "How does the USA negociate to connection incentivised elite show athletics proviso successful tertiary acquisition - wherefore aren't the richest clubs successful the satellite present successful the UK obliged to money specified programmes done our ain colleges and universities?"

'A work and motivation obligation'

While the deficiency of attraction from clubs for released players was a recurring taxable among the responses, Crystal Palace received praise for the mode it supports young footballers faced with specified situations.

Palace was credited by 1 responsive arsenic being a "model to follow" successful presumption of aftercare.

When the Eagles enhanced their programme successful 2022, president Steve Parish said: "We person a work and motivation work to nurture and usher each the 200-plus players wrong our care.

"That typically begins with america providing introductions to caller clubs oregon continuing to see the players successful matches to alteration different clubs to ticker them play.

"It whitethorn besides beryllium astir helping them proceed their acquisition oregon statesman a beingness extracurricular of shot successful the workplace."

BBC Sport asked some the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) for comment.

"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," said Neil Saunders, the Premier League's manager of football.

"Around 16% of the academy workforce person experienced the academy arsenic a subordinate and those lived experiences tin lone assistance to enactment the improvement of young people."

The EFL said determination was an expanding consciousness of the contented among clubs who were taking measures to amended successful the area.

"While not each young players who travel done academies volition win successful getting a nonrecreational declaration oregon having a prolonged nonrecreational career, provisions are successful spot which assistance to hole each idiosyncratic for beingness extracurricular of nonrecreational sport, equipping them with the skills and cognition needed to succeed," an EFL spokesperson said.

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