To think the majority of kids can get into "invite only" football development programmes

I wouldn’t say development centres are easy to get into. My son has been in two and there were plenty of kids that weren’t good enough to join and thus didn’t get it. Academies are completely different though.

A lot of parents get caught out by this because development centres and academies are often marketed similarly, but they're very different things.

In simple terms, an academy is part of a professional club's formal player pathway, whereas a development centre is usually an additional training environment and doesn't automatically lead to academy selection.

I found this guide helpful because it breaks down the differences quite clearly:https://www.footballparent.co.uk/academy-pathway/development-centres-vs-academies

I felt a bit like some of the other parents that I was excited when my son started training with Chelsea/Palace and then quickly realised it wasn't a route into the academy and the coaching was a bit meh.

I find football and competitive football parents absolutely awful. We've had (in Cheshire) parents booing at Under 7s. I mean, come on.

Hockey and cricket parents are so different.

I find gymnastics another one where it's invite / expensive. One of the clubs here looks for an 8-16 hour commitment from age SIX.

I'm all for kids who love the sport having a healthy attitude to fitness and sport. But the parents pushing. OMG just stop embarrassing yourselves 🙈😂

That’s interesting. My son’s old team was JPL and we had Arsenal, Chelsea, Southampton. reading, QPR, Oxford. Watford, Tottenham, Wimbledon acouts at our games regularly.

Four of the boys have now been signed to Category 1 academies for this so it’s a good ground for scouting.

There are a huge amount of independant ‘academies’ around which you have to pay for - these are not true academies.

EFL academies are categorised and you do not have to pay for anything. Nothing. Not the kit, or the pitches, or the coaches or any fees.

if you are paying it’s an independant which anyone can create. EFL academies for example Category 1 are places like Liverpool, Chelsea, , Southampton, Reading etc. They are the premier league for kids.

Dont get me started on the parents who think their kid is the next Messi. Most of these academies run independently won’t produce kids who are scouted and trial at a cat 1 for example which is less than 1% of all kids.

Totally agree, I think they use these development places to yes maybe catch a big fish but also I think they use it to train up the young coaches . I found the ones my boy went too utter rubbish for what it was made out to be. Slightly better than grass roots but utter rubbish to what they make out . They look for these kids that can dribble like messi but these kids are not team players as they are just head down go it alone . My boys the opposite, why dribble went I can pass to him run up the field get it back and score . Every kid plays different and you need an array of different players but these so called talent spotters are just ego trips .

There are academies that are just businesses but the ones joined to clubs are serious in my view .

My son played for the Arsenal, Watford and Luton development centres and I'd say they were all money making schemes. Our experience was that the coaching was pretty average, they actively encouraged dribbling over passing and it wasn't great value for money.

The club academies you don't pay for are entirely different and that gives you some odds (albeit a tiny one) of making it. One of my son's school friends plays for England U18s and has just been signed by Man City but he had to essentially give up on his schooling to do that. Fair play to them but I wouldn't be willing to take that risk.

My son plays for a private academy that we pay a smallish monthly fee for.
He is a great little player but at 9 years of age we are under no illusions that he is the next Ronaldo, he just absolutely loves playing football. He plays grassroots as well, but his team generally annihilate everyone they come across so the private academy means he can play at a more competitive level which he loves. We are also in Wales where it's non-competitive until they're 11/12 with grassroots so this is the only way he can take part in proper competitive tournaments which he adores.
He's made some great friends and while he enjoys it, we will take him along.

My boy has got into a premier league development centre and a championship development centre. They call them ADC,s . My son was getting frustrated at his grassroots team because the players didn’t play the game properly ie passing and were just head down and take the whole team on dribbling. It’s dad’s coaching that have no qualifications and in my opinion can (not always) do way more harm than good. Good coaches are extremely hard to find, ones that make training and matches fun and take away the anxiety, ones that nip it in the bud if other players are being nasty, ones that actually have a really structured training program.

my boys good, I know it and people tell me . To give him that opportunity to advance I took him to some trails and it was a different level and he loved it(but was nervous) I had to pay yes life’s not free and they have to cover costs. It’s 150 quid for 16 sessions. That’s dam cheap for what you’re getting . My grassroots team is £320 a year for some shouty dad to coach them on some field cover in dog mess . The development centre has many coaches! I think it’s 8-1 ratio and great 4g pitches . Safeguarding is priority.

I think there is a lot of jealousy in football that’s the problem. We should pat people on the back not put them down if they want to better themselves . There are academies that are just businesses but the ones joined to clubs are serious in my view . There’s so much talent but it’s never really known until they are 16/17 and nearly fully grown . Kids change as they grow so these clubs cast nets catch a lot of fish and take there chance . The thing every parent MUST do is manage expectations and check themselves to make sure there kids actually is doing it for themselves and not to please their parents . A key indicator is do they watch football tricks on you tube , do they collect cards , do they play with there mates , do they play fifa .

I take my D's to toddler football. I wanted him to be able to kick about on the playground when he starts school.

There are dads there that have bought their sons entire kits with matching boots and spend the 40 mins berating their child, their THREE YEAR OLD for not getting goals etc. The dad's also turn up on a kind of football manager outfit. It would be funny if it wasn't for the poor kids getting shouted at.

At my sons trials there were definitely boys who didnt get in there was no calling it a trial just for the sake of it. 47 trialed and they only needed 28 for 2 teams.

My son plays for an academy which is linked to the first team . They have to attend trials and get picked there is a fee but they train 3 hours a week and the training and ethos of the academy is amazing. Hes been there 3 years and has come on so much. He recently got asked to attend a development centre for a championship team after being seen at a holiday football camp they run. He’s over the moon he just loves playing football.i would say the standard is a bit higher than alot of grass roots he played at before.

Advanced league is exactly as described. Just as in grassroots. We live in a large city. I think there are over 20 divisions in our grassroots set up. Teams are placed in divisions according to results and therefore the overall ability of the players. I've seen division one teams play division five for example, and they are winning by 15* goals. Division one where we live is a very high standard. The ability mix across a whole year is massive. Having ability based divisions means everyone gets to play in a well matched standard, has fun, grows and develops without it being either ridiculously easy or demoralising

This is slightly off topic but relevant to children who get picked up for football young, but I did teach a boy a few years back who was playing for a professional non-league first team at 16 (which is not exactly the premiership, but also we are in the arse end of nowhere with somewhat limited opportunities). At 17 he had some trials for League One and Two clubs, and it seemed like he had a reasonable chance of making it at least in terms of being able to support himself financially from football as a professional. He very nearly dropped out of school part way through his A-levels due to an offer from one of these clubs, but was persuaded to stay on.

By 18, he'd had a one off accident and absolutely knackered one of his knees and likely will never play again. Possibly if he was in a Premiership academy, he'd have access to absolutely amazing medical care and it would be different- I don't know? Possibly the injury was bad enough that wouldn't have been an option anywhere.

If he'd left school he'd have potentially been in a really tricky situation.

It does show that you can get within touching distance of being a "pro" and it can all be lost, just like that. I know, sometimes, with sport you do just have to go for it because there's only a small window of time when you can make money from it, though.

I think football is a little bit different to many other sports, as you can play for a lower league team, and still make enough money to support yourself in your 20s. Whereas in many other sports, you have to probably be top 10 if not top in the country in your age range to stand a chance of making any money! I equally teach a student who was European top 10 for his sport of choice- he will likely never make much money directly from the sport as it is very niche!

My DS hates sport but through his friends and wider circle we know a LOT at these academies. Even academies of the big Premiership clubs seem to be fairly easy for a child of mid primary age to get into. Around 10ish or so they seem to drop the majority though, and it seems to be absolutely gutting for the children and parents alike. (The parents who used the Chelsea academy as bragging rights…)
I know one child who was literally part of 3 academies - two premiership teams and another well regarded one. He played and practiced every day for one of his many teams and the Dad brought it up into conversation every time you saw them. The boy is now year 8 and still plays a lot at school and for local child/ youth teams but was dropped by the 3 academies and it’s clear that football will just be his hobby.

I suppose all the selective teams will take anyone with some promise and they hope over the next few years watching and coaching them the true stars will emerge.

I know, it was tongue in cheek (hard to convey in a post). I meant don't believe everything other parents tell you, it may not mean what you assume it means.
Much like many kids' activities, some football parents can be extremely invested and competitive and will make out like their child is considerably more elite than they are.

‘DS has been in a football training academy for years. He joined the team that is connected to it and plays in an advanced league. So I could accurately describe him as an advanced football academy player, ‘

its not what most people understand an Academy to be though. The only genuine ones are those run by professional clubs.
Not to say there aren’t ALL sorts of different levels at grassroots, but you also get that in the FA grassroots leagues and cups.

Can't edit for some reason, but meant to add that technically DS' team is 'invite only' by the academy main coach. But if there are spaces, a child attends regularly, and can kick a ball, they'll get invited to join a team that suits their ability.

In other words you're not wrong Futb0l, but neither are the other parents inaccurate in what they say, even if they are presenting it like their kids are elite players!

The point is these ‘academies’ aren’t actually academies and that they rarely turn anyone down after a ‘trial’.

JPL -
still paid for. The teams in it have to pay to be in it - it’s not cheap. We’ve turned down having teams in it numerous times in favour of playing in our FA run leagues.
They promise it as a pathway to professional football and it’s no such thing. It’s a business run by a handful of blokes.

From my experience as a football mum, don't assume everything you hear about kids football to be what it seems! It's a very competitive world among some parents!

DS has been in a football training academy for years. He joined the team that is connected to it and plays in an advanced league. So I could accurately describe him as an advanced football academy player, or i could say he plays for a local team. It's just terminology and doesn't mean he's next Ronaldo!

However, there are training academies connected with professional teams. These usually require a trial to get in, which may be by invite or recommendation from a coach with connections to the team. Pushy Parents can apply directly also. The standard required will depend on the demand for places. These appear to be far more demanding than your average local club, and kids will be dropped if they aren't meeting the required standard, or someone better comes along. I don't think this is right for younger kids, and generally seems to be all about fulfilling the parents' ambitions at that age. Once they're older and any real talent is clear, it's different.

I'd recommend getting your child into a local training club or 'academy' if he's interested. Ask other parents or for recommendations on Facebook. You'll usually find a team is connected to the club so if he enjoys it he can join. It's not just about the sport, kids make so many friends and learn lots of useful life skills, through football and team sports training in general. Be wary of over invested parents though, some of the behaviour I've seen from some people over the years is ridiculous!

A friend of mine plays for a Championship club and is a regular in their 1st team.

He was miles ahead of his age group. He also knows a lot of other players who were similarly ahead of their peers who got nowhere near a professional contract.

The numbers involved are immense meaning the prospect of success is ridiculously slim. At the very top level it is getting even harder as the number of foreign born players in UK teams increases significantly thereby making competition for places even more severe.

Knowing what I do about the process I wouldn’t want my DS to get involved as the prospect of success is too slim compared with the sacrifices needed.

They don't pay anything either.

Anyone that is playing for a football club such as Manchester United, stoke, wherever never says they're at an academy in my experience (and I have a lot of watching sport and listening to parents chat experience)
They say they're at city or they're at stoke.

I know 2 boys that are at clubs one on trial and one signed. They are head and shoulders above the rest.

DH's cousin's son was selected for an academy, he played there from 10-18 it was a known team but not premier league. It didn't cost them anything. They paid for him to go to the private school nearest the training ground and for him to be picked up and driven there and home each day (40-60 minutes) , his mum was always very proud but very realistic, they knew the chances of him being a pro were slim but there was no way the family would've afforded private education so that was enough of a win for them. He's now at uni plays on the uni team and goes back in the summer to coach the little ones but football won't be a career for him. It's given him a very good education though.