Are European Football Academies Good or Bad?

The San Diego Unified School District will be the first school district in the US to team up with FC Barcelona's FCBescola soccer academy this year. This news comes less than a week before MLS's FC Dallas and Bundesliga's FC Bayern announce a partnership at the youth development level. FC Dallas boasts the highest proportion of youth academy players on their team, with 20, while Bayern Munich is proud of developing stars such as Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels and David Alaba through their youth programs. (pictured above: Muller, Hummels, and Alaba) It's obvious that elite football clubs in Europe are starting to realize the importance of expanding their influence over youth development around the world. Will other clubs see these partnerships as a threat, and if so, how will they respond?

  9 &Under?  The current age for any child to join a football academy is 9 years of age. This current regulation is a very general law and teams with wealth often find cleaver ways around it. As early as possible these clubs introduce "development programs" to cater to the youngest of players. It is here where coaches and scouts will get there first glimpses of the kids. The main goal at this age is not to preform at the highest of levels or gain stardom, but instead, to learn to play as a team and begin to understand the ins and outs of such a complex sport. Obedience is taught to run through their veins.   In the 21st century, athletes are every child's role model. Famous athletes are everywhere in society and have an impact on all ages. Young kids look up to athletes as hero's, and hold them to almost a superhero status. The comparison can be drawn to how rock stars were as rock-stars were 40 years ago. Children have such a passion for these athlet...

FC Barcelona's elite La Masia youth academy has been losing top players in the last few years, despite possessing a first team that some say is once in a generation.  However, this may be a common trend for the richest club's in football. Team's who don't have the financial resources compared to giants like FC Barcelona, may have more incentive to take risks on homegrown players. With the likes of Messi, Pique, Busquets, and Iniesta, La Masia graduates dominate first team playing time, giving prospective youth talent less hope of getting the chance at some first team minutes. It may be correlated that other wealthy power houses have had problems producing talent of their own. Manchester United, for example, hasn't produced anyone of genuine quality since the Class of 1992, boasting David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Phil Neville. While having more money and success on the field doesn't necessarily mean these clubs are putting l...

European football academies have been developing some of the world's finest footballers for decades. In the case of F.C. Barcelona, club legends such as Messi and Pique have progressed through La Masia to the starting 11. These academies sound like terrific opportunities for the players and the club. But what about all the players who don't make the team? Athletes who are taken from their schools and friends at a young age to play for these academies, only to not make the cut at the professional level. What types of consequences occur? Have we turned a blind eye to the negative aspects of footballing academies or do the positives of these institutions outweigh the imperfect outcomes?