What is the Skeleton behind these football Academies? How young is TOO young?
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 athletes and the sports that they play. The kids want to be just like their idol. With this fantasy, it is easy for clubs to lure kids in with the slim shot of actually MAKING IT BIG. When the reality sets in it, when the academies no longer want has usually caused a complete uproot of the family and the child.
The comparison can be drawn to how rock stars were as rock-stars were 50 years ago.
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| Kids wanting to be just like their idols. |
The Good and the Bad!
Sports are proven to be beneficial for developing children. It is an amazing way to build friendships and develop circuital life skills to use throughout life. Now, earlier than ever, children are pushed onto parents are pushing for kids to start to play sports. The question now arises at what level of intensity does sports stop being beneficial.The high intensity that these kids devote their lives can have adverse effects to the kids. What should these clubs do? They do not want to pay the outrages prices of Ronaldo and would much rather receive the player from their farm system. Making sure to not miss out on the next great football player, clubs are forced to look for younger and younger players.
This is a very interesting topic and I think that it is really a tough call as to when it is too young to play. I started playing travel soccer when I was 8 years old and would not trade a second of my experience away or have pushed back starting. However, I do see the negative impact that these professional academies can have on kids, especially the ones who don't make it. Often times education is not prioritized and the kids are left without a fall back option because soccer was their entire life. But I do think that sports are very beneficial to development by teaching valuable lessons and are a way to make lifelong friends. People also talk about not wanting to miss the critical window of a child's development from about 9-13 when picking up a new skill is very easy, because it can lower their ceiling for eventual success. Do you think that pushing back the age will affect the overall skill level of these kids?
ReplyDeleteI think that pushing back the age should not be prioritized so much as guarantees of education enforced. I agree with you that the benefits of sport are huge at any age, and that kids in the academies can learn valuable skills and lessons and build lasting friendships. The two issues I think are most important are that these kids still have access to their families and time off from sport to unwind, rather than nonstop practice and competition. I also think that education must be closely monitored and regulated. If this happens, I do not see any serious issues with academies for players as young as 9.
DeleteI completely agree, education for these players is really important and so is some time off to unwind and relax a little bit. I could see many of them getting burnt out and not want to play anymore if they are constantly going all the time.
DeleteI think this topic is extremely important to both the youth in the United States and in Europe, as soccer is continuing to gain popularity in the States and has cemented itself as the most popular sport in Europe. The obvious positive is that the sport can teach kids at a young age the importance of teamwork and hardwork, and the competitive nature of these clubs only enhances that. An oft-overlooked positive aspect is that these clubs can provide an opportunity to extremely talented underprivileged kids to rise up and make a career out of soccer, immensely benefitting their family. At the same time, however, the harsh reality is that the majority of these kids will not make it to the top, and the hundreds of hours of practice and work they put in will not result in their dream becoming reality. This begs the question - is the intensity of these youth clubs too much? I think that we need to focus on educating parents about the amount of time and energy these clubs truly take up, and that they should seriously consider this before bringing their kid to tryout for one. We should also work to set up and support local leagues that operate separate from these elite clubs. Through this, kids will still be able to gain the valuable skills that come from playing competitive soccer, while avoiding the extreme intensity of these clubs.
ReplyDelete- Siobhan O'Loughlin
This is an interesting trend that is starting across the global. I have since this trend starting in the United States. I played competitive traveling lacrosse starting in high school, but my club team has started working with young girls in middle school (roughly 9 years old). However, this differs from the academies because we were living at home. I think the academy ends up controlling the child's life to an extent that is unhealthy. I did a tour of Benefica in Lisbon and they had kids playing starting at age 3. I agree that it is healthy to start playing sports young, but the control of the academies are too intense. I think the starting age needs to be older.
ReplyDelete-Alison
I do not think that the starting age needs to be older so much as the intensity at the young age needs to be restricted. Young kids learning that sports are fun and learning the lessons of these sports can only benefit them. However, there must still be regular education and interaction with family. I think academies should wait for kids to mature, but that youth programs at young ages are good for kids.
DeleteAlison,
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree on your point that the recruiting age of the players should be older, I would argue that the "control" that these academies have over their players lives - while certainly a lot - is better than some of the similar alternative systems and methods employed by athletes and their parents in the United States.
For example, my brother has been playing travel baseball since the age of seven. Now at the age of sixteen and a junior in high school, a lot of the boys he used to play with have been pulled out of their current private/public schools and enrolled in home-schooling or online schooling programs by their parents; their reasoning for doing this is to "improve their child's overall athleticism." Basically, these players took a year off from school with the hopes of returning a year later with what they believe will be more advanced sporting skills, since they do not have to worry about time being taken up by academic responsibilities.
From my perspective, the overall costs of these alternative US systems are worse than those of the academies in Europe. While a player's commitment within an academy is all-encompassing, the academies still incorporate normal academics alongside practice. In contrast, the alternative courses of action taken by parents and players in the US could lead to the loss of a year's worth of income, as the players now have to spend another year in school, and there is still a chance that these players won't make it professionally either!
I would beg the question: are there policies or courses of action that the academies themselves could take in order to ensure that those players who do not make it professionally are still able to pursue desirable career paths or higher education?
- Jenna
I agree this is an issue in the United States. I am curious what it the academic culture is like in the academies as well.
DeleteI think this is an issue in the the states that continues into college as many athletes pursue easy degrees that will not be useful post college. Maybe the academies are better in this sense because athletes know younger that they will not make it pro and are able to focus on academics in university. I would love to know more about this!
Cole, I think it is difficult to determine if pushing back the age will affect the player's skill. I think that 8 years old is honestly a little young to be putting a child through the academy experience. Often the kids that are the best players at that age aren't the ones that develop into the best players. I feel like when scouting that young, players who are the most developed physically are often the ones picked. Those players may peak early and not make the cut at older ages. I think it is important that players get the right coaching and development at that age but 8 years old seems too young.
ReplyDelete- Ryan Fincher
This makes a lot of sense and I agree that the best players at 8 years old rarely are the best when they are 15 or 16 and it is usually based completely on physical size when they're young. I think that it totally depends on the environment that the kids are put in while their young. 8 is definitely very young to be put into a demanding academy, but if it is more laid back and just a way to teach skills and and improve, rather than to demand winning I think it is ok. Time with family is another aspect I think needs to be addressed to allow these kids to have time off, go to school, and be normal kids off the field. I know I would have had a really hard time at that age if I had to be away from my family all the time.
DeleteThis is an interesting topic for discussion. As many people have said, sports can be crucial to a person's childhood. This being said, sports can either make or break your childhood. I agree with Siobhan about parents needing to have the responsibility of actually looking into this intense program and preparing their children well enough. Only then should children enter into this program. But, even though failure can be discouraging for children, it is a part of life which may also help the child grow in a different way. In general, I think that these clubs need to allow time for other activities when the children first enter the program, and then gradually increase the hours that they are expected to practice so that the children who seem like they are going to succeed can be chosen and the others who seem not as suitable have not given up a chunk of their life for no great reward.
ReplyDelete