Youth Academies of today... Correlation with $$$?



Does money has an influence on a kid’s opportunity to be picked up by elite European Clubs?








          It’s not uncommon for families to have to alter their lives, careers, and families to adjust to the lifestyle that’s required from academies such as La Masia. Is it easier for the financially stable to invest into this life change? Very few of the young recruits even make it to the second team, and a many get cut before 18. With parents knowing this Do they see their child becoming the next Christiano Ronaldo? OR do they just want their kid to get the experience? Families may have a hard time re-rooting after leaving everything to follow their kid on their quest to be the very best.


         
         Thousands of hours logged on the pitch, and years of their adolescence dedicated to a single sport. Football. The years spent at the academies fundamentally alters their childhood. All can change in a day. The academy now no longer sees a need for the player, they’re out of the club. This has dramatic implications for the athlete. A very important decision now must be made. Do they pursue other soccer ventures and continue to play the sport they love? Or do they hang up their cleats and walk away from the sport forever?  


Do parents see their child becoming the next Christiano Ronaldo? OR do they just want their kid to get the experience? Or could it be opportunities to be seen at a young age and begin development sooner. The actual probability of making it “Big” is so incredibly slim. With the Academies reach of children stretching all over the world, more children are being recruited.
-Bryce & Joe

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