The beautiful game’s youth system takes on ugly look
THE chances of making the grade in English football’s top flight are less than slim for all but the most supremely talented of individuals. For many of those young players that fail to realise their dream, the effects on their lives and those closest to them can be devastating.
This week, the BBC’s Panorama aired Football’s Broken Dreams [iPlayer], which takes a look at the work of football academies and the structures set up within our game to produce the next round of England superstars and also the rise of some unscrupulous agents looking to exploit them.
Host Rory Carson (below), himself a former pro, spoke to young hopefuls and the parents of those who have made the grade – and those who fell short – and revealed an often grim picture of a footballing ‘factory farm’ that welcomes hundreds of wide-eyed youngsters into its world every season only to leave many struggling when their hopes turn to dust.
The programme pointed a finger at the Elite Player Performance Plan [EPPP], a youth system set up by the Premier League nine years ago with the aim of developing more and better homegrown players.
Vast amounts of money were ploughed in and ambitious targets set as then Football Association chairman Greg Dyke announced his hopes for the future of our national team. ‘At least the semi-finals of Euro 2020 and winning the World Cup in 2022,’ said Dyke, whose first target was surpassed by Gareth Southgate’s team this summer. His second and more ambitious one awaits us in Qatar.
The introduction of the EPPP put more pressure on scouts and coaches to unearth these future footballing gems. With little financial outlay clubs began to recruit more and more young players which in turn, to no one’s real surprise, resulted in more dreams being shattered. And, despite the clubs offering support, many heartbroken young hopefuls suffer problems with their mental health and wellbeing.
And with allegations that some high-profile agents were ‘grooming’ the often struggling families of these footballing prodigies with promises of untold future riches to sign up despite being under age and against FA rules, this investigation paints an ugly picture of the beautiful game.