KIDS’ GAME IS NOT ALRIGHT

Prem move to stop ‘meat market’ of children

THE Premier League are set for a crackdown on pre-academy football.

The English game’s flagship competition is stepping in to combat a rising tide of what is being termed “early professionalisation”.

Kids as young as seven are being fought over by clubs.

And inducements are reportedly offered to the brightest talent.

The young hopefuls can find themselves at the centre of a bitter tug-of-war between rivals keen to sign up the stars of tomorrow.

But that is just one strand of the problem – and the Premier League are concerned on a number of different fronts.

Changes

They want to limit time that kids can spend at training grounds for Under-9s downwards and also revisit how long they spend travelling.

It is part of a review being carried out and the changes will be published in an updated rulebook ahead of next season. Proposals being discussed include the following:

Q Under-9s to be prohibited from wearing the club’s first-team kit in any match.

Q Contact sessions for each child attending a pre-academy centre must be limited to two per week for Under-7s and three for Under-8s.

Q No overnight stays for tours or matches.

One academy chief, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s very difficult for the

Premier League to regulate seven and eight-year-olds. It’s becoming a meat market – with the best identifiable talent snapped up by the big boys.

“There are all sorts of stories about inducements offered to parents, even at that age. But that’s just one problem.

“There have also been incidences of players attending sessions not seven days a week, but sometimes they’ve even been given two on one day.

“The best are having up to nine sessions per week – that’s too much for any seven or eight-year-old. The Premier League is rightfully concerned about the behaviour.”

There are also discussions over the role being played by social media in the footballing education of these wannabes.

Pressure

It has been known for parents to set up pages on Instagram, showcasing the talents of their offspring, further adding to the pressure on the youngsters.

The academy chief added: “The problem the Premier League have is that clubs may still find a way around it. They’ll just announce associations with leading junior clubs – or set up clubs of their own.

“Hypothetically, Manchester United could set up a club called Red Devils Juniors and Leeds could set up the White Rose Raiders.

“They might not play in the same kits, but essentially they’re the same thing.”

The Premier League have talked to clubs for 18 months about the issues and are now due to agree the rules formally ahead of the new campaign.