Academy yes or no

[Dave]

That's some very good points their Kernow, and yes the DJM is still running, which runs along side the Torbay Pioneer youth league, and the Devon and Exeter youth leagues, all compete against each other in the County cups, can be fun when local teams from Plymouth and Exeter meet. Spoke to an academy parent that I know this evening, they had two sons at our academy, they've told me both were happy and wanted to go back into local football, one has gone to my old club W.B.B JFC the other to Newton Spurs JFC.

This is a link to part of a post made elsewhere that, in the most part sums it up for me.

http://thelondonlabia.proboards.com/thr ... llTo=41442

All this despite the lies, smoke and mirrors of the pro-Thea Bristow camp who refuse to acknowledge that she was the head and majority owner of an insolvent company employing personnel like Geoff Harrop and Kevin Nancekivel who were lying through their teeth to the parents of players they wanted to bring into the club. Did Harrop or Nancekivel ever say to some of these inconsolable and rightfully angry parents that this was a basket case of a club who's modus operandi was unsustainable and that now outside the Football League; the academy was doomed to closure anyway? You bet their bottom dollar they didn't.

Let's see where Tranmere Rovers are with their youth development this time next year if they fail to gain an immediate return to the Football League and the world of full EPPP funding for their academy and THEN make fair comparisons between Steve Breed and Mark Palios!



I've highlighted what I feel are the most relevant parts for me.

Added in 4 minutes 58 seconds:

Mr legend , I am not weeping like a tap

We are not talking about some schoolboy training , your boy would have continued his education the day after being released, however I understand it would have really been uncomfortable for him and the family for a period of time , really glad he continued with his football

We signed a contract for a two year apprenticeship with TUFC , the contract has been broken as they cannot fulfil the youth team games

They will have to supply a suitable alternative whilst providing coaching , education, food and lodgings

Unfortunately the younger boys who had not yet started will find it more difficult to find something at this late stage

Not showing any disrespect to anyone , just a parent at the end of the day

I fully agree on the education, and like I said back down the thread, I wish your son and all the players the best wish's, I've not accused you directly, but I feel some of the posts made regards the club and it's new owners are disrespectful, and I'm going to stand up and answer that.

[Motorman]

Just checked out the other site, I was not aware of it , I think it's cool

[Duncan]

I wonder just how many players have been denied a glamorous career as a professional footballer by this unpopular but necessary decision? By the sounds of it Hundreds, but in reality, not one!

I was speaking to a parent of a player who was released at the end of last season. A very good player, but like an ordinary school leaver, the time had come for him to face up to the real world. He accepted it and moved on.

What this has done is provided a great excuse for some people to divert blame. If only the Academy was still going me/my son would be playing for England.

Dream on...

[SealeHayne23]

Steve it's the only way, no matter how poor. £250,000 would have be the actual cost to the club to retain a cat 3 status, £100,000 for a cat 4 set-up, if we want a competitive first team, how else ? who was going to fund it ?

The academy was totally funded & never took a penny away from first team, so no better off had they given it another couple years you would have seen some excellent players in the first team but hey ho wish you luck but would say part time football beckons

[tomogull]

The academy was totally funded & never took a penny away from first team, so no better off had they given it another couple years you would have seen some excellent players in the first team but hey ho wish you luck but would say part time football beckons

So how was the Academy funded ?

[SealeHayne23]

So how was the Academy funded ?

By the FA & football league all this you only get Half is rubbish it would have been totally funded & all the scholars there wages don't get paid by the club 9 each year group is paid by football league. So by closing it there not really saving any cash and are going end up losing more on gates as lots of academy players & parents went to games

[Dave]

The academy would have received funding last season to cover 2/3rd's of it's costs, actual EPPP rules I do believe, please someone correct me if I'm wrong with proof, if Harrop and his team brought in the other 3rd fine, but next season, which is what I was talking about, the club would have received only 1/3rd, so where would the extra money have come from ? Would the academy staff have been able to cover it with sponsorship, did they even try ? As why would the new owners have shut it down if the full cost was covered, I can fully assure, they would not have.

EDITClick the link and scroll down to academy funding, it's all there. Sorry to avoid a merged post, as we lost our place in the FL as said elsewhere the funding we received changed, as such we would have seen it decease next term and then lost I believe.

http://www.fsf.org.uk/latest-news/view/ ... nt-matters

[lucy6lucy]

Someone at the club had to foot the bill previously (thea). Regardless of funding there was a shortfall that the club had to cover. The new consortium have to cut costs to make the club sustainable and indeed to exist. So from a fans point of view, it's no suprise they have closedown the academy to enable the club to run. Without a club there is no academy. We can't run an academy with no club.

[HopeGloryGulls]

Can you all stop moaning about what has come and passed!
For now we have a first team.. Or will do come the start of the season. BE HAPPY THAT WE DO! If you can't air your approval of a team of people trying to save the club don't say anything at all.
COYY

[Dave]

For further poof, Geoff Harrop's own words on leaving the club.

Due to the first team's inability to stay in the Football League, with the lost funding that brings , we are going to pay the price.



http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/T ... aldexpress

[Trojan 67]

You winey, whinging f*ck*rs are getting on my nerves now. The odds of your dear little precious offspring making it as a full-time Football League professional are long and for making it in the Premier League are longer. Best you can hope for now is for young precious to kick on at a District League club (Waldon, etc) and hope someone like Buckland come in and offer £5 a game to top up their minimum wage for flipping burgers at McDonalds. Welcome to the world of not opportunity, but of the real world of hard f*ck*n knocks.

Dave, Billy's graft and dedication will lead him to success. Remember Robbie Robbins who played South Devon League football for Newton Dynamos ? Went on to be 1st team goalkeeper for Torquay United.

conceive,perceive, receive,

desire, perspire, acquire,

reform, conform, perform,

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

[Dave]

Cheers Troj. And just to show I do have some respect and care, to the locally based U18 lads, who do not want to stay at the club as an old style apprentice, consider applying for either the Chelsea foundation ( south Dartmoor college) or Arsenal soccer schools educational course (newton abbot college) You will train four days a week, and play in a national U19's league on either course, you will be able to complete your education that you started with our club. For those who aren't local, are there similar courses and opportunities in your area.

[chunkygull]

I really don't understand all this academy stuff anyway. When I was playing youth football, me and my mates all played for local teams, and we had a great time. The good and bad all played for local teams, the better players, two from my team, went off for trials with clubs (Blackburn amongst others) but still played for their local teams with their mates. Only one player from my age group from the whole league, which used to be called the DJM league (Devon junior minor, I believe) made it, and that was Luke McCormick. These days it seems anyone who can pass a ball suddenly thinks they can be a professional. I know it's all about improving standards and making the national team stronger, but seriously, just enjoy playing footy, have a laugh, make some friends, if you really are good enough, you'll get picked up, if you're not, which 99.9% of these lads won't be, you won't have wasted 10 years to get heartbroken, you'll just get a job like the rest of us.

I bloody well love this post, this is the way it should be. I knew lads who had played for their schools and local pioneer league and either had trials or affiliation with the likes of Newcastle, Aston Villa, Watford, Torquay, Plymouth, a couple got apprenticeships, a few were only let down by bad injuries or in the end it just wasnt for them.

There have been lots of really good players down the years that I have played with, against or seen, when it comes to talent and skill there are many, many young lads on a similar level and if it came down to that alone more pros would be produced, but as we all know it takes much more, such as superior fitness, apptitude and the right mentality and attitude. Many would have failed on the attitude though as it seems to go to their head.

I personally feel the old apprenticeship way is good enough going forward for TUFC, especially as cost would be minimal. What would be wrong with taking on and training a few of the best young lads at 16 each year if they have been tearing it up playing for their local teams and schools, let them play for the best local/regional teams on a Saturday to get match time and experience because we wont have any youth team obviously, if they are good enough the quality will always show through, the cream will rise to the top. I know a lot of the best will likely be at an academy elsewhere by the time they are 16, but there are bound to be a few players still about, to say the dream ends at 16 for many just because they arent at an academy or an academy has let them go is just not right surely, they have barely played the game by then and they certainly havent encountered any tough competetive football if they arent allowed to play matches for teams.

[A Realist]

Raising money for the club was the job of the Commercial Manager wasn't it? That worked out well.

Is this the commercial manager who just brought hundreds of thousands into the club with the consortium you mean?

[Trojan 67]

During the seasons 1971/72 and 1972/73, Torquay United fielded three teams :

1st team in the Football League
Reserves in the Western League (home games played at Plainmoor)
Youth team (Colts) in the South Devon Youth League (home games played at Newton Abbot Recreation Ground)

Torquay United operated "old style"(with full time apprentices). Due to FA regulations of the time, full time apprentices were not permitted to play in local "amateur" leagues including the youth league, but "amateurs" could play in part time/professional leagues. The Western League side of the time, at any given time, could be made up of a combination of 1st team players, apprentices, trial players, players from local leagues and youth team players.

Young 16 - 18 year old kids playing in that tough Western League soon learnt how to "kick their own grannie".