by blutgraetsche Mon Jul 23, 2007 4:41 am
Results are not that important on the youth level IMHO, like I always said, but they can help, of course (e.g. financially -> good results = more money is being invested in the youth setup). More important is that the youth teams qualify for the international tournaments, so the youngsters get a feeling for big competitions like those at an early age, learn to handle pressure situations etc.
German (football) youth education was basically non existant prior to the EC 2000 disaster, the German FA relied on the huge number of young footballers on the amateur level (no other country has more people playing for a football club than Germany) who did not have any kind of professional training (by pro coaches) at all. Reforms were made (and are still made, it's a neverending process), and we see the results today.
There are quite a few similarities to England / the UK in this respect actually. The same arguments you bring up now (too many foreign players in the league, leaving no room for the homegrown youngsters etc.) were brought up back then also. The Bundesliga, which used to be one of the dominant leagues in the 1990s, got into a financial crisis after media mogul Kirch went bankrupt. You can compare him to Murdoch, albeit on a lesser scale. This financial crisis was a blessing in disguise for German football though, because it forced the clubs to improve their youth setup and give their youngsters a chance (in addition to the efforts by the German FA), simply because it was cheaper than buying established foreigners.
So should you hope that the Sky bubble bursts like it did in Germany almost a decade ago? Probably. It's not just that all the money available to EPL clubs will make them more competitive on the international market, easier for them attract foreign players who make it more difficult for your youngsters. In addition to that, it leads to inflated prices on the domestic market, especially for English talent. If young English players become too expensive, smaller clubs can not afford them, the same clubs where these youngsters could get most match practice which is essential for their development. At a big club, they will get less matches, because the competition for the starting places is much stronger.
What is having an affect to Brit football is the influx of foreign players and coaches. The quality has to go up as young kids will demand like their parents more from grassroots coaching and academies. On the other side of the coin, if the system does not supply the knowhow (which I doubt because there is a $buck$ to be made) Brit football could hurt.
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