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Forget Arsenal and Chelsea. Watford go Dutch in their search for the next Ashley Young
When you have some of the biggest clubs in the world on your doorstep – like Arsenal and Chelsea – then it’s not easy to attract young talent.
But Watford are tackling their difficult situation with a pioneering academy that is based on the Ajax model.
They recruit 50 children for a state-funded school – called Harefields – where they allow youngsters to divide their time between studying and twice-daily football training.
Accommodation will soon be built at the location so that children can stay there on a full-time basis.
‘The project that we are running here is unique,’ explains academy coach Nick Cox.
‘There’s no other club in Great Britain doing it. There are clubs abroad doing it. Ajax would be the obvious example. But we also looked at clubs like Willem II and PSV.
‘We will have better academic success than any other club this year at GSCE level and we are producing better players than we’ve ever produced. Players are looking at us thinking “Yes, I can go to a big Premiership club and there’s the glamour and the glitz. I can wear the shirt of the Premiership club”.
But parents are now realising “Well, if my child goes to Watford, I’m going to get a good education and better, more contact time than any other club. And I can see a pathway through to the first team. I can see that, if I go to Watford, there are boys who have come through their academy and in their first team".
In our first team squad, out of 25, there are 13 who are academy products. That’s going to attract the best players to us.’
Watford have close links with many clubs abroad. The youth team played a friendly against Inter Milan in Italy earlier this season.
But Holland is the country that they have focused on most.
Cox explains: ‘We have visited several clubs over the years but the one that we got the most from was Willem II.
They're a similar sized club to us and their neighbours are PSV. Our next door neighbours, literally over the other side of the hedge (at our training ground), are Arsenal.
‘We weren’t the largest, most glamorous club in the area, with the largest fan base or the biggest population and catchment area. So we wanted to copy a club that was similar to us.
We spent a lot of time over there but they are actually coming to us next week because they seem to think we have now over-taken them. We have invited clubs with open arms to come and see what we’re doing.
We actually think what we’re doing could have an impact on English football. This way, we might produce better footballers who go on to represent the national team.’
Youth development is becoming a priority for clubs of Watford’s stature.
‘For a club like Watford, the emphasis is more on youth because of the inflated transfer prices,’ says Cox. ‘We can’t go and buy a top-class centre forward because he’s going to cost us £8million. We can’t buy an average footballer for £2million. For smaller clubs, you’ve got to produce your own.
‘If you produce top talent, someone is going to try to pinch them off you for a big amount of money. That might keep some clubs in existence. For a League One or League Two club, if you can produce a top player then you might just be able to pay the players’ wages for another season.
‘We’d like to see our young players play in our first team and reach a level at which we can sell them on at a later date.
Ashley Young would be the prime example. He played in our first team for two or three seasons and eventually went for £10million. That’s great. But, unfortunately, there is a culture where clubs pinch players at any age. But particularly at the age of 16.’
These days clubs are keen to spot talent at as young an age as possible. Cox is uneasy about the ethics of recruiting seven year olds. But he says it is unavoidable when so many of their competitors are doing it.
‘I think it’s ever so young to focusing on one sport,’ admits Cox. ‘It would be nice if they could play a variety of sports and just be normal children. It’s a little bit unhealthy for kids at the age of seven to be focusing on “I want to be a pro footballer and that’s all I want”.
‘Quite often, it isn’t them who want it. It’s their parents. We try to keep it as pressure-free and fun as possible. Sometimes parents get a little bit over-excited and put pressure on the kids and that’s unavoidable.’
So what do they look for in children so young? Cox says: ‘We would need a player to have an outstanding quality. I don’t think you will find too many boys at the age of seven or eight who is the complete player. We say: “Have they got an outstanding physical quality? Are they particularly quick and agile so we can teach them some of the technical things? Or do they have technical talents – great ball mastery – where we might be able to develop physically?” We would look at whether he’s got an eye for scoring goals, creating goals or is great at stopping goals?
‘It’s unbelievably difficult. We don’t have a crystal ball. You are using experiences from the past to have a guess at who may come through.
Sometimes the best players aged nine are not the best at 12. Sometimes the worst player at nine might be the best at 12 and go on to play for his country.’
If they come through systems like Watford’s then that wouldn’t be a surprise.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1175131/Forget-Arsenal-Chelsea-Watford-Dutch-search-Ashley-Young.html
I'm amazed that football schools haven't been brought in before over here - a lot of people at Watford are very excited by this project but I think it just means that Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs are going to be taking a lot of 15 to 16 year olds off us in the near future.
When you have some of the biggest clubs in the world on your doorstep – like Arsenal and Chelsea – then it’s not easy to attract young talent.
But Watford are tackling their difficult situation with a pioneering academy that is based on the Ajax model.
They recruit 50 children for a state-funded school – called Harefields – where they allow youngsters to divide their time between studying and twice-daily football training.
Accommodation will soon be built at the location so that children can stay there on a full-time basis.
‘The project that we are running here is unique,’ explains academy coach Nick Cox.
‘There’s no other club in Great Britain doing it. There are clubs abroad doing it. Ajax would be the obvious example. But we also looked at clubs like Willem II and PSV.
‘We will have better academic success than any other club this year at GSCE level and we are producing better players than we’ve ever produced. Players are looking at us thinking “Yes, I can go to a big Premiership club and there’s the glamour and the glitz. I can wear the shirt of the Premiership club”.
But parents are now realising “Well, if my child goes to Watford, I’m going to get a good education and better, more contact time than any other club. And I can see a pathway through to the first team. I can see that, if I go to Watford, there are boys who have come through their academy and in their first team".
In our first team squad, out of 25, there are 13 who are academy products. That’s going to attract the best players to us.’
Watford have close links with many clubs abroad. The youth team played a friendly against Inter Milan in Italy earlier this season.
But Holland is the country that they have focused on most.
Cox explains: ‘We have visited several clubs over the years but the one that we got the most from was Willem II.
They're a similar sized club to us and their neighbours are PSV. Our next door neighbours, literally over the other side of the hedge (at our training ground), are Arsenal.
‘We weren’t the largest, most glamorous club in the area, with the largest fan base or the biggest population and catchment area. So we wanted to copy a club that was similar to us.
We spent a lot of time over there but they are actually coming to us next week because they seem to think we have now over-taken them. We have invited clubs with open arms to come and see what we’re doing.
We actually think what we’re doing could have an impact on English football. This way, we might produce better footballers who go on to represent the national team.’
Youth development is becoming a priority for clubs of Watford’s stature.
‘For a club like Watford, the emphasis is more on youth because of the inflated transfer prices,’ says Cox. ‘We can’t go and buy a top-class centre forward because he’s going to cost us £8million. We can’t buy an average footballer for £2million. For smaller clubs, you’ve got to produce your own.
‘If you produce top talent, someone is going to try to pinch them off you for a big amount of money. That might keep some clubs in existence. For a League One or League Two club, if you can produce a top player then you might just be able to pay the players’ wages for another season.
‘We’d like to see our young players play in our first team and reach a level at which we can sell them on at a later date.
Ashley Young would be the prime example. He played in our first team for two or three seasons and eventually went for £10million. That’s great. But, unfortunately, there is a culture where clubs pinch players at any age. But particularly at the age of 16.’
These days clubs are keen to spot talent at as young an age as possible. Cox is uneasy about the ethics of recruiting seven year olds. But he says it is unavoidable when so many of their competitors are doing it.
‘I think it’s ever so young to focusing on one sport,’ admits Cox. ‘It would be nice if they could play a variety of sports and just be normal children. It’s a little bit unhealthy for kids at the age of seven to be focusing on “I want to be a pro footballer and that’s all I want”.
‘Quite often, it isn’t them who want it. It’s their parents. We try to keep it as pressure-free and fun as possible. Sometimes parents get a little bit over-excited and put pressure on the kids and that’s unavoidable.’
So what do they look for in children so young? Cox says: ‘We would need a player to have an outstanding quality. I don’t think you will find too many boys at the age of seven or eight who is the complete player. We say: “Have they got an outstanding physical quality? Are they particularly quick and agile so we can teach them some of the technical things? Or do they have technical talents – great ball mastery – where we might be able to develop physically?” We would look at whether he’s got an eye for scoring goals, creating goals or is great at stopping goals?
‘It’s unbelievably difficult. We don’t have a crystal ball. You are using experiences from the past to have a guess at who may come through.
Sometimes the best players aged nine are not the best at 12. Sometimes the worst player at nine might be the best at 12 and go on to play for his country.’
If they come through systems like Watford’s then that wouldn’t be a surprise.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1175131/Forget-Arsenal-Chelsea-Watford-Dutch-search-Ashley-Young.html
I'm amazed that football schools haven't been brought in before over here - a lot of people at Watford are very excited by this project but I think it just means that Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs are going to be taking a lot of 15 to 16 year olds off us in the near future.
- re the last comment.
