Hale End: Learning From Arsenal FC Academy
Learning how Hale End creates high-level soccer/football players
Arsenal F.C. are an English soccer/football team known for producing excellent youth talent and being one of the top-club in the world. How do they do it?
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Background
Within a professional club, there is a pathway all the way from youth to the top professional team.
Pre-academy, where kids play anywhere
Formal youth academy starting at U9
U16 is scholarship year where player go from youth to signing an apprentice contract
Scholarship is the steppingstone for going professional full time
When you have kids starting at age 8 with the goal of becoming highly talented professionals, you have to have a plan to develop that talent through their entire journey.
Once on the cusp of breaking into the full-time professional team, Arsenal are known to give opportunities to their young talents rather than simply purchasing established talents (older and more expensive).