What is European football clubs' rationale for investing in youth academies - Essay Example

The training for the team is also based on age as well as the organization goals. AFC Ajax was able to establish a new organizational structure where there is no traditional leader in the Academy or a departmental structure. Instead, the organization is based on biological processes of development labeled as wheels. The first wheel known as the Onderbouw ranges from age 7-12 and are assigned a Technical Manager; the second wheel is the Middenbouw ranging from age 13-16 with an assigned Technical Manager as well; the third is the Bovenbouw from ages 17-20 with a Technical Manager; the fourth wheel is the Operations which manages administrative matters for the academy; and lastly, is the wheel Technical Management which includes three technical managers as well as a liaison with the First Team and the academy in order to preserve the culture.

The team covers all the age groups with some teams also assigned five year old children. These teams go through different stages of development, including athletic, technical, tactical, and social development. No significant emphasis on academic development is however established for the children, especially as their training is incorporated into the daily activities of the students who are picked up from their school and taken to the academy. The development of the players is also based on their gradual physical growth and development.

Initially, those under the age of 8 are trained in a 4:4 30 x 20 m field 3 x 1 m goal. Their focus is on passing, movement, and finesse. From ages 8-12, they are taught team spirit with 12 year olds already training three times a week. The focus of their training is on passing, receiving, technical training, positional plays, heading, and making goals. From 13 to 16 years, their training mostly focuses on short games and running activities, including training on passing the ball over short distances.

Fifteen year olds are also trained five times a week. Their