Football Clubs Investing in Youth Academies: Recruiting Foreign Football Players - Literature review Example

Review of Related Literature This chapter now provides a review of studies on the current subject matter, focusing on discussions relating to football youth academies and the rationale for football clubs making investments on their operations and talent identification. Insights on different approaches and models used in Europe will also be considered. Various discussions on football clubs investing in youth academies have been considered in previous studies. In a study by Elliott and Weedon (2011) the article sought to understand the impact of foreign player involvement in the English elite youth academy system. The article pointed out that recruiting foreign football players in the English football youth development system is not necessarily contrary to host and donor countries. In fact, the recruitment of these foreign players and entering them into the League academies helps promote a culture which supports the development of potential for all players (Elliott and Weedon, 2011). The importance of “cultivating new young talent to supplement older veterans” was highlighted in an article by Andrew Wenger (2012). The changeover was emphasized as a means of ensuring the continuity of the sport and of the sports club. The article also pointed out that sports clubs are focusing on young stars and young talents because they feel that if they nurture their younger players using the proper tools and coaching, they will have a more successful record on the field (Wenger, 2012). The article cites the case of FC Barcelona and AFC Ajax which have secured youth development programs, with AFC Ajax producing highly prized and talented players for the Dutch National team. The investment goals for football clubs will always primarily revolve around the development of football prodigies and to gain these prodigies for their team (Wenger, 2012). In the case of Ajax, the club considers young players as business investments, providing all they would need to be successful players. These young players also end up being sold for millions of euros, thereby raking in millions of profits for the organization (Wenger, 2012). As discussed further on by Wenger (2012), similar goals are being sought by Barcelona as the football club seeks to secure world class football players which eventually are meant to save the club the cost of transfer fees. These youth players are trained to be premiere football players and as such, their lives and their training revolve around activities which seek to enhance their talent and growth in the sport (Wenger, 2012; Bolgar, 2010a). However, as pointed out by the article, it is highly doubtful if these football academies are providing the tools that these players and young people need in order to succeed not just in football but in other aspects of their life as well. In other words, these academies are not likely offering the right balance between football and normal life (Wenger, 2012; Lembo, 2011). In a study by Busch and Pain (2009), the authors discussed the enormous pressure often felt by football players to win and to succeed. There is also a great deal of fear and failures in coping suffered by these players. As a result, teams are spending millions of euros in order to recruit players abroad and to invest money in football academies, mostly with the expectation of discovering and establishing long-term success for their football teams. Busch and Pain (2009) nevertheless point out that for academy players, it may still be difficult to get into first teams. For football teams investing in these football academies, they are still looking to enhance home-grown talents and to recruit potential players with whom they can see a desirable match outcomes (Busch and Pain, 2009; Sagar, et.al., 2010). Despite the strict paths to success emphasized by football teams, they also consider their investments based on players who can have a balanced view of success (Busch and Pain, 2009). In a similar discussion, Williams (2009) points out that investments by football clubs in football academies are mostly geared towards training potential and later using such potential for their own teams. These football academies have mostly been established in order to identify and develop players from as young as eight years old. The academies provide young players the time and the resource to harness and develop their talents and to secure the discipline which the sport may later demand from them professionally (Williams, 2009). Issues relating to the release of students from these academies because they may be found wanting is an unfortunate consequence seen from these football academies (Williams, 2009; Conn, 2009). The demands on these football academies is very much significant for players and for the academies themselves, especially as the funding and scholarship is mostly based on the performance of these students and their increasing potential to be premiere football players (Williams, 2009; Conn, 2009). In a study by Schokkaert and colleagues (2012), the authors set out to establish a general theoretical model in order to assess the impact of an origin country’s economic progression on the recruitment techniques applied by football clubs. In general, the study set out to secure an improved understanding of the economic purpose behind the establishment of football academies in Africa and Latin America by European football clubs (Schokkaert, et.al., 2012). The study also established that with the fixed allocations made on football academies, the general quality of football players in the football academy is very much different from the quality of players seen in the transfer market. This study also supports the points emphasized by Williams (2009) as it highlights the importance of harnessing the quality of play for young football players. The Youth Football Scotland (2013) discusses how the French Football Academy opened its youth academy, Clairefontaine in Paris. This academy was meant to improve how the country was playing the sport. Its venture proved successful in some regard as it was able to produce strong players like Anelka, Gallas, and Henry. The investment in this academy was sustained by the teams mostly because they want to promote youth products through points systems for their football clubs who have been able to develop strong players from youth ranks (Youth Football Scotland, 2013). The system established by France has also allowed for competition among clubs in order to promote their young players to the highest possible level. As a result, these young players have been able to attract more young talents into their clubs and later to gain profit from them. Since this academy was setup in France, they developed the potential of also gaining and nurturing their home grown talents, possibly promoting their place within the domestic and international scene. The government has also noted the efforts made by the FFF and have supported these efforts, setting up schools in the local and provincial clubs in order to secure support for players in developing their game playing and their studies. These clubs essentially secure support and training for players who are considered to have the natural talent and ability. In contrast to other football clubs who do not put much importance to other educational aspects of these young players, the FFF considers the education of these players a major part of the development of these players (Youth Football Scotland, 2012). They believe that even if these players do not make good teams, they would still have their education and other careers to consider. With these elements, France has been able to enjoy improved success in its youth academies. In an article posted by Sanchez at Bettor.com (2010), the author discussed how Manchester City has finally decided to invest in a youth academy with about 72 players to be accommodated in its facilities and classrooms for about 200 students. It was recognized to be one of the most important investments the club would be making (Sanchez, 2010). Aside from investments in academic development, the club was also making an investment on player development and welfare. In general, such investments were meant to be long-term investments which were set to eventually benefit the ball club by developing young players during their early years (Sanchez, 2010; Gilmore, 2010) In a paper by McIlroy (2010), the author discussed the impact of investments made on football academies and the benefits which such investments would bring in terms of outperforming competitors. The outperformance has been seen in relation to the combined knowledge and resources in producing players as well as allowing knowledge to flow from the organization into the young players. The potential for specialist knowledge is also seen in these academies, with the cost of recruiting players decreased and the number of their players in their club’s first team increased (McIlroy, 2010). The recruitment process is easier for these football clubs as they get the opportunity to first choose premiere players from the academy; moreover, they also get reimbursed for training costs of players which are recruited by other teams. Under these conditions, the investments of football teams on these football youth academies are based on the philosophy of talent identification and development, funding, resource evaluation, competition and coach reward (McIlroy, 2010). The investments made by football clubs to the youth academies bring about significant benefits for the academies and the young players, which are often not seen in other regular academies. Advantages include qualified coaches, coaching structure, knowledge, and education. The football world is a sustained and competitive sport and various competencies are needed within the academy. The competencies allow organizations to secure services and allow them to compete locally and internationally (McIlroy, 2010; Darby, 2009). The vision for the future and the ultimate goal of training young athletes into world-class footballers are motivating these clubs further. These clubs believe that guiding and then training the young talents is highly critical for the football clubs; moreover, the skilful trainers with football experience are also drawn into the guide the young players. The knowledge transfer theory seems to apply well to the idea behind football clubs supporting football academies. The knowledge transfer allows coaches to meet during round table discussions and learn from each other, advancing their abilities and allowing for the transfer of knowledge to players (Rollo, 2002). The resource-based perspective indicates that knowledge is an important and strategic tool which organizations possess (Rollo, 2002) and due to increasing competition among ball clubs, these clubs must also seek more competitive conditions for learning and knowledge sharing. In order for knowledge to impact in a competitive setting, it must be anchored on the organization’s strategic plans. This would indicate therefore that the centralised strategies used by FC Barcelona and Ajax FC provide a perspective on the significance of lining up the possible direction of the club along with its resources and dynamic capacities which the club already displays (McIlroy, 2010). This concept also applies to other companies, not just football academies, especially as these companies are told that in order for them to stay competitive, they must also efficiently create and share their knowledge and expertise and have such knowledge affect aspects where opportunities are limited (Rollo, 2002; Darby, 2010). Nigeria News Daily (2010) also reports that football academies have the task of identifying and later training young talents for their future entry into football clubs. In other words, they develop and groom footballers until they reach maturity and gain exposure into the professional football clubs. The guiding principle behind such strategy is based on the adage, ‘stars are not only born, but they are also made.’ The FIFA supports such a vision and has supported these youth academies, identifying the young players the soonest time possible and developing their skills for their future professional careers (Nigeria News Daily, 2010). This article however also notes similar issues pointed out in previous articles. The issue on creating a balance between football training and academic work was observed as a significant problem which these academies have to manage. Gregson (2010a) also emphasizes the importance of recruiting and training young players and talents possibly recruited at the age of 10, not more than 15 years. Investments made on these talents recognize the importance of teaching and training players at the earliest possible age. At a young age, these players can improve their confidence, acknowledge the importance of making mistakes, and be reminded that the game is still very much a game. Without such training, inculcating such values and principles would be more difficult (Gregson, 2010a; Darby, 2010). Recruiting the young players also helps in acknowledging the importance of protecting the youths from exploitation, instead allowing for their talent to mature well. These players may indeed display technical skills, however emotionally, they may not be prepared for the bigger exposure. In other words, the football academies give the players the tools of coping with their possible future career in football (Gregson, 2010a). Under these conditions, the football clubs would be able to help develop a mindset among the players, in the end, to allow for the right tools to develop and for confidence to be gained in their talent. In the end, the football clubs would be able to recruit players who are technically as well as emotionally prepared for the professional football setting. In yet another discussion by Gregson (2010b), the writer points out that the ultimate goal for football teams investing in football academies is financial and sports success. There is an acknowledged corporate potential seen in making investments in football academies, and players can also benefit from the mental preparation they are able to gain in these academies (Gregson, 2010b). Through the academies, leadership is also enhanced among these players as these players become comfortable with their roles in the field. Bolgar (2010b) discusses that investments made by football teams is very much significant because it helps establish team spirit. In the academies, players are built not just as individual talents, but as part of teams. These players are taught how to function as teams and how to feed off each other’s strengths as well as compensate for their weaknesses. Aside from the team spirit, Bolgar (2010b) also supports the discussions by previous authors, highlighting the benefits of discovering stars before they are fully stars. As such, teams would therefore have a greater access to resources through these academies. Through these football clubs, new talents are developed from the beginning, allowing the discovery of right players in wrong environments (Bolgar, 2010b). In the end, the “the business equivalent of good scouting would be looking for investment opportunities everywhere, including new industries and emerging countries that may not have previously been on the radar screen”. Works Cited Bolgar, C., “Teams try to find their winning formulas through mergers, acquisitions, outsourcing,” Wall Street Journal. 2010a. Web. 28 March 2013. http://online.wsj.com/ad/article/businessoffootball-acquisition.html Bolgar, C., “On the field or in the boardroom, the vision for winning is the same,” Wall Street Journal. 2010b. Web. 28 March 2013. Busch, B. and Pain, M., “Fear of failure and coping strategies in youth football.” Insight. 2009. Web. 28 March 2013. Conn, D. "Clubs leave lost youth behind as academies fail English talent." The Guardian (2009). Darby, P. 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Web. 26 March 2013 Gregson, J, Running a team is becoming a ‘science’ for academia and the corporate world,’ Wall Street Journal, 2010b Web. 27 March 2013 Lembo, C. "Fifa Transfers Regulations and UEFA Player Eligibility Rules: Major Changes in European Football and the Negative Effect on Minors." Emory Int'l L. Rev. 25 (2011): 539. McIlroy, M., “Creating a sustainable, competitive advantage within a ‘winning football academy model in South Africa,” University of Pretoria. 2011. Web. 27 March 2013. Nigerian News Daily, “Harnessing talents through football academies”. 27 November 2010. Web. 27 March 2013 Sagar, S., Busch, B. and Jowett, S. "Success and failure, fear of failure, and coping responses of adolescent academy football players." Journal of Applied Sport Psychology 22.2 (2010): 213-230. Sanchez, F., “Manchester City looking to invest in youth academy – Premier League Update.” 2010. Web. 26 March 2013. Schokkaert, J., Swinnen, J., and Vandemoortele, T. “The impact of development on recruitment strategies of football clubs,” Research Center of Development Economics. LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance. Wenger, A., “Youth Soccer,” 2012. Web. 27 March 2013. Williams, S., “Football academies: kicking and screaming.” Telegraph.uk. 2009. Web. 27 March 2013. Youth Football Scotland, “Youth Football Worldwide: France,” Web. 2013. 28 March 2013 Read More