Fear and loathing in Premier League academy football: Scouts in a pen, no team sheets and denying access
New York TimesAt a Manchester City Under-16s game last month, 21 academy scouts were corralled into a tight square next to one of the corner flags, far from the rest of the spectators. It’s created a monster,” says one experienced Premier League senior academy scout, who like others in this article, spoke under the condition of anonymity to protect relationships. One club source cites internal research by the Premier League that it remains the case those players who join at pre-academy age are most likely to make it through the system of the team involved. It is also a far easier age to predict outcomes.” The Premier League’s rules state all clubs must permit scouts access to their academy games, as long as they have notified them of their attendance by noon on the last working day before the fixture is played. City and Leeds in the FA Youth Cup final Manchester neighbours United and City are two clubs who tend to request three scouts per matchday at an academy, so they can take in every game going on across the age levels — though teams usually stipulate they cannot move from pitch to pitch.
Discover Related
