I was at Finch farm on Sunday, the academy U12 lads from Dunfermline were playing an Everton academy team, the previous day they had visited and played the Bolton academy team.
The facilities were pretty much what I would expect from an EPL team, especially one who funded their academy off the back of the Rooney sale but what blew me away was the high standard of the Everton U12 team compared to the Dunfermline team and the professional structure of how the academy and the youngsters are managed.
Alan Irvine who is now the academy manager at Everton conducted a full tour after the game and the explained the structure of the academy from top to bottom. All the games are recorded and each players performance is broken down and analysed, each players is taken through his own performance in a classroom situation and the highs and lows of each performance are discussed on a one to one and in a group. The lads are schooled in diet, physical performance, and receive structured training programmes in the gym including using weights...................this is U12 level!!!! Their progress at school is closely monitored by the club and any ill discipline at school is reported to the academy and can affect their participation. Wow! What a start in the game for these young lads, I wonder how many if any of them will join the list of Everton academy players who have made the grade, there was a couple of standouts on the day that I would love to see if they develop.
The whole set up outlines just how hard it is for youngsters to come through from smaller academy's like Dunfermline when you see the gulf already in the standards of the two teams. Alan Irvine was brilliant with the lads and was fully appreciative of the game in Scotland and the financial constraints and was very complimentary to the the Dunfy lads in terms of their ability in respect to other teams who have visited.
Now I just need to get a visit to Liverpool's academy
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Thread: Finch Farm Everton Academy
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11-04-2013 06:46 PM #1
Finch Farm Everton Academy
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11-04-2013 07:08 PM #3This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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11-04-2013 07:13 PM #4
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If you like youth football, Spartans U17's reached the Scottish Cup final which is a hell of a good achievement - a few Hibees in their side too. The final I think is in May - some good players at that level who could make the grade if picked up and nurtured.
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11-04-2013 07:29 PM #5This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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11-04-2013 07:38 PM #6
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Finch Farm is pretty impressive. How does it compare with East Mains?
Big Duncan Ferguson is a youth coach at Everton these days . Doing well by all accounts
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11-04-2013 07:38 PM #7
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11-04-2013 07:40 PM #8
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The selection process is changing - I'm lucky in that I see the kids coming through the academies. Of course, some won't make it, I think more down to the 'premiership type attitude' some youngsters now have. Work ethic needs to be engrained and the lucrative contracts which they (and their families) all dream of need to be put to the side as they are for many pipe dreams. I hear what some of the parents come out with and all they see is possible cash - that is depressing.
I'm going to watch a kids final at Saughton on Saturday evening - the more kids we get playing football and kicking a ball the better. If they make it great, if not I just hope they continue playing well into adulthood even just for fun and beers afterwards.
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11-04-2013 07:43 PM #9This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Big Dunc was there watching/coaching the game on Sunday.
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11-04-2013 07:54 PM #10This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Alan Irvine referred to Stephen Wright and they both recollected their boot and toilet cleaning days as youngsters, Irvine said he agreed things had moved on but if he had his way the boot cleaning would become part of the footballers apprenticeship once again, now that would knock the premiership type attitude would it not. He did say that he didn't know how long it would take though with players now having dozens of pairs of boots compared to his one pair!
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11-04-2013 10:46 PM #12This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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12-04-2013 06:53 AM #13This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
David Weir was at Rugby Park on Saturday watching Mark O'Hara, so might be another Killie player heading to their under 18 to under 21 teams!
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