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southern hibby
09-06-2011, 11:05 AM
I am trying to think of different ways for HIBS to look to the future to build our club to the next level. I did come up with one idea to start a small school at East Mains build a living dormitory and try and bring in young talent from place outside our usual catchment area. We could have say 20 - 30 young kids that could have like a boarding school scholarship and it would be football based.

If we had a scout going around and managing to spot these kids before they are picked up by other clubs we could get some real gems. If we did get the right kids we could have several years watching them before they would be sold on.

Not sure how much this would cost to set up but do you think it would be worth doing as a long term investment?

Spike Mandela
09-06-2011, 11:13 AM
I am trying to think of different ways for HIBS to look to the future to build our club to the next level. I did come up with one idea to start a small school at East Mains build a living dormitory and try and bring in young talent from place outside our usual catchment area. We could have say 20 - 30 young kids that could have like a boarding school scholarship and it would be football based.

If we had a scout going around and managing to spot these kids before they are picked up by other clubs we could get some real gems. If we did get the right kids we could have several years watching them before they would be sold on.

Not sure how much this would cost to set up but do you think it would be worth doing as a long term investment?

I like how you are 'thinking outside the box' in term of a way forward for the future of Hibs.

However I tend to think Hibs are done with infrastructure projects now and hopefully for the long term shall be putting most of their efforts into improving curent teams.

Captain Trips
09-06-2011, 11:18 AM
I am trying to think of different ways for HIBS to look to the future to build our club to the next level. I did come up with one idea to start a small school at East Mains build a living dormitory and try and bring in young talent from place outside our usual catchment area. We could have say 20 - 30 young kids that could have like a boarding school scholarship and it would be football based.

If we had a scout going around and managing to spot these kids before they are picked up by other clubs we could get some real gems. If we did get the right kids we could have several years watching them before they would be sold on.

Not sure how much this would cost to set up but do you think it would be worth doing as a long term investment?

Indeed things like this have good merit and are fairly sound ideas, however for me the time for such a project is not now, we cannot keep putting money into things away from the actual team. I think all focus from the board should be 100% on making sure that the team is the absolute best it can be with the best quality it can have without compromise from other projects.

The Godfather
09-06-2011, 11:19 AM
Barca have a very similar system although I'm sure I read it costs them £10M per year to run. Obviously, would not be looking at that size but they have their academy players living beside the training ground (beside Camp Neu) with them attending school in the morning and training the rest of the time. I am sure Messi was part of the academy from when he was 9 years old. Anyway, I think it is at least worth further discusion.

GloryGlory
09-06-2011, 11:25 AM
This is similar to the French system that John Collins admired so much. He suggested it as a way ahead, not just for Hibs but for Scottish football.

BTW, my feeling is that JC's strengths as a coach may well lie in being a Director of Youth Development and I sometimes find myself wishing he could get such a job at Hibs, but backed with a real long-term vision and strategy like the OP has outlined.

CB_NO3
09-06-2011, 05:05 PM
I know the SFA are currently doing something like this. My mate Jack has a job with them and most of the top kids aged 14 to 15 are now being encouraged to go to Broughton High School. They will obviously do Maths, English and other important subjects, but rathering doing things like Home Economics and so on, they play football instead.

Kaiser1962
09-06-2011, 05:07 PM
I am trying to think of different ways for HIBS to look to the future to build our club to the next level. I did come up with one idea to start a small school at East Mains build a living dormitory and try and bring in young talent from place outside our usual catchment area. We could have say 20 - 30 young kids that could have like a boarding school scholarship and it would be football based.

If we had a scout going around and managing to spot these kids before they are picked up by other clubs we could get some real gems. If we did get the right kids we could have several years watching them before they would be sold on.

Not sure how much this would cost to set up but do you think it would be worth doing as a long term investment?

You're not the first to think about this :greengrin

Good idea IMO

PaulSmith
09-06-2011, 05:08 PM
If Hibs are now out the market for top end players then significantly more money must be spent on the youth of tomorrow.

East Mains and Hibs are a great mix but we miss out on too many players by a refusal to pay clubs a fee for youth players and fail to match the money on offer from Celtic, Rangers and Hearts.

heidtheba
09-06-2011, 06:11 PM
Nice idea...
I always thought one way to do it would be to have a youth academy which had semi-regular guest coaches...some really top names from the past to come in and dazzle the youngsters with their skills, stories and ideas.

These guys could be picked for their reputation, leadership, skills etc.

Ok - dream scenario I know but imagine this...

Young boys train at EM, regular knock-out competitions with the winning team, or 'team of the competition' going through to be the ones given a kinda coaching session with a well known footballer. This is a bit like the X-Factor (yuk) thing they do where some singer type does a session, except we have football players who aren't trying to flog a new album.

I remember sometime ago that some tiny wee English non-league club did it and they got some ex Brazil players to come and coach (although I think they also tried to get them to play for the team). I'm sure Socrates or Zico were mentioned but can't remember more than that.

We could have players, like JC, who could talk about fitness for example. Chuck in enough 'bleed green' ex Hibs players and you have the young 'uns learning not only about playing at the highest level, and how to train and keep focused, but also regular reminders of the importance and dedication required to play for Hibs.

Making the young ones play in a competition (behind closed doors) would inject a bit of competition and fight for it, they'd then take the reward - the session with the famous player - more seriously as they'd had to earn it. Having a coaches 'team of the tournament' would mean the best players, not necessarily just the whole winning team, get the reward.

I know this one is unlikely, but imagine how many youngsters in Scotland would want to come to us so they could win the right to be in a training session by someone like Sauzee, Maradonna, Zico etc...

Would cost a lot but would mean some of the talent wants to come to us rather than us go looking for it all the time...

Perspective
09-06-2011, 07:04 PM
I'd love to see Hibs do this and, if we did it properly, it would be of far more long-term value than a couple of quick fix signings.

Watford have set the bar - http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/17/england-world-cup-watford - and Celtic, Dundee United and Falkirk do something similar up here.

Perspective
09-06-2011, 07:39 PM
I remember sometime ago that some tiny wee English non-league club did it and they got some ex Brazil players to come and coach (although I think they also tried to get them to play for the team). I'm sure Socrates or Zico were mentioned but can't remember more than that..

Think that was Garforth Town.

Their owner/manager Simon Clifford runs a Brazilian-style football school over here, focusing on technique. I'm sure Micah Richards was one of his students.

Sure he called in a few favours to get Socrates, as much for the publicity as anything else.

I like your idea, and there are plenty of would-be managers from the ex-player fraternity who are always looking for practical experience as part of their coaching badge courses.

CB_NO3
10-06-2011, 01:25 AM
Slightly of topic here, but do Hibs young teams play the way the first team play. I mean tactics and formations and so on (I know its maybe a stupid question as the first team are awful just now), but do you get my drift. I was reading something about Barcelona the other day there and all their teams from the 13 year olds up the way, play the same tactics and system as the first team, so when its time to break into the first team, they fit in right away.

I suppose its hard for our youngsters, when we are chopping and changing our managers every 18 months.

GloryGlory
10-06-2011, 07:27 AM
Slightly of topic here, but do Hibs young teams play the way the first team play. I mean tactics and formations and so on (I know its maybe a stupid question as the first team are awful just now), but do you get my drift. I was reading something about Barcelona the other day there and all their teams from the 13 year olds up the way, play the same tactics and system as the first team, so when its time to break into the first team, they fit in right away.

I suppose its hard for our youngsters, when we are chopping and changing our managers every 18 months.

I would hope not. I would hope the youngsters would try to play football. :wink: :greengrin