12 QUALITY AREAS
The working processes connected with the Club Buy-In Quality Area include:
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CLUB BUY-IN First team/youth team style and methodology; history and track record of youth development; commitment from top management and owners for the future
Does your academy have a formalised football philosophy in place?
Do you plan ahead for more than four years at your youth academy?
A n academy needs Buy-In from the club to ensure there is consistency over the understanding of its mission and goals: from academy management to club management, and everyone in between. Club Buy-In is closely connected to Strategic Importance. Yet while the latter is concerned with the overall position of the academy within the club hierarchy, Buy-in is encapsulated by the trust
Do you have school established internally under club jurisdiction?
placed in the academy by the club leaders, and the influence of the academy across the club to deliver its imprint on club activities. One interesting observation made about successful youth development systems boasting track records of success is that they have been initiated by a visionary individual. Then, over time, they have evolved, with new ideas and people continuing the ethos and tradition but in new ways. This continuity is a clear sign of Buy-In. Another common thread to many academies is the concept that their
Do you have formal written recruitment process for youth academy staff personnel? Does the club define the budget of the youth academy before season?
Do you have a youth academy?
Was this style of play the result of a formal research and development, or rather emerged spontaneously?
players should play in a similar style to the first team. It is commonplace for some head coaches at first-team level to insist on using their tactical shapes and patterns in the academy as a matter of principle. In some cases, academies have turned this on its head so that the first team plays like the academy. Buy-In doesn't happen overnight. It is a combination of trust, and an understanding of the logic behind it to agree on a chosen path and a willingness to grant future freedom to new actions without constant verification. The quality of an academy’s Buy-In from the club can be assessed by identifying the level of acceptability or respect of academy methods by wider club leadership.
“We need to represent what we are through our game”
Is advice provided on how to maximise players’ financial values?
Andoni Bombin, Athletic Club
Are players provided with an explanation of the club's strategic and operational
Is the financial department of the club involved in assessing the evolution of youth academy players values as assets?
goals ahead of such actions?
Do you have coach educators who visit partner clubs?*
Do you have partner club(s) outside of your region?*
* this question represents a second-order connection between a working process and the QA
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YOUTH FOOTBALL 2021-23
YOUTH FOOTBALL 2021-23
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