OVERALL METHODOLOGY
W hen it comes to
understanding the football academy ecosystem and being
able to share knowledge, and help clubs improve their daily routines, there are some overarching questions that needed to be answered as a starting point:
Here, we reveal how we used surveys and interviews to help us identify working processes used within youth academies, and measure the strength of their influence on daily operations
What are academies in Europe doing to deliver for their clubs?
To whom are they delivering to?
?
What are football experts doing in their daily work to ensure they’re bringing up happy kids, satisfied human beings, and football players capable of succeeding at a professional level? Which working practices are used most frequently? Which ones are used by the best academies? And which ones are the most intercorrelated?
Principally, we know that academies deliver for their clubs and the children within their youth pathways, but they also exist to serve parents, the local community, club fans, even agents and the wider football community in general. Our goal in asking the above questions is to arm you, the football experts within your clubs and academies, with insight that will help you deliver more efficiently and effectively the aims of your youth pathway to the children, parents and communities you serve. This publication follows existing youth research relating to what we have termed the ‘12 Quality Areas’ in youth academies.
“We must teach our children to dream with their eyes open”
Harry Edwards, US sociologist/sports thinker
METHODOLOGY
9
YOUTH FOOTBALL 2021-23
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