Academy

[tictactoe]

Youth30 if you write on the forum in the future I would check the message you've written for grammar errors.

Give over, does it really matter? From reading his post there is no way you cannot understand it or read it - this is a forum no a bloody English exam etc

[FanzoneFan]

No do you mean not ?

[tictactoe]

If you read my post there are lads that are coming from away and a few locals. The point I am most annoyed about is the timing most kids who are in academies get told early feb if they are getting released etc. Our lads are being told a few days before there GCSES. This is how the club are operating, it was all going ahead until the end of March everything was in place.

This is the bit I don’t like about the whole thing tbh, the timing. Many kids struggle with exams at the best of time but to be let down like this on top of that, the club could have announced this at a different time.

[FanzoneFan]

So the facts so far - some person who is new to the forum writes a message and everyone takes all the facts as gospel. Then we hear that a coach of the Under 16s ? has also posted a series of tweets. If the coach is employed by the club, I would say he's not being very professional by airing his grievances on a public platform. And if the U18 Academy isn't running next season at least the lads have got until September to sort something out. I'm presuming the next academic year starts in September.

[tictactoe]

No do you mean not ?

Obviously. However, please accept my sincere apologies for typing in a hurry and missing that all important ‘t’ off.

[Roadrunner]

Youth30 if you write on the forum in the future I would check the message you've written for grammar errors.

I think you will find the correct term is 'grammatical errors'.

I agree, it's more grammatically correct to use grammatical than grammar in this instance!

[Voice of reason]

So the facts so far - some person who is new to the forum writes a message and everyone takes all the facts as gospel. Then we hear that a coach of the Under 16s ? has also posted a series of tweets. If the coach is employed by the club, I would say he's not being very professional by airing his grievances on a public platform. And if the U18 Academy isn't running next season at least the lads have got until September to sort something out. I'm presuming the next academic year starts in September.

The OP is NOT employed by the club. He's given up a massive amount of his own time to work alongside club coaches. Basically everything he's said is true. If the decision is for financial reasons, fair enough, but why let it progress so far as to run trials, offer scholarships and non-contract agreements, set up education provisions and arrange lodgings for out of town players? The manner in which this has been conducted is the most disappointing issue. Absolutely not a word from the board/club, rumours started circulating and then to find out letters are to be sent out next week...not a professional way to conduct such matters. The least the lads deserved was a face to face explanation. I think the club will have lost a lot of credibility over the handling of this, if they wish to continue with an Academy in the future. Who knows if any of them would have made it to first team level of playing, but without any opportunities it's no wonder nothing comes of anyone around here

[bluebird90]

This is a shame for the club and the area after the performance centre have built strong local links with players, parents and clubs. Liam and Craig seem to be well respected and from what I gather put the club in a good light (although that should be expected as they are paid) however it would seem this is a board decision so likely a financial one. On paper, it seems a throwback to the days of locals being used sparingly for the reserves which was resurrected and dumped at various intervals depending on club finances.

As others have said, the time of it isn’t good for the lads involved with exams and it should’ve been done better. If it was my own lads I’d be severely peed off but I wouldn’t have turned anything else down without a firm contract. It’s well documented how ruthless clubs are with youth players. From a neutral point of view, the finances have got to come first and there’s a hell of a lot of work to be done this summer. It may be a case of wishful thinking from the board that they would like to, but haven’t been able to carry through.

[mickycarrol]

This is being talked about as though it’s a new thing, just a couple of seasons ago the U16 age group were literally told over a Teams call they were surplus to requirements and no longer needed after seasons of commitment from both players and parents. The laughable reason they got was nothing short of a joke. The performance Center as it was known at the time was and prob still is just a cash cow and the boys got zilch from it at the time. Sounds like it’s all happening again to a certain degree.

[Ghostof72]

The silence from the club is deafening, which to me suggests one of two things its either a fabrication, or a delicate miscalculation by the club? I'm inclined to think its the later and suspect the silence demostartes they recognise theres no easy way out of this one without leaving egg on a few faces and taking a reputational hit.

I've lost count of the number of times the academy ambitions were used by brown in his recent interviews to adhere himself to the fans and messages about the community and understanding the people etc. Therefore I suspect the club will be carefully considering their response to limit the impact in the media and communtiy. Sadly, if its true, the way its been handled will severely damage the clubs reputation within the amateur game in the town for many years to come which itself is a real shame as the staff previously mentioned in this thread have done a great job in recent years building bridges with with local schools and clubs.

I stand by the fact i think the clubs crying out for someone with experience of operationally running a football league club day to day, someone who knows what running such initiatives really means and whats involved and is able to advise accordingly so we dont continue to make these types of mistakes. This isn't a cheap shot I genuinely believe the right person would sense check such schemes before we got to this alleged point in time .

Maybe Radio Cumbria via Adam could pose the question to get the clubs side of events?

[Mrsbrown]

Would be also useful if RC asked about the possibility of an experienced person to run the club to a high standard off the field.
I too am sure it would pay for itself over time.
The guy that does an update for the website. Is he still at the club? Haven’t seen him for a while. What role does he play? Seem to remember he doesn’t have much of a background in running a football club.

[Main Stand SeasonTct]

Would be also useful if RC asked about the possibility of an experienced person to run the club to a high standard off the field.
I too am sure it would pay for itself over time.
The guy that does an update for the website. Is he still at the club? Haven’t seen him for a while. What role does he play? Seem to remember he doesn’t have much of a background in running a football club.

The club is crying out for a CEO with experience of doing the same or similar at another EFL club. Yes it will cost money probably around £60-£70k a year but it’s what we need and needed the moment we joined the EFL. Nobody currently at the club comes anywhere near having the experience to do that role.

[AFC Blue]

Very disappointing, A massive own goal this one

[bluebird90]

The silence from the club is deafening, which to me suggests one of two things its either a fabrication, or a delicate miscalculation by the club? I'm inclined to think its the later and suspect the silence demostartes they recognise theres no easy way out of this one without leaving egg on a few faces and taking a reputational hit.

I've lost count of the number of times the academy ambitions were used by brown in his recent interviews to adhere himself to the fans and messages about the community and understanding the people etc. Therefore I suspect the club will be carefully considering their response to limit the impact in the media and communtiy. Sadly, if its true, the way its been handled will severely damage the clubs reputation within the amateur game in the town for many years to come which itself is a real shame as the staff previously mentioned in this thread have done a great job in recent years building bridges with with local schools and clubs.

I stand by the fact i think the clubs crying out for someone with experience of operationally running a football league club day to day, someone who knows what running such initiatives really means and whats involved and is able to advise accordingly so we dont continue to make these types of mistakes. This isn't a cheap shot I genuinely believe the right person would sense check such schemes before we got to this alleged point in time .

Maybe Radio Cumbria via Adam could pose the question to get the clubs side of events?

If the club are going to eventually run an academy, they’ll have to get used to disgruntled parents I suspect. At this time of year clubs up and down the country will be releasing the majority of their players. Very few make it to the scholarships and then even fewer to professional.

The reputation won’t suffer long term. Parents will still line their kids up year after year to be part of an academy and they’ll shout about how good it is until their boy is released.

[Zuluwarrior]

The issue is I feel over the last 20/30 years there have been big “ideas” of an academy or suchlike but never has there been a comprehensive 5/6yr plan with budgets, business plan and strategy in place with the full commitment of the board to carry it out hence after a number of years we’ve had teams of ages but no means to fulfill scholarships through to and beyond u18, what’s needed is a person who has knowledge and experience in this area of expertise to carry out a full 5/6yr development plan.