BFC Academy Closing
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wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
Wow. What happens to all the coaches & staff - I know a lot have gone already - and the Uxbridge School indoor centre?
I knew it was due to be cut back, but closed? A huge step to take. Maybe it's time to concentrate on the first team squad and all available funds directed to this set up, than worrying about youngsters hoping to make it in 3-5 years. Maybe the EPPP plan is a reason too?
I knew it was due to be cut back, but closed? A huge step to take. Maybe it's time to concentrate on the first team squad and all available funds directed to this set up, than worrying about youngsters hoping to make it in 3-5 years. Maybe the EPPP plan is a reason too?
hobbsy
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BFC Academy Closing
Yes, it's a big shame but you pump millions and millions into an Academy only to have a Premier League club take your best assets for peanuts.
From a business point of view the ROI is very low and can't be justified.
bracknell_bee18
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BFC Academy Closing
If you have a look at Twitter accounts of Miguel Rios and Dan Buck it does read into it closing.
Pauly Paul
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BFC Academy Closing
Well seems like abee's advice might be followed. U15/16s head coach Dan Buck saying on Twitter about him moving on.
LingfieldBee
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BFC Academy Closing
Doesn't make sense to me thought we were making some strides forward in this area but I guess until we have revenue to continue funding it then it's hard to keep it going.
wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
How much does it cost to produce your own players? How much does it cost to buy your own players? I think the EPPP has killed it for all lower league clubs or clubs on a tight budget like Brentford.
Cheaper to look elsewhere than worry about paying for coaches, staff, pitches etc etc Hard to accept, but that's one of the issues.
BFC Academy Closing
I thought I read that youth facilities ect were outside of FFP so weren't a concern on that front?
Unless we are truly deeming that importing young foreign players is much better value for money than running youth facilities...
Unless we are truly deeming that importing young foreign players is much better value for money than running youth facilities...
wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
FFP has nothing to do with it, IMO. EPPP probably has though. :shrug:
LingfieldBee
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BFC Academy Closing
The EPPP are different set of rules something to do with different categories and money. As you can tell I'm not entirely sure lol
Guildford Bee
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davidccpigeons
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WisBee
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BFC Academy Closing
.................................can someone ITK please let me know what EPPP is, and what effect it has (had) on our Academy? Also, I thought that this was something that MB was personally funding 'outside' almost of the football club, and that any revenues coming from player sales from the Academy went directly to MB - if that is the case, I can understand why he is closing it, as there have been no revenues AFAIK - maybe MB is (worryingly) beginning to feel the pinch?(I hope not)..........................
wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
No club statement as the GWL newspaper have got a scoop.
As they say, "GWL understands."
I notice that there's no name on the story too. Just MSP Gestwestlondon.
wanderer paul
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WARFIELD BEE
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BFC Academy Closing
Sad as bringing players in that have "grown up" with the club seems to give them a better sense of loyalty/affinity with the club and its supporters, however a
massive investment for Matthew and Premier Clubs can just jump in and nick your best assets, I assume all the youth players are going to be released?
massive investment for Matthew and Premier Clubs can just jump in and nick your best assets, I assume all the youth players are going to be released?
WisBee
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BFC Academy Closing
wanderer paul
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finsbury_bee
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BFC Academy Closing
This seems like very bad news. This coupled with other staff leaving feels like we're abandoning the long term vision.
Doovster
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BFC Academy Closing
I suspect it is a business decision based on Return On Investment. If it's costing MB circa £2m p.a. with little significant return and better alternative ways of sourcing players why bother.
A nice to have rather than a necessity Imo.
davidccpigeons
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WisBee
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............................have done just that - wow! however did the PL 'persuade' the Football League to accept it, it is so loaded in their favour?..........................
wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
Probably because it wasn't meant to be announced yet!
Someone else has spoken before the club could.
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A shame but makes business sense.
We have not yet had much return for the massive investment and our best kids can be picked off for peanuts by bigger clubs thanks to EPPP.
Another example of how we are squeezed by richer clubs who take advantage of our work
We have not yet had much return for the massive investment and our best kids can be picked off for peanuts by bigger clubs thanks to EPPP.
Another example of how we are squeezed by richer clubs who take advantage of our work
wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
I think so. No eppp, no sky tv monies, IIRC. Basically, a gun placed at the clubs heads!!
davidccpigeons
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But they were asked about it but said nothing. Is it actually true?
wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
See some Twitter accounts of the clubs academy coaches.
WisBee
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.................................more ammunition against MW and his decision to 'show loyalty' to his team back in January 2015 - just how much has that man/decision cost BFC?..........................
amersfoort bee
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BFC Academy Closing
Bad news but if one finds a diamond and they get picked up by a Premiership side at minimal cost then it makes sense.
Feel really sorry for the young chaps who are presently in the scheme.
Feel really sorry for the young chaps who are presently in the scheme.
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davidccpigeons
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I wonder if those kids see it that way. Let's hope some provision is being made for their futures.
BFC Academy Closing
I remember the original plan was to have 4-5 players in any given first team to be from the academy by a certain date, I think it was 2019.
This is very uncomfortable, even if after we've heard the reasons we may come to understand it. There were many worries from many teams when EPPP was first introduced that it would lead to this sort of thing happening, and sadly is has... we weren't the first club to close down our academy as a result, some clubs had to do it years ago.
The FA keep trying to change the system in order to get any and all players into the 'big club' academies, as they think that is the solution to England's lack of talent. However the problem is that the big clubs may as well just spend money to bring in established players rather than bed in academy products as it's safer and there is no waiting period. The FA have screwed over many clubs when missing the point over what the issue was in the first place.
This is very uncomfortable, even if after we've heard the reasons we may come to understand it. There were many worries from many teams when EPPP was first introduced that it would lead to this sort of thing happening, and sadly is has... we weren't the first club to close down our academy as a result, some clubs had to do it years ago.
The FA keep trying to change the system in order to get any and all players into the 'big club' academies, as they think that is the solution to England's lack of talent. However the problem is that the big clubs may as well just spend money to bring in established players rather than bed in academy products as it's safer and there is no waiting period. The FA have screwed over many clubs when missing the point over what the issue was in the first place.
moribee
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WisBee
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BFC Academy Closing
...............................for the Premiership club yes, but for the Academy club, a resounding no...............................
Doovster
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BFC Academy Closing
Sadly football is a harsh world and kids get dropped from academies all the time.
Easy for all of us to pass judgement but we're not the ones having to find a couple of million quid a year to run it.
WisBee
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................................which is why I threw into the ring the question as to whether MB is feeling the pinch, having recently also cut back on the statisticians side of the business, and hasn't he also made several staff changes at SmartOdds (that is his company, isn't it?)..................................
bracknell_bee18
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BFC Academy Closing
All parents and players have meeting tomorrow at club so wouldn't expect a statement just yet.
wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
Or the idea of the academy, producing players, hasn't produced what he and the club had hoped for?
Money could be better spent and utilised elsewhere? Not mb 'feeling the pinch'...
wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
I wonder where this leaves King kev
He's the under 21 assistant coach. The under 21's will still be around IMO.
wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
As I said, someone has blagged that there's a meeting arranged, GWL have had some inside info. Club weren't going to say anything until everyone was told a an arranged meeting. Poor from GWL? Could they have waited? Or a scoop, with partial info, was the way to go?
Guildford Bee
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BFC Academy Closing
I wonder where this leaves King kev
The development squad is a different thing.
Pauly Paul
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BFC Academy Closing
If there is no academy who will the U21s play against? I thought cat 2 status was prerequisite for playing at the current level.
wanderer paul
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BFC Academy Closing
Friendlies against other lower league "reserve XI's"?
Not looked to see if there's an alternative reserve league. Or what other clubs do.
WisBee
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................................you may be right of course, but given that the expected date was around 2019, that leaves us 3 years in limbo; yes, £6 million for those three years is a lot of money, but it worries me that with all other things happening financially recently, I may also be right - I see that the specialist free-kick coach has also left today, along with our Head of Conditioning (who may have left in April, I'm not entirely sure, but the announcement of both departures was made in the same OS announcement) - maybe I'm worrying too much, but
It's Brentford, innit?.............................
grutter
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Depends if it's true, I suppose and I would reckon it is. It's the journo's job to get a 'scoop'. Academies only make money if they provide you with a steady stream of first teamers, which saves purchasing as many new players. Alternatively, we can sell them to other teams for decent money. We haven't really done either to make the investment worthwhile thus far and I'm not sure it's something MB wants to give 4/5 years to see if enough youngsters come through, certainly not while we're continually running at a loss in this division.
Doovster
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ruislip bee
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I wonder where this leaves King kev
Simples. New playing contract. Cover for Sam and Macca.