JARVIS BROOK FC v BOSHAM FC Saturday 9 March 2017 Macron Store Southern Combination Football League Division Two WELCOME By JBFC Chairman Phil Tibbutt Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen and wishing to purchase an advertising board welcome to the Limekiln Ground. please contact Martin Perry on his mobile at 07773 376973. I would like to extend a warm welcome to our Match Officials this afternoon, as well Any supporter at any home or away as the Management/Officers, players and matches seen abusing the Match Officials supporters from Bosham FC for this SCFL will be spoken to and may be asked to leave Division 2 fixture. I hope everyone enjoys the ground, I am sure in the true spirit of their short stay and has a safe journey the game this action should never be home. required to happen. Refreshments are available from the Please enjoy this afternoon’s match and Clubhouse before, during and after the again thank you to everyone for their game. support of Jarvis Brook Football Club. I would like to thank all the Club’s Sponsors Phil Tibbutt for their support of Jarvis Brook Football Chairman Club throughout the season. Anyone FROM THE EDITOR CHILD LABOUR There is a war developing in the Premier League. Away from glare of the press and the pressure of results, there is a war being waged behind the scenes and away from the public eye which is, whilst on the one hand “just” another consequence of the enormous wealth in the game, truly shocking on many levels. The competition – war is a better word – to attract young players into the academies of Premier league clubs has reached astonishing lengths, with the bigger clubs continually devising new and more enterprising ways to make their club more attractive than their competitors. All of us who have been involved in youth football have witnessed at some point the pain of heartless rejection, as the academy manager who a few weeks ago filled a kid’s head with dreams, is now dismissing him as inadequate with a callous wave of the hand, and no heart. Even in a football backwater like Sussex we’ve seen it, so try to imagine the equivalent in London, or Manchester, where inner city kids have their hearts broken before they’ve left junior school. Stories are rife surrounding the lengths the larger clubs go too; each age group can have over 100 academy “players”, and up to nine age groups. It isn’t a difficult piece of mathematics to calculate the failure rate. Numbers are one thing, but the methods and incentives are ever changing, with clubs offering contracts to 9-year olds, that being the youngest age at which a club can obtain the family’s commitment, free replica kits to all, free entry to home games, discount agreements with retailers, and so on. Stories abound of families being offered “bottomless” free access to local taxi firms, and spending spree vouchers for mothers. At the forefront of the battle, predictably, are Manchester City. Spurred on by the oil billions, City have developed an academy which sets a new standard for state-of-the-art; Google the aerial shots of the area behind the Etihad to see just what the raised bar looks like. City though may conceivably have another more intriguing incentive, having lagged behind United in the home grown player stakes for some considerable time, and there are some noteworthy statistics supporting this. The last academy product to represent City in the Manchester derby was Michael Johnson ten years ago; the last one to score in one was Andy Hinchcliffe in 1989. By comparison Marcus Rashford scored on his derby debut last season. Incredibly, the last time United had no home grown player in their first team squad was 1939, and up until the arrival of the oil money, United dominated the local recruitment scene for generations. All the way from FROM THE EDITOR CHILD LABOUR the Busby babes through at least until the class of ’92, There is a war developing in the Premier League. Away from United found and nurtured the cream of the local crop and, glare of the press and the pressure of results, there is a war what’s more, mentored them through to the first team. being waged behind the scenes and away from the public eye which is, whilst on the one hand “just” another There are of course precious few academy products consequence of the enormous wealth in the game, truly anywhere near the star studded City first team squad these shocking on many levels. The competition – war is a better days, the acquisition of world stars being a different war word – to attract young players into the academies of altogether. So just how many of the thousands of Premier league clubs has reached astonishing lengths, with youngsters destined to pass through City’s academy will the bigger clubs continually devising new and more ever pull on a first team shirt; or is that not the aim of the enterprising ways to make their club more attractive than investment by City and others. If there is in fact not a single their competitors. ambition to fill the first team with one’s own product, then how exactly do you measure the success of an academy, in All of us who have been involved in youth football have this modern, moneyed era? The answer to that is more witnessed at some point the pain of heartless rejection, as than a little shocking. the academy manager who a few weeks ago filled a kid’s head with dreams, is now dismissing him as inadequate Amongst the junior feeder clubs in Manchester, there is a with a callous wave of the hand, and no heart. Even in a hierarchy, with, at the top, those clubs at which the football backwater like Sussex we’ve seen it, so try to Premier scouts are regular visitors, and who consequently imagine the equivalent in London, or Manchester, where attract the better players and the more ambitious parents. inner city kids have their hearts broken before they’ve left Whilst City and the others are not permitted to engage a junior school. child until age nine, they do of course tap the shoulders of lads and Dads, and fill their heads with dreams and Stories are rife surrounding the lengths the larger clubs go promises, sometimes at training sessions for 4-year olds. too; each age group can have over 100 academy “players”, There is of course no way in the world that anyone could and up to nine age groups. It isn’t a difficult piece of gauge whether a 4-year old will make the grade, so, again, mathematics to calculate the failure rate. Numbers are one what is the ultimate aim here? thing, but the methods and incentives are ever changing, with clubs offering contracts to 9-year olds, that being the Perhaps City’s most noteworthy tactic is playing the youngest age at which a club can obtain the family’s education card. There exists in the leafy Cheshire suburbs a commitment, free replica kits to all, free entry to home private school, St Bede’s, which sets parents back some games, discount agreements with retailers, and so on. £3,600 per term, but results show that it’s worth the Stories abound of families being offered “bottomless” free expense, with 42% of all GCSE exams resulting in A or A Star access to local taxi firms, and spending spree vouchers for grades. Every single player in City’s academy at the age of mothers. eleven is now offered schooling at St Bede’s at the club’s expense, and, moreover, they are funded and supported by At the forefront of the battle, predictably, are Manchester the club right through to GCSEs at 16, even if their football City. Spurred on by the oil billions, City have developed an talent falls short and they are discarded by the club before academy which sets a new standard for state-of-the-art; then. This is all very laudable of course, the age old criticism Google the aerial shots of the area behind the Etihad to see being that teenagers were thrown out by clubs and had just what the raised bar looks like. City though may nothing to fall back on in life, so it’s churlish to criticise, conceivably have another more intriguing incentive, having especially when many of these kids are from an under lagged behind United in the home grown player stakes for privileged background. Yet it is clear that the colossal some considerable time, and there are some noteworthy investment in the academy and its trappings is completely statistics supporting this. disproportionate to the first team squad make up; with the ability to sign players from across the globe, why invest so The last academy product to represent City in the much in youngsters who will never make it at all, let alone Manchester derby was Michael Johnson ten years ago; the make it with their own club? last one to score in one was Andy Hinchcliffe in 1989. By comparison Marcus Rashford scored on his derby debut The answer borders on sinister, and is certainly exploitative. last season. Incredibly, the last time United had no home I have used City as my example; I could just as easily have grown player in their first team squad was 1939, and up researched Chelsea, or Arsenal, or others, with similar until the arrival of the oil money, United dominated the results, but I chose City because their real ambitions behind local recruitment scene for generations.