We've got to start blooding in our own youngsters, otherwise there's no point. We're feeding other clubs with the prospects that we should be working on fielding in the starting 11.

This is obviously good, but in the long term Notts does need to be more driven to see them succeed.

think once our league status is regained we should have a proper reserve team, that would be a good step up for some of the youth players. mix them with the first team and those on rotation, slowly get them first team game time. its a good decision but more does need to be done.

It's good news, but its not much to get excited about. youth players will come through and continue to be released, we are a buy to sell club and any good enough will be gone before they make the first team grade. others will be released, its quite pointless.

Well I’m surprised at the news but pleased, I hope there’s a slightly different strategy in place to make it more worth our while too now.

I genuinely don’t think the issue over the years has been lack of talent but as there’s no reserve/U23 setup the issue is that players have to be ready for 1st team football when they’re 18. That is tough, especially as they’ve never played a professional game in their life before, most need more time to develop before they can show their true abilities.

You need to give these players a bit of time, and commit to keeping them at the club. Get them loaned out and playing games with the intention of moving them up the leagues as they progress. The hope would then be at some stage, depending on how we'll they've done, they would be ready to play for the first team and look decent too!

To me, its a question that you have £x available. Do you spend it on the Academy as is ( the problem is that we cannot keep the talent that we do find...and that we cannot keep players til their 18, when one can say they are physically ready for first team football). The only was maybe is to "differentiate" our academy, and say we run it on the Dutch football training methods. 

Alternatively, do you spend £x picking up U23 players released elsewhere and form a Reserve team..but even this may entail more £££ than running the academy as is.

Very good news. The academy has to be judged on more than just how many players produced for the first team - there are other factors to consider, such as community engagement and image of the club. 
 

9 hours ago, Super_Danny_Allsopp said:

there are other factors to consider, such as community engagement and image of the club. 

What?

How did you come to this? The whole point of an academy is to feed in young players into your first team. It's not the football in the community branch of the club, the community engagement means nothing as does the image of the club if you can't give the products coming through the time to develop.

3 hours ago, Joshua said:

What?

How did you come to this? The whole point of an academy is to feed in young players into your first team. It's not the football in the community branch of the club, the community engagement means nothing as does the image of the club if you can't give the products coming through the time to develop.

The main role is to develop players into the first team, but it's not just that. 

It's important in my view to have a pathway and potential opportunity for local kids to play for Notts County. I think every fan at some point or another, has dreamed of being able to pull on those famous black and white stripes on the Meadow Lane turf, no matter how farfetched that may be at the time. However for kids, they can dream, If they play well for their local side, if they can get in the academy, if..... 

Nobody dreams if they can play for Mansfield Town's academy then one day at 23 I might be able to sign for Notts. Nobody. 

Seeing scouts, coaches, academy staff in and around grassroots level football in the local area keeps us involved in the community. 'There's a Notts County scout', 'such and such is in talks to sign with Notts County's academy'. These are the kind of things that help develop roots in the local community, enhance the clubs image and ultimately give you another tool to entice the next generation of fans. Without an academy, we are just Notts County who sign young players from everywhere BUT Nottingham. 

 

The academy does need to improve, Alan Hardy lost the grant provided by the FA and since then it's not been the same. We can all criticise the Trews but at least they wanted to give youngsters a pathway into the first team.

A football clubs academy is all about producing home grown talent that can break into the first team.

If youngsters can't do this, there's little point as the cost simply doesn't warrant it. Few people become fans of a club simply because they trained with them or featured as part of the youth team setup.

@Super_Danny_Allsopp What you're saying is a minor part of any academy, I am not sure how many fans are generated due to playing for any club but the coaching side of thing at a grass root level is important.

The most important part is making the academy efficient and piratical.

Striving to be one of the best at whatever level we play is a must.