The mancityfans.net football forum

Pretty good actually. We produce lot of players and I'd say at this stage Academy is more or less selfsufficient.

https://football-observatory.com/IMG/si ... /wp312/en/

Minus the ‘c’ in the title I completely agree. In fact, I’d go on to say that the Academy is now funding the first team.

That's a really interesting list. Some names on there like HJK Helsinki I would not have expected. What's the deal there? Do all Finland's best prospects go there and then they just filter down the Finnish league once they get released/sold?

Chelsea is regarded to have the best academy in England but just squeeze into the top 30 for the top division's chart and don't chart in the top 5 leagues. I'd like to see a table of money made from academy players as I am sure they will have made as much as the top fives teams combined on that first list.

My eldest actually plays for HJK Academy. I'm coaching for their grassroots teams (few people probably know that I've had UEFA Coaching badges for decades). Partly because they gather the best talent in the area Greater Helsinki area, partly because they have the best resources and best youth coaches in the country at Academy level, partly because they are pretty good at bringing boys through from their grassroots teams. They actually get results against big English Academy sides up until about U13 level and when British academies get to recruit all over Britain. A friend of mine coaches HJK U14 and just before COVID outbreak they beat City enroute to trashing Leeds 5-1 in the final of one tournament in Denmark. They also keep their Academy age groups quite tight so it's megacompetitive.

It dependson how you define efficiency.
If you define it as a money making enterprise, then it is very efficient,
If you define it based on the success it generates for City's youth teams, we won the all 3 of the youth leagues, so the CFA is very efficient
If you define it based on the stated aim of our owners; to creaste a youth academy that would make us almost self sufficient in 1st team players, then it has been a dismal failure.

We produce players who, because of the standard of our 1st team squad makes it almost impossible to break through.
We are however producing quality players who are sold to other clubs to play aginst us.
Whilst we are making pots of money from it, we are also feeding our immediate rivals with players who can come backto haunt us.

john68 wrote:It dependson how you define efficiency.
If you define it as a money making enterprise, then it is very efficient,
If you define it based on the success it generates for City's youth teams, we won the all 3 of the youth leagues, so the CFA is very efficient
If you define it based on the stated aim of our owners; to creaste a youth academy that would make us almost self sufficient in 1st team players, then it has been a dismal failure.

We produce players who, because of the standard of our 1st team squad makes it almost impossible to break through.
We are however producing quality players who are sold to other clubs to play aginst us.
Whilst we are making pots of money from it, we are also feeding our immediate rivals with players who can come backto haunt us.

However as we keep producing quality professional players we are guaranteed to develope more players to first time over time.

Compared to other British teams we are also much more equipped to fight brexit. Since British teams can't sign anyone under 18 and we have teams all over the Europe (and world). I already personally know a U16 player who was signed by City but sent to Belgium until U19. In fact it's quite possible that in future the actual City Academy from U13 to U18 operates outside Etihad Campus.

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:

john68 wrote:It dependson how you define efficiency.
If you define it as a money making enterprise, then it is very efficient,
If you define it based on the success it generates for City's youth teams, we won the all 3 of the youth leagues, so the CFA is very efficient
If you define it based on the stated aim of our owners; to creaste a youth academy that would make us almost self sufficient in 1st team players, then it has been a dismal failure.

We produce players who, because of the standard of our 1st team squad makes it almost impossible to break through.
We are however producing quality players who are sold to other clubs to play aginst us.
Whilst we are making pots of money from it, we are also feeding our immediate rivals with players who can come backto haunt us.

However as we keep producing quality professional players we are guaranteed to develope more players to first time over time.

Compared to other British teams we are also much more equipped to fight brexit. Since British teams can't sign anyone under 18 and we have teams all over the Europe (and world). I already personally know a U16 player who was signed by City but sent to Belgium until U19. In fact it's quite possible that in future the actual City Academy from U13 to U18 operates outside Etihad Campus.

Sorry but i disagree, there is absolutely no guarantee that over time we will develop more 1st team players.