Youth football Part1 : What happens to those who don't 'make it'?

 At any one time, there are between 10,000 and 12,000 boys in football's youth development system. 

In Premier League academies alone there are around 3,500 boys; the youngest are nine years old although pre-academy training can start even younger.

Under the Premier League Rules of Development, each club is allowed to register 250 youngsters in their academy.

But of those entering academies at the age of nine, less than 0.5% will ever make a living from the game.

So what happens to those who don't "make it" - and does football adequately prepare them for life and alternative careers? 

I travelled around the UK to meet some of the boys - now men - released from academies at various points over the past 15 years. All still bore scars, some mental and some physical, from their time in football.

The tragic death of 18-year-old Jeremy Wisten has reignited soul-searching about the role football academies play in developing young players and whether the sheer scale of the operation makes it exploitative.

Jeremy had been a very promising player in Manchester City's academy, beginning with City's Elite Squad at under-13 level in 2016, but after suffering an injury he was released by the club in May 2019. He was found hàñged in his bedroom in October .! 

His parents paid tribute to the coaching at Manchester City but said he had been left devastated after his release. (SKY; 2021). 

Personal view: Mostly coaches are forcing kids at age of 9-15 to completely forget everything education and only start thinking about Football but not everyone can “play like a star”. Academies should give kids enough time to think, get enough education and balance everything around them!