1.) 09 Jun 2018
09 Jun 2018 09:51:08
Ed i seen a list of players Newcastle released from their under 23s. 18 players.
I was reading that players in English academys from the age of 9 up only half of 1% make it.
I suppose the way clubs buy in players and young players it's very hard for them.

{Ed001's Note - the coaching in England is still a long way behind most of the continent. Clubs would rather take the easy route.}

2.) 09 Jun 2018
09 Jun 2018 13:31:11
I would think that .05% is a statistic that's not far off the norm in other countries and sports. It certainly is in the US. About 2% of high school athletes make it to college sports, the normal route to the professionals. In all major sports except baseball less than 2% of the college players take the next step. There is a very natural and extreme winnowing process from being a good 10 year old athlete to becoming a professional. There are, after all, only 500 squad places in the EPL in any given year.

Of course it also depends on how one defines "make it". If one ends up playing for Exeter City after having been through our academy, does that count as making it?