At Our Place – Academy Q&A
07/05/2024 11:50
The club held a Q&A about the Academy at the training ground on 1st May. On the panel were Richard Johnson (Academy Director), Jimmy Gilligan (Academy Head of Technical Development), Peter Sharp (Academy Head of Performance), Tom Cleverley (Head Coach). There were apologies from Charlie Daniels who was unable to attend due to a family issue. Scott Duxbury and Gian Luca Nani were also in attendance, but not part of the panel.
In the recent past there has been a distance between the Academy and the First Team. Will that change under the new Head Coach?
Tom Cleverley said that there is no better time for these players to move through the system. Tom knows the U18s and talks to Daniels regularly about the U21s, so he is familiar with all of the players. The management are very supportive of the Academy. Giaretta had also been supportive when he was there. They will be setting up an elite group within the Academy, who will have an extra programme for their development. Jimmy Gilligan said that it was a great positive that they have a Manager that they can talk to. Peter Sharp said that they know the needs and demands of the first team so will prepare the players for that. The Academy players are given open access to the equipment and the food at the training ground.
Please explain EPPP to us.
The EPPP is set by the Premier League and consists of Academies categorised from 1 to 4. The Watford Academy is Category 2. Each category has rules for what facilities and staffing levels need to be provided. They are audited every year. There was a lot of work needed in the first 18 months that Johnno and Jimmy were in charge to bring the Academy up to standard. The Club were very supportive of them at that time.
How is the Academy assessed?
The Academy has Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC) assessments which are similar to the Ofsted auditing of schools. The Academy has to develop a Performance Plan and this forms the basis of the assessment. When the assessors turn up at the gate, they can talk to anyone and inspect all areas. In the first year, they were assessed four times. After the audit, a feedback sheet is sent to the Academy in the form of a RAG report (Red, Amber, Green). In the audits in the first year, there were a number of the boxes that were red (requiring improvement). Last year, every box was green.
What compensation does the Club receive if players from the Academy move on to other clubs?
The compensation starts at U9 level and is based on the number of years that the player has been in the Academy. From U9-U16 the compensation starts at £300K. Once players become scholars and sign professional contracts, the compensation levels are negotiated as part of their deals. Richard Johnson said that he sees losing players as a compliment to them as they have developed a player who is wanted by other clubs. All players who leave will have sell-on clauses attached.
How do they decide on whether players should go out on loan and where? Do clubs approach them or do they approach the clubs?
All players are different. At 17, some are ready for the U21s, and some are ready to play for a men's team, others are not. But at some point, the youngsters have to understand men's football as it is a completely different experience to playing Academy football. Going out on loan gives the youngsters the chance to be in a dressing room with men who have to work during the day and for whom the success of the team is important as they may need to earn from it. Kings Langley is used a lot. Shaq Forde was mentioned as a player who has moved through various levels of loan football and was at Leyton Orient this season (winning their young player of the season award). Clubs will approach the Academy to loan players. It must be right for the player's development. They have to be mentally and physically ready to make that step. Staff from the Academy go out to watch the players on loan when that is possible and will always let the player know that they are there. Jon Marks puts together a report on all the loan players every week. Peter Sharp keeps an eye on any medical issues and makes sure that the training and the environment is helping their development. Scholars can go on work experience loans which are short-term. There are also youth loans which can be 28 days plus. There is no restriction on the number of youth and work experience loans that a player can have in a season.
How will the Elite Group be set up?
There will be 6-8 players in the elite group who will start pre-season with the first team. It is thought that maybe 1-2 will complete that pre-season period. These players will work with the first team and have the opportunity to be in the first team squad. It is likely that the group will change over time as the players develop over the season. But when the players come back for pre-season, the Academy players will have the same testing protocol as the first team so that the same data are available for all of the players. Tom grew up under a manager who believed that if you were good enough, you were old enough. He will follow that himself. There will be no token debuts, but if the player is good enough, they will have the opportunity to play for the first team. Jimmy Gilligan said that they will closely monitor the development of these players. They want them to go to the first team and stay there. They don't want to make mistakes with players as it is not in their interest. Richard Johnson stressed that the players have to be good enough. There will be a support network in place, but the player has to be able to cope with the pressures of the first team. Productivity of the Academy is measured on development of the players and moving them through to the first team. It was zero when they took over, it is much improved now.
Culture of the Academy
Jimmy Gilligan said that they have an acronym RAPHHH which stands for Respectful, Accountable, Positivity, Hard-working, Honesty, Humility. All of the players are expected to buy into this culture. The players are in an elite environment, so need to have self-belief. The players have reviews every six weeks and the Academy staff have meetings with the parents. They want to produce good people. They believe that they now have one vision for player development along with Tom. Tom said that this is much more than he had when he was coming through the Academy at Manchester United.
What is the biggest barrier at 17?
Peter Sharp: Decision-making abilities. Jimmy Gilligan: Attitude and ability. Richard Johnson: The right mentality. First year scholars often think that they have made it, but they have to treat it like a job. Tom Cleverley: The relentless nature of the game. In every training session players are competing with each other and being judged. When asked if the players could be teenagers, Richard said that they can, but they are less likely to make it if they prioritise going out with their mates. Jimmy Gilligan: There are cameras everywhere. You can't nip out for a pint like we could when we were youngsters. If you want to be the best, you have to live, eat and sleep right.
What are the criteria for talent identification?
There is a matrix that covers development, performance, technical ability, attitude in training, time-keeping and whether they will fit into the group. They have close ties with development centres and private academies. Jon Goodman is the Head of Academy Recruitment who works to identify potential recruits. They have an induction evening with each age group at which they set out what the players should expect. They are upfront at these evenings about the percentage of players who are likely to reach the professional level. Not everyone will make it, but it is as much about the journey. The service that they get from the Academy gives every player the very best chance to succeed. Jimmy Gilligan spoke about an app that they use similar to that used by fighter pilots which tests speed of thought and the accuracy of decision making.
Does the Academy have to play in the same way as the first team?
No, they don't but, as a sign of respect, they should ask the opinion of the Head Coach. They need to look at the players that they have and play to their strengths.
Every player should know the history of the club. Are people like Luther brought in to talk to the Academy players?
This is something that was discussed between Tom, Jimmy and Johnno. The players are taught about the history of the club and the players that have gone before them. Players from the Academy take part in the Taylor Trek and they are keen to get them out into the community.
Are the U18 games at London Colney open to the public?
Yes, they are.
Is it true that Stuart Pearce was brought in to train the Academy players?
As part of continuing professional development, former players are often brought in. Jimmy knows Stuart Pearce as he scouted for him when he was in charge of the England U21s. Stuart came in to give a presentation rather than a training session. They also like to look at high performance in other sports to see what they can learn from it.
Agents
Currently when a player joins the Academy, they are all on the same contract and this goes through to when they become scholars at 16. At this point some agents come in and demand a small fortune, they are sent away as this contract is not up for negotiation. Once they sign a professional contract, they have the option for better terms.
What can the Academy do to retain players when other clubs come in for them?
There is very little that they can do if a bigger club makes an approach for a player. They have to tell the player and their family that an offer has been made. Harry Amass was mentioned. When Manchester United came in for him, they had to tell the family. He trains with the England U16s, so players from United would likely tell him that they were in for him. The Academy staff have to be honest with the players or they will lose their trust. Bigger clubs are likely to offer the players more money and that is a big thing for them and their families.
What support is there for released players?
When players are released, there is a three-year plan. A dossier is sent out with clips of the player and an analysis of their performance. The player welfare officer has regular contact with them for the first year. There are also career events at which they can find other opportunities.
Will the lack of parachute payments affect the future of the Academy?
The lack of parachute payments won't affect their funding. Scott is very supportive of them. They receive money as players leave.
How does the Academy now differ from when you were coming through?
Jimmy Gilligan trained under Tom Walley and said that Tom would be revered now for the number of players that he brought through the system but would be shut down due to his methods. Jimmy said that Watford made him. Tom, GT and Sam Ellis were all so influential. Kenny Jackett was in charge of the youth team when Johnno was coming through. He used to join in the 5-a-sides and kicked everyone. He called Johnno "Skippy" and told him he would be on the next Quantas flight home if he didn't succeed. "You couldn't do that now." It was clear that they loved their time in the Academy and that it made them the men that they are. Tom said that he wants there to be belief all the way through the club.
Is there any sharing with Arsenal as they are next door?
There is no particular relationship with Arsenal apart from some personal relationships. The Arsenal Academy is not at London Colney. The sharing with other academies comes through the elite system. On occasions they arrange games with Cat 1 academies to test the players. Departments from the Watford Academy have been invited to present to other academies on best practice as they are now held in high regard.
It was a really good evening with a lot of information imparted. It is clear that Johnno and Jimmy are passionate about player development, and they have a great relationship with Tom. With all of them having come through the Academy system, they use their experiences to shape how they work. It was pleasing that every participant stressed what a good bunch of players we have the in system at the moment. I came away very impressed with all of them. I have met each of them over the years, but I saw a completely different side to them. They are all knowledgeable and single-minded and want the best for the club. The Academy is in very good hands indeed.
