That’s right. And, in a club like ours an academy is a community asset which develops young players not just in the footballing sense but in a wider more social sense, especially as schools are so stressed at present and unable to dedicate time to talent, and to those lacking in soft skills, such as following instructions, helping your team mates, dealing with disappointment, etc etc. A recent tv documentary showed this in action at Crystal Palace, who under chairman Steve Parish, are exemplars of how to do this.
Oh, and as for parental wealth, cars and academies, I don’t think you can assess anybody’s wealth from a glance at their wheels. And, there are plenty of youths with special needs – social or otherwise – from wealthy families, as any teacher will tell you.
