What is it like to be an academy football parent?

“My eldest son has always been into football from the young age of three and showed an interested and talent for it. He played for the local grassroots team from the ages of five, playing up a year. He was then spotted by Cambridge [United] as a 7-yearold at a summer tournament.

“It has always been my sons dream to become a professional football player, however I have been very consistent that he also needs a plan B. Education is hugely important and he endeavours to get a great education at the same time as the football.”

The numbers show the competitiveness of the professional game supporting Lynn’s mention of a plan B. Out of the children who enter academies at the age of nine, less than one per cent will make it as a professional footballer at any level. In terms of playing Premier League football, just 180 children of the 1.5 million who play organised youth football at any time will go onto a career in football – just 0.012 per cent.

On managing his education alongside playing Lynn expressed that it is hard and often there is not enough time to fit everything in, “My eldest has had to make decisions to drop things that his school have wanted him to do due lack of energy and time. He has a natural ability for all sports; hence his school are keen for him to take part in athletics, rugby, basketball, but he simply cannot do it all.

“In terms of education he goes to a great school that emphasise the importance of education, and he is self-motivated to get everything done on time and to a good standard. I am yet to see any impact on his education, but I definitely see him getting tired.”

With academy football, there is just as much commitment needed from parents as Lynn explains, “The training and games schedule is full on I have to admit. Training is three times a week, Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, an hour’s drive away from where we live in Hertfordshire. Games are every Sunday, sometimes Saturday and Sunday. I manage it, I have been doing it for so long now that I am used to it.

“I am a self-employed personal finance expert, Mrs Mummypenny, so luckily get to choose my hours, meaning I have the flexibility to take my son to training and games when required. It is a huge amount of time commitment though, on a Monday and Tuesday night, its takes four hours of my time to take him to training.

“A typical week is me taking my eldest to training on Monday and Tuesday nights; Monday is a tough one as training ends

at 8:30pm and we get home at 9:30pm. Then at the weekend we will all go to the game on Sunday Morning, this could be anywhere, normally within two hours. If it’s a home game, Cambridge is an hour away, if it’s away it can be anywhere from Brighton to Manchester. Games takes up more time as my son needs to be there an hour before the game, plus the 80-90 minutes game time and the warm down.”

As well as dedicating her own time to make sure her son is able to make training and games, there is a financial commitment too, “I estimate that academy football costs around £2,000 per year. The main chunk of this being petrol getting to games and training. I managed to save some money here by switching to a hybrid car to save fuel costs! There are also tour costs, two to three time a year (up to £250 each time), many pairs of football boots and the team kit.”

Clubs are often criticised for scouting players at such a young age but Lynn is full of praise for Cambridge United’s devotion to supporting their players’ development: “We have great communication from the club since my son started, with regular feedback every few months on performance with areas to improve on and where he is doing well. I have always felt like the coaches really care for my son and that he is never just a commodity. The coaches are all passionate about his continuous development from a football skills point of view and personally.

Cambridge have been exemplary with their care and support of my son. They have always helped when we have asked and made him feel like he is a valued player. His maturity levels are far above his young years from the many years of academy football, I can only comment that it has helped to develop him into a kind, considerate, focussed boy with a bright future ahead of him.”

Of course, the most important aspect of playing football at a young age should be enjoyment: “My eldest loves the match play and tactics of the game. He has a natural footballing brain and knows intuitively where the ball is going. He loves the physicality of the game and it’s rare that anyone will get past him on the football pitch.” U