Posted August 11, 2025 20:38
· last edited August 11, 2025 20:40
I see most have decent football careers, those in the lower top divisions would be on a reasonable living.
This “conversion rate” is excellent when comparing it with (an example I have witnessed here in NZ) local basketball. My son went through all the rep age groups for basketball and participated in numerous camps etc. we saw some fantastic young players in our travels but the conersion rate was very low. Looking at some old team photos, at rep under 12 level (12 players in the squad) there are 3/12 that went on to anything. 1 is a current NBL player and 2 others (including my boy) went to the US to play college basketball. Only the NBL player gets paid (probably) but not enough to not have another job.
With football academies, you’d expect better rates, more so in the UK where there are plenty of places to play pro. In NZ, if you don’t make the Nix or AFC, then thats usually it.
A lot different to my day where there were a host of 16/17 year olds off to the UK to stay with relatives and hawk themselves to various football clubs, attending trials, knocking on doors etc. I would of done the same but at the age of 17 I got a decent job and career that I stayed 23 years in, so stayed home. Today youngsters can join local academies and attempt what is now an established pro pathway, logistically easier if it turns to custard for you.martinb
Yeh, different model.
I remember our primary school struggling to get 11 soccer players for a team in NZ versus what a friend told me about in Liverpool where 300 6 year olds showed up!
It’s madness in the UK that so many players give their whole young lives to football academies and only a small small percentage get professional careers. And even very successful youth players like those who won the underage World Cup with England have no guarantee of a career at EPL level. Pretty crazy.
Just to put Ben Waine’s struggles to get settled in perspective.
I see most have decent football careers, those in the lower top divisions would be on a reasonable living.
This “conversion rate” is excellent when comparing it with (an example I have witnessed here in NZ) local basketball. My son went through all the rep age groups for basketball and participated in numerous camps etc. we saw some fantastic young players in our travels but the conersion rate was very low. Looking at some old team photos, at rep under 12 level (12 players in the squad) there are 3/12 that went on to anything. 1 is a current NBL player and 2 others (including my boy) went to the US to play college basketball. Only the NBL player gets paid (probably) but nit enough not to not have another job.
With football academies, you’d expect better rates, more so in the UK where there are plenty of places to play pro. In NZ, if you don’t make the Nix or AFC, then thats usually it.
A lot different to my day where there were a host of 16/17 year olds off to the UK to stay with relatives and hawk themselves to various football clubs, attending trials, knocking on doors etc. I would of done the same but at the age of 17 I got a decent job and career that I stayed 23 years in, so stayed home. Today youngsters can join local academies and attempt what is now an established pro pathway, logistically easier if it turns to custard for you.martinb
Yeh, different model.
I remember our primary school struggling to get 11 soccer players for a team in NZ versus what a friend told me about in Liverpool where 300 6 year olds showed up!
It’s madness in the UK that so many players give their whole young lives to football academies and only a small small percentage get professional careers. And even very successful youth players like those who won the underage World Cup with England have no guarantee of a career at EPL level. Pretty crazy.
Just to put Ben Waine’s struggles to get settled in perspective.
I see most have decent football careers, those in the lower top divisions would be on a reasonable living.
This “conversion rate” is excellent when comparing it with (an example I have witnessed here in NZ) local basketball. My son went through all the rep age groups for basketball and participated in numerous camps etc. we saw some fantastic young players in our travels but the conersion rate was very low. Looking at some old team photos, at rep under 12 level (12 players in the squad) there are 3/12 that went on to anything. 1 is a current NBL player and 2 others (including my boy) went to the US to play college basketball. Only the NBL player gets paid (probably) but nit enough not to have another job.
With football academies, you’d expect better rates, more so in the UK where there are plenty of places to play pro. In NZ, if you don’t make the Nix or AFC, then thats usually it.
A lot different to my day where there were a host of 16/17 year olds off to the UK to stay with relatives and hawk themselves to various football clubs, attending trials, knocking on doors etc. I would of done the same but at the age of 17 I got a decent job and career that I stayed 23 years in, so stayed home. Today youngsters can join local academies and attempt what is now an established pro pathway, logistically easier if it turns to custard for you.martinb
Yeh, different model.
I remember our primary school struggling to get 11 soccer players for a team in NZ versus what a friend told me about in Liverpool where 300 6 year olds showed up!
It’s madness in the UK that so many players give their whole young lives to football academies and only a small small percentage get professional careers. And even very successful youth players like those who won the underage World Cup with England have no guarantee of a career at EPL level. Pretty crazy.
Just to put Ben Waine’s struggles to get settled in perspective.