In the annals of football history, dominance was often dictated by factors such as economic might, population size, and abundant resources. Nations with deeper pockets and larger talent pools were traditionally seen as frontrunners in the international arena.
However, the landscape of football has undergone a seismic shift in recent decades. The conventional wisdom that resources and population alone are the keys to success has been challenged and ultimately overturned. A new paradigm has emerged, placing youth football development at the forefront of a nation’s footballing prowess.
Therefore, equipping the youth development ecosystem with adroit leadership, top-class infrastructure, and effective developmental pathways will pave the way for success. If a nation is fortunate enough to possess exceptional football talent, dominance on the global stage becomes a realistic aspiration.
Sports youth development was touted by psychologists long before the advent and rise of football academies as a practice that leverages the sporting environment to not only get the players to excel in their chosen field but also to accelerate their human, emotional, mental, physical and ethical development, and to maximize their potential.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: THE NEW ERA OF SUCCESS
Over the past four decades or so, we have witnessed many sporting icons progress from youth teams to academy graduates and senior teams and go on to become fierce competitors and outstanding athletes.
Due to their remarkable success in producing exceptional athletes, football academies have become the cornerstone of global football development. While over 90% of academy learners may not reach the first-team level, these institutions have a proven track record of nurturing well-rounded individuals.
The success of football academies extends beyond athletic achievements. From a young age, learners are instilled with essential values such as discipline, cooperation, leadership, tolerance, respect, and confidence. They are also educated about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, violence, crime, HIV/AIDS, and early pregnancy. The overarching goal is to equip these young athletes with the tools they need to become better human beings.
Academies maintain a strict and demanding environment where mediocrity and poor performance are not tolerated. Preference is given to learners who demonstrate discipline and academic progress. Those who fail to meet these standards may face expulsion regardless of their athletic abilities and talents.
KHUMALO & MAPHIKE: ACADEMY SUCCESS STORIES OF SA FOOTBALL
Admirable examples of this success earlier on in South Africa include Doctor Khumalo and Ntsie Maphike at Kaizer Chiefs, who started at the academy as young boys and went on to serve the club for many years with aplomb in different capacities as players and managers. They remain leading personalities in the domestic football landscape.
The late Senzo Meyiwa, Itumeleng Khune and Ronwen Williams present another football academy success story. They started as kids at Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United, respectively, and went on to become the first-choice goalkeepers for their clubs and country. The trio have dominated the goalkeeping position at Bafana Bafana for the past two decades as outstanding performers and revered leaders as captains.
PSL AWARDS SHOWCASE TRIUMPH OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN SA FOOTBALL
The end-of-season [2023/2024] PSL awards were dominated by academy graduates from the various teams: Patrick ‘Tito’ Maswanganyi [Stars of Africa Academy], Relebohile Mofokeng [School of Excellence and later Orlando Pirates]. Tshegofatso Mabasa [Bloemfontein Celtic], Ronwen Williams, Grant Kekana [SuperSport United] and Devin Titus [Stellenbosch FC].
Other success stories include Percy Tau [Mamelodi Sundowns] and Lyle Foster [Orlando Pirates], as well as the Bafana Bafana squad that won bronze at the recent AFCON, most of whom are academy graduates from SuperSport United. There are many other shining examples of academy graduates who have dominated the local and international scene. but there won’t be enough space to mention all of them here.
SuperSport United have established themselves as a leading force in South African youth development. Over the past 23 years, the club has produced numerous talented players who have gone on to achieve success both domestically and internationally. Many of these academy graduates continue to thrive in competitive leagues across South Africa, while others have made their mark abroad. Additionally, several SuperSport United academy products have represented South Africa at various youth levels.
The number of academy graduates at ‘Matsatsantsa’ has been matched by increasing revenues in the transfer market. In the past few seasons, Ronwen Williams, Teboho Mokoena, Grant Kekana, Thapelo Maseko, and others, who are all Bafana Bafana players, have moved across from SuperSport United to Mamelodi Sundowns.
Several other SuperSport graduates have made their way to other teams in the PSL and even ventured overseas. One notable example is Shandre Campbell, who recently joined Club Brugge in Belgium.
SUPERSPORT’S ACADEMY REVENUE A FRACTION OF EUROPEAN GIANTS
Although successful in the domestic scene, SuperSport United’s revenue figures pale in significance when compared to those of European giants whose revenues from the transfer of their academy graduates run into billions of rands. According to FIFA, Benfica of Portugal leads the pack.
Benfica have generated in the region of R10,4 billion in revenue from the sales of its academy graduates in the last ten years. This is a staggering average of R1 billion a year. Second is Ajax Amsterdam who has recorded revenues of R7,6 billion in academy graduate sales. At number three is Olympic Lyon of France with sales of R7,4 billion. Rounding out the top five are Real Madrid and Chelsea. Real Madrid has generated approximately R7.3 billion in revenue from academy graduate sales. On the other hand, Chelsea has recorded sales of around R7 billion.
Atalanta FC, Liverpool FC, Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester City FC, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris St Germain [PSG], PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto and Aston Villa are some of the giants whose academy transfer revenues rank in the global top 20.
YOUTH ACADEMIES: SHAPING SA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS AND CITIZENS
The football development academy philosophy has emerged as a cornerstone of modern football. The philosophy also emphasises a holistic approach to player development. These academies go beyond teaching football skills and focus on nurturing well-rounded individuals.
The football development academy philosophy is:
1. To teach young aspiring and talented football players skills, values, and wellness. The intent is to strengthen the football culture of the club at youth level. Teach life lessons and build social and emotional skills and positive relationships with others to become complete, well-rounded individuals who will succeed both on and off the field.
2 Get most of the youth national teams selected from these academies because the scouting and selection has already been done at club level.
3. Promote the best-performing academy talent to the first team and get homegrown talent to dominate the professional league. These leagues are the Betway Premiership and Motsepe Foundation Championship.
4 Sell them to other teams, thereby focusing more on development than recruitment and providing the club with much-needed revenue to run the club and fulfil all its needs.
Replicated across towns and cities in several different sporting codes, this could be a powerful way of developing youth and preparing them to become responsible and productive citizens whether they pursue their chosen sports or migrate to something totally different. In this instance, the clubs will be investors. But the benefits will accrue to the economy.
RELATED STORY: Sundowns sporting director: Why we restructured panel
