Friday 14 September 2012

NextGen Series - The Future of Youth



The NextGen tournament was founded in August 27th 2011, ever since its introduction it’s pitched some of the most illustrious clubs young talents against each other in a European tournament. The tournament included clubs such as FC Barcelona, Liverpool, Sporting Lisbon and Aston Villa. The clubs are famed for not only for their European triumph in competitions such as the Champions League and the Europa League, but also there academy’s that have produced world class players that are still gracing some of the most historic pitches in football. It started off as a more experimental competition not knowing if it would become as successful and profitable as it has become, youth team football isn’t the most watched spectacle of the game as it’s mainly played behind closed doors or at academies with a crowd of just over a 100 people. The NextGen series has challenged this concept and taken U19 football and put it on the European stage in a format that follows the Champions League. They also had fixtures at grounds such as Villa Park famous for their 1982 European Cup triumph and Anfield the home of five times European champions; it would give the clubs youth prospects experience of playing in a stadium capable of holding over 45,000 supporters. So, is the NextGen reshaping the foundations of youth football and taking it to a new level?




The first Tournament that took place in the 2011-2012 football season proved to be immensely successful, there were sixteen clubs chosen altogether with the most influence on the quality of their youth academy’s. The likes of FC Barcelona, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City took part in the competition; the four English clubs were the most of any nation in the tournament showing the prowess of youth football in England. The tournament split the 16 teams registered into groups of four, teams would be required to play both home and away fixtures giving them the experience of travelling to far off places that they will more than likely endure once a first team regular. The two teams that qualified at the top of their respective groups would progress into the knockout stages, after that the Quarter finals would be played at the home ground of the group winners. The final of the NextGen series was played in England at the Leyton Orient match room stadium with a more than healthy crowd of 3,500 people, this might not seem a huge amount but to budding professionals and at only 19 or under its one of the biggest crowds they would of played under and they now boast the experience other club players might not have. The eventual winners of NextGen 2011-2012 were Inter Milan after a nail-biting penalty shootout it is there first and in many 
cases not there last taste of European glory. 


The huge beneficial factor to young players the NextGen series has is experience, it’s something that can’t just be brought or come natural you have to earn it. The squad size is also relatively small compared to that of first team with only 18 player’s maximum compared to the Premier league and Champions League squad size of 25 players. This has meant only those who are capable of producing brilliant displays and the ability to play with immense pressure at such a young level will be rewarded with a place in the NextGen squad. This experience doesn’t go unnoticed in the Clubs higher management, first team coaches will get to see their young starlets in action and gauge whether they are ready to make the step up to the first team. Liverpool is a prime example of NextGen's success, Adam Morgan and Raheem Sterling have both made there competitive debuts for their club at only 19 and 17 years of age respectively. Their talents were obviously picked up on by Brendan Rodgers and when he took them to North America for their Preseason tour he saw the true ability he has at his disposal. Raheem Sterling has already exploded onto the scene making not only his Competitive debut but impressing against two giants of the English game Manchester City and Arsenal. This has also earned him a call up to the senior England side a truly magnificent achievement. This is only further evidence on the great work the NextGen tournament and youth football in general is doing to help nurture and produce future stars. 

NextGen series has recently announced a partnership with Euro sport to show fixtures from the tournament on a four year deal. This deal will ensure at the least eighteen games will be shown live on the television channel up until the deal runs out in 2015-2016 but of course this doesn’t mean they won’t renew it or even gain a more lucrative deal with media giants such as ESPN and Sky sports. This deal is a massive one it isn’t only of financial benefit allowing the tournament to grow but it will help the brand to grow and be viewed by a wider audience. The more and more people begin to watch youth football the more that can be spent on improving it to make sure in the future youth academy’s and the way the system is laid out can get the most out of the young stars, pushing them to their potential and hopefully we will see the quality of players coming through each and every club increasing in both ability and potential. 

What do you think of the NextGen series, have you ever  watched a game live or watched on the television via the Clubs official channels? What do you think of the current youth setup can it be improved, leave a comment below on your opinions. 


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