Last season was the best in many years for Pools Academy, with 3 players getting professional contracts. So it's sobering to realise that unless Pools win promotion next season the Academy will be automatically wound up, regardless of what the club would like to do or can afford to do.

A statement on the Rochdale OS explains:
"in the 2024/25 season the only National League clubs permitted to operate an academy at any category are ourselves, Hartlepool United, Sutton United and Forest Green Rovers.

Under current Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) rules, any club relegated from The EFL can only operate an Academy for a maximum of two seasons outside of the EFL, regardless of category. However, central funding in the second of these seasons is significantly reduced. Should we remain a National League member club in the 2025/26 season, current regulations mean that we would not be able to operate an Academy of any category until promotion back to the EFL was achieved.

Directors, staff, and all other Academy stakeholders here are united in the view that there is only very limited correlation between the divisional status of any clubs first team, and a club’s ability to develop talented young footballers through its Academy system. As such, we do not accept that the current youth development rules are fit for purpose.

Fundamentally, we do not agree with any regulatory framework that mandates the closure of successful Academy programmes, either here or elsewhere, within two seasons of relegation from the EFL. As our divisional colleagues Oldham Athletic and Southend United made clear in their respective statements on 25/04/24 and 09/05/24, ongoing lobbying by ourselves and other National League clubs is underway."

Is that actually legal, Or can the academy be run under a different guise.

That’s a bs rule, assume nat league got some scraps of money in exchange for it, also means any of our good young players could get swiped for fuck all I assume before they sign a pro
Contract

What’s running an Academy got to do with sod all…?
This makes no sense at all.
What would they do if a shadow Academy with no connection were to be running in parallel and Pools have first choice of their ‘crop’….?

Is that actually legal, Or can the academy be run under a different guise”

We had an academy of sorts last time we languished down here, based at the FE college. Some of the lads who broke through this year were involved then. It got some sponsorship from the trust, supporters assoc. and SE Poolies to help keep it going.

I can’t see how a body with no links to Pools can’t have a ‘relationship’ to Pools….if you follow my reasoning.

Yes but problem is any half decent player a
League club can take for free with no comp, so
It fucks a way of making money/self
Funding it, not that we have sold one since Boyd/miller

Totally agree, but that’s where we are, it’s about making the best of getting round this pointless fecking ruling, especially as it has no real effect on our performances on the pitch ….the ironic thing being that money bags clubs can throw money at their teams but they won’t be putting a cap on transfers.
How ironic that something benign and looking for talent is frowned upon and should really be encouraged by all the clubs.

know for a fact that both guiseley and eccleshall, two sides local to me have acadamies run by their clubs staff run from colleges under a different name. both are well below our level but manage to bring players through to first team level. halifax also have one just like the other two but go under the clubs name playing league clubs at there age groups.

I am sure we got an undisclosed fee for a young goalkeeper we sold to Ipswich or someone? It was during Challinors days. The lad never played for our first team but was on the bench on one occasion.

It was Brad Young to Leicester.

What a shit league this is!

I do, Many ways to skin a cat though, Ask RatBoy

Pools U-18s currently play in the EFL Youth Alliance and the EFL Youth Alliance Cup, which is a great standard of opposition for our Academy lads - all the other teams in those competitions are from Championship, League 1 or League 2 clubs. That will come to an end after next season if the mens team don't win promotion out of the NL.


Will Pools carry on with an Academy set up when the parachute payments end, and at what level? Who knows? The Luca Murphy experience was a bad one for Pools that cost the club money even though they eventually won some compensation from Fulhan - it didn't cover legal fees. Raj has a long memory for stuff like that.

The Supporters Association are committed to supporting the youth programme whatever it’s name. The next fund raising event is on Thursday 23rd. May when local band Sentinel are performing from 8pm. Admission is free ,you can pay what you like.
The following Wednesday,29th. May, there is a Music Quiz followed by a General Knowledge Quiz starting at 8pm. Cash and beer prizes to be won.

The club can still operate an academy but it will have no external funding and the clubs players in it will have no protection from losing players fro free to any of the propfessional 'allowed academies'. This is the last year the club gets any help from the FL in parachute or academy money.

It seems the ‘Godfatheres’ of this league have accepted they’re happy to stay at this level and implementing policies to suit their ‘busy going nowhere’ status in ot.