Academy

It's in the top 10 of Cat 3 Academies.

Well done to all involved and it's good to see some success attaching to the club. However, our position is largely influenced in having 3 products of the academy registered for PL clubs last season - Delph, Cleverly and Wisdom - all of whom left between 11 and 18 years ago! The analysis is based on players who are registered in the different leagues who historically spent some time at a club's academy. Our position doesn't really appear to be any reflection of the quality or otherwise of the Academy today despite the spin.

 

Far too early to say. How many young players are promising yet cannot successfully make the quantum jump to first team football. How many Bradford City youth players, who fully progressed through the youth system/academy are actually playing regular first team football for any of the 92 or a top team in other leagues?

 

The simple answer is 10 registered in the PL and EFL who have spent some time at our Academy and another 7 in the National league. And these numbers include those who also spent time at other clubs' academies. And spread over at least 18 years ('cos Delph and Cleverley are in the analysis) that doesn't sound like a fabulous return.

 

If I am not wrong McBurnie is one of the few who progressed all the way through.
Delph, Wisdom, Cleverly, Heaton and fair few others left when they were relatively young. People like Green had very difficult outcomes. Others who did progress through to the first team like Colbeck and Luke O’Brien, never really went onto have a lengthy career. For interests sake can you supply the names of the 17?

 

No I don't know all of the names. I was only given the names of Delph, Cleverley, Wisdom and McBurnie.

McBurnie didn't go entirely through our academy. He was at Leeds' academy previously until he was released and then we picked him up.