In the complex world of academies, scouts look near to home to discover local young talents in the hope they will bud into their next superstar. Ben Atiako-Hall was one of these prospects, signing to AFC Bournemouth academy at 7 years old.
“When you’re young you don’t realise the significance of it. It was a huge moment for me.”
After being played in various positions on the field, it was on the flanks that Atiako-Hall established himself as a top winger in the academy. The young prodigy impressed coaches with his pace, flair and courage to take on defenders. His dedication saw him at the facilities five times a week which led to him training and playing in age groups higher than his own.
“There’s a natural pressure when you get older and you realise the situation you are in, the possibility of becoming a footballer gets a lot more real.”
At the age of 14 he saw himself sidelined for half the year with a recurring sprained ankle injury and a torn hamstring which set him back in his progression.
“It was mentally hard seeing your teammates progress and not having the opportunities to showcase my talents is really tough. You are fighting against every teammate to get that shirt and a professional contract.”
Atiako-Hall continued playing football for Bournemouth whilst achieving top grades in his schoolwork. At age 16, six months before he sat his final exams in year 11, he was informed by the academy that he would become a free agent.
“It was upsetting for me; I had been at Bournemouth all my life and had the dream of becoming a professional footballer.
“The worry of GCSEs is bad enough, but I also had to worry about my future in football. My life was football, so I was always thinking about it. I used to study by reading textbooks in the car on the way to trials all over the country.”
Whilst looking for a club he studied A-levels before dropping out halfway through to move to London to join Bromley FC at 18.
“It was a tough decision at the time, but the dream of football was very much alive at this point. I started an apprenticeship as a fall-back plan but now it’s become my focus.”
Although facing many setbacks, Atiako-Hall is grateful for his time at the AFC Bournemouth. The now full-time accountant credits his success in life after the academy to the lessons he learned from football that helped him shape the person he is today.
“Playing for an academy can make or break you. For me training every day taught me the value of hard work, you carry that attitude for everything you do in life.
“The coaches build life skills which you never lose. A coach isn’t just there to develop you as a footballer, they’re there to grow you into a better person.”
How I fell out of love with what I loved most
“I haven’t played football since I was released from the academy” says Marcus Scholey who spent seven years at Sheffield Wednesday academy. “I completely lost my passion for football.”
Only three percent of former Premier League academy players aged between 21-26 make a single Premier League appearance, according to the Premier League’s official statistics. But what happens to the other ninety-seven percent who don’t make it?
Marcus joined his boyhood club at seven years old after playing against a friendly against them with his local Sunday league team.
“I wanted to be an outfield player but my coach at the time put me in net as a goalkeeper. I hated it, every day I would come home in a right mood and was on the verge of packing it in. Luckily my dad persuaded me to carry on.
“I was playing football five times a week and watching it every Saturday. Going from launching the ball up field, to learning how to play the ball around the formation and organising my defence made me become a leader. The concept of a goalkeeper completely changed in my head, and I was really enjoying playing.
“As I was young when I joined mental health wasn’t as big in the spotlight as much as it is now. Some of my academy coaches offered a lot more support than others.
“The best coaches I had weren’t the ones with the most coaching badges, or the ones who were tactically and technically the best but were the ones who made football enjoyable to play. That is what made me, and the other lads play better with more confidence.”
The harsh realities of academy football came to the forefront when at the age of 14 Marcus was released. Still a talented keeper, he was tired of the pressure of preforming and gave up playing football completely. “I completely fell out of love with the game.”
Whilst Marcus stopped playing football at a young age, many youth players make it on until their later teen years.
The art of training mentality
Middlesbrough Academy has produced some exceptional talents over the years, including Steward Downing who has worn the England national badge 35 times and has over 400 Premier League appearances.
However, it is not just technical skills and physical ability that define success in the top leagues. Academies have been recognising the importance of the mental resilience of a player looking to burst onto the scene. “He’s a confidence player is a big buzzword, you hear it all the time,” says lead sports psychologist at Middlesbrough Academy, Tom Short. His role in the academy helps coaches, club staff, players and parents to understand the mental side of the game. “The power of it as well as what it can hinder.” All category 1 academies in the EFL are required to have a sports psychologist.
“It’s a mental game,” Short emphasizes the critical role of the mind in shaping how a player performs on the pitch. “Mental Character can be 70% of a player’s ability.”
Young players have similar issues including confidence, performance anxiety and dealing with injuries and absences from the team. He also highlights some of the negative stigma around sports psychologists he faces when trying to help these young players progress.
“Players don’t have to use me, a lot of players might have perceptions about speaking to a sports psychologist, am I mentally weak or will my teammates look at me differently?”
Tom says he is lucky that there is a positive attitude on mental health at Middlesbrough. It is usual for many players even at the senior level to feel consulting a psychologist is not necessary. Support should come from people the players trust and spend time with, such as a coach or physio they spent time with during an injury.
“Just because I’m the mental professional it doesn’t mean I’m the best placed person to support them.”
Many young academy players struggle with an identity crisis after they are released from their clubs. A large proportion of players Middlesbrough sign are from the local area.
“It’s the club their parents and grandparents support so there’s a huge feeling of pride, they can become very attached to that identity that I’m a Middlesbrough footballer, and when that doesn’t work out there’s a big swallowing of that pride.”
In the academy structure contracts work in two-year cycles so being released is constantly a threat to young players. Whilst the primary focus at any academy is to develop young talents into great footballers, Middlesbrough is aware that an extremely small portion of players youth will make the first team, so the club provide a programme that helps teach them life skills outside of the pitch.
“Football is important to these players but they are not just players, they’re a person as well. They’re very complex people who must deal with school, friendships and family so my job is helping enable the coaches and parents to support them.”
“We prepare them to be the best person they can be and if that makes a good footballer, even better.”
“As a club we help support everyone who is released.”
Still in the system – An exciting prospect
Inspired by her footballing idol, Neymar Jr, Jodie Exley is an attacking midfielder who plays with flair and freedom in the middle of the pitch. The 20-year-old, new Bristol City Women’s U21 player signed from reading last year and is keen to showcase her talents but has struggled with injuries to get to this point.
“The worst experience in football is getting injured. It’s hard having to retrain just to get back to your previous best whilst your teammates are progressing around you. It takes a serious toll on your mental health.”
Exley tore both her ACLs whilst playing for Reading Academy when she was 16.
Ben Atiako-Hall played in
Bournemouth academy until the age of 16
Tom Short is lead sports and exercise
psychologist at Middlesbrough Academy.
He helps coaches, club staff, players
and parents understand the mental side of the game
Marcus Scholey played at the
Sheffield Wednesday academy as a goalkeeper
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