Academy players at grassroots tournaments? Encourage or discourage?

We see and hear it every year.

As a coach, I love summer tournaments. It’s a day out in (hopefully) sunny weather, the children play lots of football and there is, in the main, a great atmosphere. But on arrival, without fail, the kids are gossiping about their rival opposition.

“They’ve got someone from [insert local professional club] playing.”

Often its hearsay, sometimes it really is true.

At a recent tournament where I was with an under tens side, I looked over at a team in an older group and there were several players I knew of or recognised who all played in different academies. I got talking to someone who works as a scout for another professional club and he was appalled.

From his point of a view, I suppose it denies him the opportunity to see more unsigned players and identify local talent. He reckoned it put off scouts from other clubs coming to more tournaments because when the best players there are already signed with someone, why bother? 

Do the kids really care who they play with or against?

However if as a scout you know there are registered academy players present would that then give you a greater idea of where the grassroots players are at in their development? What if there are players there that are not with a professional club who are showing that they can compete with those at the academies? That factor alone then lowers the risk of you offering a trial to someone who at the time is not ready to go in to the professional set up.

Then there are the coaches. The more I began to think about it, the more I realised that those who object to academy players in grassroots tournaments are the ones who are worried they will deny them the opportunity of a trophy. They will protest, claiming it is unfair on their kids, but that too comes from a deep-rooted idea in their mind that what matters most to them is coming home with a cup.

Where I object is if academy players are handpicked to play instead of children who have played for that club all season. And I did see this. That means those coaches are also more interested in winning, and that the result of the tournament itself is more important than getting to spend the day developing their own players. So there are two types of coaches with totally different viewpoints, but both united in the fact that they put winning above all else. It’s disappointing.

Sadly, I don’t think there is much consideration of the fact that they are children. Children who want to play football with their FRIENDS. How often can it be that these young footballers have the chance to play alongside their mates in a football tournament? I’d hazard a guess that the opportunity does not come around too regularly for them. If we encouraged players from academies to take part maybe it would it actually boost the number of young children participating in these events! Have we considered that children like a challenge? This is the ultimate one for them in many aspects. 

I have no idea what rules the FA impose, or the professional clubs themselves but I do know at some tournaments the hosts place rules stating that players registered with an academy or centre of excellence may not participate. Is this a form of exclusion? When there is more need than ever for the grassroots and elite level to work together, why are we making the lines more distinct?

Maybe we should begin to look past who a child plays for and, I don’t know, just let them play football?