Norwich Youth/Norfolk schools football policy

[spencer 1970 207]

It was fantastic news years ago when we had our status upgraded so we could scout young players from further afield. I believe we focussed on a few London Borough which few have been fruitful, especially Lewisham and Greenwich boroughs and the more recent Luton/Beds…but that raises the question, why do we have such relatively small yield from our own county considering we’re the only ones scouting the area? Is it a schools issue and football isn’t pushed as much or is it a youth/boys clubs level…or do we have better scouts in those areas that on our own doorstep?

[splendidrush 700]

We live in a County full of farmers,  the only 'talent' who can play on a ploughed field, sign up with the Binboys..... 

[spencer 1970 207]

hahaha. I do understand there may be a shortage of full size football pitches in some parts of rural Nofolk but you could probably say the same in inner London. I remember Jadon Sancho saying he honed his talent on the basketball courts/cages of the SE London estates in Camberwell/Southwark. Tight space/close control/etc.

It is a worrying I could pick a "current proffesionals" 11 a side team (with subs) from 2 boroughs but would stuggle to get a 5 a side team from of pro's from Norfolk which has a bigger population. (or could anyone else here do this and i've missed the point?) I just wondered if its a youth/training issue? It looks like our own scouts have more success finding youth in these regions too...maybe its the ethnic mix?! Brave to say it, but I could be right. 

Edited June 1, 2021 by spencer 1970

[Newtopia 519]

I grew up in Norfolk, and run a football team in Kent.  The kids in Kent have so many opportunities, there are four academies, running professional sessions within 15 minutes drive, and a larger number (10 ish) of active football clubs.

Looking back I think it was the logistics which made football less accessible in Norfolk.

[AJ 1,224]

It's a combination of things, lack of decent professional teams given how spread out Norfolk is and Norwich being really the only major club in the area, but also our improved academy status meant we could look further afield for better players. Risk Vs Reward will yield better rewards if you're taking on the very best for a bigger pool of players

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,576]

I have lived in Lewisham for a few years now. Not only is South London considered a hotbed for football talent in England, but is probably one of the most successful areas for generating players in Europe over the last few years. This is partly due to the large number of young people that live in the area - Lewisham and Greenwich combined have as many under 18s as all of Norfolk - but the quality of schools and access facilities is simply fantastic.

There are a large number of local clubs and sports programmes available in the area - I can think of about 5 local teams within 20 mins walk from my house. For example, Gary O'Neill runs a football academy during the summer holidays not that far from here, and he is a UEFA Pro Licence holder who is also a senior coach at Bournemouth. I'm not sure how many coaches of that calibre are running academies in Norfolk. Juventus have also opened a satellite academy in South London and the sheer number of professional teams means there are so many more pathways for young players here. 

It would be impossible for Norwich City to accommodate every young prospective footballer in Norfolk and many who could potentially move onto being full professionals are probably missed. 

[spencer 1970 207]

Pretty local then Bethnal, I'm in West Greenwich.

I totally see your point and do remember as a kid of 10/11 how competetive the teams were, even then. We'd have star players poached by other teams with the incentive of "scouts" coming to said games. Its Norwich or nothing in Norfolk I guess. My secondary school had 3 players turn pro from my school year.

HOwever, you'd think that with ease of travel nowadays and better planning "tech" that the Norfolk schools + NCFC could get something better going on.    

600'000 v 900'000 and the same amount on U18's? Thats crazy.

[canarydan23 4,060]

I don't know but I suspect we're near the bottom of pitch space to population. I run an Under 8s team and we have nightmares finding suitable midweek evening training space for most of the year. For sure, when there is sunlight there are plenty of venues but when the days shorten there is a massive scarcity of suitable locations. We've resorted to playing on the old carpet-style astroturf with built in goals that aren't regulation size and next season that might not even be available, and we're a pretty decent team at our age level.

It's getting better for sure what with Open at Heartsease, new indoor pitches at Arena on Avian Way and the hopefully soon-to-start construction of another facility at Brundall but right now there isn't enough good quality pitch space. I doubt there is as much of a problem with that in places like London.

And that's in Norwich, I suspect it's even worse in the more rural areas; who knows, maybe there have been more Cantwells in the more provincial areas of the county who never bothered to take it up because of the travel required to play?

I don't think we've ever taken sport as seriously as other places. I read Stephen Fry's book on America that complemented his TV series and in that he visited a school that served one of the most deprived areas in the state he was visiting and had all sorts of budget problems that come with it. Despite that, he said their sports facilities would be considered elite in the UK. I played a couple of sports tournaments in Holland several years ago and the grassroots facilities they have for a number of sports would embarrass us. And I'm not talking the big, professional sports either, amateur clubs for sports like Volleyball and Korfball had bases on a par with the Sportspark at the UEA.

[NewNestCarrow 202]

On 31/05/2021 at 10:45, spencer 1970 said:

…but that raises the question, why do we have such relatively small yield from our own county

The raw numbers say that the pool of males in Norfolk aged 8-14 is no more than 120,000. As London has roughly ten-times the population of Norfolk there is part of your answer.

The other consideration is that we just don't produce many good footballers. Example, of the 1,260 England caps awarded just seven have been to someone born in Norfolk. 

[spencer 1970 207]

Just now, NewNestCarrow said:

The raw numbers say that the pool of males in Norfolk aged 8-14 is no more than 120,000. As London has roughly ten-times the population of Norfolk there is part of your answer.

The other consideration is that we just don't produce many good footballers. Example, of the 1,260 England caps awarded just seven have been to someone born in Norfolk. 

I've not said about the population of London, but the population of Greenwich & Lewisham boroughs which is 300k below Norfolk. However it seems the U18's spread of said population isnt far off.  

Here's the 11 of currents Pro's from Lewisham & Greenwich alone. Subs too. I'd hazard a guss and say we've had more U21/U23s from the 2 borough than we have had from Norfolf in recent years. 

 

...anyway, lets hope Todd can help start bucking the trend.

[NewNestCarrow 202]

"...anyway, lets hope Todd can help start bucking the trend. "

Last season's DS had 27 players, of which two were Norfolk-born (and one of them has now been released)

Last season's U18s had 20 players and no more than six or seven came from East Anglia

[splendidrush 700]

19 hours ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

I have lived in Lewisham for a few years now. 

Maybe time for an update......... maybe Lewisham Yellow and Green.....😁🤭

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,152]

This is just my personal opinion but I think life us pretty good in Norwich and the surrounding areas so it's not like kids have nothing to do but play football every day and in my neck of the woods the east coast erm what can I say, not the healthiest of lifestyles being led by the kids round here, obesity and drug/alcoholism and smoking addiction are rampant and tend to take hold young and there aren't any coaches. Norfolk is half wonderful and half awful but I think neither of the general lifestyles in these places is productive to producing athletes