Football and Management are two co-existing worlds where emotions, actions, reactions, expectations and business sustainability can be easily mixed.

Creating a Youth Football Academy is (probably) one of the most exciting, yet challenging endeavors that requires to have ambition in the same amount of careful planning and consideration of variables. The alignment of these characteristics are immensely relevant to be prepared for (almost) anything that comes across, because don’t doubt for a second that eventually challenges will come and all of them (probably one at a time) will be the most relevant to sustain in the business.

“(…) you will want to have a clear idea about the Core Values, Vision and Objectives when considering opening a Youth Football Academy.”

As starting point you will want to have a clear idea about the Core Values, Vision and Objectives when considering opening a Youth Football Academy. To have a clear idea about the Vision and Objectives of your Academy (i.e. age ranges that you Academy will want to develop, different locations, to have competitive teams or only private academy,  or both, to be involved in an existing Club or to start a new venture, etc) will also help you to design the Values and Teaching Methodology to implement, and vice-versa. To have the all of the before mentioned cleared, will then ease the path to choosing the right partners to be involved with, from the Technical Staff to the other relevant Departments for the functionality of the Academy.

I have been involved in several academies, both in Portugal and internationally, in different life-stages, from the creation, reinvention or sustainability and followed my experience, as well as tried to align with the most relevant studies in Sports Management and Coaching, completing this 10 Key Considerations List to take into consideration.

1. Infrastructure and Facilities: Adequate infrastructure to respond to your Vision, including training fields, gyms, classrooms, and medical facilities, is crucial. Research indicates that well-maintained facilities enhance player development and attract talent. Make sure you’re ready for what comes next, who is your target-market and the services you want to offer, as well as you have a plan to achieve it – specially if it doesn’t happen in the first 6 to 12 months operating.

2. Coaching Staff: Hiring qualified and certified Coaches is a cornerstone of successful Academies. Studies emphasize the need for experienced coaches who can provide expert guidance in skill development and mentorship. In addition, you will want to have a good portion of younger Coaches, willing to learn and to adapt to the needs of newly created Academy. Most importantly, you should search for open-minded and team-players people, willing to share the path with you. Remember that soft skills beat hard skills anytime and anywhere, on the long run.

3. Curriculum Development: Create a comprehensive curriculum that covers technical, tactical, physical, mental and social aspects of the game. A structured curriculum ensures a systematic approach to player development, as well as helps all future potential discussions that you will have with a parent, coach, partner, potential partner or even player. People tend to find difficulties in finding arguments towards a structured process (if they have comprehensive basis to sustain, of course).

4. Talent Identification: Implementing effective talent identification and scouting systems is essential. This is a crucial aspect when considering the present and future of academies, and you must cast a wide net and actively engage with local communities to discover hidden talent. In addition, promote the need for your existing coaching staff to highlight potential talents to join your Academy, as they may be involved in matches, tournaments or leagues where you will not be able to be present at all times. Set the benchmark and objectives of where you want to be in the short, medium or long term in terms of players quantity and quality. Consequently, offer financial returns for new players signatures, set up the business in order to promote those with more efforts in the growth of the Academy, or any other strategy that you find suitable.

“don’t be fooled to think you’re the only one with great ideas or different approaches.(…) keep your hard-work at the highest standards and go for it”

5. Financial Sustainability: Establishing a sustainable financial model is critical. There are many individuals, enterprises and Clubs/Academies that live on a single revenue stream. This is reflection of an enormous risk when seeking sustainability, therefore research emphasizes diversifying revenue streams through sponsorships, partnerships, and fundraising efforts to cover expenses. Take your personal (or your Staff’s) experiences and ideas in creating different revenue streams and get double advantage by involving and support their ideas into your Academy.

6. Ethical and Legal Compliance: Ensuring compliance with ethical and legal guidelines is paramount. Studies emphasize safeguarding young athletes, adhering to child protection laws, and maintaining a transparent and fair recruitment process.

7. Parental Engagement: Building positive relationships with parents and guardians is vital, for many reasons. To have an open communication and involving parents in the player development process foster a supportive environment, which can play a decisive role in your players’ development. In addition, if you’re dealing with younger players, the decision-making process will be very much be linked to the parents evaluation of the academy facilities, proposed curriculum, coaches and relationship created between all involved (from reception to coach-players relationships, etc).

8. Education and Life Skills: Offering educational programs and life skills training is increasingly recognized as part of a holistic approach. Get to professional stages is, normally, all players main goal and objective, but a reality to a very short number of individuals. Don’t get me wrong, there will always be the story of that 1 athlete that managed to get to the highest level of Football coming from a very difficult backgrounds, either financial, family or community environment, demographic or regional competitiveness or any other. In addition, we sure are aware that the story will held the next 10,000 to the dream to be the next one to achieve the same level coming from similar circumstances. And that is very, very important and made Football the greatest sport ever lived. Zero doubts about this. However, unfortunately, the reality also presents that less than 1% of the athletes will be lucky enough to be a professional. Therefore, we must have a responsible vision towards the effectiveness of using sports as an educational path for a better world and better individuals, with studies showing that academies that prioritize players’ academic and personal development often see better long-term outcomes. Once again, be clear-crystal about your Vision, Values and Objectives.

9. Monitoring and Evaluation: Continuous monitoring and evaluation of player progress are essential. Create a set of performance metrics and regular assessments to track development of both players, coaches or teams. In addition, I found it very important, to share these metrics and assessments with the players and their parents, in specific times of the season (end of terms, just as in schools or any other you choose to be more fitted). This strategy allows increased levels of confidence and transparency in the process you’re trying to create and demonstrating an alternative path to get better results, if needed. Demonstrate true care and concern about the personal growth and development of the individual, and people will get along with you. In the end, this is a team of Academy-Player-Parents trying to achieve a similar outcome.

10. Community Engagement: Engaging with the local community and fostering a sense of belonging is more than beneficial, it’s crucial. Take advantage of the social networks available to get closer to your community, present what you’re up to at the academy and become an integral part of the community, which can lead to increased support and resources, but ultimately will help your vision, values and objectives to be spread throughout the sports community. There are strategies to be implemented in order to also qualify the leads that may find your work more or less interesting, and this can also be important for you Academy in the long-term.

As a side note, a more business related one, you will want to have a team around you, it’s close to impossible to have it done by yourself alone, unless you’re willing to take a significant amount of time to have it open and function. Do you due-diligence of the market needs and expectations and align them with yours. More than the SMART or SWOT Analysis (which you should do, or have anyone to help you with), go a step further and understand the market reality and other Academies in the surroundings reality – in terms of numbers of athletes, coaches, other department staff, working hours, locations, services, products, etc – and the benefits or challenges of competing against them. 

There are different questions that you can ask before entering in the business, as:

• How many Football Academies exist in the area?
• How many have opened in the last 3 to 5 years?
• Are they still working?
• What’s their numbers?
• What is the risk of new entrants and/or substitutes in the area?
• What is the competitive rivalry between Clubs or Academies?
• If there’s a dominant Club/Academy – why and how they work to be market leaders?
• What prices can people pay in the designated area? 
• How many Coaching Staff will you need?
• How and who will be responsible for other Departments?

And many more, as you are now imagining.

Finally, don’t be fooled to think you’re the only one with great ideas or different approaches. Talent is everywhere, some of them you can see and others are yet to be seen, but keep your hard-work at the highest standards and go for it!