This is a bold affirmation!
Isn’t it? Well, yes, but statistics show us that less than 1% of young athletes will become professionals in Football (as players) and with the increasing globalization of the markets and development of the Sports in many populated regions (ie. Asia) it doesn’t seem to get easier anytime soon.
You think after saying this you would have lines of people waiting for you to open registrations for your Academy/Club?
I would argue YES!

Why?

I will try to explain, starting with the importance of the Academy.

Being responsible for the implementation of a Methodology in different contexts and countries, I really believe in patience, repetition and consistency as crucial elements for an implementation of a greater Vision into an Academy, or Club. But there’s something bigger behind any Methodology, which is to understand the cultural reality of the Academy, or Club (especially if working in a city or country that you may not be as familiar with) and to understand the role of Youth Development – introduce the Sport, the Love for the Sport and to transmit the Core Values of Sport, as respect, resilience, inclusion, diversity, hard-working mentality, competitiveness and accountability.

But are results important to evaluate the Academy quality? Yes!

Let’s delve into the theme by stating some premisses that are very relevant, in my perspective. First of all, you know nothing about the future. Be humble enough to understand that Football is not about proposing a single path for success, there’s no such thing. In the end of they day, each Club’s Methodology, is ultimately subjective. Sporting CP, SL Benfica, FC Porto, FC Barcelona, FC Paris-Saint Germain, AS Monaco, Real Madrid CF, Chelsea FC, FC Arsenal, FC Southampton, Manchester City FC or Manchester United FC, AFC Ajax and all the other Clubs in the world believe their strategies are the best. Ultimately, the most objective element is the evaluation of the number of players that reach top level, either on their first team or others, etc. But this is not the only one! Which other objective elements can we identify when comparing Academies?
I would provide a few more, some more social oriented, others related to the performance side, as:

• Number of athletes that gave up of playing Football before the age of 18 years old
• Number of athletes that got graduated
• Number of athletes that stayed at the Academy/Club for more than 5 years
• Number of athletes at the last Youth Development age category team (ie. U18, U19 or U23) that are within the Academy/Club for more than 5 years
• Number of athletes transferred to other big Clubs
• What is the Coaching Path and growth within the Club
• How many Coaches get to Professional stages (at the same Club or different)
• Infrastructure, Facilities and Resources development and growth
• How many titles and team performances after U15 age category and above
  

I will try to explain some of my arguments here. 

1. Why 5 years? In my understanding, starting at the U8’s this would mean that the players stayed, at least, for more than 5 years would mean they remained until they reach the first National Competition within the Academy, or Club, which is normally at the age category of U15 (ie. 14 years old and above). And this is a very important step and exposure to all athletes and after this stage we start looking at the performance of individual players and teams.
2. On the same note, why is it relevant to understand if there are transfers? Make no mistake that we all need to be aligned with any Club needs and budgeting expectations. Today’s competitiveness of the Football market is tremendous and, honestly, there’s no Football without money, there are no jobs without money, and each one needs to understand their current position and what can they offer to the scene. For example, there are Clubs that do an amazing job at planting the seeds for bigger Clubs to promote players worldwide, and that’s remarkable and for certain has a value within the same dimension Clubs. Thanks to the FIFA recognition on the importance of these Clubs, there are now placed routes for this payments to occur, through “Training Compensation” or “ Solidarity Mechanism”. And for those smaller Clubs having an athlete that is transferred to a bigger Club and then has an international career means that he/she is an additional income source that has an impact at the Club budgeting.
3. Evaluating the Coaching Staff Development is as remarkable and important as the Players Development. Why? If we are understanding Academies as their Vision, Objectives ad Values, Program, Methodology, etc, the quality of their staff ability to flourish into Professional stages is directly correlated. Or not? Another question is if an Academy/Club can maintain the best Coaches if doesn’t provide an opportunity for that growth to occur internally? That’s why is so hard to maintain high levels in Coaching Staff at a Youth Academy. Every Coach has their own motivations and ambitions, as we all have, and Youth Development cannot be merged with Performance up until later stages of the Development. Now, don’t forget that the best aren’t “Yes men”. They need freedom to implement their vision in place, room for arguments and innovation. Without that space for discussion, improvement, progression, you can’t hold them, regardless if you’re SL Benfica, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid FC or Millwall FC (with all the respect).
4. Finally, why are titles/performances important? Aren’t we always hearing that results are not important at Young Development stages? Don’t I agree? Well, honestly, yes and no. To start, it’s definitely not the most important for any of these groups. But are results important to evaluate the Academy quality? Yes! Supporting the Academy is the best but loses every weekend and has no results whatsoever, is non-sense. Even for those that create a system where the best players start playing consistently in older age-groups (which can indicate that the younger team may get weaker at the moment) that is not applicable for an accurate evaluation of the overall Academy capability and quality. It’s the same as saying that because the U17’s of a certain Club had a great performance at a specific Season, the all Academy is great. It’s simply not true and things cannot be taken in light consideration when evaluating an Academy/Club Development quality. Results are there always to evaluate the quality of the Program and most be consistent throughout the age-groups. That’s when you understand the work is being done correctly!

Now, don’t forget that the best aren’t “Yes men”. They need freedom to implement their vision in place, room for arguments and innovation. Without that space for discussion, improvement, progression, you can’t hold them, regardless if you’re SL Benfica, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid FC or Millwall FC (with all the respect).

Don’t be afraid, state clearly: “Most likely, you will not be professional”!
We need to stop patronizing things and treat them like they are in reality. Is it easy to become a professional? No, but is possible. Will everyone be at the Academy all their Development years? No, and it’s ok. As long as you understand why they are leaving and act on that. Will some player drop Football before they turn the age of 18? Yes, and there are many reason why that can happen and your impact is always limited. But you can do something, like informing young players (and to the parents of these players) of these statistics and what your Academy/Club offers to support their development regardless of the path that eventually each one will take. For example, why is school success as relevant their Football performances? I would say, because they might (or not) become professional Footballers, but they will for sure be adults! Additionally can you create a culture where young players help on coaching young athletes at their first stages and the Academy/Club? This would have an impact on the Club culture! Create more contexts, more experiences, different exposure and let them develop. For instance, as you may imagine now, I don’t agree with having no results at the matches, regardless the ages. Results are there just as anything in life and will be there throughout your life. Therefore, if we are to better prepare this children for their adult life, we need to understand that defeat is part of the process, and that things will not go in our way all the time. It’s ok to lose, it’s ok to make a mistake. Hence, is not about the result itself, but the proportional focus given to the result.

Thoughts?
Let me know!