Football is not a Business like others.

Unlike any other businesses where you create (almost certainly) a natural gain over time, with the markets evaluation and studies, Football merges an element of beauty and uncertainty: it’s runned by humans!

To finalize this amazing mix, specially for those outside the industry, it potentially requires a considerable amount of time!

Imagine that you invest into a Club.

You expect to have a return.

So you start with a great Vision and Mission!
Well done!

Let’s say you want to have a great amount of youth local players playing for the 1st Team.

Is a quite common goal, as investors understand the importance of having local players for the community around the Club.

You also want to be loved locally, to create a great connection with your community and fans.

Amazing!

But then, you realize that you need to focus on your communication.

Then you understand that, above all, you may need to reformulate all Youth Football Systems.

Therefore, your Vision will serve as a guidance for you to define the path to reach it, and regardless of how many turns and laps you take on your Marketing Department people connect to people. 

From there, your Plan of Actions will be forced align with the Youth Methodology and Formation Plans.

Only here, you’ll understand the amount of time required.

Look at the stats.

Although stats do not give you the best hopes, giving less than 1% chance for any kid playing Football to reach a professional stage, it’s, therefore, impossible to guess how many players are reaching the top-level at your Club (ie. First Team) year-on-year.

Then, how would that work if you are re-designing the Player Path within the Youth Academy?

And how long will that take?

If they start at 6 or 7, is it fair to say 8 to 10 years?

Potentially, yes.

Logically, there are other things to do in the meantime, and the process of reformulating the Youth Systems can have an equal impact on the 10’s, 12’s or 14’s years old and their perception to reach the First Team.

The good news is that in normally only requires a good example to feed the hope of all the rest of the Academy players.

The power is immense because… people connect to people!

There are many talents eager to show their capabilities.

Many stories to tell.

And one of the jobs required from the investor is that, to get the right people to take the Vision to happen. 

To align that Vision with the patience that is required to achieve it.

To mentoring the people involved.

To evaluate the processes, the small wins, the necessary losses.

All is part of the process to achieve your dreams.

Because Football has the most important element of all – the Emotion!

And is that Emotion that feeds the love for the Game, that moves the industry, makes people pay for merchandise items, tickets, products and services related to the Club, etc.

On opposite directions, we can say that Football also removes people without that Emotion for Football.

Because those that only look at numbers and leave Emotion on the side, will be out eventually.

They simply don’t have the patience required to win.

And you?

What’s your side?