(17-06-2024, 02:47 PM)teeftwo Wrote: Category 1 costs somewhere in the region of 3 million pounds a year to fund at a minimum, the richer clubs spend a lot more than that. There are no freely available figures I could find that show how much each academy receives from the Premier League and FA.

It's very much economies of scale at work. The bigger the club, the more they spend, they more likely they are to make a bit of money (or rather save money on buying in players). Portsmouth do not, and probably will not for very many years, exist at at level where that is affordable.

If you look at Swansea, for an example, when they had a Category One academy it was costing them 6-7 million a year to run. Dropping down to Category Two meant costs would reduce to around 2 million.

You can still compete in the regional U23 competitions at Cat 2, but not in Premier League 2. You may, if fortunate, cover your costs or maybe make a couple of million either by saving in transfers or in sales at that level.

Perhaps at some point in the future, when everything else that will make more money or is better value has been undertaken, there would come a time when the club should consider this. But we are quite a long way from that.

(17-06-2024, 02:47 PM)teeftwo Wrote: Category 1 costs somewhere in the region of 3 million pounds a year to fund at a minimum, the richer clubs spend a lot more than that. There are no freely available figures I could find that show how much each academy receives from the Premier League and FA.

It's very much economies of scale at work. The bigger the club, the more they spend, they more likely they are to make a bit of money (or rather save money on buying in players). Portsmouth do not, and probably will not for very many years, exist at at level where that is affordable.

If you look at Swansea, for an example, when they had a Category One academy it was costing them 6-7 million a year to run. Dropping down to Category Two meant costs would reduce to around 2 million.

You can still compete in the regional U23 competitions at Cat 2, but not in Premier League 2. You may, if fortunate, cover your costs or maybe make a couple of million either by saving in transfers or in sales at that level.

Perhaps at some point in the future, when everything else that will make more money or is better value has been undertaken, there would come a time when the club should consider this. But we are quite a long way from that.

(17-06-2024, 08:19 PM)mikey393 Wrote:

(17-06-2024, 02:47 PM)teeftwo Wrote: Category 1 costs somewhere in the region of 3 million pounds a year to fund at a minimum, the richer clubs spend a lot more than that. There are no freely available figures I could find that show how much each academy receives from the Premier League and FA.

It's very much economies of scale at work. The bigger the club, the more they spend, they more likely they are to make a bit of money (or rather save money on buying in players). Portsmouth do not, and probably will not for very many years, exist at at level where that is affordable.

If you look at Swansea, for an example, when they had a Category One academy it was costing them 6-7 million a year to run. Dropping down to Category Two meant costs would reduce to around 2 million.

You can still compete in the regional U23 competitions at Cat 2, but not in Premier League 2. You may, if fortunate, cover your costs or maybe make a couple of million either by saving in transfers or in sales at that level.

Perhaps at some point in the future, when everything else that will make more money or is better value has been undertaken, there would come a time when the club should consider this. But we are quite a long way from that.

Thanks for clarifying Tee. Cat 2 is fine for Pompey for next season & that was my argument forget Cat 1 we can't afford.

Regional U/23 comps is ideal & makes real sense to me.

We are just embarking on our gradual climb to the top.

If we can break even to start with over the next 2-3 years that's fine with me.

Brick by Brick remember all.

(18-06-2024, 08:10 AM)firqdays Wrote: I believe that, witnessing our recent record of very sound, player identification in the transfer market, Isley's suggestion of picking up cast off 18 yr olds seems a very worthwhile strategy - a good fit, and a potential winner for Pompey !

And, go back again to Chelsea fc , how many of their 6 yr old protégé's make it through ? - and how many that end up cast off could  be identified ?

(18-06-2024, 04:37 AM)Cunninglinguist Wrote:

(17-06-2024, 08:19 PM)mikey393 Wrote:

(17-06-2024, 02:47 PM)teeftwo Wrote: Category 1 costs somewhere in the region of 3 million pounds a year to fund at a minimum, the richer clubs spend a lot more than that. There are no freely available figures I could find that show how much each academy receives from the Premier League and FA.

It's very much economies of scale at work. The bigger the club, the more they spend, they more likely they are to make a bit of money (or rather save money on buying in players). Portsmouth do not, and probably will not for very many years, exist at at level where that is affordable.

If you look at Swansea, for an example, when they had a Category One academy it was costing them 6-7 million a year to run. Dropping down to Category Two meant costs would reduce to around 2 million.

You can still compete in the regional U23 competitions at Cat 2, but not in Premier League 2. You may, if fortunate, cover your costs or maybe make a couple of million either by saving in transfers or in sales at that level.

Perhaps at some point in the future, when everything else that will make more money or is better value has been undertaken, there would come a time when the club should consider this. But we are quite a long way from that.

Thanks for clarifying Tee. Cat 2 is fine for Pompey for next season & that was my argument forget Cat 1 we can't afford.

Regional U/23 comps is ideal & makes real sense to me.

We are just embarking on our gradual climb to the top.

If we can break even to start with over the next 2-3 years that's fine with me.

Brick by Brick remember all.

You said we should progress to CAT 1. Have you changed your mind now?


What was your argument?

(19-06-2024, 07:15 AM)teeftwo Wrote: A good example (when we can afford it) for the level we find ourselves at is Bristol City (as per this article  Bristol City: How Championship club became a factory for homegrown talent - BBC Sport).

Now although producing talent for the first team the teams performance is firmly mid table over the past few years so make of that what you will.