Youth teams

[Chippy]

Vague title, tryna draw you all in. Good post here on Luton u18s remarkable season so far. Appreciate if you could give it a read.

https://lutontownrigs.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/the-only-way-is-up-baby/

 

[Kenneth E End]

A great achievement - its the only positive thing from this dire season. Also, they had something like a 25 game unbeaten run earlier in the season, dating back to the previous season.

The last Luton team to get back to the FA Youth Cup Semi Final in 1997, had four players who went onto play in the Premier League and one scored at a World Cup for England.

They're actually peaking early - most of the team are first year scholars, so they expected something special next season. And the U16s this year are actually expected to be even better.

It won't be a success however, until a solid group break into the first team. Then our significant investments over the last few years will be realised.

 

[Tom_CUFC]

Problem is with EPPP and how the football landscape in this country is these days most of these kids will get snapped up by Premier League clubs (or P*terborough, as you guys well know) for a pittance before they can make any sort of lasting impact on the first team, and most if not all will spend the first 5 years of their professional career going back and forth on loan to 3rd/4th/5th division clubs before eventually getting released. Most of them, having missed out on the proper development they need at that age, will end up in part time football by their mid-20s, and a few of them will have a reasonable professional career somewhere in the lower divisions. The odd gem will make it at the top level, but not many.

Our U16s drew against Liverpool last night, a good result and some impressive performances by all accounts, but it's now put some of the better ones in the shop window.

 

[iWomble]

Good stuff. What sort of crowds are they getting? We had 3,400 to see us get put out of the last round of the FA Youth Cup by Chelsea, and it was almost all our fans. We even ran coaches for the win at Newcastle and the youth team have certainly generated a buzz around them. Hope the good folk of Luton are taking notice of your lot and getting down there to support them.

The really top players are obviously vulnerable to EPPP but we've managed to keep half a dozen from our previous under 18s who are now in and around the first team so you should be good for a decent few making the grade.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Most of their games in the cup have been away games unfortunately.

Think they have only had 1 home game and it was a very early round, so they haven't been getting big crowds to see them which is a shame as they look a real talented bunch.

I know a few people are going up to Blackburn to see the game there though so hopefully a few more will get to see them, some of the goals they have scored this year have been really top quality.

The proof of it is going to be how many make it to the first team, really hope they don't get nabbed from under our noses by EPPP.

 

[Habbinalan]

Attendance for our U16s last night was 946, with a good turnout and support from first team, manager and directors. That was more than usual, thanks to a bit of a marketing effort. Our U18s went out of the Youth Cup on penalties to bogey team Satanage back in November.

Although hopes and expectations seem to be a bit higher for our crop in Youth Development (U13-U16) than those in Professional Development (U17-U21), our U18s did manage to beat Posh 8-4 just before Christmas and are playing the likes of Luton, Orient, Southend, etc. The U16s are getting games against Premier League Academy sides and we are all hoping that we'll soon be blooding some of our own U21s to follow in the footsteps of our current boyish-looking captain (see avatar), Luke Berry, rather than filling the team with hit or miss short term loans. The new loan rules for next season might begin to help with that.

 

[BeesKnees]

http://www.football-league.co.uk/documents/fl-youth-alliance-newsletter-27-15.02.16549-2955523.pdf

Our U18s won the south East league last season. Of those at least half now have profesional contracts with the club, 6-7 have appeared in the league. One sold to Wolves for £100k. Sadly it looks like Matty Stevens has rejected a contract and the best we can hope for is compo in the summer.

A bizarre twist, some of our kids are playing for a little club in Sussex to experience mens football.
https://dbauckham.exposure.co/pointless

 

[iWomble]

A bizarre twist, some of our kids are playing for a little club in Sussex

Crawley?