Training: ECA publishes a guide for the development of youth academies via 12 "quality areas"

The European Club Association, in collaboration with LTT Sports, has published the "12 Quality Areas Youth Football Report", the ECA's "essential guide for the development of youth academies," announced the body on 14/03/2022.

The authors of the report - the ECA's third dedicated to youth player development following those of 2012 and 2017 - identified 12 quality areas (see below) that constitute key success factors for an academy, which they compared to existing practices at training centres across Europe through a large survey to which "352 academy leaders across 72 countries responded."

A series of 18 interviews with academy directors - including those of Athletic Club Bilbao (LaLiga Santander), Olympique Lyonnais (Ligue 1 Uber Eats), FC Inter Milan (Serie A TIM) and AFC Ajax (Eredivisie) - were also conducted. A part of the report is dedicated to these 18 clubs' approach to the 12 quality areas (see the Olympique Lyonnais example below).

"Ultimately, this latest report reveals which working processes academies are using, and which ones, in particular, are being used at leading…