27 Feb 2013 16:49:49
Leeds are opening soccer schools around the world, mainly bahrain. Hopefully we'll be able to see younger players who want to play for the club rather than all the travellers.
Yer, so what. What we need is home grown talent so our international squads can flourish. There was nothing better than the home internationals. This was when football was better are more competitive. Nothing against young foreign players but would prefer clubs spending more on our own.
28 Feb 2013 10:15:02
To first poster look at the game nowadays. There isn't many young british players. I agree with the sentiment and the idea but you always need a few young overseas players to bring flair and skill. Just remember becchio didn't come from a council estate in seacroft and he is our tenth top scorer ever. Remember the 2000 team had aussies, french, irish and scottish in. I think its very smart what they are doing branching out the brand to make a profit and bring in hidden talent in obscure countries.
MOT
These academies are less about recruiting players and more about getting the brand out there. UK academies have some top youngsters coming through the ranks and I think that the new training will produce a sea change in quality of British players in the next 4 to 5 years. Leeds have a great band of kids on the books, but even young ones are being attracted to other clubs with the promise of more football and overseas tournaments. If Leeds are to attract and retain the best they need to give these kids the best opportunities, and growing the brand in a global market like this is one step in that process.
I agree its all about brand. We do have to move with the times and if we are to compete with the top sides again, then its daft to ignore the foreign market.
As much as I would relish the return of the home internationals, if you look back to when I was a boy in the 70s when the home internationals were at their peek and hardly any foreigners played in our leagues, England failed to qualify for 2 convective world cups. Good players are good players and they will rise through the ranks, foreigners or not!
'rather than all the travelers'. presumably you're not including the ones who would travel the thousands of miles from the middle east to play in sunny Yorkshire?
It's entirely about brand awareness, in an area burgeoning with football fever and dripping with money.
Doubt highly that we'll see any players coming back this way from the deal but, kids growing up in affluent Bahrain society with Leeds in the heart is not a bad thing. Leeds-hu akbar!