Source: Daily_Mail
Charlton's talent factory: Opportunity knocks for League One club's Academy stars
Ask any of the coaches at Charlton Athletic's academy why a talented 16-year-old would choose their League One club over a Premier League side in London and they will give you the same answer. [LNB]Opportunity.[LNB]Scholars at Charlton are not tucked away on a plush training complex, miles away from the first team's facilities. They eat in the same canteen as the seasoned professionals at the club's Sparrows Lane training ground in New Eltham, south-east London. [LNB]While clubs such as Liverpool, Blackburn and West Ham literally separate the men from the boys, Charlton like the idea of their juniors working closely with the first team. After all, 10 of manager Phil Parkinson's first-team squad are academy graduates. [LNB] Career opportunities: No fewer than 18 Charlton academy graduates have played for the first team since 1998[LNB]Players such as Carl Jenkinson, 18, Lewis Perkins, Ben Davisson, Tamer Tuna, Yado Mambo and Chris Solly, all 19, and Scott Wagstaff, 20, have been at the club since they were nine. Eighteen academy graduates have gone on to play for the first team since 1998. [LNB]First-team coach Mark Kinsella said: 'I played here 15 years ago and we had Richard Rufus, Paul Konchesky, Scotty Parker and Charlie MacDonald, who had all come through. If you're good, you play. You can't hold back talent, just as Jonjo Shelvey and Konchesky showed, playing in the first team at 16. Charlton would never hold anyone back.'[LNB]But the club's fall down the leagues relegation from the Barclays Premier League in 2007 was followed by demotion to League One two years later turned opportunity from an indulgence into a necessity. [LNB] Work in progress: Damian Matthew, Charlton's development coach for the academy[LNB]Academy manager Steve Avory said: 'I was here also when we were in the Premier League and I appreciate how difficult it was to get players through, because there were funds available.'[LNB]Kinsella added: 'In Leagues One and Two, if you're 18 or 19 you've got a great chance of breaking into the first team. In the Premier League you might have to wait another two years. If I was at that age and we were relegated, I'd be laughing. You would think you would have a real chance of playing first-team football.'[LNB]As finances become more and more stretched, the academy becomes more important. But money is, undoubtedly, tight. Development coach Damian Matthew admits Charlton are operating on 'seven or eight times less' than the top academies. Sportsmail watched the former Chelsea and Crystal Palace midfielder give a team talk in a Porta-kabin. 'People and pitches,' are the positives he focuses on.[LNB] Breather: The young hopefuls are constantly learning, be it in the classroom or on the field[LNB]'It's not that we struggle in terms of facilities or equipment,' said Avory. 'I think it's the human resources you notice. We have excellent, high-quality coaching staff but we don't have a full-time sports scientist. We used to have a full-time academy goalkeeping coach, too. Now it's done by a part-timer. There's a minimum criteria, which we meet, but in terms of the staffing we're on the breadline, really.'[LNB]On October 30, for the League One match against Sheffield Wednesday, the club organised an 'Academy Day'. Parents of the 140 young players, aged from nine to 18, were asked to purchase tickets for the game and their sons were applauded around the pitch at half-time even by the away supporters. [LNB]The academy raised £1,500, increasing awareness of the work going on at Sparrows Lane. Fittingly, academy product Wagstaff hit Charlton's winner.[LNB] Proof: Scott Parker is the most glittering example of Charlton's excellent work at academy level[LNB]But it has been a fight to keep the academy alive. Charlton could not afford to enter a team in the reserve league this season and must rely on friendlies, yet Avory is adamant his scholars play against the very best. [LNB]It's certainly working. Charlton's U18s have beaten Arsenal 3-1 away and 3-0 at home this season. Jordan Cousins has captained England at U16 level and won two U17 caps. Diego Poyet, son of Brighton manager Gus, has also played for England Under 16s and is being watched by bigger clubs, including Manchester City.[LNB]Avory said: 'I strongly believe we've always needed to maintain our academy status. We want elite players to develop by playing against elite players. If we weren't an academy, we wouldn't be able to recruit the quality of players we do.'[LNB] Hopeful: The stars of the future regularly go toe-to-toe with other academies from across the country[LNB]Matthew added: 'We know that an academy is what it stands for: strivingfor excellence. It gives you a chance to develop your own players, whocould then become assets, and we know supporters identify withhome-grown talent. They always have.[LNB]'If you look at our U18 squad, every one of those boys lives within a 30- or 40-minute drive. It's great for team spirit.' [LNB]There is also another potential benefit of bringing through your own. Director Stephen Kavanagh who will remain on the board alongside former chairman Richard Murray following yesterday's takeover by Tony Jimenez and Michael Slater of CAFC Holdings Ltd wrote recently: 'We cannot ignore the fact that investing in the academy provides a long-term financial benefit for the club, as the sales of Parker (to Chelsea for £10m), Konchesky (to West Ham for £1.5m) and, more recently, Shelvey.' [LNB]The club earned a further £1m from the sales of Danny Shittu and Sean McGinty, neither of whom played for the first team.[LNB] Valley of dreams: It has witnessed higher times, but Charlton remain a a neutral's favourite[LNB]But Avory and Matthew insist they do not feel pressure to produce saleable assets.[LNB]Matthew said: 'You can have unbelievable resources and the best coaches in the world, but the best players just need a pathway. If a player has got a realistic chance of getting into that first team, then that player's going to be driven to be successful. Why stay with us? Because you'll get an opportunity.'[LNB]There's that word again.[LNB] Ex-Newcastle chief Jimenez leads takeover at Charlton AthleticFA Cup second-round replay: Charlton beat Luton to set up Spurs tieCheck out Charlton's results, fixtures, standings [LNB] Explore more:People: Paul Konchesky Places: Liverpool, London, United Kingdom
