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Hi could/would someone from the Dean Edwards consortium give us a definitive yes or no as to weather they will be keeping the academy or is it all going as is rumoured........

Just point out, until the new consortium has official control of the club, new board formed, all necessary paperwork with the F.A completed , no one from the new consortium can actually confirm anything.

I've speculating for quite some time on the youth set-up, and I do not think it takes much working out, there will almost certainly be some changes to the youth-set up, how far and how deep, time will tell.

Never believe rumours without corroborating evidence..

Well pretty much been told there is going to be no youth at all

SealeHayne23 wrote:Well pretty much been told there is going to be no youth at all

Told by who? And what did they actually say? No one is going to take such a vague statement as true from someone with three posts...

It would be my guess by the posters username and content of posts, that Sealehayne23 has a son in the academy, what he's posted is in line with what a couple of academy parents have told me, and from media reports, and this mornings podcast, I think it's a safe bet to think the academy will almost certainly be scaled back if not closed completely.

If that's the case, then the club is going to need some sort of scouting network, with part-time or volunteer scouts, preferably with wide connections. Not an ideal solution, but, as I remember, it's how we found some of our better players over the years when we had practically no youth set-up.

I would say the manager will need that next season regardless of any youth set-up, as far as that's concerned best just wait for the new board to take the reigns and see what they're going to do.

I'm really not convinced that discarding the entire youth set-up is best in the long-term. Surely at the very least we should keep the 16-18 part open so that we can continue to bring in the likes of Ives and the others we've had over the years released by bigger clubs at 16 (I think Bedeau was one?)

Without any form of young players pushing for places in the first team we are going to have to keep signing random journeymen just to make up squad numbers like Buckle did in his first few years - and all those senior players like Steve Adams at al must surely have been on more money than the likes of Ives...?

I'd prefer that the club continue to support the youth setup, even that means necessarily having to trim back further elsewhere. The club shouldn't just be about what we're able to do on the pitch, it should be about fostering links with the community and having a positive impact within that community. Oh, and hey, as a helpful by-product, maybe it'll produce players who are good enough to play for the team or even being sold on, providing a return on that investment.

We NEED to keep the youth system. It is just starting to show its potential and it's suddenly at risk. It's folly to sink this much time and money in to the system only to can it when it is just starting to tick in to action.

I also have a rare criticism for TUST on this. Why have they ruled out helping fund the youth set up? If helping in terms of club ownership isn't happening then I think this is the best possible use of TUST money. Personally, I'd love it if TUST offered to help out with some of the youth football costs.

stevegull wrote:We NEED to keep the youth system. It is just starting to show its potential and it's suddenly at risk. It's folly to sink this much time and money in to the system only to can it when it is just starting to tick in to action.

I also have a rare criticism for TUST on this. Why have they ruled out helping fund the youth set up? If helping in terms of club ownership isn't happening then I think this is the best possible use of TUST money. Personally, I'd love it if TUST offered to help out with some of the youth football costs.

Absolutely agree with stevegull's post. Even Mike Bateson says the Youth set-up should be retained (Herald Express). There will no doubt have to be some pruning of the scheme. I hadn't heard that TUST had ruled out helping to fund the youth scheme and agree that this would be one of the best possible uses of TUST funds.

tomogull wrote:

Absolutely agree with stevegull's post. Even Mike Bateson says the Youth set-up should be retained (Herald Express). There will no doubt have to be some pruning of the scheme. I hadn't heard that TUST had ruled out helping to fund the youth scheme and agree that this would be one of the best possible uses of TUST funds.

Firstly if it's a choice between Torquay as a club existing and ending the academy then so be it
Secondly mike Bateson ended the academy in his reign due to no money, hey presto we have no money. So it's a bit hypocritical of him TBH

The club lost it's place in the football league, the club lost the funding that went with a place in the football league, there is now a big difference between what the club "needs" and can "afford" I do not know what the new board are going to do, I suspect they will make immediate, massive changes, not just the youth set-up, it is a case however of wait and see what changes they do make, as speculation is all very well, and that's what I'm doing.

The club can not find it self in a position, where by,we're cheering on the U10's, while the first team manager is having to put together a part-time squad from the South West peninsula league. No one wants to see the youth set-up scaled back or closed, but it might be a case of needs must, personally it's my belief the club could no longer afford such a youth set-up 18 months ago, been posting it all the way a long.

I would have scaled it back to a U18's only youth set-up and used the money saved to prioritise the retention of our football league status, I hope the new board keep the U18's, but, again I do not know the clubs financials position, we all know the clubs been losing money hand over fist, will it be possible, hope so, we'll see.

Absolutely no !

I can understand that all clubs are just hoping they might find the next Beckham or Bale at the age of 14, but the likelyhood of this happening is so remote that it's just not economic to chase the dream.

The most astute and financially beneficial signings for the club in recent years have always been from great scouting. O'Kane, Olejnik and the like

When you consider the cost of running the youth set up and the numerous players who have signed professional terms only to drop away it is startling, the last I heard Halpin was playing in New Zealand where many failed UK professionals go and the long haired forward, who I cannot even remember his name, was in Scandinavia where the rest seem to go.....and yet both signings were seen as "evidence" at how good our youth set up now was.

I would prefer one or two experienced scouts out there to be honest at a fraction of the cost.