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Stories
The age at which children are signed by professional clubs is getting younger, but the consequences for those stuck in the world go far beyond disappointment at not making the first team
The FA Cup offers lower-division players a chance to grab the attention of an international audience, and even when that fades the memories will last forever
Neil Nixon sympathises with fans of the Confrence North and South
Sitting below the Conference, the lowest national league, and above the regional feeder leagues, the 44 clubs of Blue Square Bet North and South endure an annual ritual of reorganisation. Location is everything. The 22 northernmost clubs form one division, the 22 southernmost make up the other. The national map involved identifies a line of “border counties”, cutting a swathe across the map from Pembrokeshire to Norfolk, and taking in middle-England heartlands such as Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
Tom Shepherd argues that the concept of feeder teams is not too dissimilar to the current league structure and will have similarly negative effects
André Villas-Boas raised the possibility of introducing “feeder” teams into the English league structure recently. “The youth development system in England is not right, in my belief. The reserve leagues and youth levels are not competitive enough,” said the Chelsea manager. Villas-Boas believes that having a Chelsea feeder side in the lower leagues would help bridge the gap between reserve standards and first-team football. He also wants to improve his club’s youth development. John Terry, the last player to come through the Chelsea academy and become a first-team regular, is now in his thirties.