An Important Message To Youth Players And Football Academies About Release

After being released by Sheffield Wednesday at the age of 16, Jamie Vardy described that very moment as 'the lowest point' in his life.

Like many others, he became disillusioned with the game and stopped playing before a friend persuaded him to play for Wickersley Youth in Rotherham.

In the next few months, he combined playing for Stocksbridge with back-breaking work in a carbon fibre factory for just £30 a week. Vardy initially struggled in the eighth tier of English football but soon found form.

The reality of it all is quite simple - confidence, belief and time.

Since his release, Jamie Vardy has represented England, broken records and won the Premier League title but for the majority, an opinion from a football league club at a young age is damning enough to make you think: "I'm just not good enough" and that really shouldn't be the case.

Between the ages of 13 and 16, a monumental 76% of players in the youth system drop out. Then what? The often belittled lower leagues is a cauldron of 'unwanted' talent who, with nurturing and confidence-building, could become the hidden gem that flourishes into a full-time, professional footballer.

Having suffered from the effects of release myself and speaking to others who've also been affected, I absorbed the same impression from many.

It's not only the way you pick yourself up from the disappointment that decides your fate, but the way football clubs deal with the life-changing process.

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew, who played for five non-league clubs before joining second division Palace in 1987, once said:

"I think it's important someone like myself highlights Jamie Vardy because it is important for the game. When you're playing non-league you've still got a chance of that dream. There is always an avenue to give players that dream of what Vardy is doing right now."

You can go in two separate directions after release. You're either the person who's confidence is hit so much that there is no other option but to quit or you're the person who dusts themselves down to hit the lower leagues and try and prove a point.

Here are some examples of how somebody's opinion shouldn't destroy your hopes and dreams along with some very real advice to football academies across the country.

We spoke to former Premier League striker Grant Holt, the epitome of hard work and dedication. A player who faced upset and uncertainly when he was released by Carlisle United at the of age of 15 to go onto play for twelve different clubs in a career that has taken him from non-League Workington to Australia, Singapore and Scotland.

Holt, who currently plays at Scottish Premiership side Hibernian, was a right-back during his youth days at Brunton Park but after a chat with his manager at academy level, he was told that he was surplus to requirements. .

He responded by leaving the club that very day to seek other opportunities and never looked back:

"When I left Carlisle I got no help to seek a new club but that's how it was back then, but I went back to play with my friends and that's what put a smile on my face.

I then got moved upfront at 16 after my coach Eddie Jardine seen something in me. From then on, I went from strength to strength.

"The most important thing when I got released was I realised to enjoy football for what it was, a game - and then see where I ended up."

For some, including myself, the immense pressures of competition at youth level can destroy all enjoyment of the game but Mark Sloan, a former youth player released at age 18, was released after five years at the club but his story is another benchmark to those who lack self-belief to chase a career in football:

"During the process of release, it was arguably the worst pain, rejection, and confidence hit I've ever experienced. but being self motivated and determined, I decided to turn the rejection into fuel to go onto bigger and better things.

"Throughout my time at the academy level I was certainly supported in terms of being pushed to be the best player I possibly could be. The club was very kind and allowed me to train with the team once I was released, so I was sharp for some upcoming trials. In terms of life after that, there was no communication.

"You are, or were when I was in the system, left to figure out your future for yourself."

The above quote brings another huge talking point. The distinct lack of education before release is one of the biggest faults in the system. You have to figure out your next career step and had it now been for my incredible education back at home, things could have been very different.

Most academy players don't have a Plan B and Oshor Williams of the PFA's education department offers support and training to prepare those who are released for a life outside professional football:

"It can be very unnerving to find yourself having to move into a completely different world."

Williams' point is incredibly valid and Sloan, who now plays in America following his release from Carlisle, remained upbeat but believes a problem with support after release it very much prominent in modern day academies:

"Personally, I don't think this is an issue with the club, I believe all clubs will be similar in that aspect, they have to move on as a club, team, and business. However, I see a serious issue with players being released from clubs with little or no education and having no support systems to go to for help.

"Whilst being a youth player you do get some education. It was just enough for me to head over to America to kick start my career. The biggest issue lies in helping players deal with life outside of football. Going from football into the "real world" is a challenging transition for many.

"My biggest advice to academies would be to have a system in place for players who have been released to help them get back onto the football ladder or perhaps another career path.

"When I look back to some of the players I played with, many haven't reached their full potential and a big part of that is down to their decision making once being released.

"The biggest advice to someone dealing with release is to change the perspective of doubt, disappointment, and rejection into a reason to go on and make something of yourself. It is normal to think that making it in soccer, at a specific team, is life, but the truth is it really isn't.

Looking back, if I had been offered the contract I was so desperate for I would certainly not be in the position, place and more importantly the person I am today."

We also spoke to another former youth player, Liam Dent, about his release from a Football League youth academy at the age of 16.

Although he never managed to find another professional or semi-professional club, Dent reiterates the importance of enjoying your football at any level.

"I think I was supported in the right way at academy level. The coaching staff were supportive throughout my five years but my advice to academies across the country is, when you are finally at the age 16 and it's time to make the big step, give more people a chance.

"There are so many players out there that could've and maybe should've made it but because of physical attributes, whether it be too small or a lack of physical presence, they didn't make it. There should be help put in place to try and find another club through release. The academies should advise scouts to find suitable clubs for their released players."

"But don't be disappointed, their will always be chances in football and you will always be at a level suitable for your needs even if it is local football or semi professional standard."

To summarise, a message to youth players who have suffered the effects of release - never give up.

An incredible amount of immensely talented youngsters who are thrown out of academies because of a lack of height, or bad luck, is abnormal in the UK and many of those give up.

Grant Holt, Jamie Vardy and Mark Sloan are terrific examples of people who defied an opinion. The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) estimates that each summer, about 700 players are released by their clubs. Even those entering the game aged 16, two years down the line, 50% will be outside professional football, according to a 2014 BBC report.

That statistic alone is surely a sign that things must change. Is there enough talent coming through at academy level? or is that talent being wasted at the early stages of development?

Food for thought.

Words by: @jackkenmare_

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