I heard a news item on BBC World Service recently about the number of ex-footballers who turned to crime in the UK (presumably elsewhere too). Here are some articles :-
http://pitchsideuoc.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/calling-time-on-ex-footballers-turning-to-crime/
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-21355452
As you can see, there are strong links to Everton and Merseyside and the guy who has set up onSIDE, is an Everton fan and was with LP. His has set up an organisation to help ex academy kids. A lot (98%) of kids don't make it though academies and, apart from having their dreams dashed, they often have little or no skills for the real world. The lack of options and the lure of money can often lead them to crime and drugs etc. The most well known recent example for us would be Michael Branch.
This got me thinking about how we as a club handle our academy kids while we have them and after they are gone. We seem to have one of the best charity programs in football (EITC) as well as a good ex-players association. However, very little is ever mentioned about our academy. Specifically, I would like to know if Everton provide a good education to our academy players, as 98% of them are ultimately going to rely on that. How do we handle ex-academy players? Apart from it being the right thing to do, it would presumably attract more young players to the club if their families knew they would be properly looked after.
http://pitchsideuoc.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/calling-time-on-ex-footballers-turning-to-crime/
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-21355452
As you can see, there are strong links to Everton and Merseyside and the guy who has set up onSIDE, is an Everton fan and was with LP. His has set up an organisation to help ex academy kids. A lot (98%) of kids don't make it though academies and, apart from having their dreams dashed, they often have little or no skills for the real world. The lack of options and the lure of money can often lead them to crime and drugs etc. The most well known recent example for us would be Michael Branch.
This got me thinking about how we as a club handle our academy kids while we have them and after they are gone. We seem to have one of the best charity programs in football (EITC) as well as a good ex-players association. However, very little is ever mentioned about our academy. Specifically, I would like to know if Everton provide a good education to our academy players, as 98% of them are ultimately going to rely on that. How do we handle ex-academy players? Apart from it being the right thing to do, it would presumably attract more young players to the club if their families knew they would be properly looked after.
