Special report

BOBBY Downes sees the youth academies currently being established throughout the country as revolutionising the fabric of English professional football for the long-term future.

And he is determined that Blackburn Rovers will remain at the forefront of that revolution.

But what does this new "Academy" football mean? The ordinary fan could perhaps be forgiven for imagining a group of apprentices playing 'keepy-uppie' while reciting their nine-times tables.

Nothing so frivolous could be further from the truth as Downes, the director of the Ewood Academy, is only to willing to explain.

A passionate believer in the scheme he is eager for the day when the Rovers Academy's extensive new headquarters, and accompanying indoor and outdoor facilities, are built at Brockhall.

But the heart of the club's efforts will not exist in bricks, mortar, artificial turf and grass -- they will be embodied in the attitude of Downes and the fast-expanding staff who will see to every need of the soccer starlets of the future.

Talk to him at length and words such as time, care and trust feature regularly.

Time with the youngsters means more football quality to Downes but he is also immensely aware of the responsibility to care for the kids in his charge and for them and their parents to trust him and his staff.

To prepare the groundwork -- both literally and metaphorically -- for the Rovers Academy, Downes travelled far and wide, to Holland, Norway and, closer to home, places such as Norwich and Middlesbrough where new training grounds had been constructed. No stone was left unturned to ensure that the Brockhall facilities would rival any, embodying the best ingredients of all those he had seen.

Rovers are already up and running in a football sense and, once the new facilities are ready, it will be full steam ahead.

But where did the idea stem from?

"Howard Wilkinson's Charter for Quality started it," said Downes.

"People in youth football have always wanted more time with the players and the academies provide that.

"I went abroad to Ajax, PSV, Rosenborg to see how they did it. But, if I am honest, I already knew the answers -- they lie 500 yards up the road at the training ground we are hoping to have," he said, sitting in the group of Portakabins which form a temporary home for the Academy just behind the main training ground block.

"Ajax, for example, do a deal with their local schools. They pick the boys up by coach, have them from 2pm-5pm each day, feed them and provide facilities for them to do their homework before taking them home. "They have time with their young players and if you are going to have someone five times a week as opposed to once it has to be better. The boys don't necessarily play for their schools or their counties, the clubs have first crack at them.

"That's the sensible way if a boy has a chance to become a professional, because otherwise the best kids play a million games when they should just be playing quality games.

"Wilkinson set up a situation where clubs could apply for a five-year licence to have an academy but you have to have the facilities.

"There are 34 in operation, 20 Premier League clubs and 14 from the Football League.

"For any top club, it would be suicidal not to go into it.

"It's quite revolutionary but we are trying to do the right things."

The right things mean more education as well as teaching them to be footballers and turning out well-rounded young men with a bright future even if it is not to be at the highest level of the professional game.

For the failure rate can still be high.

Academies cover the age groups from nine years old to 21 and they only play against other academy clubs, hence Rovers' decision to leave the Lancashire League.

"The Lancashire League served the club well over the years," said Downes. "But I have to prepare a player for the Premier League so we have to play against Premier League-type opposition. "It was okay against the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton but -- no disrespect intended -- we also had to meet clubs such as Morecambe and Marine.

"And, like our first team does, we will travel long distances to some games. It's all about teaching them to be professional footballers.

"We will have a winter break and play local games when the weather is worst. We will travel longer distances early and late in the season." One thing the academies do mean is that youngsters now sign up for a three-year scholarship instead of a two-year YTS at the age of 16.

A minimum of 12 hours education has to be provided and the club generally use local colleges for the scholarship boys.

For the younger ones they deal directly with their schools.

"A few of the boys are doing leisure and tourism, but they are all different," said Downes. "Others may be more gifted with their hands and need a different course.

"This is our first year and it may be that, in the future, we can bring in lecturers to the traiing ground and do our own courses."

Arsenal, for example, attached one large group of under-14 players to a particular school and have worked, with good results, in liaison with them for the mutual benefit of both boys and club. Rovers could go down such a road but have not reached that educational stage just yet.

In football terms, at the moment, they have teams at under-19 and under-17 playing in the senior Academy Leagues, as well as the sides they run from nine years old and upwards.

But there have been a few teething troubles by changing the usual age groups and Downes feels they may be switched to under-16 and under-18 to come more into line with tradition and competitions such as the FA Youth Cup.

When the new HQ is constructed at Brockhall, it will be a seperate entity from the senior set-up, running the potential careers and futures of more than 100 youngsters from nine to 21. But, as well as reflecting the handsome senior facilities, it will be intrinsically linked with Roy Hodgson's neighbouring set-up as has been seen already this season with youngsters like David Dunn and Martin Taylor progressing to the first team squad.

That is the kind of in-house link Downes believes is ideal -- separate but together.

"We'll get it right, once we have everything set up properly," he said. "I have never met a player yet who, if the coaching, environment and training is right, doesn't want to train.

"And more time means better quality.

"But there has to be care and trust and commitment from both sides.

"Players and parents have to trust you and the kids have to have self-discipline.

"Then it's like a plant. If you tend to it properly, it grows. But, of course, you also need the money and facilities.

"We try to teach them during the week so that we aren't standing there playing the game for them on a Saturday.

"I am not saying we don't shout from the touchline, I am saying 'you know what to do, you do it.' It's about responsibility."

Downes is taking his responsibilities very seriously indeed and, if he receives the right response, Rovers' young hopefuls will have everything they need to follow the Damien Duff pathway to an international future in ever-increasing numbers.

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