It is the most burning question for many football fans. Which football club can call themselves the best football youth academy in Europe? Ajax’s youth academy provides most of Europe’s top players. According to a Swiss research agency, 69 players from the academy of the national champion are currently playing at a club that is in the highest league of any European country. Ajax therefore scores better than Partizan Belgrade, which ranks second with 66 players. The great Barcelona follows in third place with 61 players.
Ajax deviates from the general picture of European football where clubs are increasingly using their money to loan players, according to Football Observatory researchers. On the contrary, it invests in their youth academy! Football Observatory has drawn up a list of the best youth training academies in Europe. You can find them here!
Investsments in youth academies
‘Less money is spent by badly run clubs, especially in the south and east of Europe’, says researcher Rafaele Poli. Ajax invests around €6 million a year in youth academy, and Barcelona is more successful in retaining its own educated players.
The football players that Ajax educates in their football youth academy often leave for foreign clubs. Barcelona, for example, succeeds better in retaining its own educated players. But according to the researchers, the Ajax people do have a clear vision. The club only attracts players from outside if they really are a reinforcement and first tries to let a talent flow through from their own training.
Top clubs such as Arsenal and Bayern Munich are a notable contrast to Ajax’s academy. Of London’s top clubs, only 36 self-educated players are active in the highest league in Europe, as many as the German champion.
We can clonclude that, according to the statistics, Ajax is the best football youth academy in Europe. The club’s philosophy is world-famous. Formations such as 433 result from its philosophy. As a Dutch supplier of sports equipment and performance products, we are proud to be able to contribute to the improvement of youth academy. In addition to sport equipment, we also offer an online management system and an innovative and interactive training system. See here how you can raise the level of youth training!
Source: AD
Online Sports Academy; the system for training like the best football youth academy in Europe
Online Sports Academy is a system that can help structure youth academies and provide quality training for youth players. It is a didactic and methodical online management system for sportfederations, football clubs and football schools that focuses on youth development. The Online Sports Academy platform offers structure within each football club and training academy, whereby all trainers can independently compose training courses and/or follow the club-learning line by means of a personal account. Within the platform support is offered for age specific exercises (coming from the ‘old’ Online AJAX Academy), mental training/coaching and motoric learning/exercising.
