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Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'We couldn't wait 10 years to bring players through'
Brentford made headlines when scrapping their academy and instead created a new, innovative B team model in 2016. In part, due to the new Premier League rules, Brentford have re-started an academy in what might, on first look, seem like a u-turn. However, the B team remains and this is a club in a very different position to where it was 10 years ago, as director of football Phil Giles, explained: "We had an academy but closed it in 2016. The reason for that was that we were a very small Championship club with low revenue and the spend on the academy wasn't meteoric but still big enough and we felt if we wanted promotion we had to spend every penny on that target. "We couldn't wait 10 years to bring players through, we wanted promotion to establish some revenues. "That's why we focused on our first team and B team. The idea with the B team was these are players closer to the first team, capable of making a genuine impact -players like Mads Roerslev and Marcus Forss came through that for our promotion team. "When we got promoted, we reviewed it and considered re-opening the academy because our revenues improved. Brexit had an impact because it limits overseas player availability but also increases demand on British players from all other clubs across the Football League. "We, for example, sold Fin Stevens to St Pauli from our B team, so that has changed. We also need more youth teams to get our Uefa license if we end up playing in Europe, and the final thing was the Premier League mandate changed the rules to tell us to open an academy so that was the final thing tipping us over the edge to do it." He added at the launch of the new academy building: "The B team still exists and will do what it has been doing but will now have a pipeline from Under-9s to the B team, which also plays in Premier League 2, as Under-21s, but also play the same bespoke games as they always have done. The B team is still the link to the first team." Academy director Stephen Torpey, formerly a coach at Liverpool and Manchester City, further explained: "We treat it like a private school for footballers. "There are more coaches available, about five-to-one with combined age groups at younger levels, which allows us to give more tailored, bespoke programmes and give an opportunity to grow. "We also encourage kids to continue playing grassroots sport to aid their friendships away from Brentford and take some of the pressure off. We've recruited 114 players and hired 54 full-time staff members with around 30 part-time staff on top to build out that team. "We are the first club ever to go from a Category 4 academy to Category 2 and the next step will be adding an indoor pitch, a dome, to get to Category 1. "Our Under-18s were the first men's team to have a female coach in Lydia Bedford. Our B team, which fulfil the U21s programme and we are in the play-offs, we're in the final of Premier League Cup, competing against Monaco and Nice in the Atlantic Cup. "As a dad of four myself - I know it is about caring first and we want to be admired as the most caring, progressive academy, which fits the ethos of the rest of the club." You can read more from Giles as part of a wider interview below.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brentford B 2 Chelsea U21s 2
Neil MacFarlane's side had top spot in their sights as they played their final game of Group I in the Premier League Cup this evening. A victory would temporarily put the young Bees top of the group with twelve points as their London rivals would still have a game to play. It was an amazing start for the young Bees as with the first shot of the game, an Isaac Holland cross was volleyed expertly into the net by Lisbie. After brief stop in play due to some technical difficulties with the floodlights, the home side remained on the front foot, pressing their opponents. The away side settled into the game and drew level soon after as Ato Ampah rose highest to head into the net. The young Bees went close to restoring the lead as another Holland cross found Lisbie who this time headed his effort goalwards but it just went wide of the post. Another chance fell the way of Lisbie who was causing havoc for the Chelsea, but the attacker's left-footed shot was skewed wide. Kiano Dyer had the first effort of the second period, almost scoring from a shot on the edge of the box. Paris Maghoma drew a good save from Eddie Beach, striking from just outside the box. The resulting corner saw Josh Stephenson rise highest and divert his header on target but Beach made a great reflex save to ensure the scores remained all square As the hour approached, neither side controlled the game with both sides giving away the ball cheaply. The conditions did not help proceedings as the rain hammered down but that did not stop Stephenson from making a great block to deny Donnell McNeilly from close range. The goal the game needed finally arrived and it was Lisbie again who found himself in the right place to receive a Maghoma cross and finish from close range. WIth victory in sight, Chelsea struck late as Rak-Sakyi rose highest one minute from time to steer in a last minute equaliser. The result means that Brentford just require Chelsea in their final game to beat or draw with Derby. The young Bees will now travel to Portugal to participate in the Atlantic Cup. Upon their return, they will be met with a West London derby league game against QPR U21s away from home on Tuesday 11 February. Brentford B: Eyestone, Fredrick, Stephenson, Ji soo (McManus 46), Arthur, Konak (Owen 63), Holland (Olakigbe 70), Brierley (c), Morgan (Laidlaw 70), Maghoma, Lisbie (Dickov 81) Booked: Konak 41, Laidlaw 85 Chelsea U21s: Beach, Antwi, Murray-Campbell, Emenalo, Samuels-Smith (c) (Sturge 69), Rak-Sakyi, Ampah, Harrison (McMahon 69), McNeilly, Dyer (Wilson 85), George (Stutter 37). Unused subs: Curd.
