As most Manchester United fans will know, the club has a proud tradition for being English trail blazers in European and World club football, so given this history, do you think the club is right on this occasion to have ruled out joining the 'NextGen Series' for U19 footballers in Europe?
If we are to believe the Press Association, what do you think United's current objections are, and are these likely to change beyond the short term, particularly as participation looks like it's becoming quite widespread amongst Europe's elite clubs?
For those as unaware of this competition as I was, the NextGen Series is a European football club cup competition for under-19 footballers of invited teams, similar in form to the UEFA Champions League. It started in 2011/12 and some participating clubs have said they believe the tournament offers a great developmental opportunity as it helps them replicate the Champions League experience for their younger players.
The competition was created by sports TV producer Justin Andrews and Brentford sporting director Mark Warburton, and they say their aim (other than cash I'm sure) is to...
"try and develop a Champions League player by exposing them to that type of competition and replicate what it's like at first-team level. We are confident the players will gain experience which will be vital to them in terms of the style of play and the travelling. We can also offer players the opportunity of playing against the likes of Barcelona and Man City on the big stage and in stadia."
The 2011–12 tournament had 16 teams split into four groups of four, playing each other home and away. The top two teams from each group went through to a knockout stage. The Quarter Finals were played over one leg at the Home ground of the Group Winners.
Teams participating in the NextGen series are limited to a squad size of no more than eighteen members. There is an age limit of 18 on players participating in the competition. However, each club has the option of having three players who are one year older than this, although only a maximum of two of them are allowed to be on the pitch at any one time. Match rules for the series, other than the age cap, are the same as those stipulated by the International Football Association Board, meaning that they are identical to those of most other international tournaments.
Teams were picked for the first season (2011/12) of the tournament through invitation. The organisers selected 16 clubs, influenced by the quality of each club’s academy. The competition is expanding to 24 teams in 2012/13.
The clubs who accepted the invitation to join the 2011-2012 competition were:
Aston Villa
Liverpool
Manchester City
Tottenham Hotspur
VfL Wolfsburg
Internazionale (inaugural winners)
Olympique de Marseille
Ajax
PSV Eindhoven
Molde FK
Rosenborg
Sporting Clube de Portugal
Celtic
Barcelona
FC Basel
Fenerbahçe
It has already been announced that Chelsea and Arsenal will join next year's expanded competition, and the press report PSG and Olympiakos will do so as well, but I'm not currently 100% sure who the other 4 clubs are going to be, so if anyone knows please shout and I'll edit this article.
I would love to hear from anyone who knows more than myself and wiki about this series, so I can get a more informed view regarding its pros and cons, because there must be a good reason for United's stance, particularly as SAF is hot on youth development.
http://www.nextgenseries.com/
United Right to Rule Out 'NextGen Series'?
posted on 19/4/12
We need to be in this tournament! It's the perfect opportunity to scout out young players who we might want to pick up.
posted on 19/4/12
I wonder if it is financial though aquantumof. We can't see how much the clubs get paid to compete if at all, and perhaps that's the sticking point given the kudos United bring, not to mention for TV rights etc
posted on 19/4/12
Well, hopefully you will do better than City. They were shocking, never got one point. I thought they had a decent youth team, too.
posted on 19/4/12
I don't think the games were broadcast until the semi-finals, they were on ESPN.
http://www.nextgenseries.com/Watching-NextGen
So unless you got to the semi-final, I don't see where TV rights would come into play.
posted on 19/4/12
Park Ji - I can see why the natural reaction is to be in it, but maybe we dont want United youngsters ripping it up in Europe while they can still get targeted on their youth contracts as you're suggesting we do for the other teams players. I can see how a competition like this may lead to clubs having to pay young kids a lot more money.
It's also really hard to tell if it's a good idea without knowing more about what the financials are for the club etc
posted on 19/4/12
Ah that's good to know Henrik, although I've read clubs sign a multiple year contract to join e.g. Chelsea have signed up for 3 years, and who knows whether things like TV coverage will change. Maybe it's just not popular enough at the moment for TV rights, but if clubs like United, AC Milan and Real Madrid get involved that may change.
posted on 19/4/12
Didnt fergie say that he liked the idea but felt it would not last as a tournement
posted on 19/4/12
It's a shame we're not entering it I think. Although it won't be the Champions League experience the tournament creator thinks it will be, it will be valuable game time at the very least.
posted on 19/4/12
Given that the clubs stance on contracts for the younger players seems to be to leave it until last 12 months before offering erms,maybe SAF is worried about putting more of his talented youngsters into what is going to turn into an auction for the best youngsters around.
posted on 19/4/12
I have to say I'm surprised by the clubs decision on this because it's a great opportunity for our reserve and academy players to get used to playing other teams from around Europe and get used to playing against teams with different styles of play.
I guess it's likely that we'll be involved in the Dallas Cup and Aegon Future Cup again or similar tournaments.
It'll be interesting to here from someone at United why the club decided not to participate.