Torquay United Fans Forum

Well Geoff is doing something right- just signed a Dan Lavercombe replacement!


http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/spor ... _1_4055778

tommyg wrote:Tomogull made a interesting point earlier about if the TUST could help finance the academy if it is threatened with closure. I'm sure some current members would be willing to contribute more money if it was going to help shape the future of the club and a good cause like this would appeal to the wider community and attract more members who may not necessarily support TUFC.

Members get to vote on how monies are spent. Certainly they have been youth team sponsor in the past, although the principal aim that it was revived for was to accumulate TUFC shares and assist whilst being in part or full ownership. So let's hope we have forward thinking new owners about to seal the deal with Thea.

I agree with the post that sees a youth system as key to being part of the TUFC community providing future fans and, ideally, players. I note forever's comments regarding Lavercombe and Ives coming into the system late, but as a fan it is great to see someone from Torquay, aged 18, playing with such confidence in goal for us. We all love that side of things, I'd've thought.

Tully was from Paignton.

Tomogull made a interesting point earlier about if the TUST could help finance the academy if it is threatened with closure. I'm sure some current members would be willing to contribute more money if it was going to help shape the future of the club and a good cause like this would appeal to the wider community and attract more members who may not necessarily support TUFC.

Some very good points made above. Yes can take 8-10 years to start finding players through (8-16) academy, and I know our current U13 are achieving some great results, so that age group may be about 3-4 seasons away from providing some talented players, agree about sense of community, however the catchment area isn't as restricted as Royal may think, the club has been bringing in players to the Academy from Cornwall, across Devon and into Somerset for some time.

Agreed, the academy is the future of the club, if asked a direct question should we keep the youth system at the club in it's current form, my answer would be absolutely, yes.

There are bigger and wider considerations here, EPPP category 3 is not on going, it is fixed term for 3 years, our club would have to re-apply for it's level 3 status, if still non-league might be difficult. The football club has match whatever it receives from EPPP, so say (not sure of actual amounts) the club receives £150k then TUFC has to put £150k of it's own money in to the youth set up.

Under it's level 3 status the club has to have a set number of permanent full/part time coaching staff x wages/expenses cost, the club also has to provide and minimum set number of coaching hours x cost.

A lot could depend on whether any take over goes through, who the new owners are, and how much money they're prepared to put in, as things stand at the moment a level4 set up, would cost significantly less to run, it would allow us to continue to work with 16-18 year olds, and continue to attract players like Halpin, Thompson, Lavercombe and Ives, something we've had some reasonable success with, and better alternative to closing the youth set up all together, something we could be faced with if no new owners are found.

PhilGull wrote:Out of interest, who was the last Torbay born boy to play in the first team? I'm thinking it may need to be one of the more 'experienced' fans who answers this question!

Aside from obviously Lavercombe, Hockley was probably the last notable Torbay-born player I can think of. There may have been a few more since then (not sure where the likes of Kirtys McKenzie and Ed Palmer etc were born) but in terms of first-team regular I reckon it's Hockers.

PhilGull wrote:Out of interest, who was the last Torbay born boy to play in the first team? I'm thinking it may need to be one of the more 'experienced' fans who answers this question!

I would guess Robbie Herrera 1992.

Out of interest, who was the last Torbay born boy to play in the first team? I'm thinking it may need to be one of the more 'experienced' fans who answers this question!

Only if he signs a professional deal though. As Ives has, the ones already showing good form aged 15/16 will have agents and interest from higher clubs. Unless the player turns these down and takes the lesser money here, we will lose most of the best prospects before they reach adulthood. The system has been designed to hoover the best teenagers into the larger acadamies for set levels of compensation. Fees of £1.5m for a 19 year old will be incredibly rare when you have 20 clubs trying to take the best 15/16 year olds for £50k each.

As has been said though, the youth system is more than just a financial consideration. As long as it is not losing too much money then it should be a part of the community. Getting youngsters through into the first team could be the difference for a club of our size. Say Prynn goes on to score 10 goals next season as 4th choice striker, or Ives stays and becomes 1st choice left back - that's one fewer player we have to attract down here and fit into the budget. You also have the feel good factor of a successful youth system giving the Club a positive future, rather than the despair and apathy we've had this season.

forevertufc wrote:Lavercombe and Ives did not come through the clubs academy, they both came to the club as U18's, in 8 years the club has not brought through 1 player from the academy. The suggestion I've made on here before, and again I personally don't favour such a move, but it could be necessary, is down grade the youth set up to cat 4 so we can continue to work with 16-18 years olds, something we've had some success with, that would save the club a small fortune.

I know absolutely nothing about the financing of the various age groups in the clubs academy so your suggestion is probably very sensible. However (you knew that was coming, didn't you ??) the younger age groups gives young lads a sense of being part of Torquay United so even if they don't progress to be professional footballers as, let's face it, most of them won't, hopefully they will continue their association with the club through the turnstiles week by week, although it could be argued that many will move away from the area simply to find better jobs. It's a difficult one but maybe, just maybe, we could discover another 'Matt Grimes' who would earn the club ££s.

It just takes time, it will take 8-10 years so we are towards the end of that cycle, we will start to produce our own players but it's tougher because of the limited catchment area.

Lavercombe and Ives did not come through the clubs academy, they both came to the club as U18's, in 8 years the club has not brought through 1 player from the academy. The suggestion I've made on here before, and again I personally don't favour such a move, but it could be necessary, is down grade the youth set up to cat 4 so we can continue to work with 16-18 years olds, something we've had some success with, that would save the club a small fortune.

We need to carry on the academy, it has been going for 8 years now and we're finally starting to see the fruits of our labour in Lavercombe and Ives. The kids which will come through are the ones from the ages of 9-11, which if you look at the maths would suggest we're now going to see some prospects breaking through.

We've a good setup here, let's not break it when it just starts working.

It would be very shortsighted to close the academy but I wouldn't think a decision would be made until the new owners are in place. I hear the under 10's (?) drew 6 -6 at Bournemouth. Harry Rednapp was there and as already been posted, he was impressed with the Torquay lads apparently. If TUST is not to be part of a consortium to own the club, could the funding of the Academy be something they could help with?

Thanks forever. I didn't think a decision would have been made while the club was still in limbo. Sounds like Redknapp was impressed with our kids which bodes well for the future IF the academy doesn't fold.