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Message: [QUOTE="upstater, post: 2809545, member: 153"] What I wrote is the truth. I not only heard it from former Spanish pros, but a friend who played in Eredivisie, whose former club visits and runs a camp (5-10 players each year) in my area each year, and who was employed by Ajax after his playing career was over. Far more opportunities exist over there because they are soccer mad. My friend laid out the youth process like this: the club had about 50 unpaid scouts who scoured youth leagues in Holland on a weekly basis. Those youth clubs they watched were pay-to-play. Every couple of weeks, a scout would recommend the club invite 1 kid in for a visit (only boys, by the way). When 10 kids were invited, they’d hold weeklong tryouts, and if one kid was lucky, he’d get an invite to the academy, which was totally free. That began the process. With over 12 age groups in the academy, there were about 100 boys tops. And forget about schooling. He said the coaches and drivers would pick up kids at 11 am at their schools, shuttle them to the club for training! 7 year olds! Most often, even the club invitees were shunted aside after 3 or 4 years. He described the pressure on these kids and the impact on their futures as absolutely terrible. And he said Ajax can’t even keep their top players so in many respects they place even more emphasis on the youth academy as a source of revenue than they do for the actual Ajax team. 10 players sold could mean $100 million for them. Hundreds of players go through the youth academy, and only 1 to 2% pan out. Thousands are invited for tryouts, and 1% join the club. So 1% of the 1% who ever are recommended to the club ever pan out, and the rest go on into their lives (lacking an education) while the rest who are lucky enough NOT to be chosen get to do pay-for-play with their clubs. The kids are really nothing but chattel in this system. Not one we should emulate IMO. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach