ACADEMY FOOTBALL
Lynn Beattie, also known as Mrs Mummypenny – personal finance expert featured in the FT, Sunday Times and BBC TV – shares an insight into the truths of being a football academy parent.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE AN ACADEMY FOOTBALL PARENT? Lynn, a mum of three, has one son that plays for the under-13 academy at Cambridge United, where he has been Cambridge since the age of seven; he signed at under-9 and previously spent one year in the pre-academy and regional development centre before his talent was recognised and he was moved up to the top tier. Lynn’s middle son also played with Cambridge United’s pre-academy from the age of six until nine. He decided to leave the football club at the age of nine after spending a year in the shadow squad and deciding football wasn’t for him. “My eldest son has always been into football from the young age of three and showed an interested and talent for it. He played for the local grassroots team from the ages of five, playing up a year. He was then
60 | OTFF ISSUE 13 ★ NOVEMBER 2020
spotted by Cambridge [United] as a 7-yearold at a summer tournament. “It has always been my sons dream to become a professional football player, however I have been very consistent that he also needs a plan B. Education is hugely important and he endeavours to get a great education at the same time as the football.” The numbers show the competitiveness of the professional game supporting Lynn’s mention of a plan B. Out of the children who enter academies at the age of nine, less than one per cent will make it as a professional footballer at any level. In terms of playing Premier League football, just 180 children of the 1.5 million who play organised youth football at any time will go onto a career in football – just 0.012 per cent. On managing his education alongside playing Lynn expressed that it is hard and often there is not enough time to fit everything in, “My eldest has had to make decisions to drop things that his school have wanted him to do due lack of energy and time. He has a natural ability for all sports; hence his school are keen for him to take part in athletics, rugby, basketball, but he simply cannot do it all.
