10 Years Of German Academy Training.pdf

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Thomas Müller, from the record
title-winning team FC Bayern
Munich was the top scorer at the 2010
World Cup in South Africa at the age of
20; national team goalkeeper Manuel
Neuer, from Schalke 04, proves his
world-class ability on a weekly basis and
is being monitored by all of Europe’s top
clubs; and Mario Götze, at just 18, is being
described as the latest ‘talent of the century’.
In the past decade the academies
have developed into true pools of talent.
The list of top-class footballers, prepared
for professional life in the 36 academies
of the Bundesliga and Bundes liga 2
clubs, is constantly added to by newcomers
such as the Bender twins, Sven
and Lars, or by now seasoned world-class
players such as Philipp Lahm or Bastian
Schweinsteiger. Of a total of 525 players
in the Bundesliga, 275 (52.4%) have
been trained at the academies. On average,
around 15 players in the squad of
every club have been educated in one of
the academies. 107 (20.4%) of all Bundesliga
professionals today even play for
a club at whose academy they were educated.
These are termed ‘local players.’
“The figures attest to the fact that youth
education in the Bundesliga is bearing
fruit. In this way the foundations are laid
whereby the fans can increasingly look
forward to seeing academy-trained stars
in the Bundesliga,” says League President
Dr Reinhard Rauball. Professional clubs in
Germany have invested well in excess of
half a billion euros in their youth systems
since the 2001-02 season. A good investment
which has propelled the whole
of German football back into Europe’s
elite. The Bundesliga conquered the international
stage by most recently winning
back the third automatic Champions
League place and is also hot on the heels
of world and European champions Spain
in UEFA’s five-year ranking.
“A crucial reason for its most recent
success is surely the outstanding work
of the Bundesliga academies. The fact
that they were compulsorily established
shortly after the turn of the century