Recruiting Limitations

With the international week in full swing and the disappointment of most of the home nations' performances, (the results were okay), the development of young players has taken an ear-bashing from the national media once again - and calls for improvements in developing young players are rife.

We're all aware of the influence of foreign players and how it's affecting and limiting the opportunities for our nation's young players.

If we look at Manchester City - the acquisition of overnight wealth could have a detrimental effect on the pathway for young players into the first team because senior players will be bought and youth players will have their opportunity restricted. Ironically, as far as our Club is concerned, the fact that we do not have access to such unbounding wealth, we are in a very strong position to recruit some of the best players in the North-West.

We have a manager who is not afraid of giving young players their debuts. As well as that, we are not blessed with the kind of wealth we see at other clubs and we need a programme that develops at least one player each year who have the potential to perform in the first team.

So if you were a parent in the North-West, the prospect of your child signing for an academy like Everton should be quite attractive.

Our job within the academy is to meet those challenges of getting players into David Moyes' squad; however it is becoming increasingly difficult because of the restrictions placed on us.

For example, the Football Association is suggesting that there needs to be an increase in standards - but it is their regulations that restrict us in our player recruitment by ruling we can only take on under-12 players who live within an hour of Liverpool, (or one and a half hours if over-12).

What they fail to realise is that in our catchment area falls the Irish Sea, the mountains of Wales, and the Lake District.

Add to that the fact that we have nine other Premier League clubs in our area - including the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Wigan Athletic - and you can begin to understand how high the competition is to recruit young players.

These are all challenges that supporters will understand we've met head on.

There is a stability and continuity in Everton's academy. This is my 18th year here and many of the staff have been here over a decade. Also, it must not be forgotten that many of the players who are just starting to break through into the first-team squad have also been here in excess of 10 years - including the likes of Jose Baxter, who started his Everton career at just six-years-old.

We have one of the finest training facilities in Europe - so the people, the place, the programme and the pathway into the first team that makes up the 'Everton way' are all in place.