I have had first hand experience of both Newcastle and Sunderland academies and the first thing I'd say is it's nothing more than a myth that Sunderland is, or recently was, superior in any way.
They were different, both good in some ways but both probably behind the bigger clubs in the NW for example.
Newcastle's is decent, despite what a lot of uninformed people say, but being in the NE means that due to population there are fewer kids in the available pool than there are in the NW, SE or Midlands for example.
There again how many Premier league clubs have had two young homegrown players make up their centre midfield pairing in recent years ?
There are kids from Wearside at Newcastle and vica versa so supporting either club is of no consequence at all.
Currently Newcastle's is way ahead and has a far better pool of talent. When Sunderland's ownership changed every possible overhead was slashed and their academy really suffered. People sacked, contacts severed and a lot of their better kids going elsewhere.
Ethically the academy system is questionable across football in general. Nowadays when they bring in youngsters from around the world at a later age very few will ever make it and parents need to be sensible and not build up their own or their kid's hopes too much. If one player is identified as having the potential to make it they will design a team around him in the almost certain knowledge that none of the others will be kept on.
This is not a dig at anyone, especially HTT, because I know it is exciting to have your child singled out as having potential and being asked to join a professional club academy. But, at 5 years old how the hell can they tell that a child will be or is good enough.... they pick kids because they can kick the ball straight and hard compared to others at their age group, that is basically it.
My boy has been approached, or should I say I have, numerous times. I always said no. It is a massive commitment of time for both the parent and the child and the chances of making it are practically zero. If he is good enough he will be picked up later, if he is not good enough, as I suspect, then he will not have lost anything. By the way, he is 14 and knows that I said no, he was a bit puzzled but, I explained it and he fully agrees with me.
My son plays for a team at a high level in the Russell Foster league and really enjoys his football, he plays Futsal for Newcastle United via his school and will represent them at a U15 tournament at The Beacon of Light on Sunday, assuming he is able to shift the heavy cold he is currently laid up with by then. I get all I need simply by watching him play and watching him enjoying his game. His mate, who is at Newcastle academy, seems to have had all the joy of football sucked out of him already, he is 14 years old!!
Just be careful with the academy system and believe this, if he is good enough they will come back and keep coming back....
At what age would you allow him to go? At 16 or 17 he could have missed 3 years worth of hopefully better training and the experience of playing against/with better players. I can understand not wanting a kid to be at an academy at the age of 5, I personally don't think they should be allowed to look at kids until around 11/12 anyway. I don't think you can take the other lads experience as gospel as well.
