With Financial Fair Play (FFP) soon to be introduced, the emphasis on seeking and developing talent is sure to be far greater than before, certainly for those clubs that don't have rights to the lucrative parachute payment handed to those who have suffered relegation from the Premier League.

This means that many clubs are likely to be handicapped when it comes to battling it out for players on quite high wages.

So with that in mind, what can be done in the short and long-term? Firstly and perhaps most importantly, the development of academy players is to be a big factor.

We have already seen Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy hand professional contracts to second-year scholars David October, Mark Timlin, Jonny Leddy, Mark Timlin and Jack Marriott.

This not only assures fans that young talent is on the horizon at Portman Road, but indicates a sense of structure and acknowledgement with regards to FFP and the overall benefits financially for the football club.

It also gives a communal feel, something that seems to have been lost in football nowadays, particularly amongst the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City who have the financial muscle to blow teams out of the water especially with the need for constant success.

They would rather splash £12 million on a centre-half from Fiorentina than promote potential from within. Perhaps this is understandable, it may well improve the standard of the Premier League, but not the state of English football in general.

You certainly wouldn't see a situation like this in Spain or Germany where clubs may well invest in star players but remain prominent in developing younger players from within.

We've seen Borussia Dortmund reap the rewards of this and Barcelona rely heavily on their youth policy whilst also teaching the values of playing passing football. Marc Bartra and Thiago Alcantara are two of the latest starlets to advance from the youth team and into the first team picture.

Yes, Arsenal have produced some English talent, likewise Manchester United but not enough players seem to be given the chance to thrive in the Premier League, given the riches involved. With a seemingly more open Premier League next season this seems an issue that is unlikely to improve.

All that will happen is young players will be loaned out or be sat on the bench for a few seasons before being let go, meaning they have to almost try and re-establish the form and potential that made them such a prospect in the first place. Nobody wins this way do they?

This advances to my general argument, the issue of not producing or developing young talent in this country is something that has been widely documented.

However, we have clubs with foreign owners who are not bothered how our homegrown players develop and it is hindering our talented youngsters.

We have seen players like Luke Shaw at Southampton benefit from regular football and adapt well to the step up. However, we have also seen players like Connor Wickham, Josh McEachran, Nick Powell and Jonjo Shelvey not regularly being picked by their parent clubs. Neither was Daniel Sturridge whose subsequent move to Liverpool seems to have done him the power of good.

Add to this the fact he is playing under a manager who is very competent in terms of teaching players how to pass.

Perhaps it is the amount of players filtered through which is where the problem lies. Before FFP there was a leniency and an element of sentiment with regards to debts and the threat of administration and liquidation, but now there is no margin for error.

An idea I have in relation to this regards introducing a new youth league where those who just missed out on professional deals are in effect given a second chance.

What would happen is every Premier League and Championship club put forward four second-year scholars who just missed out on professional contracts, whilst clubs in League One and Two promote two each. This means you would end up with a total of around 270 players.

Through communication from the FA with their previous clubs and taking into account where players are located and various other details, the players get divided into squads of 16 meaning their would be around 16 teams in total.

In advance all these clubs are managed by young coaches recommended by the FA via certain courses they are aware of. Not only should this improve the players themselves but allows coaches to gain first hand experience. The coaches should be analysed meticulously.

We need inventive coaches who explore of different methods and philosophies and that doesn't have to involve the essentials of passing football. Bayern Munich have proved that this is not the only way to be effective on a football pitch.

I'm sure like most things there are pros and cons, the players may find it difficult emotionally to endure another year of hard graft only to be ultimately disappointed once more following previous rejections.

Others may want to explore outward interests other than football or get a full-time job, not forgetting the time and effort required from parents.

But we are talking about players who have been at professional football clubs since a very tender age and so they must have a certain level of potential. It also gives scouts an opportunity to look at players from another angle and in a different set-up.

I also believe their should and probably will be a greater emphasis on scouting players from the lower divisions seen as the fees and wage demands more suitable to budgets. This is something that links in with my views on youth development.

We have all seen players succeed at high levels who previously had jobs and were at smaller teams, so it just shows that there is probably more talent out there that meets the eye and we probably underestimate this.

The likes of Jimmy Bullard, Michael Kightly, Charlie Austin, Grant Holt, DJ Campbell and most notably Ian Wright are examples of those plucked out of non-league football.

All have sustained decent careers at a professional level but for one reason or another were playing much lower down the pyramid, which just shows there are players out there who could have been developed further when they were younger.

This is what an U19 league would provide - a chance for those talented individuals who without the introduction of the league would be battling against a tide in attempting to pursue their dreams.

Some will say that it doesn't give teams who conform to FFP a massive advantage because any team could give a contract to any player they choose.

However, it is more beneficial for those who don't have much cash to splash because the players in the league have been released by Premier League teams, and so are probably more likely to be snapped up by a Championship or League One or Two side.

It is surprising the amount of players currently plying their trade and impressing in the lower leagues having been released by Premier League clubs. It just shows players can get snapped up and succeed as professionals and this idea will only go to further this.

Signing these players is realistic and it is not as if teams are competing with big teams for a player worth millions, it is appropriate for their financial model.

What is there to lose? The league not only gives a lot of players an opportunity to earn a contract somewhere else, it means more English players can be produced, and it means homegrown talent can be utilised effectively for clubs working under the FFP guidelines.

It also promotes British coaches recommended by the FA who may have updated ideas in relation to playing styles, even if a small proportion of players are given a contracts after this then even that would mean it has been worthwhile and at least those who don't can be appreciative of the second chance they were given.

It's OK spending millions and millions on massive facilities and training up 24 of our national teams from different age groups but there is nothing like witnessing competitive and meaningful competition on a wider scale, something this idea of introducing a new league would provide.

itfcjoe added 15:39 - Jun 11 It's an interesting proposal, but is this not something which the U21 league is looking to address? Allowing players to stay in the game without the necessary push for first team football in year 1. The biggest problem we have with youth development is the stockpiling of players by the big clubs, until teams in similar positions to us in the football pyramid stop taking these players on loan and developing our own this will continue. I'd like to see a limit on squad sizes too, the top 6 Prem clubs have over 60 players aged between 16 and 21, there should be no need to have more than 18 U21 Development Squad players and 18 U18 players, which are then supplemented by the U16s

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theobald1985 added 17:26 - Jun 11 this is a well written and interesting post. I personally feel the time is right to introduce a rule that states 2 (to start with) players in every starting line up has to have come through the academy. this would mean you would need proberbly 6 of your first team squad to come through the academy to cover for injurys and suspensions etc and would make the coaches HAVE to produce players that are good enough and force managers to give the best players a go. there are so many lads released without even having a proper chance and that cant go on. we could implement this change in a couple of years to give them time to prepare but in the end the only way to bring them through is to force the clubs to play them as otherwise managers who are under constant threat of the sack will simply never take a chance on some youngsters

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BlueBadger added 14:47 - Jun 12 Lucky old Mark Timlin getting offered TWO contracts!
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Edmunds5 added 15:14 - Jun 12 Tom Winter of course not two Timlins, my mistake.
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