New Town academy manager Ben Chenery has a perhaps unique insight into the aftercare of players leaving a youth set-up, his son George having moved on from the Blues at the end of last season.

The care of players released by academies has been in the news recently after Crystal Palace opened the Eagles' Nest Aftercare Hub at the start of the month, a dedicated support centre for youngsters exiting its academy.

Palace’s academy director Gary Issot is someone who Chenery, who took on his new role at Town over the summer, knows well.

“A good friend of mine, Gary, we did our apprenticeships together at Luton and had our first holiday at 18 years old in Spain, so we go back a long way,” he said.

“I suppose where I come up from with this is that I was lucky enough to be a professional footballer, lucky enough to have coached and managed, but also lucky enough to be a parent of a player, who has come through this academy, who just exited recently.

“That’s quite powerful for me to know how they’re feeling, what they need, what’s next for them and I’m huge on that having an educational background as well.

“We have to make sure that their experience here is to make lots of memories, that’s really important to me. Improve their football, yes, of course, but more importantly to be exceptional communicators.

“That might be quiet strength, introvert, extrovert, however it looks. But the abilities when they leave here to either go into the football industry in some other guise or to go into another industry.

“We make sure that when they leave this football club that they’re always an Ipswich Town player, so whenever they need support, and we’ve had it recently, when they need support, they pick the phone up - what do you need? Come in, we’re going to help. Go and watch games, you want training or you need some support somewhere, we are there, we’ve got you.

“Once you step inside this building, you've got us for life. That’s how I see it, that’s how the football club sees it.

“These young people have years ahead of them when they exit at maybe 18, 16, 15, 14, 21, 22, at some point that may happen at a football club and we have to make sure that we have a superior exit strategy and we have them aligned in terms of what their future looks like.

“We have to be thought-provoking in their time here and on their journey to ensure that they understand that there’s more than just football. I think that’s really important, educate them like we do in our workshops. Help the parents because it’s a really difficult time for some of them now when they’re U16s and they’re doing their GCSEs and they’re chasing scholarships etc.

“All these things are really important to me, as a father, to ensure that we get it right. And I think there’s loads more that clubs can do, but I think we are now on that right trajectory to ensuring that we are fully supportive, we have a superior exit pathway. When they exit it doesn't stop, it continues down the line further.”

He says his own son’s departure from Town has had a profound impact, centre-half George (above), 18, having left the club in the summer having joined as an U14.

“I was sitting there a few months ago and thinking I’ve got a coach’s head, but I’ve also got a parent’s head,” he added.

“And it made me really clear in my thinking in terms that if I had a role like this, how it needed to look.

“Like with everything, you hear him and then I have my beliefs and my values, and I’ve spent a lot of time with my son talking about how we align that as coaches and young people.

“It’s been quite powerful that to understand that - this is kind of how we see it, this is how you see it and how can we come together and that’s been a lot of learning for me and my son.”

He continued: “I’m very mindful that I was very fortunate to play football professionally, but a lot don’t and I was always like that with my son.

“I don’t know where his journey will take him next, he’s still playing non-league football [with Brantham Athletic], he’s got a job, which is brilliant for him, starting to go into engineering, which is brilliant. He’s loving life, he’s just passed a test to drive a forklift.

“I was always mindful that we’re not all going to get there, so with George we needed to make sure we had other avenues that we can investigate and that’s been really good for me.

“I've had the terrible jobs of releasing players over my career, difficult moments with players and, of course, that's part of the job, but ultimately we have to make sure that they’re well kept and well looked after.

“I’m really fortunate to have had a player lens, a coach lens and a parent lens. I think that’s invaluable for me in this role now.”

Photo: TWTD

readtheleaguetable added 13:58 - Oct 15 This man has a very sound philosophy. The youth players are in good hand as they develop their football skills and, much more importantly, their life skills.
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blueboy1981 added 15:17 - Oct 15 Some very sound assessment of Young Player needs there - a crucial phase of a developing players career and indeed life. Much more has to be done in such situations by any caring Club. Credit to you Ben Chenery, you’re spot on - I hope our Club recognises it, and fully support you.
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armchaircritic59 added 18:42 - Oct 15 The more I hear fom Ben, the more I like what I hear. We are fortunate to have someone like that at the club. If this is now a typical example of what's happening with our academy, long may it continue!
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