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Have we talked about Kinetic Academy yet?
at 12:35 12 May 2023

That's a great question - in all honesty, I am not entirely sure as it's not something we would have talked about when we were younger. It is set up as a charity, so they rely on donations and fundraising for some of the financing. I would assume there must be some other steams of income having seen how much they've expanded. Many of the players at Kinetic are not in a position to be able to contribute financially due to their backgrounds. Pretty sure it isn't a money making scheme like you see from some of the football academies that spring up.

From what I've seen, it is very much a force for the good in the local community; certain players involved would have likely been sucked in to a completely different life and away from education at that age if not playing for Kinetic. Friend of mine ended up setting a PT business at a gym he co-owns, whilst providing free sessions for the local community to help better mental health - all by the age of 23! Think it can be viewed as a platform that provides an opportunity for those participating to put themselves in the shop window for the pro clubs, and, if they don't manage this, to ensure they are pushed in the right direction with the right skills to succeed in a life outside of football.

[Post edited 12 May 2023 12:38]

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Have we talked about Kinetic Academy yet?
at 02:19 12 May 2023

Long time reader of TWTD - saw this thread and feel I am quite well placed to provide a good answer for you!

Grew up locally to the original Kinetic Academy site in Croydon, and consequently have a few friends who have played for them. The vast majority (might be all?) of the boys involved with Kinetic do it as a joint sixth form / college route, where they play football alongside education - quite similar to how professional academies are run. Daily training, conditioning and matches whilst completing A-Levels etc. - they attend a partner school which provides the education side. Have seen they have since expanded from the original site to further spread across London, but still predominately based in the South.

They are typically associated with a local non-league side too, who they represent at U18 level - I am aware of them doing this for Merstham and Croydon in the past, but unsure on the current situation. This is in addition to the matches they play representing Kinetic.

The standard is very high, as evidenced by the number of players they have had signed to professional clubs in the last 8/9 years; I think it is something in the 65+ region (may be wrong!). Some well known names in there such as Josh Maja and Joe Aribo. I was aware of a boy in the year below me who moved on to Man City's books after being spotted at Kinetic. Most end up at a slightly lower level tho!

I would say they are on a par, maybe very slightly below, the level of some of the weaker professional academy sides (League 1/2 outfits). Fairly common for them to play trial matches against these sides, and it is usually quite close. They are consistently one of the best youth outfits in London outside the pro sides. FA Youth Cup runs in the past would also indicate this, and they often have some of the best young players in the South London region that aren't currently picked up. A lot will have played for a pro club at some point, but there is a serious amount of talent in the area that goes unnoticed and may not have been with anyone previously.

It has been documented in the media several times that the area Kinetic operates around has been a footballing hotbed for talent the last few years. Good example of this in League One is Kwame Poku - was aware of him through our league and mutual friends, and have seen him progress up to starting against us for Peterborough! Unsure if he was attached to a club when he was younger, but was still involved at U18 level locally only a couple years ago. Everyone I have known and played with from Kinetic have been good - minimum high semi professional level, ready to play step 3 / 4 at the age of 18. There are plenty of boys who haven't been signed from the area that I genuinely believe would be good enough to play pro - there are some players who I know that have made it who I don't believe to be as good as some who haven't. Can be a range of things that sees them miss out, but it's common knowledge that chances are low. The key thing is kicking on once you get a pro contract into becoming a regular player at professional level (stating the obvious I know!).

Will be keeping an eye out on the two who have just signed to see how they get on. They are a little younger than me so don't know them personally, but here's hoping for their success with us! Sorry for the lengthy reply, hope it provided some clarity on what Kinetic do.

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