Quote:
Originally Posted by kiwiLB57
One lad has been picked up by the Tottenham youth development squad programme which sounds somewhat like the travel ball in that it is a heavy investment in time and money for the parents and kids.
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That raises an interesting parallel/non-parallel scenario I'd never thought about before.
My very limited understanding of the English youth development system makes me wonder how comparable it would be. Does Tottenham (or anyone) develop some sort of actual (like, contractual) eventual signing rights by virtue of having someone in the program? Or does it only give them an inside track through familiarity, better insight into the player's potential, etc?
With travel teams (whatever the sport) in the U.S. there's officially only an opportunity for exposure and higher levels of competition to be seen against, you'd remain a "free agent" to be drafted, pick a college program, etc. (UNofficially, there's certainly some shenanigans that can occur to influence players toward a future destination)
So, educate me: how strongly _legally_ tied to Tottenham is that player you mentioned? How far does that commitment extend for the player?