Youth development: how to produce stars

Producing a star from your academy is one of the best stories in the game and one of the best sources of money. A cheap youngster can become a starter or a huge sale, as long as you give them time and minutes.

The academy intake

At the end of each season, 1 to 3 youngsters aged 16 or 17 come up from the academy. Clubs with a level 4 or 5 academy get one more. Potential depends on the academy level and on the club's reputation. Sometimes a gem appears, a youngster with star potential, and the chance grows with the academy level. The intake message tells you when the scouts are excited about someone.

How a player develops

Development happens monthly and moves the player towards their potential, which is hidden. On the profile, the stars give you an idea. Four things matter:

• Age: the main factor. Up to age 20, development is fastest. From 21 to 23, it drops to about 70% of that. From 24 to 27, to a third. From 28, nobody grows any more.
• Minutes on the pitch: the more they play, the more they develop. Under-19s feel the lack of matches less, but after that it makes a big difference.
• Professionalism: a player trait. Some of it shows up as a characteristic on the profile, such as Professional or Lacks dedication.
• Training ground: each level speeds up development for the whole squad.

A technical focus in weekly training adds another 10%, in exchange for slightly less physical recovery. And potential isn't a final verdict: up to age 23 it shifts a little each season, with some prospects breaking through and others stalling.

How to use the minutes

1. Put your most promising youngsters on the bench and give them the end of matches already decided.
2. Use cups and matches against weaker opponents to give them full games.
3. If there's no room, loan them out. A youngster playing elsewhere develops more than one sitting idle at your club.

Signing youngsters

Youngsters are expensive: up to age 24, market value also reflects the distance to their potential. And since the rating you see is an estimate, the scout matters even more here. A week of watching can save you from overpaying for a prospect who won't make it. The list of the best young players in the Official World is a good starting point.

Sell or keep?

With their value high, one sale can pay for the club's year. A good way to think: if the youngster is already a starter and still growing, keep them. If there's another just like them in line, or if the club is in the red, sell. Remember to renew before the last year of the contract, because an expiring contract cuts the price by 40%.

And the veterans?

After age 30 (32 for goalkeepers), decline starts with physical attributes, and from 34 retirement comes. A physical focus in training cuts that decline by 30%. A healthy squad mixes both ends: youngsters who grow and veterans who still deliver.