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Posted - Oct 10 2002 : 9:21:57 PM
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The Academy
Thu Oct 10 17:53:11 2002
141.149.58.71
The development of young, home-grown talent is central to Jean Tigana's vision of building Fulham Football Club.
It has also been a consistent feature of the Club throughout its history. Run by Academy Director, Steve Kean, the Academy is a facet of the Club that carries major significance.
A successful Academy has the potential to save a club millions. If young potential is identified and developed correctly, a football club's need to engage in major transfer transactions is limited. Accordingly, Fulham's drive towards financial self-sufficiency is directly linked to a successful Academy structure capable of producing young players of the highest quality.
The difference in cost between establishing and running a successful Academy and being forced into a vaulting transfer market more than justifies the initial investment. Fulham's Academy has only been in operation for four years and has already begun to pay dividends, justifying the time, effort and resources invested at the embryonic stage. Fulham Academy graduate Sean Davis is an England under-21 international and a vital cog in Tigana's team.
At 21, his estimated transfer value is around six times more than it costs to run the entire Academy system for one year. Sean is just one player. As the Academy continues to develop, its aim is to offer the Team Manager a regular stream of players of equal or greater potential.
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