Friday, March 27, 2009

Liverpool Defender Jamie Carragher Hails Lower League Academies


The Reds hero is urging people not to forget the grassroots work done at lower league clubs in developing players.

Jamie Carragher, himself a product of Liverpool's youth academy, has hailed the work achieved by small clubs in helping identify and develop young English talent, and has urged the powers-that-be to review the situation that sees clubs lose their Centres of Excellence when they drop out of the league.

Both Cambridge United and Wrexham had thriving academies until the senior sides were relegated from League Two, and Carragher feels that to allow such fine youth set-ups to simply disappear is far from a positive move.

"It is important that young players are getting the opportunity to show what they can do. If they can go on and take their opportunity is up to them, but first and foremost they have to be given a chance, like I was," he told Sky Sports.


"It is important that young players are not lost to the game. They need a chance not only at the top clubs but at the smaller ones as well because there are some good smaller clubs out there who work hard on developing young players."

And the former England international pointed to the example of his former team-mate Danny Murphy, now at Fulham, as evidence that lower league academies produce fine players.


"If you take someone I played with at Liverpool - Danny Murphy - he is the perfect example. He came through the Crewe Academy and went on to play for Liverpool," Carragher said.

"It is important that those type of opportunities are not lost to the game. There are some great smaller clubs out there, like Wrexham and Cambridge, who worked hard with youngsters but then saw their funding disappear when they lost their league status. It is vital that clubs like that are not forgotten."

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