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The Global Youth Partner Program - New Hearts initiative


jamboinglasgow

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jamboinglasgow

It may have got a bit lost in the AGM thread but Hearts announced today the first club who will be part of Hearts Global Youth Partner Program.

 

https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/hearts-unveil-global-youth-partner-programme

 

It seems an interesting idea by club (similar to what other bigger clubs do) whereby Hearts go into agreement with a club in another country, Hearts will provide advice into how to improve that clubs youth academy, train coaches over the internet and in person when those coaches come over. Hearts get a fee from the club plus get access to that clubs pool of players so they can quickly identify talent and sign that player.

 

From the lit bits I have read and others have said from the AGM, this is something that Hearts designed and have been selling to clubs around the world. The first club to sign up is Utah base Forza Futbol club who have 4,000 youth players in their ranks. Ann Budge said in the AGM that there are 4 other clubs who are signing up to this program as well (think from what has been said they are also US based clubs.)

 

Also it seems this has been created and helped run by Austin McPhee's company AM Sports Tours. Interestingly the info from Hearts talks about AM Sports Tours providing "expertise and resources to assist Hearts in both its North American strategy and markets in Asia. " So would be fascinated to know what its plan is for Asia. AM Sports Tours on its twitter specifies that it will provide (among other things) player trials, coach exchange, tours and visits, elite tournaments (someone said on the AGM thread that Levein told that the club are organising an invitational international youth tournament,) and curriculum access. 

 

I think it will be fascinating to see how this goes. I see this like the elite performance school at Balerno, the real impact of it could be a few years away and it will bubble away in the meantime below the surface but it could be a big benefit for us when fully up and running.

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Footballfirst

It's also AM Sports that organising the youth tournament (for the 2007 age group) that Hearts will be hosting next July, involving Rangers, Aberdeen Hibs, 4 x US teams, Arsenal Liverpool and a couple of others

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Sounds like fairly cynical commercial venture. Which is fine if it brings us value.

 

As for “AM Sports”, I’d rather our assistant head coach was solely focused on his role his us (I realise he is also involved with NI). 

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8 hours ago, jamboinglasgow said:

It may have got a bit lost in the AGM thread but Hearts announced today the first club who will be part of Hearts Global Youth Partner Program.

 

https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/hearts-unveil-global-youth-partner-programme

 

It seems an interesting idea by club (similar to what other bigger clubs do) whereby Hearts go into agreement with a club in another country, Hearts will provide advice into how to improve that clubs youth academy, train coaches over the internet and in person when those coaches come over. Hearts get a fee from the club plus get access to that clubs pool of players so they can quickly identify talent and sign that player.

 

From the lit bits I have read and others have said from the AGM, this is something that Hearts designed and have been selling to clubs around the world. The first club to sign up is Utah base Forza Futbol club who have 4,000 youth players in their ranks. Ann Budge said in the AGM that there are 4 other clubs who are signing up to this program as well (think from what has been said they are also US based clubs.)

 

Also it seems this has been created and helped run by Austin McPhee's company AM Sports Tours. Interestingly the info from Hearts talks about AM Sports Tours providing "expertise and resources to assist Hearts in both its North American strategy and markets in Asia. " So would be fascinated to know what its plan is for Asia. AM Sports Tours on its twitter specifies that it will provide (among other things) player trials, coach exchange, tours and visits, elite tournaments (someone said on the AGM thread that Levein told that the club are organising an invitational international youth tournament,) and curriculum access. 

 

I think it will be fascinating to see how this goes. I see this like the elite performance school at Balerno, the real impact of it could be a few years away and it will bubble away in the meantime below the surface but it could be a big benefit for us when fully up and running.

Only read a little on this so far, and could not make the AGM. 

 

From what I have read, though, it sounds very interesting, and a great initiative.  

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Fascinating is not a word I would use to describe this tie up, i will reserve judgement, we would be better off concentrating on our academy and seeing if we can produce our own. Levein has shown this season for sure that he does not trust youth re his treatment of McDonald and Cochrane when the opportunity existed.

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Levein stated that the reason Cochrane has not featured more is down to being injured at start of season and subsequent injuries. He would like to have played him more. (Currently injured again orcwoukd have been playing at Aberdeen). 

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What happens to this sort of frippery if and when results and coaching continue to be as poor as since he has arrived and MacPhee is eventually asked to leave the club?

 

Who at the club has the record of being able to train coaches to any standard?  And the thought that this sort of thing is the source of good players for Hearts is as laughable as when we supposedly had our feeder clubs in the East.

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1 hour ago, Peebo said:

Sounds like fairly cynical commercial venture. Which is fine if it brings us value.

 

As for “AM Sports”, I’d rather our assistant head coach was solely focused on his role his us (I realise he is also involved with NI). 

 

There is more than one person employed by AM Sports Tours. 

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5 minutes ago, SUTOL said:

 

There is more than one person employed by AM Sports Tours. 

There is only one Chief Executive. 

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How can anyone see this as a negative? It's not going to detract from the work we are already doing in the academy, and will widen the net substantially when it comes to brining in highly rated players from as yet established markets. It will also raise our profile in those markets as well.

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Just now, jamboinglasgow said:

Some responses on this thread sum up kickback at times.

You could also sum it up by the absence of the perpetual moaners who abhor good or positive news about the club.

Oh, wait.  Someone will be along shortly.

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9 minutes ago, Gav M said:

How can anyone see this as a negative? It's not going to detract from the work we are already doing in the academy, and will widen the net substantially when it comes to brining in highly rated players from as yet established markets. It will also raise our profile in those markets as well.

I think the key tangible benefit will be the direct revenue the deal brings in. 

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Really don’t see a down side. Short term it could generate significant revenue, long term it could produce some good players. Our only commitment seems to be coaching time. 

 

As as for the ones moaning, ?

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Lord Beni of Gorgie
3 hours ago, Peebo said:

Sounds like fairly cynical commercial venture. Which is fine if it brings us value.

 

As for “AM Sports”, I’d rather our assistant head coach was solely focused on his role his us (I realise he is also involved with NI). 

See I would say the opposite, taking a longer term view. I think he is a very valuable asset growing our club.

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3 hours ago, Peebo said:

Sounds like fairly cynical commercial venture. Which is fine if it brings us value.

 

As for “AM Sports”, I’d rather our assistant head coach was solely focused on his role his us (I realise he is also involved with NI). 

 

Successful people do seem to manage to deal with a wide range of activities. That someone might feel is too much. MPs have other jobs or activities e.g. running charities. Then people say MPs should just be MPs nothing else. 

 

But it's just pretty normal. 20/30 hours a week working for Hearts leaves plenty of time for other stuff. Craig Levein as Director of football did all his work, modernised the youth structure but still had time to attend every youth game and most training sessions. 

 

If you are motivated to do things time is there. 

Edited by Mikey1874
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alwaysthereinspirit
23 minutes ago, jambo-rocker said:

Widens the net of possible recruits substantially and we are getting money for it. What's not to like?

Reading some of the posts you'd think Hearts had flushed their goldfish.

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Surely this can only be seen as a good thing? 

 

We’re getting 1st pick on the best laddies from various American clubs. Soccer ball in America will be the biggest sport there in time, they produce some of the best and most dedicated professional athletes in the world. The chance to get one or two of them every few years could net us a fortune in the future.

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1 hour ago, Mikey1874 said:

 

Successful people do seem to manage to deal with a wide range of activities. That someone might feel is too much. MPs have other jobs or activities e.g. running charities. Then people say MPs should just be MPs nothing else. 

 

But it's just pretty normal. 20/30 hours a week working for Hearts leaves plenty of time for other stuff. Craig Levein as Director of football did all his work, modernised the youth structure but still had time to attend every youth game and most training sessions. 

 

If you are motivated to do things time is there. 

My concern is that our Head Coach also has other roles in the club: director of football, and through that, a board member. 

 

My preference would be that his second in charge on the first team side is solely focused on that role. Not a huge deal, though. 

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1 hour ago, Sir Gio said:

See I would say the opposite, taking a longer term view. I think he is a very valuable asset growing our club.

Fair enough. Sounds like he could be a good DoF...

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Maybe if Austin did not have another income source, he would move on for more cash. I personally think that we are lucky to have him, and hope to see the benefits in years to come.

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Lord Beni of Gorgie
36 minutes ago, Peebo said:

Fair enough. Sounds like he could be a good DoF...

Yeah, that sort of thing. I think I would rather have him on our side than someone elses. 

 

I like the fact Aberdeen have recently talked about doing this, but we are steps ahead, if that is down to AM then he is pioneering.

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Lord Beni of Gorgie
1 hour ago, Mikey1874 said:

 

Successful people do seem to manage to deal with a wide range of activities. That someone might feel is too much. MPs have other jobs or activities e.g. running charities. Then people say MPs should just be MPs nothing else. 

 

But it's just pretty normal. 20/30 hours a week working for Hearts leaves plenty of time for other stuff. Craig Levein as Director of football did all his work, modernised the youth structure but still had time to attend every youth game and most training sessions. 

 

If you are motivated to do things time is there. 

Because as Levein said the other day, football is a life not a job for these guys. A good life, but with high expectations and the pressures that brings. A thick skin and a strong focus and belief in what you do are essential

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4 hours ago, daveyhmfc said:

All sounds good. However, first team results and performances are a  far bigger concern at the moment.

 

It doesn't feel that way. Is it just me or does it feel like we are the busiest off the park club in Scottish football? Obviously I don't follow other teams atall but just can't imagine other clubs work behind the scenes seeming like never ending tasks. We seem so far away from getting back to winning consistently and everyones seems to be caught up with other stuff.

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4 minutes ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

 

It doesn't feel that way. Is it just me or does it feel like we are the busiest off the park club in Scottish football? Obviously I don't follow other teams atall but just can't imagine other clubs work behind the scenes seeming like never ending tasks. We seem so far away from getting back to winning consistently and everyones seems to be caught up with other stuff.

This is kind of where I’m coming from...as I said, I’d prefer the first team football leadership at our club (Head Coach, assistant head coach...) to be focused solely on our first team. 

 

Initiatives like this inevitably get lots of plaudits, but they are a long, long way from making any meaningful contribution to what we do on the pitch. 

 

Doesn't mean we shouldn’t get involved in them, but I reckon they need to be viewed in a bit more perspective. 

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38 minutes ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

 

It doesn't feel that way. Is it just me or does it feel like we are the busiest off the park club in Scottish football? Obviously I don't follow other teams atall but just can't imagine other clubs work behind the scenes seeming like never ending tasks. We seem so far away from getting back to winning consistently and everyones seems to be caught up with other stuff.

 

So all the off field stuff started at end of October? 

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32 minutes ago, Peebo said:

This is kind of where I’m coming from...as I said, I’d prefer the first team football leadership at our club (Head Coach, assistant head coach...) to be focused solely on our first team. 

 

Initiatives like this inevitably get lots of plaudits, but they are a long, long way from making any meaningful contribution to what we do on the pitch. 

 

Doesn't mean we shouldn’t get involved in them, but I reckon they need to be viewed in a bit more perspective. 

 

Clubs all over the world do a range of activities not just their football. Fans all over the world pick fault with everything when results are bad. 

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alwaysthereinspirit

If we were still winning this initiative would be seen as a great thing. Just the timing for some is suspect. Obviously been in the pipe-line for a while. Like most I'll embrace it as a good thing for Hearts moving forward.

3 minutes ago, Mikey1874 said:

 

Clubs all over the world do a range of activities not just their football. Fans all over the world pick fault with everything when results are bad. 

 

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7 minutes ago, Mikey1874 said:

 

Clubs all over the world do a range of activities not just their football. Fans all over the world pick fault with everything when results are bad. 

I’m not picking fault with the initiative, nor am I creaming my pants over it. Perfectly happy with it, if it ends up creating value for us as a club. 

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As those who know me are aware, Tasboy#2 spent the last 5 years playing in the US collegiate system and also at semi-pro level (USPDL, NPSL, NSCAA, CCCAA). Like all sports in the US, youth coaching is aimed at getting students a soccer scholarship to college/university.  From the many games I have watched, players are a cross section of ability.  I am not sure what is the benefit from the tie-up with a youth club based in Utah.     

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5 hours ago, Mikey1874 said:

 

Successful people do seem to manage to deal with a wide range of activities. That someone might feel is too much. MPs have other jobs or activities e.g. running charities. Then people say MPs should just be MPs nothing else. 

 

But it's just pretty normal. 20/30 hours a week working for Hearts leaves plenty of time for other stuff. Craig Levein as Director of football did all his work, modernised the youth structure but still had time to attend every youth game and most training sessions. 

 

If you are motivated to do things time is there. 

There’s no way he’s doing 20/30 hours a week. I bet he does that weekly on video analysis alone. It would shock me if he wasn’t working 50/60 a week for hearts 

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1 hour ago, Tasavallan said:

As those who know me are aware, Tasboy#2 spent the last 5 years playing in the US collegiate system and also at semi-pro level (USPDL, NPSL, NSCAA, CCCAA). Like all sports in the US, youth coaching is aimed at getting students a soccer scholarship to college/university.  From the many games I have watched, players are a cross section of ability.  I am not sure what is the benefit from the tie-up with a youth club based in Utah.     

 

Seemingly the Utah club has 4000 players in it's academy system, we have probably less than a quarter of that at all levels yet produced an incredible number of young players that have made it to the 1st team. Everyone lauds the youth systems at the likes of Ajax and Barca but they also cast a very wide net with thousands and thousands of young players passing through their academies. We're being paid to have access to a huge number of potential players which can only increase the likelihood of unearthing a gem. That cannot be a bad thing.

 

Also you don't see Man City or Bayern Munich fans berate their club for similar partnerships with US based clubs.

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5 minutes ago, Ribble said:

 

Seemingly the Utah club has 4000 players in it's academy system, we have probably less than a quarter of that at all levels yet produced an incredible number of young players that have made it to the 1st team. Everyone lauds the youth systems at the likes of Ajax and Barca but they also cast a very wide net with thousands and thousands of young players passing through their academies. We're being paid to have access to a huge number of potential players which can only increase the likelihood of unearthing a gem. That cannot be a bad thing.

 

Also you don't see Man City or Bayern Munich fans berate their club for similar partnerships with US based clubs.

 

I support this - and see above.

 

One difference with Man City and Bayern is they can afford more staff to manage different projects.

 

Always worth trying different things but no harm in linking to other countries. Austin MacPhee is also mentoring a Chinese women's  coach. 

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rudi must stay

Stuff like this makes Hearts. Just like signing young players and appointing new coaches, they are part of the future. Great news, not going to say its a big day but who knows, it could be.

Edited by rudi must stay
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I can certainly see the interest in a large tie up in another country. It gives you an extra option on recruitment. Although I’m going to put my neck on the line & day we won’t see anyone from Forza futbol make a significant impact in our first team.... ever.

 

lets be honest, if they produce the next wonder kid we can have any sort of link with them & money will talk & they wouldn’t be anywhere near hearts.

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2 minutes ago, allystrachan said:

I can certainly see the interest in a large tie up in another country. It gives you an extra option on recruitment. Although I’m going to put my neck on the line & day we won’t see anyone from Forza futbol make a significant impact in our first team.... ever.

 

lets be honest, if they produce the next wonder kid we can have any sort of link with them & money will talk & they wouldn’t be anywhere near hearts.

 

Could see someone coming over and ending up in Lowland League or League 2. 

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Austin McPhee’s win % at Hearts must make for some ugly viewing. He’s been involved in some brutal results. 

Great that he’s helped set up this initiative though! 

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2 hours ago, Rambo1874 said:

Austin McPhee’s win % at Hearts must make for some ugly viewing. He’s been involved in some brutal results. 

Great that he’s helped set up this initiative though! 

 

What do you want to happen?

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14 hours ago, Lfhearts said:

Fascinating is not a word I would use to describe this tie up, i will reserve judgement, we would be better off concentrating on our academy and seeing if we can produce our own. Levein has shown this season for sure that he does not trust youth re his treatment of McDonald and Cochrane when the opportunity existed.

More accurately, you've shown that you have no idwa what you're talking about! 

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Siphiwe Tshabalala
3 hours ago, allystrachan said:

I can certainly see the interest in a large tie up in another country. It gives you an extra option on recruitment. Although I’m going to put my neck on the line & day we won’t see anyone from Forza futbol make a significant impact in our first team.... ever.

 

lets be honest, if they produce the next wonder kid we can have any sort of link with them & money will talk & they wouldn’t be anywhere near hearts.

 

You got experience in football development in USA? 

 

Strong assumption to make from an opinion.

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Youth development kinda seems like a numbers game so potential access to circa 4000 players is massive. Don't forget, we're not Barca or Bayern Munich so the bar will be so much lower - We don't need Messi 2.0 to come of this, just another lad we can punt to a Cardiff or Stoke level club for a couple million.

 

I wonder what the domestic impact of this will be, could offering youth teams preseason/ tournaments in Utah and wherever else be a further selling point to make the difference for youngsters in picking us over Celtic or the huns? 

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