English football has always developed stars. Even in periods of struggle for the national team, some of the game’s most feared and revered players have worn the Three Lions on their chest.
But rarely has there been such a proliferation of highly technical, athletic and tactically savvy young players as those currently at Gareth Southgate’s disposal. And rarer still has there been the kind of success – at youth and senior level – seen in recent years.
England entered this winter’s World Cup in Qatar as one of the pre-competition favourites after a run to a first major tournament final in 55 years at Euro 2020. This, coupled with England’s recent triumphs on the world and European youth stages, ought to serve as a ringing endorsement of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), the rules and guidelines that revolutionised and continue to govern elite youth football in England, a decade on from its introduction.
Yet for all the developments driven by EPPP, the world of football academies is often viewed –
