This is the finest opportunity you are ever going to have to become an
elite player and acquire some educational qualifications as you train.
The rewards are enormous but you have to earn them. Give 100 per cent
to everything you do and you will get there in the end'
Quote from the Arsenal Academy induction brochure, handed to scholars upon arrival
The
mechanical gates whirr into action, breaking the peace and disturbing
the ducks by the ornamental pond as Dennis Rockall steers the white
minibus across the gravel.
It is no different from hundreds of other
vehicles delivering sleepy bodies to their workplaces, except those
tumbling out of this van in hoodies, jeans and woolly hats, breathing
clouds of steam into the freezing air, just happen to be among the most
highly-prized teenagers in world football.
They are the scholars at
Arsenal's academy, one of European football's finest finishing schools,
supplying a stream of young players for Arsene Wenger's first team.
Holders of the FA Youth Cup and the national Academy League title, some
have already been involved in the Carling Cup squad. They must be doing
something right, but enthusiasm is in short supply as they tackle the
first task of the week.
Skill factory: Chukwuemeka Aneke and his fellow Arsenal youngsters are put through their paces at the training ground
'Three
out of 10 for effort.' It is a harsh assessment. Sixteen teenagers
stare at the floor, dodging eye contact. Some hide their faces and
snigger. 'Come on, up on your feet, let's do it again.' They shuffle
into formation and summon some courage.
Deep breath. 'Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.'
The
scholars are rehearsing for the Christmas lunch, held on Thursday, when
Arsenal tradition dictates they sing for the first team. Normally this
is a 40-minute classroom session but studies have ended for a festive
break.
It always goes much better when the band are in place, they
are assured, and last year Aaron Ramsey and Cesc Fabregas stepped up to
help. The youngsters do not look convinced as they leave the study
block for the changing rooms. They are destined for a career in
professional football, not music.
CLICK HERE FOR GRAHAM CHADWICK'S
EXCLUSIVE PICTURE GALLERY OF ARSENAL'S ACADEMY Doors of opportunity:
The entrance to the academy
In a form of segregation, the long
two-storey building is effectively sliced in half. The right is home to
the first team, the left to the academy. Shared areas like the gym,
pool and canteen are in the centre and the offices of Wenger and
academy director Liam Brady are at either end.
The two squads enter
through different doors. Pride of place in the academy reception goes
to last season's Youth Cup-winning team but there is also an old youth
team photo featuring Ashley Cole and pictures of Tony Adams and Ray
Parlour, all homegrown heroes.
Closer to the dressing room are
photographs of those who have graduated from the youth ranks more
recently; Nicklas Bendtner, Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs.
Wenger's
first-teamers train out of sight, tucked behind a 12ft hedge. Steve
Bould's Under 18 squad are in the opposite corner of a flat expanse of
training pitches, exposed to the icy wind. Somewhere between, Neil
Banfield works with the reserves.
'The first team are hidden away,'
explains Bould. 'You don't see them and it provides a little incentive.
You see the cars in the first team car park. I'm not sure if that's
good or bad sometimes, but it's something to strive for.'
The gaffer: Bould takes charge of training
There
are fleeting glimpses of senior players. Mikael Silvestre tiptoes
barefoot into the academy side, picks up two jars of vitamins and
retreats without a word. Eduardo breezes in, flashing a smile.
Amid
the glossy photographs on the walls are reminders of no chewing gum in
the dressing rooms, no mobile phones and no shaking hands. The
handshake ban is a swine flu precaution and hand gel is available for
those who cannot stop themselves pressing flesh. Visitors are expected
to wear plastic shoe-covers, all part of Wenger's quest for
cleanliness. No one doubts the inspiration behind this academy but
Wenger monitors the development of his next generation from a
respectful distance.
He will address the new scholars at the start
of the season, telling them what it means to play for Arsenal, and
might appear unannounced during training. He will watch as many reserve
team and Youth Cup games as possible and demands regular updates from
Bould and Banfield.
'You can sense a change in the lads when he
turns up in training,' admits Bould. 'But he doesn't stay long. He's
double busy isn't he? If the manager needs a player a midfielder or a
centre half to fill in a session he'll ask me or Neil and we'll say,
'Have a look at him, he's doing well'.
'He takes so many of our kids
across now but if they let the training session down technically, he
won't take them again. They have to be able to join our first team and
look comfortable.'
Jump to it: The youth team train up to three times a week
As
a result, Bould slants his coaching heavily towards technique. On
Monday, his players worked with a football through their entire
session, including the warm-up. On Tuesday, they only put the balls
down for a 20-minute burst of speed and mobility work.
The pitches
are in immaculate condition and Arsenal go to great lengths and
considerable expense to ensure each young player has the best chance to
maximise his talent.
Rockall, the Academy kitman, is at the training ground at 7am to prepare everything.
Scholars
must dig around in boxes for their kit but when they move up to the
reserve team dressing room, they will arrive to find it neatly folded
on their seats.
It is a sliding scale of pampering. Rockall doubles
as the bus driver, collecting the non-drivers from a tube station and
ferrying them to the training ground in Hertfordshire.
Multi-talented: Kit man Dennis Rockall attends to his primary brief
There
are no chores in the old-fashioned sense. Scholars are not expected to
clean the first-team boots, partly because, in the era of boot deals,
players crack open a fresh box when the urge takes them. They most
definitely do not pass their time painting the stadium.
'It's not
like my day,' says Bould. 'We actually played football now and again
and worked most of the time on the ground. They don't do many jobs.
We're trying to produce players and we need them to be training. It's
not an easy life, that's wrong, but it's certainly geared towards them
as footballers.
'You can get carried away and think it's a nice life
without putting in the hard work. Those who work it out quickly,
generally go on and do OK. It's no secret. The great players I played
with, the Bergkamps and the like, were the best characters.
'You
tend to forget the great players had strong characters. When it was
tough, they stood up. It doesn't matter what tricks you can do, it's
really down to character.'
With a nod to the past, the scholars look
after their own boots and the first-years have a simple task to perform
each day. Three of them pump up and carry the footballs, three take the
mannequins to the training pitches, two are responsible for bibs and
cones and two for water.
From the dressing rooms, the players step
into an ante-chamber, where they pull on boots, waterproofs and hats.
This is the disrobing area on the way back in, to keep the mud out of
the dressing room.
In the ante-chamber: Sam Byles removes his boots
During
term times, they will spend three afternoons each week working towards
a BTEC national diploma with the help of tutors from West Herts
College. Foreign scholars have one-to-one English lessons instead,
until they are ready for BTEC study.
They also have three shorter
classroom sessions working towards an NVQ Apprenticeship in Sporting
Excellence (ASE), a record of everything they do in their football.
This involves a study of their own game with the help of modern
analysis software and studies of elite players in the same position.
Scholars
must also assess the personal fitness and development programmes
designed by youth fitness coach Craig Gant. They learn about diet,
media and finance from experts.
They take coaching qualifications
and a Laws of the Game exam and learn simple sports psychology
techniques, like relaxation, visualisation and a positive mindset.
'We
try to discourage them thinking, 'Oh no, we're two down at half-time',
explains head of education Shirley Askew. 'We'd rather hear, 'Come on,
a quick goal and we're back in this'.'
Mucking in: Nico Yennaris and Chukwuemeka Aneke prepare the balls before training
It
must be making an impression. Bould finishes a session with a shoot-out
competition ahead of the Youth Cup tie against Crewe. And the losers
are taking their punishment, collecting the equipment to carry it back,
when one says: 'We're doing this because you missed.' The one who
missed replies: 'I hit the post, I was unlucky.' There's no sympathy.
'No, you missed,' says his pal.
For all his words of advice and
encouragement on the training fields, Bould rarely says: 'Unlucky'. It
is not down to luck. Nothing is left to chance. The meticulous Wenger
has seen to that.
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