In the eyes of the generic football fan, the concept of a ‘feeder and parent club’ exists solely in the fabricated world of Football Manager. The benefits appear obvious, the modest lower league clubs welcome the financial support and brief stint with the next generation of promising youngsters, while the Premier League elite are presented with a dedicated environment to develop their academy products, plus first pick of any that should arise at the other end. But how often do we witness these symbiotic relationships in modern football, are they a scheme that’s merely better in principle that in reality?
The term ‘feeder club’ is perhaps is little old fashioned, in the sense that few teams would appreciate being recognised as the inferior identity. Nowadays clubs are more likely to announce ‘partnerships’, where the advantages span across a number of different areas, even those that exist outside of football.
This summer saw the Pozzo family complete their takeover of Championship side Watford, which in effect spawned a partnership with the families other two clubs, Udinese and Granada. Despite specifically stating that The Hornets would not be a feeder club for either side, Vicarage road has welcomed no fewer that 12 loan signings from both clubs. Similar to the rules and regulations of the Premier League, Udinese can only use 25 players per season, which allows Watford to benefit from players that would be otherwise be out of their reach.
However, it is entirely inconceivable to believe that Watford could successfully integrate so many new additions into their squad. Surely this serves only to place an unnecessary amount of pressure on new manager Gianfranco Zola, who has yet to win over fans or even begin to rebuild his reputation. It seems incredibly unlikely that these new imports will be able to produce their best performances, in an extremely competitive league, as they try to adapt to their new, albeit temporary surroundings. Are Watford being fashioned into a breeding ground for Udinese, tasked with fostering and preparing a swarm of players for life in Serie A?
Another new affiliation that made the headlines this summer involved Tottenham and Real Madrid, a deal that was formed as part of the Luka Modric transfer. The exact nature of this alliance remains unclear, but considering Daniel Levy’s savvy nature in the transfer market, I doubt they will become a production line for the Galacticos. I would imagine Spurs have struck a deal in order to place themselves in pole position should any opportunities – like the loan availability of Nuri Sahin – arise again. Perhaps in return Madrid will be offered first refusal on players such as Gareth Bale, if and when they decide to depart White Hart Lane. Twitter exploded in a fit of rage, hysteria and confusion when the deal was announced but it’s perhaps one of the few examples that equally benefits both clubs.
Some partnerships may never involve the transfer of a player between two linked clubs and instead exist purely as a source of revenue. Manchester United for instance have a list of feeder clubs as long as my arm that are located across almost every continent in the world. I can’t imagine Sir Alex Ferguson sees any positives in sending his reserve players to Parramotta F.C in Australia or Western Province United in South Africa, but these deals will help evolve the club as a global brand, improving their popularity and maximising their replica shirt sales.
In the current economic climate, smaller clubs will always seek to generate funds in any way they can. The feeder club status offers a significant long-term risk as a result of obtaining a short-term windfall, it’s no use benefiting from a big club’s academy if your own potential stars are made vulnerable in the process.
Perhaps the solution is the concept of a ‘co-ownership’ arrangement like the system that exists in Italy and various South American nations. A club can purchase a stake in any player, thus allowing for the smaller club to receive income without losing his services. The two clubs aspirations are then aligned, as they work together to develop the player’s prospects. After an allocated period either club can offer to buy the other’s share – hopefully the value has increased at this point – or it goes to a blind auction. It’s certainly a concept worth considering that could help abolish the predatory nature of the countries top clubs.
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