Dagenham academy

[TommyD&R]

Has folded according to Kenny Brown

[mickeyblue]

gutted
we need a academy full bloody stop, it doesnt have to be a stupid amount of players but a daggers team at every age group from say 12 is a must. even if parents have to pay subs like sunday league sides.

[mickeyblue]

did any ask about it at fans forum?

[NBDag]

Don't know if it was the Dagenham Academy- but there's a group of kids who play on Thursdays, coached by a bunch on blokes in the Dagenham puffa jackets. Always assumed it was part of the academy. Was there tonight and they were still there.

[TommyD&R]

Don't know if it was the Dagenham Academy- but there's a group of kids who play on Thursdays, coached by a bunch on blokes in the Dagenham puffa jackets. Always assumed it was part of the academy. Was there tonight and they were still there.

There are some dagenham college schemes. Basically normal college teams playing in dagenham gear. The academy only came back from a tour to a European country (Belgium I think) the other day so some teams might have a few fixtures to play before they officially disband

[Diggerthedog]

gutted
we need a academy full bloody stop, it doesnt have to be a stupid amount of players but a daggers team at every age group from say 12 is a must. even if parents have to pay subs like sunday league sides.

Not that simple the coaches will want paying as do the parents of the kids just to entice the next young players to sign. I know a scout for Charlton and most the kids he signs parents charge for petrol to get them to training 3 times a week, one kid comes from Brigjton, that is modern football.

[Voice of reason]

No parents ever got expenses reimbursed at Daggers Academy
Terrible shame if it has closed

[stanton101]

It's beginning to hit home now isn't it. Half a season in charge and hoofy's helped get us relegated and the academy's gone up in smoke. See it isn't all about fun trips and super savers up to the obscurities that lay in wait in the conference, people's lives are affected when the trap door closes.
Oh and as an afterthought West Ham's under 21's will play their matches at the ground next season.

[IanC]

Of course its still about the fun trips and having a great time.Theres nothing we can do about other stuff that goes on,thats life.
Its a business and decisions have to be made,long as we have a team to support that's all that matters,ive been a dagger for yonks and in that time weve had youth teams,reserve teams,academies etc and they go when things get tough,or theyre no longer required,shite happens.
When you hear the figures involved I totally agree,it aint viable to run an academy,that said I like some others would be in favour of something on a much more smaller basis.

[steeevooo]

Hear hear IanC

[Mike the Dagger]

I asked Tommo directly about this in email in one of my many discussions about the team management (before he stopped responding).

This was in January 2015:

Q: If we hang on in League Two this season by our fingernails, is anything likely to be different next season? We will still be a "small club". is the sum total of our ambition really to finish 22nd in League Two?

A: The “small club” unfortunately is fact, even in League One we didn’t increase our support massively! What it means is everybody has to work harder but we also need that bit of luck on the injury front, which we haven’t had over the past 12 months.

But our ambition is more than just hanging on hence all the work we are doing with the Academy. But that takes time, this year’s first year Scholars are the best we have ever had, they all came through our ranks which shows. But that has taken 5 years and it will be another 2, at least, before we see the results.

It just needs that bit of patience, hang on in.

Q: What happens to the Academy if we get relegated?

A: It will be fully funded for a further year whilst I sort out alternative arrangements. We would have to cut back but not completely.

[lupins]

So 18 months later the finance position changed

[Mike the Dagger]

If that is the case, then once again we have blown our own feet off if the great hope was the academy in "two years" as of mid 2014/15 season.

The club is a mess.

[TommyD&R]

Even Brentford have closed theirs from u17s down, 6-16 isn't cost effective. Saying that they've still got a 17s, 18s and 21s compared to our 18s

[lupins]

It is not exactly easy to produce players via Academies as the success rate is very low all over the Divisions. That said we have managed to produce a few who have played at league level and also moved on so I think there is a lot of merit in the last few years. There is also one player who we still have high hopes for so I don't think the 14/15 era could be considered a failure