Having already covered the educational and developmental aspects of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) and Ajax Amsterdam FC model being emulated by Toronto FC the final part in this series will focus on financial responsibility and how being a “Feeder” club is beneficial to Toronto FC, TFC Academy and Canadian Men’s National Team. As the old saying goes “A penny saved is a penny earned”. Truer words have never been spoken, especially when speaking about football clubs.
Compared to the rest of Europe, Ajax aren’t blessed with deep pockets. In order to compete they have to develop talent with an eye on selling it for profit. The days of a player being with one club from youth level to retirement are extinct, however, for both club and country this isn’t such a bad thing. Clubs like Ajax have turned this into a science, as they know when a player “outgrows” the club and when it’s time to sell they ultimately benefits in three ways:
A) The money made is reinvested within the club
B) The club has groomed the player’s replacement and has that player’s successor waiting in the wings
C) Selling a player to a “bigger” club helps the National Team
Reinvesting money made back into the club is the primary and essential benefit, especially considering the inflated prices placed on players in the modern day game. The fact remains that the money made from one player could change a club's fortunes and financial outlook for years. It can be used on anything from bringing in quality players or coaches, clearing debt, setting up scouting networks or improving facilities. This is something that is tailor made for Toronto FC being in a single entity/salary cap league like MLS as wherever money can be saved and redistributed is a major positive.
The reality is there are only a handful of clubs in the world that can spend well outside the norm, contend for/win trophies year in year out and be considered “powerhouses”. However, UEFA has looked at the amount of clubs that are under massive debt and have instituted the “Financial Fair Play” rule. While the big spenders are under the gun to trim the fat, clubs like Athletic Bilbao, Olimpique Lyon, Udinese, Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen, amongst others, who follow the same or similar schools of thought as Ajax need not worry.
Ajax and similar clubs don’t just sell players without a plan in place. Whilst the player in question is starting for the first team they are hard at work developing not only his replacement, but also the understudy. In the academy, youth players are groomed to take over specific roles and know when a player in their position is sold that a First Team call up may soon follow.
Having a pecking order in place not only keeps players motivated but also gives them specific guidelines to follow. All involved know who they have to beat out for a position, who’s coming up behind them and what they need to do to improve. This has an added benefit where Toronto FC is concerned when speaking of the MLS “homegrown” rule. These players’ salaries not counting against the cap in essence make them “free” and the money saved can go elsewhere.
This is where the hiring of Academy Director Thomas Rongen comes into play, as he and whatever coaching staff he pieces together should have a goal of finding, grooming and promoting 2-3 players a year. This will not only create depth but also can be used as a recruitment tool for potential prospects. These prospects will look at the ratio of players making the First Team and be more eager to sign and bide their time.
However, with a successful academy sometimes comes the unfortunate situation of selling players before their time, and this happens a lot with clubs like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and now Manchester City, who have excellent academy systems but also big aspirations and a lot of money. These academies produce good young talent; look no further than how many former Real Madrid academy products are floating around La Liga and elsewhere. However, in order to finance top international talent these players must be sold. This is in contrast to a club like the aforementioned Athletic Bilbao, who has a policy of only recruiting players from the Basque region of Spain. While in some cases the line is blurred on this policy, it is done to ensure young Basque players are protected and have something to aspire toward, even with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid hovering over them.
This may sound strange but when selling a homegrown player (international talent doesn’t apply here) it’s not always about getting the most money. Obviously making a big profit is the main goal, but in the case of Ajax in a country like The Netherlands, it’s also about the national team. When speaking about large sums of money the difference between €30 million and €40 million isn’t all that much, but putting players in an environment where they can continue to grow for the national team is vital when considering the big picture.
Ajax takes pride that at any point in history they can look at the national team and count the amount of players that have been, or still are apart of their set up. This is not only done for nostalgic purposes, or a “stroll down memory lane”, but also used in a strategic way as yet another recruitment tool and in the areas of marketing/advertising. The amount of adverts, public appearances and world tours that national teams are a part of benefit the club sides as well, whether it be directly, indirectly or otherwise. So losing a couple million in a transfer deal in the grand scheme of things may be a small price to pay when considering the potential of a much larger return.
MLS is no different. Players groomed through TFC Academy and end up playing for Toronto FC should be steered toward the Canadian Men’s National Team. Case in point Ashtone Morgan. When he’s playing for the National Team it helps the club gain recognition in many ways, mainly because when he is now introduced or referred to in interviews, in game broadcasts and public appearances across the country, it is as “Canadian Men’s National Team and Toronto FC player Ashtone Morgan”. Even if/when he moves on to Europe in most cases he’d then still be referred to as “Former Toronto FC player Ashtone Morgan” which still gives the club publicity.
When looking at the Canadian National Team, up until now with the exception of Dwayne De Rosario the majority of players slogged their way through Europe as MLS was growing into what it is today. However, the new generation of Canadian player will all be coming through the academy systems and it’s only a matter of time when Toronto FC, like Ajax, can look at the squad at any given moment and see multiple players that have come or are coming through TFC Academy.
So in summary, when talking about Toronto FC adopting the Dutch/Ajax model, instituting “Total Football”, dubbing it the “Aron Winter Era” or whatever fancy phrase that is used to describe how the club is going about things it’s important not to lose sight of the “Big Picture”. At the risk of sounding corny, whether you're talking about Ajax or Toronto FC, these are not just football clubs or businesses to those involved, and it’s not just about bringing a bunch of Dutch guys over to Canada, playing a 4-3-3 system and starting an academy like many seem to suggest. It’s the little details that make this model so successful, establishing routines at a young age, creating men not just soccer players, encouraging freedom in all its forms and ultimately protecting and continuing a legacy in the city of Toronto and Canada as a whole.
A good resource for information on this topic is the UEFA Training Ground Grassroots initiative, visit their website for more information and videos http://www.uefa.com/trainingground/grassroots/index.html.
Kamal Hylton is Owner/Freelance Soccer Writer at Hylton Sports Media,
he specializes in covering Youth Development in Canada and the
CONCACAF Region as well as European leagues such as Bundesliga, Serie A and UEFA Champions League. Follow him on Twitter to view all
his work.
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