The Blues released all eleven of their second-year scholars at the end of the season.
Pompey’s return to the Championship has no bearing on their plans to field an under-21 team.
That’s the message from Rich Hughes, who concedes that forming a development group is still not on the Blues’ radar. There have long been calls to enhance the pathway for Academy players, and Tornante’s owners continue to be concerned about it.
This season, all 11 of Pompey’s second-year scholars, including skipper and Fratton Park season ticket holder Jack Fox, were released after graduation, bringing the problem back into focus.
However, Hughes insists that the concept of an under-21s side is still being considered, but it is not currently in the plans.
The Blues’ sporting director told The News, ‘From my understanding, we are not looking at a development group at this stage.’The question remains the same regardless of which league we are in – in this example, the Championship next season.
‘First and foremost, we recognize that this football club wants to see players that have been groomed within the organization.
‘We know there’s a lot of fantastic work going on, and it’s critical that when we make decisions about which individuals to release at 18, we don’t do so because we don’t believe those players can immediately impact the Championship.
‘We’ve decided that some of these guys won’t be able to reach the level required.’The challenge with a development team therefore becomes its management; they must have enough players to operate a quality games schedule and be competitive to some extent.
‘It’s a regular topic and something we’re continuously assessing to make sure we get the greatest pathway for players post-18.
to develop and eventually become Pompey first-team players.It’s about cost, return on investment, the need for additional staff, resources, and training pitches, all of which become factors, and it’s something we’re looking at and will continue to look at as a larger executive team.
‘We will make the best decision for the football club, and currently, we do not believe it is the best option.’However, we will continue to monitor and assess it to see if anything changes in the future.
The Blues discharged all second- and third-year scholars, as well as home-grown trio Josh Dockerill, Haji Mnoga, and Harry Jewitt-White at the end of the season.
Pompey’s team now only includes Toby Steward and 33-year-old Marlon Pack, who were created by the Academy.
Hughes continued, ‘Quite probably it (development group) might change in the future because we appreciate the importance of local talent for this club and want to get there.’However, in order to remain competitive, we must ensure that everything in the first team is in order and that the Academy is in excellent standing.
‘Then there’s the age-old football challenge of linking the two.’
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